Antimalaria
 

What malaria medication should I take and should I? I have been back and forward to my GP and he recommendes me to take Malaria tablets for pakistan and Nepal .

The one I am thinking of taking is Malarone as it has less side effects .

My question is do I really need Malaria tablets for pakistan and Nepal ???

Malaria Hotspots map - Malaria Hotspots

Have a look at the map. Having had malaria I would say yes. Side effects, none I have noticed.

Having also had malaria but taken Lariam since it was first launched on the market I wouldn't necessarily go for Malarone because 'it has less side effects'. Talk to a doctor who knows their stuff, Lariam might suit you, take a 'tester' pill a few weeks before you leave and see if it affected you in any way.

Personally can't take Malarone, took it with me once & had a rare side-effect, hair loss, as a female - I wasn't prepared to put up with it!

Kira

not nice but..
 

Less side effects is as good a reason as any. The problem with Malarone is the cost and the fact that UK doctors don't prescribe more that 1months worth. The lack of 'psychological' side effects with malarone is comforting too - no seeing things or crazy dreams!

I don't suffer with any Lariam side effects, same as a few of my friends ... hence it should be tried if you're cautious!

Kira

I,m going to be around that region too, but for some reason my doctor has recomend chloroquinine tablets l though theses were pretty much useless theses days??

I've also used lariam without experiencing any side effects. Kira's idea about testing it out at home is a good one though, just in case. Also less pills to carry around with you if you go with Lariam.

If you're going for longer than a month Malarone would not be recommended, hence not being able to get a longer prescription. If you don't fancy Larium, Doxycycline is probably the way to go.

Check out the Centre for Disease Control for more info (don't be put off that it's US government associated, they're really good).

Hope this helps.

P

You can get Malerone from your local travel health clinic.

I got 3-4 months supply with no problem. You can even buy it on the net !

What are they now - £1GBP per tablet?

I took my doctor's recommendation to go with Doxycycline for rides through Central and South America and then Africa. I've been happy with it. No side effects and no malaria.

I also packed a few dozen Malarone as an emergency self-treatment in case I was stricken in a remote area.

Bare in mind, the doxy needs to be taken 10 days in advance (I think - please check) before you go into a Malaria infected area where Malarone can be taken the day before making it much more flexible.

Malarone
 

I decide to go with malarone due the fact that you only need to take it two days before entering and 7 days after leaving a malaria area.

Its not cheap but worth it. I am mainly taking them for pakistan and a couple of days wile riding in the risk areas of Nepal below 2500m.

Nothing for India or south east asia. So I should be fine.

I don't understand this "nothing." India's got lots of malaria, and southeast Asia's got some of the worst. Are you really taking antimalarials in Nepal but not India?

Mark

I'm with Mark, I'd be suprised about Nepal but further south there's malaria abound!

Ignore it at your peril!

Kira

malaria
 

Important thread this, I was recomended Malarone for travelling through different malaria zones when you are only a day or a week in an infected are, such as Syria/Turkey, Pakistan and west coast India. You can wait til you are ill, and take a crash course, four tablets a day for three days. Obviously there are going to be 'side effects', but for me this is preferable to taking a daily dose in areas where there is no risk in order to travel onward. Prevention is better than all the pills, but should shit happen Malarone is the so far best option.
I would be very sceptical buying drugs off the internet, Malarone is expensive, but would it be a very bad deal if the pills you bought for half price didn't work when you needed them.
Have to add I have no personal experience with Malarone or malaria.
Peter, in Oslo

Because of some mental instability in my family's medical history, Depression etc.
I've used Malarone because of those reduced mental side effects.


Also mosquito netting or a treated tent are very useful.

Fortunately, this is not true. Two of the four kinds of plasmodium parasite can hide in the liver, where they are not affected by the normal curative doses. In such cases there is a high likelihood or recurring acute malaria in the absence of further treatment These cases can, however, be treated with another anti-malarial, primaquine, which does kill the parasite during its liver phase.

Before taking a course of primaquine it's necessary to have a blood test for a certain blood deficiency which doesn't mix well with this medication. I believe you're also not supposed to take primaquine if pregnant.

The above is a perfect example of why you should not rely completely on internet forums for information about deadly diseases. The last poster was incorrect, although sincere. I believe myself correct....but how would you know the difference? What's more, what about when I'm wrong as well (which happens more often than I like to admit)? Don't trust me; do the research yourself.

Absolutely!

Mark

The jungle in Nepal's southern tier, the Terai, was famously malarial to the point where it was never settled by colonizers or local people except for certain tribes who were (so I've read) somewhat naturally immune. The widespread use of DDT delivered aerially brought about drastic decreases in anopheles mosquitoes, which allowed the intensive settlement, cultivation and resource extraction characteristic of the past 30 or 40 years. I talked to a guy who claimed to remember the planes swooping overhead trailing clouds of insecticides, although he might just have been telling stories to entertain the foolish white man with all the money.

Malaria is on the upswing throughout the Terai as well as in India, where it was almost beaten not so long ago. Last time I was in India there was an outbreak of cerebral malaria which (reportedly) killed thousands of people. This was not widely reported outside India because it happened at the same time that there was an outbreak elsewhere in India of plague, which makes better press and tv.

(/pedantic lecture)

I've had repeated experience with chloroquine, primaquine, mefloquine, doxycycline and Malarone. I tolerate all of them without any trouble, although the whole tetracycline family causes me to sunburn easily. I've also had repeated experience with acute malaria (2x), which I do not recommend. I very much prefer the side effects and/or expense.

Hope that helps.

Mark

Malaria gets transmitted mainly at night. Dengue during daytime. I've just come out of SE-Asia, where I travelled between December & June. I didn't take any anti-malarials, although I had them with me: Doxycycline and Proguanil/Chloroquine.

A lot of areas didn't have too many mozzies anyway (dry season). My strategy for areas with too many mozzies: As soon as dawn kicks in, put some DEET repellant on. If it's only for 1-2 hours in the evening, 10% DEET did they job. For a long night out, I'd put the tropical (100% DEET) stuff on.

In the guesthouse: moskito nets (I had my own with me).
Thenly areas where 'malaria' and 'dengue' were a real topic for the locals during the dry season: Indonesia (Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores) and East Timor.

Standing corrected
 

Oof!
Is my face red.


Not a good subject on which to be spreading misinformation!
Have family that lived in West Africa and got my info second hand.

Will be much more careful with anything I claim to know in the future.
And a very good lesson on proper research.
Thanks Mark!