Malaria Tablets

i did take them a good few years ago for a month when i went to kenya, but i don't remember any significantly bad side-effects, if any. as you said, it's better than malaria.

Reply 2

daydreaming

1

i don't remember any bad side effects either. just don't bite into or suck them (just swallow them) or you might throw up (quinine isn't too nice)

Reply 3

PinkPigeon

Hi, I'm going to the Dominican Republic soon and I was wondering if anyone has been on malaria tablets before? What side effects did you have?
I know they're notorious for making people feel quite rotten and we can't decide whether we're going to take them or not- of course, it's better than malaria but my parents have had some very bad experience with the tablets before, so we're weighing up our options.
Thanks! :smile:

I've had Malarone. One tablet a day, from the day before you arrive till a week after you get back. Sadly they're quite expensive - it cost about £100 for the 36 tablets I needed.

No side effects at all though. Others on the trip weren't so lucky but it might not have been the tablets, there were so many other things which could have caused it!

Watch out if you take dioxycyclin - it makes your skin incredibly sensitive to sun, you can get burnt even with sunblock on!

Reply 4

Tyler Durden

17

I took some combination ones when I went to India. Chloroquine and something else I think. Have a look here for some general advice: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malariadrugs.htm

I didn't get any side-effects though.

Reply 5

Mata

I took them last year, going to Kenya, and was absolutely fine. Nothing at all.

However, I didn't take them when I lived in Kenya and got Malaria twice. So the moral of the story is: they do work, do take them, and Malaria is a total biatch to get.

Reply 6

If you get a prescription for Malarone, then Tesco's is just over £2 per tablet.

Side Effects - Adverse reactions to mefloquine, as to other antimalarials, have been recognised for many years. Recent concern has focused mainly on neuropsychiatric reactions. This term is used to cover one main neurological phenomenon (convulsions) and several psychiatric disorders including insomnia, vivid and unpleasant dreams, agitation, anxiety, irritability, depression, feelings of unreality, panic attacks, hallucinations, and frankly psychotic episodes.

Of course you may easily avoid these side-effects if you buy tablets in country. They may easily turn out to be re-labelled aspirin. Or simply don't bother with the tablets. You get malaria instead. Death may occur from general debility, anemia, or clogging of the vessels of cerebral tissues by affected red blood cells. Cerebral malaria is most commonly seen in infants, pregnant women, and nonimmune travelers to endemic areas.

Marcus

Reply 7

Mata

marcusfox

Of course you may easily avoid these side-effects if you buy tablets in country. They may easily turn out to be re-labelled aspirin. Or simply don't bother with the tablets. You get malaria instead. Death may occur from general debility, anemia, or clogging of the vessels of cerebral tissues by affected red blood cells. Cerebral malaria is most commonly seen in infants, pregnant women, and nonimmune travelers to endemic areas.

Marcus

When I got Malaria my mum just took me to the hospital and they gave me a shot of something, and it got better eventually. I assumed it was normal... glad I didn't know what you know when I had it.

Reply 8

Mata

When I got Malaria my mum just took me to the hospital and they gave me a shot of something, and it got better eventually. I assumed it was normal... glad I didn't know what you know when I had it.

Yeah, it's fairly nasty stuff. I did a bit of background reading on it when I was doing an experiment for my degree "Determining the concentration of quinine in tonic water".
Marcus

Reply 9

Mata

When I got Malaria my mum just took me to the hospital and they gave me a shot of something, and it got better eventually. I assumed it was normal... glad I didn't know what you know when I had it.

It never leaves your system though. It can come back, possibly seriously.

englishstudent

I took some combination ones when I went to India. Chloroquine and something else I think. Have a look here for some general advice: http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malariadrugs.htm

I didn't get any side-effects though.

It'd be chloroquine and proguinal (sp?)... some malaria strains are resistant to this.

marcusfox

If you get a prescription for Malarone, then Tesco's is just over £2 per tablet.

that's pretty good actually... yes it is a private prescription and expensive but I am quite happy that I had malarone. If you're really tight, I think dioxycyclin is the cheapest.

Reply 10

PinkPigeon

OP

13

Chloroquine is the one we've been reccommended- I'm pretty sure we will take it- it's my mum who's funny about it- they're almost certain it caused a miscarriage a while ago when they travelled but that hopefully shouldn't be a worry for any of us!

Reply 11

Manjy

i took malarone this year and was completely fine with them.

another person on my trip took something else (i thought it was chloroquin but maybe it wasnt) and she threwup quite a lot.

Reply 12

Molsaka G

1

PinkPigeon

Hi, I'm going to the Dominican Republic soon and I was wondering if anyone has been on malaria tablets before? What side effects did you have?
I know they're notorious for making people feel quite rotten and we can't decide whether we're going to take them or not- of course, it's better than malaria but my parents have had some very bad experience with the tablets before, so we're weighing up our options.
Thanks! :smile:

We took Larium (Mefloquine) for a trip to India a few months ago . . . I didn't have any side effects apart from maybe some mild insomnia on the night of taking the tablet (1 a week) but this other girl took one and couldn't move without throwing up so she had to switch to a different drug . . . I guess it depends lol. My sister took them a few years ago for a trip to Madagascar and she had really vivid dreams, I was disappointed I didn't get any :p:

!!

Reply 13

Manjy

i took malarone this year and was completely fine with them.

another person on my trip took something else (i thought it was chloroquin but maybe it wasnt) and she threwup quite a lot.

Where was the trip to?

On my trip to Tanzania there were about 25 people with Malarone, 10 with Dioxycyclin and 3 with Lariam.

PinkPigeon

Chloroquine is the one we've been reccommended- I'm pretty sure we will take it- it's my mum who's funny about it- they're almost certain it caused a miscarriage a while ago when they travelled but that hopefully shouldn't be a worry for any of us!

it's pretty cheap... however you should make sure that the place you're going to doesn't have chloroquine resistant malaria!

Reply 14

Manjy

i took malarone this year and was completely fine with them.

another person on my trip took something else (i thought it was chloroquin but maybe it wasnt) and she threwup quite a lot.

Mefloquine by any chance?

Marcus

Reply 15

marcusfox

Mefloquine by any chance?

Marcus

I think the side effects mefloquine has a reputation for are neurological ones?

Reply 16

twiga

15

I was sick...

Reply 17