Malrone Anti-malaria Medication

[downtown]

Please help fellow Ubon-lovers. I'm going out to the boonies in Daetudom amphur in Ubon next week and want some anti-malaria medication. Here in blighty I was quoted 100 GBP!! by a travel clinic for two week's supply of Malerone, surely a pharmacy in Ubon will sell it for considerably cheaper?

[amphur]

Malerone tablets are very expensive.

Are you aware of the side effects?

Very dangerous.

Some say (people with malaria experience) you better can have the malaria treated than taking the precaution Malarone tablets.

Be carefull for how long you decide to take the tablets.

Not all people get sick but those who do do get "crazy".

Edited November 7, 2008 by amphur

[tubber]

I wouldn't take anti-malaria tablets. Who advised you to take them?

[IsaanAussie]

There are few people in Malaria "hot spots" that take such medications. IMHO it is better to look at this from a preventative stand point. Mosquito nets, repellant sprays and lotions and long sleeve/leg clothing make much more sense. Keep the defensive external to your body is my advice.

Isaanaussie

[Dave the Dude]

Please help fellow Ubon-lovers. I'm going out to the boonies in Daetudom amphur in Ubon next week and want some anti-malaria medication. Here in blighty I was quoted 100 GBP!! by a travel clinic for two week's supply of Malerone, surely a pharmacy in Ubon will sell it for considerably cheaper?

Hi downtown

Before permanently moving here, I was given a course of anti-malaria medication by my GP and paid only prescription charges. I am aware 'goalposts' change in time but just wonder if you have tried a GP?

Good luck ( I did'nt bother with them in the end BTW)

Dave

[downtown]

^ same price from G.P. thinking now i probably wont bother. i'll just smear marmite on my skin instead.

[pumpuiman]

I took malaria medication on my first trip to Thailand, after three days of side effects I stopped.

A general feeling of dizziness and being "out of it" ......really nasty stuff, couldn't enjoy my holiday like that.

If only spending a short time in a risky area (less than a month) I would definitely suggest prevention over medication.

A good repellent containing the ingredient DEET is recommended. Dusk and dawn are prime time for bites, so avoid being outside at these times if possible.

A mosquito net for sleeping would be a good idea.....make sure to tuck it under your mattress....I made the mistake of just draping one around my bed when in Fiji, and in the morning I realized I had managed to capture and feed what must have been half the islands population of mosquitoes....they were all clinging to the inside of the net...nearly bursting with my blood.

Take precautions and you'll be fine, and feeling much better than being doped up on medication.

[citizen33]

I took malaria medication on my first trip to Thailand, after three days of side effects I stopped.

A general feeling of dizziness and being "out of it" ......really nasty stuff, couldn't enjoy my holiday like that.

If only spending a short time in a risky area (less than a month) I would definitely suggest prevention over medication.

A good repellent containing the ingredient DEET is recommended. Dusk and dawn are prime time for bites, so avoid being outside at these times if possible.

A mosquito net for sleeping would be a good idea.....make sure to tuck it under your mattress....I made the mistake of just draping one around my bed when in Fiji, and in the morning I realized I had managed to capture and feed what must have been half the islands population of mosquitoes....they were all clinging to the inside of the net...nearly bursting with my blood.

Take precautions and you'll be fine, and feeling much better than being doped up on medication.

Malarone can be taken as both prevention and treatment. Used the second way it is taken when symptoms appear. Thus some doctors recommend this drug as a kind of 'safety net', prescribed when the patient is going to rely mainly on normal preventative measures. If you are going to a fringe malaria area, an alternative to taking Mefloquine etc is to use repellents, a net etc but to have Malarone in your bag as a backup. All being well, you will not need to use it. If you prefer to use it as a prophylaxis, you only need to start the drug 1 or 2 days before possible exposure, which is better than the couple of weeks required for Mefloquine.

Edited November 8, 2008 by citizen33

[downtown]

^i've used Melfloquine before, made me very sick. i've got a repellent with DEET, i'll stick to that. incidentally, if you see a balding farang driving a honda jazz round ubon over the next few weeks, thats me, stay clear i only passed my test six months ago..

[benfica]

I took malaria medication on my first trip to Thailand, after three days of side effects I stopped.

A general feeling of dizziness and being "out of it" ......really nasty stuff, couldn't enjoy my holiday like that.

If only spending a short time in a risky area (less than a month) I would definitely suggest prevention over medication.

A good repellent containing the ingredient DEET is recommended. Dusk and dawn are prime time for bites, so avoid being outside at these times if possible.

A mosquito net for sleeping would be a good idea.....make sure to tuck it under your mattress....I made the mistake of just draping one around my bed when in Fiji, and in the morning I realized I had managed to capture and feed what must have been half the islands population of mosquitoes....they were all clinging to the inside of the net...nearly bursting with my blood.

Take precautions and you'll be fine, and feeling much better than being doped up on medication.

Malarone can be taken as both prevention and treatment. Used the second way it is taken when symptoms appear. Thus some doctors recommend this drug as a kind of 'safety net', prescribed when the patient is going to rely mainly on normal preventative measures. If you are going to a fringe malaria area, an alternative to taking Mefloquine etc is to use repellents, a net etc but to have Malarone in your bag as a backup. All being well, you will not need to use it. If you prefer to use it as a prophylaxis, you only need to start the drug 1 or 2 days before possible exposure, which is better than the couple of weeks required for Mefloquine.

where are the malaria danger spots?

[Lickey]

Quote Benfica, where are the malaria danger spots?

Mostly on exposed skin, or tight fitting clothes, I use a 50/50 mix of Dettol and a cheap skin oil, sprayed on with a diffuser bottle, on the farm, i wear 2 shirts, a slow cooker head cover, and lots of spray on tight fitting places, eg, if i bend down, troursers are tight on bum and knees, never forget, prevention is better than a cure,

Lickey.

[phaethon]

Before permanently moving here, I was given a course of anti-malaria medication by my GP and paid only prescription charges. I am aware 'goalposts' change in time but just wonder if you have tried a GP?

A couple of years ago they stopped giving malarone as a prophylactic on prescription - in discussion with my GP he agreed with my interpretation that it was cheaper to cure an occasional case of malaria than to hand out fistfuls of preventatives.

[bergen]

As mentioned before.......mosquito repellant/net should be sufficient, and as we're already in the cold/dry season, there will be less insects.

At daytime there should be no problems, unless you're near water. (river/lake)

Put the repellant on when the sun goes down. If you wear long trousers, socks, and shirts with long sleeves, you can even skip the repellant........................

At least this has worked well for me in the last 4 + years.

[Dave the Dude]

Put the repellant on when the sun goes down. If you wear long trousers, socks, and shirts with long sleeves, you can even skip the repellant........................

At least this has worked well for me in the last 4 + years.

Come off it Berg, its the Horned Helmet that keeps them away.

It scared me!

Dave

[bergen]

Put the repellant on when the sun goes down. If you wear long trousers, socks, and shirts with long sleeves, you can even skip the repellant........................

At least this has worked well for me in the last 4 + years.

Come off it Berg, its the Horned Helmet that keeps them away.

It scared me!

Dave

and it (the Horned Helmet) is a great protection against falling coconuts, and angry wifes

However ....it is now placed in my bar to deter any pool competitors from getting too confident.

[citizen33]

where are the malaria danger spots?

Mainly along the border with Laos and Cambodia, and by that I mean closer to the border than either Ubon or Udon. Having said that my Thai cousin picked it up in the SE a good way from the border. The bigger risk in Isaan is dengue fever, and all you can do there is try to prevent the bites.

http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/destin...ps/thailand.htm

[ClaytonSeymour]

Malerone tablets are very expensive.

Are you aware of the side effects?

Very dangerous.

Some say (people with malaria experience) you better can have the malaria treated than taking the precaution Malarone tablets.

Be carefull for how long you decide to take the tablets.

Not all people get sick but those who do do get "crazy".

You're confusing Malarone with Larium (Mefloquine) - side effects associated with Malarone are extremely rare.