Anti Malarials

[royboy]

I'm taking a short trip to Myanmar (Burma) next month following 3 weeks in Pattaya. My local UK surgery nurse advised me to take Malarone as a precaution against malaria & I've been issued a private prescription for it. Does anyone know if it's available in Pattaya, & if so, at what price? I'm told it's £2.50 per tab in the UK, so with my cheap charlie hat on I'm assuming it would be cheaper to buy in Thailand. Any info would be appreciated.

[lonewolf99]

Take Doxycycline instead and avoid exposure to the sun. Its cheaper...but if you really want to know....

I have first hand experience of Malarone after working in West Africa for 3 years.

My advise is to buy 15 tablets in the U.K. - do not risk buying "copy" medicine in Thailand.

Take one tablet a day for 4 to 5 days before you travel to get it into your system Then ONLY if you think you have contracted Malaria and have the symptoms take 2 tablets three times a day until you get to a Hospital.

The best method of avoiding the disease is spraying exposed parts of the body and and wearing clothing treated in repellant. This drug is really for "fighting" the disease once you have it.

Extensive use of Malarone can actually mask the symptoms of Malaria and cause a lot problems if you are infected.

The manufacturers also tell you avoid using for more than a year and you should also check out the side effects before opting for his drug. Especially if you or your parents suffer from certain afflictions.

[prefabs]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

[mark131v]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

[/quote

Mate you are being given some appallingly bad advice here I suggest you ignore it

Malarone you take 1 day before travel to a potentially malarious area not 4 or 5, take 1 per day every day you are in country and for a week after coming out of area

Malarone does not have loads of side affects in most people but it is a medicine so you can have some so read the information leaflet in the packet however if you are taking it for short terms it is the best anti malarial on the market for most people

Doxycycline is a very old drug it has side affects like everything else not least of which is sensitivity to sunlight, you need to take it for 1 or 2 days before travel but continue for 4 weeks after return

You do not stop taking pills until you think you are infected and then double the dose this is crap advice and dangerous if you think you are infected you go to a clinic, malaria is hardly a new disease in Burma so they know how to treat it effectively

The only good advice offered was to avoid being bitten, sleeves down between dawn and dusk and use plenty mossi rep

Have a good trip

[Satcommlee]

I've also tried to get Malarone in Pattaya but after trying everywhere including the hospitals I had to make do with the local one.

I did not need it for use locally but for a time when I was sent to West Africa, in the past when i lived in the UK I was always prescribed Malarone for journeys to Africa. However, i found out that the local Pattaya drug I took to Africa was not very effective there.

With Malarone you don't need to take it so long in advance for it to be effective, but different drugs apply to different area's - Malarone may not actually be that effective in SE Asia, there are different strains.. I'm guessing this might be an issue simply because it is not available here.

The other one mentioned Doxycycline is all that I found available here and it also cures acne apparently

[Jebhead]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

Nonsense!

JH

[mark131v]

I've also tried to get Malarone in Pattaya but after trying everywhere including the hospitals I had to make do with the local one.

I did not need it for use locally but for a time when I was sent to West Africa, in the past when i lived in the UK I was always prescribed Malarone for journeys to Africa. However, i found out that the local Pattaya drug I took to Africa was not very effective there.

With Malarone you don't need to take it so long in advance for it to be effective, but different drugs apply to different area's - Malarone may not actually be that effective in SE Asia, there are different strains.. I'm guessing this might be an issue simply because it is not available here.

The other one mentioned Doxycycline is all that I found available here and it also cures acne apparently

Robroy, here you go mate no opinions conjecture or old wives tales and no duff information that can make you sick!!

Malarone is a relatively new treatment and is virtually free of side effects. It is licensed for use in stays of up to 28 days but there is now experience of it being taken safely for up to three months.

Risk substantial.

Chloroquine resistance common.

Borneo - Sabah

Cambodia - Most of the country except Phnom Penh where there is no risk.

China - Yunnan and Hainan provences only. All other remote areas use chloroquine.

East Timor

Irian Jaya & Lombok

Laos - except Vientiane where there is no risk.

Myanmar - (formerly Burma).

Sabah - Part of Malaysia (Borneo)

Vietnam - Most rural areas, no risk in cities, Red River delta area and the coastal plain north of Nha Trang.

Regimen 1 Mefloquine one 250mg tablet weekly. OR

Doxycycline one 100mg capsule daily. OR

Malarone one tablet daily.

Resistance to chloroquine began from two epi-centres; Colombia (South America) and Thailand (South East Asia) in the early 1960s. Since then, resistance has been spreading world wide.

Recently, cases of mefloquine resistance have been reported from areas of Thailand bordering with Burma and Cambodia. Travellers to Thailand are therefore advised to avoid using mefloquine when travelling to these risk areas.

b]So this now leaves two choices Malarone or Doxcycline! [/b]so I refer you back to what is said about Malarone and its side affects, bit of a no brainer to me!

Doxycycline Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.

Malarone Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for one week after return.

IMPORTANT!

Take the tablets absolutely regularly, preferably with or after a meal.

I would do as Satcommlee recommends and bring them with you as they are not easily available here and at the end of the day catching Malaria is not the same as catching a cold or getting the squitts, its still the number 1 killer on planet earth and even though it is treatable prevention is a lot better than cure

Information courtesy of traveldoctor.co.uk

[prefabs]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

Nonsense!

JH

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Malarone side effect: Nightmare

addthis_pub = '[email protected]';addthis_url = "www.ehealthme.com/ds/malarone/nightmare";addthis_title = "";var addthis_config = { data_track_clickback: false}Share Print Comments Premium report A study of Nightmare (Nightmares) among people who take Malarone. The study is created by eHealthMe based on 31 reports from FDA and user community.

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<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Your drugs in real world: many side effects, drug interactions, and effectiveness can not be detected when drugs are approved. They may be found only after drugs have been used by millions of people and for a long time. On eHealthMe, you can study 30 million latest drug outcomes since 1977 from FDA and community, and personalize the study to your gender or age. Check your drugs now >>>

On Sep, 9, 2011: 1,549 people reported to have side effects when taking Malarone. Among them, 31 people (2.00%) have Nightmare.

[mark131v]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

Nonsense!

JH

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Malarone side effect: Nightmare

addthis_pub = '[email protected]';addthis_url = "www.ehealthme.com/ds/malarone/nightmare";addthis_title = "";var addthis_config = { data_track_clickback: false}Share Print Comments Premium report A study of Nightmare (Nightmares) among people who take Malarone. The study is created by eHealthMe based on 31 reports from FDA and user community.

google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);

<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Your drugs in real world: many side effects, drug interactions, and effectiveness can not be detected when drugs are approved. They may be found only after drugs have been used by millions of people and for a long time. On eHealthMe, you can study 30 million latest drug outcomes since 1977 from FDA and community, and personalize the study to your gender or age. Check your drugs now >>>

On Sep, 9, 2011: 1,549 people reported to have side effects when taking Malarone. Among them, 31 people (2.00%) have Nightmare.

Prefabs

All medicines have side affects but it is about balancing pros and cons, malaria= bad= could die, Malarone= might get mouth ulcers if I am unlucky or if I am really unlucky a few other possible side effects I could even get nightmares though in the packaging this is mentioned as 'other side affects have occurred in a small number of people but the exact frequency is unknown"

Personally if it was for me or any member of my family I would take the chance (as In fact I do for 5 weeks at a time!) but hey we are all responsible for our own decisions, OP as somebody with a lot of experience in this subject I would have no qualms about giving you Malarone and I would go as far as to say that you are playing Russian roulette by going to an endemic region and not taking the best precautions you can... like I said before this isn't a dose of the squitts we are talking here

[Jebhead]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

Nonsense!

JH

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Malarone side effect: Nightmare

addthis_pub = '[email protected]';addthis_url = "www.ehealthme.com/ds/malarone/nightmare";addthis_title = "";var addthis_config = { data_track_clickback: false}Share Print Comments Premium report A study of Nightmare (Nightmares) among people who take Malarone. The study is created by eHealthMe based on 31 reports from FDA and user community.

google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);

<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Your drugs in real world: many side effects, drug interactions, and effectiveness can not be detected when drugs are approved. They may be found only after drugs have been used by millions of people and for a long time. On eHealthMe, you can study 30 million latest drug outcomes since 1977 from FDA and community, and personalize the study to your gender or age. Check your drugs now >>>

On Sep, 9, 2011: 1,549 people reported to have side effects when taking Malarone. Among them, 31 people (2.00%) have Nightmare.

Still nonsense!

JH

[prefabs]

Be careful with Maladrone. Side effects are pretty bad

Nonsense!

JH

Login o Sign up

Malarone side effect: Nightmare

addthis_pub = '[email protected]';addthis_url = "www.ehealthme.com/ds/malarone/nightmare";addthis_title = "";var addthis_config = { data_track_clickback: false}Share Print Comments Premium report A study of Nightmare (Nightmares) among people who take Malarone. The study is created by eHealthMe based on 31 reports from FDA and user community.

google_protectAndRun("render_ads.js::google_render_ad", google_handleError, google_render_ad);

<P style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px; FONT-SIZE: 11pt; MARGIN-BOTTOM: 0px">Your drugs in real world: many side effects, drug interactions, and effectiveness can not be detected when drugs are approved. They may be found only after drugs have been used by millions of people and for a long time. On eHealthMe, you can study 30 million latest drug outcomes since 1977 from FDA and community, and personalize the study to your gender or age. Check your drugs now >>>

On Sep, 9, 2011: 1,549 people reported to have side effects when taking Malarone. Among them, 31 people (2.00%) have Nightmare.

Still nonsense!

JH

Jebhead has managed a total of 3 words in his 2 replies on this post. In fact, one of the words has been used twice, so we can cut that down to 2 words. Although some facts on Malarone side effects have been posted, and he has not shown anything to the contrary, he still mumbles his shortened version of monosyllabic phrases.

Forums would be pretty dull reading if we all use minimalistic comments.

Edited October 1, 2011 by Rimmer
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[Rimmer]

Can we chill out a bit please guys and discuss without one word replies and name calling.

[jonnyscot]

I have used malerone off and on during trips to west Africa for the last 5 years without any personal health issues, but I suppose different drugs can have differing effects on each of us in different ways, as far as I know malerone is one of the safest anti malaria drugs available, generally it is said that malerone is also used to combat malaria by doubling the daily dose as previously said, I also would agree with previous posters suggestions to buy it before travelling since you should start taking the tablets at least a couple of days before travelling

[royboy]

Thanks for all your input gents. I was surprised by the number of rapid responses & the diverse opinions offered.

For the record, I'm travelling no further than Yangon (Rangoon) & only spending 3 days there so I don't think I'll be over-exposed to malaria. However,on the back of the majority of suggestions received I've purchased a 12-pack of Malarone here in the UK. Incidentally, after shopping around I found that the price per tablet ranges from £2.28 to £3.15!

As far as side effects on any medication go, & as some have already pointed out, different people can be affected in different ways. The Malarone leaflet states that "more than 1 in 10" people may suffer headache, nausea, diarrhoea etc, while "up to 1 in 10" may experience, cough, insomnia, appetite loss or dizziness. All in all, it's a bit of a lottery.