Hi there all,
Is there anyone who can give me some advice about Malaria
tablets?
I am due to leave for a RTW trip in 3 weeks, my first place
i am visiting is Thailand & malaysia for 2 months.
I keep getting different advice about taking them, and i am
not sure if i should take then now.
Do you recommend then?
Has anyone taken this new one called Dioxytetrcycline ?
(not sure if this spelt correct)
Many thanks
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well....it seems most of us have to deal with this decision
sooner or later. my wife and i were in vietnam in sept. and
we took malarial pills for the south of vietnam. (which has
a high rate)
your choices are basically this: take the pills and deal
with the side effects
or.....risk getting malaria, which you will have the rest of
your life.
some side effects of certain pills:(we only suffered a
little uncomfort, like motion sickness) loss of hair,
halucinations, vomitting, (for a woman):not being able to
have children for over a year after taking the pills, and
other nice things....
we are leaving for 8 months to travel all over asia, and i
think we might take the pills only in heavy-malaria infested
areas. the other places we will just risk it. its a pain to
take the pills 2 weeks before hand and once a week while you
are there, and for 3-4 weeks after you leave the area.
i hope some of this info helps....it just comes down to
whether you feel like risking getting bitten!!
todd
You really don't need malaria pills in Malaysia unless you
intend to go for deep jungle exploration. If you are in
the city, forget it.
I use for two months doxycycline as a malaria prophylactic
last Dec-Jan. I Stayed all day in the sun also for
snorkeling. Bach in Switzerland I went skiing.
One month later I had to take it again and went skiing.
In only 30 min. in the morning I got sunburned 3 ░, due to
photosenibilisation.
To get a good idea of what the risk is in Thailand, have a
look at my Medical matters page under Thailand. You'll get
a detailed list of high risk places (i.e. > 10% malaria a
year for the locals). These high risk places are
Rantchanaburi, Mae Sot and south of Mae Sot. Then there are
the intermediate risk places (4 to 10% when staying a year
in that region). Also, risk depends on what season/ month
you are going. Highest risk is always around july,
sometimes also january (Mae Hong Son). So in general, if
you stick to the main tourist destinations, you don't need
malaria profylaxis.
Have a look at the Malaysia info as well on my page.
About the side effects: you'll find info there to. I
contest the fact that woman cannot have children for a
year, 3 months after stopping is enough.
www.1000traveltips.org
For good factual information on what is available, try the
Center for Disease Control, in Atlanta Georgia.
www.cdc.gov/travel/travel.html
The info is free, and very helpfull.
I spent 6 weeks in the Philippines, and used Mefloquinne.
The only side-effect noticed was unusually vivid dreams,
which effect may only have been due to the stress of a
totally new cultural exposure.
Ken.
and Different Folks...From what Todd said it was clear he
was using Lariam (=Mefloquine, of Ken). Many people won't
use it, although I had about the same response to it as Ken
- vivid erotic dreams (okay, they were kinky). I agree that
you check out both the CDC and Koen's websites for
information about what you MAY need to take. This reduces
your odds of "losing" from being a crap-shoot, to being a
skillful poker player. There is still risk, but it is
reduced greatly by being well informed. Doxycychline is an
antibiotic and some people have allergic reactions...but
generally the only side effects are hypersensitity to the
sun and/or nausea. It is best to "pre-test" any of these
prophylactics to assess whether you have an individual drug
reaction...before you set out on your trip. Get a TRAVEL
DOCTOR's advice.
I had a terrible adverse reaction to paludrin/chloroquin
combination. The other new drugs can be very hard on the
liver. I never take them any more. Cover up fully starting
at sunset and use repellent.
Took Larium for travelling in S.E. Asia last month... it
created insomnia and fast heart rate for weeks. Wouldn't
take it again... I'll risk the malaria!!!