Sunny49

We are traveling to Botswana in two weeks and have a prescription for Malarone. It is so expensive here in the US. We are considering purchasing it in Johannesburg. Has anyone ever done this and what was your approximate cost?

cary999

FWIW, doxycycline is also for malaria prevention. (I use it). Its cost is way less than $1, maybe 25 cents pill. Check with your Dr. Doxy may also be available over-counter in Bots??

From the NIH - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/d...s/a682063.html

regards- tom

sdb2

Just curious, how much have you been quoted for how many tablets? I've always taken Malarone, but paid only a reasonable co-pay under my Rx program. Steve

sandi

Many choose to use Doxy, others use Lariam, both less expensive.

The issue with malaria tabs is that you have to commence taking prior arriving in the malaria area, then while in-country and depending on which tab, for
1) Doxy, daily for 28/days after returning home;
2) Malarone, daily 7/days after, and
3) Lariam, as it's a once-a-week tab, 3-4/weeks on return.

For some people, doxy can cause sun sensitivity and for women, maybe Thrush (discharge), so SPF strongly suggested; the latter not something I'd enjoy while on holiday.

I mostly take the Malarone, regardless the cost as I feel, "what's an extra $125 compared to what I'm paying for the entire safari?" - my health is worth it and this pill, for me, has the least side-effects.

In the end, your choice.

sandi

Further to steve.... that reminds me, while once or twice I paid full price for Malarone, other times, based on my drug plan, cost has never been more than $45, once it was actually only $35.

So, if you have a drug plan, check the price and that can be your answer.

christabir

My health insurance doesn't cover us either. It is expensive - the best price we found was through our county rx plan. Check if there is one in your town/county. Not sure (but might!) if I'd buy them in Joburg, but there is a clinic in the airport if that's what you want to do. FWIW, when we travel to southern Africa in winter (August) we skip it. Personal choice.

traveler318

Have you tried Costco? Malarone there was a little more than half the cost of a neighborhood pharmacy last time I checked.

qwovadis

mdtravelhealth.com SA good info including pharmacies

Lots of SA not a risk area in risk areas only

I am a fan of generic Doxycycline 100mg 1/da get mine from

Walmart from my MD #270 on their generic program $12

Bout what 2 malarones will cost.

stokeygirl

How expensive are they in the US? In the UK, they are just over £2, so just over $3 per tablet, and I've been told the cost in SA is roughly the same.

Also, you will still need a prescription and will a SA pharmacy accept a US prescription? I doubt it, which means you'd have to visit a doctor.

I can't see that it would be worth it unless the cost in the US is a lot more.

sandi

Believe the price in the US is twice that in the UK. There was a recent post here or on TA of someone asked for about $125. If this was for a usual 2/week trip, where you need 23/tabs comes to $5.40/tab.

As above, I don't fool around when it comes to my health. And, if as mentioned above - will a SA pharmacy will take a US script or you have to visit a local doc in JNB (for a fee)... just get the pills Stateside.

Or go with the Doxy or Lariam, both of which are less expensive, even if different # needed as are the protocols for taking them.

Cateyes555

I just paid about $40 for a 3 week supply of Malarone as I'm heading to Botswana for 2 weeks in late Aug. That was with partial pay by my insurance company.

Larium has more potential side effects, including bizarre nightmares for some people.

Doxy is very cheap - but if you do get photosensitization (ie exposure to sun) it can be pretty irritating - itchy skin, redness, sunburn etc. Other than that this drug is usually very well tolerated. I had to take it for something else and got marked photosensitization.

stokeygirl

Is $5.40 the cheapest, though? You can pay that much in the UK if you go to a fancy travel clinic. If you just get a prescription from your regular doctor and go to a normal pharmacy then the cheapest is something like £2.20, which is $3.50.

What's the cheapest in the US, assuming no insurance cover?

A South African poster on another forum got so sick of people asking about buying malarone that he went and looked into the cost and posted it and it was pretty much the same as the UK cost.

sdb2

I think the $5.40 price Sandi mentioned probably is about as cheap as it gets here in the U.S. I did a quick check and most prices seem to hover in the $7-8 range. Having always paid next to nothing with my Rx plan, I was a bit surprised to see it that high.

sperraglia

A friend and I are going to Kenya in a couple weeks. When we were looking to fill the malarone prescriptions it was averaging close to $8 a pill (she lives in San Francisco & I am in NYC so not the lowest cost places) with the highest quote being $12.50 a pill. After calling around Costco was the cheapest and you don't have to be a member to use their pharmacy. Luckily it turned out that I was covered by my prescription plan and ended up with just a $25 copay.

stokeygirl

Here's a quote from a South African poster on another forum- from 2008 so might be out of date-

"I've just called one of the clinics. They charge R199.50 for a first visit (R144 for any later one) and then R35.50 for Malanil (Malarone) per tablet. I then called a pharmacy (one of the Dischem group) and they sell them in packs of 12, for R395. So slightly cheaper per tablet, but a minimum of 12. So "1st prize" would still seem to be one of the clinics, for convenience (one visit) and a slightly lower price overall. Also bear in mind that if a pharmacy is observing the legislation, as far as I know they not only require a prescription, but it has to be from a S.A. doctor. "

So that's $30 for the visit and prescription, and $5.30 per tablet.

Three years old info but the price of malarone in the UK certainly hasn't changed in that time!

Neuman605

I am a Doxy fan...FREE Rx in my area as are all antibiotics. AS for side effects...I kept my self cover from the sun...long sleeves and hat..also were an extra protection from the mosquitos and ate yogurt as an extra precaution also.

Sunny49

Thanks for all the responses. We may try the Doxy. Our price for Malarone (22 tabs) is about $150. That's thru our insurance. If we pay a cash price its more, about $208. I've called Costco, Walmart, etc. The price is virtually the same.

Sunny49

One more point of interest to add. We traveled to Kenya and Tanzania in 2005 and our cost for Malarone was $110 for more tablets. That was per person.

sandi

Guess we can only wait and hope that Malarone comes off "name brand" and eventually available as a generic, as Lariam is nowadays!

benbooafrica

We have just bought our regular supply of Lariam in the UK at just under £2 per tablet, which is about as good as it gets these days. When we first started our expeditions in 2005 we thought then it would be cheaper to buy in Cape Town but found the price was actually higher than if we had bought in UK especially when you add on the fee's to the SA clinics.

However, note to Sunny49 the risk of Malaria in Botswana is mainly limited to the Northern areas such as The Okavango, Chobe, Moremi, Savuti etc. The Central Kalahari and points South are not a Malaria risk area so depends on your itinerary as to how many tabs you will need although don't forget you need to continue to take the tablets for four weeks after leaving a Malaria area.