Malaria Pills
 

I have been advised to take malaria prevention medication for a trip to South Africa. Has anyone had experience taking Malarone?

Yes! Wife and I both took em on our trip in Botswana. You have to take them 2 days before you get to a area with malaria and then for 7 days after you leave it. No problems at all, just remember to take with food. Hope this helps.

The protocol Wulfstan mentions is aboslutely correct and do take the same time each day with food. We found breakfast worked best as milk or dairy products are recommended, as food. No reactions or side effects.we had no reactions.

I pressume you will be going on safari, but some safari areas in SA are malaria free and meds are not required, nor are they needed in Capetown or Johannesburg. If going to Kruger (Mpumalanga) area you need them. Do do a check on the

www.cdc.gov/travel

select Southern Africa and read the specifics.

Enjoy your holiday.

You'll find a malaria-risk map at http://www.malaria.org.za/Malaria_Ri.../risk_maps.htm

Also lots of other info elsewhere on that site.

Hi

I took Malarone in connection with a trip to Tanzania and Kilimanjaro. I had no side effects from the pills but you have to remember to take them the same time every day.

Regards
Gard
Stavanger, Norway
www.gardkarlsen.com

I was just on Malarone for a recent trip to Ghana. I had some side effects. I never totally felt myself. I had some stomach pains during about the 10th-13th days on it and I also had loss of appetite which was good... since 8 pounds fell off in 2 weeks while in Ghana. But, I would definitely choose Malarone over Larium.About two weeks after I had gotten off of Malarone, I definitely felt the difference. I was back to my normal self. I don't take any other medications so I could definitely trace it to the Malarone. But,it's better to take it than not. Malaria is no fun. A best friend had cerebral malaria. Just remember that you still have to cover up and be cautious although you're on the Malarone...it doesn't protect 100%.Bon Voyage!

My husband had some problems with Malarone. He started experiencing headaches and stomach problems on the third day of the protocol. He spent the day taking headache medication and had a long rest. This helped somewhat. He adjusted to it as time went on but continued to experience some nausea and dizziness. He started to take a mild motion sickness pill (Gravol) each morning. This eliminated all the problems and he was able to enjoy the trip.
Just to qualify this statement, neither my husband nor I have any medical backgound. This solution was born out of panic. If you have the time and want to use this idea as a contingency, check with the doctor prescibing Malarone for you. It worked for my husband but maybe we were just lucky.
As for the rest of the family, we were all fine. We took the pills daily with breakfast as others have advised on this posting.

What about Doxycycline? Can anyone compare the two (Melarone and Doxy)?

styleoracle - Doxy is a generic pill, an antibiotic, not specific for malaria. Doxy is scripted for those who absolutely positively cannot take Malarone or Larium. (Thankfully, Larium is rarely recommended these days).

Now Doxy - side effects: sun sensitivity, yeast infections for women, have to continue taking for about a month after returning home.

Sure it's cheaper, but unless there's a specific reason why you shouldn't be taking the Malarone, don't consider the Doxy. The Malarone should run about $100+/- for each of you if you don't have a drug plan with your insurance company.

But you still have to remember to use repellent with deet. Mossie biting time is between dusk-to-dawn, when you should be wearing long pants, long sleeves, socks - apply to exposed skin, but not on the face. Remember to wash off before retiring to bed and if provided, sleep under the mosquito netting in your accommodations. Tents and lodges also provide insect spray if you feel you need it.

One lucky aspect of your trip is Mnemba Island - malaria free! But then you return to Zanzibar, so you still have to take the pills and for a week after arriving home.