Preventative Medications for India
 

Anyone have a list of medicines they routinely take with them. I've listed Dukarol, aspirin, immodium, sunburn cream. Appreciate any input. Thanks.

I would also reccomend Pepto Bismol (the syrup). I used to have it once a day or prior to every meal to coat my stomach! Also consider Sinutab/Contac C if you are prone to sinus attacks/frequent colds. Since it is pretty polluted, chances of sinus attacks are higher. In any event, I would also recommend taking a cough suppresant- something like Buckleys.

what are the side effects? sounds severe to me?

Not sure - side effects of what?

Sinutab/Contac C- they come in day doses as well as night doses - if you suffer from sinusitis or are prone to sinus attacks, you're probably familiar with these.

Pepto Bismol: Pink chalky syrup..that coats your stomach...I didnt have any side effects..

Buckleys is an over the counter cough syrup with no side effects..and does not make one drowsy. Its a Canadian medicine but i've seen it at the pharmacies in the States lately...very effective!

Hi nks267 & Bob. Tks nks267 for the info & Bob not sure what side effects you are talking about, however I don't want any side effects or effects for that matter! All the best.

pepto-bismol is an antacid to reduce the acidity in your stomach. if you suffer from gastritis, thats fine, but it won't prevent food poisoning and won't make you r stomach stronger.
I also bring ibuprofen, a stonger medicine for fever and pain, something for cough and sinus, and dont forget something for motion sickness/ vomiting.

Kilofoxtrot is right about Pepto being an antacid..however given the spices in Indian food, it helped a lot. I didnt take any the first time round...and well, my stomach wasnt too happy! I love the food...but the spices and oils are new to the system which is why pepto bismol kind of helped the process the second time round

I took Zicam individual "Cold Remedy Swabs" with me to China, Mongolia, and Siberia. They are sold at pharmacies and WalMart. We used them before flying and on many other days. The swabs were BLACK after use from the gook in the air. We had no respiratory problems at all during the 6-weeks we were traveling. I think they contrain zinc.

Tks guys for the valuable info.

Just returned from doc who gave us Maxolon for nausea& Flagyl for stomach bugs. We've got the cold tabs, the earplugs, the medicated soap, the eyedrops, the syringes, the antiobiotic powder......we're ready for anything! Hopefully!

We got cypro just in case of bacterial infection (hopefully did not have to use it).
I got reaction to Malarone and stopped taking it in Thailand.
Did not get malaria, but we only went that far north as Chiang Mail.

emtravel - we got cypro too. Forgot to mention it. Only to be used in extreme cases of bacterial infection we were told. OMG I hope we don't need to use it, either.

i thought i was responding to the ducol or other new drug posting....sorry

emtravel, what reaction did you get from Malerone, I am just curious?
I took everything to India that I could possibly think of including Cypro, Tylenol, Rolaids, Immodium, an Asthma Puffer, Pepto Bismal and others...Yet I got motion sickness and a bad bad sinus infection..And guess what? I had nothing for either!! (except a nasal spray).

I haven't got a clue about this but I thought I'd throw it into the mix.

Is it safe to take aspirin when you have an upset stomach, bearing the side effects it can have on some people ?

I always take prescriptions for things I'm prone to or worry about getting -- thankfully I've never had to take any of them. I take an antibiodic for stomach issues (found out cipro no longer the one of choice for thailand), another one for sinus and upper respiratory. I take docycyckin for malaria (refuse to take the other two because have heard too much about side effects).

I take anti-bacterial handi wipes, sunsreen, cortisone for bits, enadryl for allergies or bites, immodium, a sinus medication and a cold medication as well as cough medicine. I also take advil to help with muscle issues (mostly after a long flight or from shlepping stuff).

I leave Wed for 10 days, and have one of everything except for Dukarol- never heard of it. Can someone give some details?

Thanks

Dukarol isn't available in the U.S.!

My experience has been that travelers overestimate the bowel problems and underestimate colds/coug/sinus infections caused by viruses.
1. PeptoBismol- liquid or tablets. Liquid weighs a great deal more, but one ounce a day can help keep bowels in check.
2. Malaria prevention, as directed by your physician
3. Lomotil- for when you get the runs
4. Sudafed- With flights and all the pollution, you will need a decongenstant
5. Nyquil tablets- when you get a cough, you will want something to help you sleep
6. Pepsid or other stronger antacid.
7. Ibuprofen for muscle aches, headaches
8. Ciprofloxaxin- In my opinion is HIGHLY overprescribe and poorly used by travelers. It should not be taken for simple travellers diarrhea. It is really only indicated for bloody diarrhea or real diarrhea (not just loose stools) that lasts more than 3 days and is not helped by PeptoBismol or Lomotil. I have seen way too many travlers take a day's worth of Ciprofloxzaxin when they have a loose bowle movement or even just a viral cold.
Flagyl is also not indicated for symptomatic relief.

I was suprised that your doctor gave you Flagyl, Lyndie, as it's an anti-parasitic and should only be used if you have a diagnosed parasitic infection (such as giardia). It has some pretty nasty side effects, and will make you very ill if combined with alcohol.

Cipro is one of several antibiotics that are appropriate for severe bacterial infections, though some people worry that it is over-prescribed. It is still effective in India (and Thailand, by the way) though some physicians prefer to give a less-often prescribed antibiotic. As noted, you should have careful instructions from your doctor as to when it is appropriate to use an antibiotic.

Emtravel did not go to malarial risk areas in Thailand, and a number of us were very suprised that a physician actually prescribed an anti-malarial for her with that itinerary. While a very small number of people get stomach upset from malarone (no more than the percentage that got stomach upset from the placebo), new foods and spices are more likely to have caused gastro-intestimal upset.

One other thing to consider for travel to India is whether to get pre-exposure rabies vaccine. India has the highest rate of human rabies in the world, and the human immuglobulin for rabies is bascially unavailabe there. Thus, if you get biten or scratched by an animal and have to get the rabies series, you'll start with a shot that is more likely to give you side effects than the series that you'd have to get if you had the pre-exposure series.