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.

Dukoral is a ETEC (E. coli) and cholera vaccine (both of which can cause diarrhea), which you drink 2 doses preferably 1 week before you leave for your trip.

In response to Ag3046's comment on the overuse of antibiotics for travel, I recently attended a talk by a prominent Infectious Disease physician in Toronto who runs a big travel medicine clinic. His suggestion would be either Cipro or Zithromax (azithromycin) for traveller's diarrhea. He views it such that if you are paying thousands upon thousands of dollars on a trip where you really cannot afford to lose a day either sitting on or facing a toilet bowl, then taking the meds upon the first sign of symptoms is not that bad of an idea. The only real downside to all these antibiotic usage is the possibility of allergic reactions, drug resistance and the small risk of developing C.difficile infection (leading to more diarrhea).

Royal, I've never heard a travel med doc recommend the use of antibiotics at the first sign of travelers diarrhea. An antibiotic would only be effective if the symptoms were due to bacterial contamination. Most traveler's diarrhea is caused by dietary changes (new spices, more fruits than usual, different cooking oils) and would not respond to an antibiotic. I have heard some people maintain that it makes sense to take immodium or lomotil (anti-diarrheals) for symptomatic relief, with the caveat that of you have a bacterial infection or amoebic infection you may get sicker.

Dukarol , when taken orally, is to be taken in 2 doses. The first 6 weeks before departure and the second a week before. This according to our local Travel Medicine Clinic.

I think that one of the really important things to take is a small bottle of liquid hand sterilizer. My physician friend says that it should be used constantly while travelleling and is really important to use every time before eating.

..just a quick comment re immodium..use for first choice for diarrhea UNLESS fever or blood in stool (what a topic!). If so dont use it as can cause real problems (higher incidence of toxic megacolon)! Save antibiotics for the diarrhea which isnt controlled by immodium or if you have fever/blood. Dont use antibiotics obtained from a pharmacist without prescription unless you can find the generic on the label and are certain what is being given to you (and I would never be certain unless manufactured by an international drug company and taken from a sealed box).

Kathie, you are right about the most common causes of diarrhea during travel is usually poor judgement from the traveller in food choices (rather than an infectious cause). In fact, I often tell my own patients to wait a day or two before taking the antibiotics (and to try the imodium), or if the stools contain any blood or fever is present. Perhaps his opinion is not shared by other ID specialists.

Sorry about my confusion about the dukoral dosing. When I mentioned the 2 doses at least a week before departure, I forgot to say how far apart the 2 doses are taken (usually 1-6 weeks apart).

Lyndie - I reckon you have got it about right (tho no idea what Dukarol is!!)

And it's also true that you get more grief from a (probably plane caught) "cold" than from any exotic complaint. So I also carry a Vick inhaler. If you are going to somewhere really remote in Africa, take some high strength chloroquin or fansidar - FOR A MALARIA EMERGENCY - but not necessary in India.

I disagree absolutely with whoever it was that said that you should only take medicines that come in a box with the name of an international drug company on it. Look - unless you are really really sick (which you won't be unless you are travelling for months on a low budget and going to really out of the way places) then Indian pharmacists can offer help just like any others. And so many generic medicines for common complaints are available there - and much cheaper than at "home".

Why should anyone assume that if you buy vitamin C tabs from an Indian pharmacy somehow they aren't vitamin C?

Last but not least, Flagyl just handed out ïn the event of a "stomach complaint" sounds like a bad, or ill-informed practice to me.

Don't worry - just follow all the usual guidelines and you'll be laughing and drinking in all that India has to offer.

Personally, I would much rather bring all of my own meds from my home country before traveling overseas. I don't know if this applies to India pharmaceuticals, but I've heard numerous stories of places in China where you could buy drugs such as Viagra, other assorted antibiotics right off the shelf at considerably lower prices. The only problem is that some/most of the time, the so called drug might not even contain the actual active compound listed on the package. Thus, buyer beware.

You've heard stories? And you want to buy Viagra? nuff said.

One third of the anti-malarials purchased in SE Asia are counterfit or expired. India has similar problems.

Alice13, I'm not exactly sure what your point is in your last reply in this thread, but perhaps you should engage in some more educated reading on the ever growing prevalence of fake medications in Asia before you offer any further personal "opinions". See below if you don't know how to do a google search:

Time Magazine
http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazi...644218,00.html

BBC
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asi...ic/1912170.stm

CBS News
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2000/...in204060.shtml

Viagra website
http://www.viagra.com/buyviagraonline/risks.asp

Asian Pacific Post
http://www.asianpacificpost.com/news/article/12.html

Asia Inc.
http://www.asia-inc.com/October04/bigpharma_oct.htm

China.org
http://www.10thnpc.org.cn/english/2003/Jan/52666.htm

People's Daily
http://english1.people.com.cn/englis...112_54922.html