Problems with mefloquine for malaria?
 

As many of you know, I'm heading to Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia with my daughter next month. My doctor prescribed me doxycycline for malaria, but my daughter - who went to a travel clinic in California - was given mefloquine. I meant to tell her ahead of time to specifically she did NOT want that, but forgot - and sure enough - it's what she ended up with! Two people I know have had the vivid dreams/hallucinations/sleep disturbances that evidently are not that uncommon as side effects. Was wondering if that's common among you Fodorites? Experiences with mefloquine? Should I have my daughter call the doctor back and try to get something else? Either doxy or malarone?
tks,
Karen

It is true that mefloquine (larium) is the anti-malarial with the highest rate of side effects. Nonetheless, many people take it without any problems at all.

Of greater concern is the fact that there is mefloquine-resistant malaria in the Thai-Cambodia border areas. While Siem Reap is just outside of that area, many travel med docs will not prescribe it to anyone going into the general area, which includes all of the malarial risk areas in Thailand.

Have a look at the cdc website, paying special attention to the notes about larium-resistant malaria and the cdc recommendations. www.cdc.gov/travel

If I were your daughter, I'd read that info and call the travel med clinic and ask them whether they had considered the presence of larium-resistant malaria when they wrote the prescription. Unless they had an exceptionally good reason for prescribing larium, I'd insist that they prescribe either doxy or malarone.

By the way, doxy is readily and cheaply available in Thailand. Buy it in Bangkok at a reputable pharmacy.

we used malerone with no side affects at all....i would suggest asking for a spript for that....i would not want the dreams, etc with some of the other drugs...

bob

Thanks, Kathie and Bob. I'm pretty uneasy about the Larium - and hadn't even heard about the possibility of larium-resistant malaria. So yes, I think I'll have her call back and get something else. I took doxy in Africa and had no side effects (except one day when I took it and then didn't get to eat for an hour or so later and didn't feel well - didn't do that again!).

Plus I looked on the Africa board and there are tons of horror stories there about larium!

Julie hadn't filled the prescription yet and called back to switch to doxycycline. Thanks!

Karen, I'm glad you were able to take care of that!

With the doxy, just remember to cover up more than usual to protect yourselves from the sun. Otherwise you are more susceptible to getting burned.

Glad you were able to switch. I went through the same feelings when my daughter was prescribed it for her trip to India, but she and her doc both thought it was the best for her- based on the location and length of the trip. I was so worried about her taking it, I made her start 2 weeks before leaving so that we could monitor her behavior.

She used it for 5 months and had no side effects other than very vivid dreams on her pill day.
About 18 of 20 people in her group used it with no scary effects.
In fact they all took their pills the same day- Malaria Monday- so that they could watch out for any weird behavior, but mostly just loved sharing their dreams the next morning.....