And Thursday, as far as Malarone "working" for you, that's great, because no one is saying that Malarone doesn't work-it does, (if you don't have adverse side effects, that is) to the tune of US 90.00 per prescription, but unlike doxycycline, it will NOT help protect you against other bacterial infections-which is the beauty of y doxycycline it protects against malaria AND other bacterial infections, and all for US 6.00! So it is beyond me why someone would pay $90.00 for a more toxic drug when they can use a much milder one with more benefits.

www.bmj.com is a great source of medical journal articles. Plenty of information there comparing all 4 drugs mentioned here. Overall, Malarone had the fewest side effects, followed by doxy, then Lariam, the Chlorquine + Proguanil. The links to articles are very long, so if you are interested in reading for yourself, just go to bmj.com and use their search function, very easy.

Spygirl, you didn't just take the doxy for the 6 weeks you were traveling like you said, right? You need to continue it for 28 days after leaving the malaria risk area...meaning you'd need 10 weeks plus a couple of days before entering the malaria area. If you stop too soon, you run the risk of developing malaria, because doxy only works on parasites in the bloodstream, not in the earlier liver stage (where Malarone does its work).

I don't know where the $90 figure comes from, but the malarone I bought a few months ago was $40 for 3 weeks worth.

For me, compared to the almost 60-day proposed regiment of doxy, the malarone was the most cost-effective and wonderful choice.

Consequently, we've never had any side effects with it (or on any trip)--nor has anyone I've ever met who's traveled and taken it.

For those of you who have taken malarone do you recommend taking it in the morning or in the evening?

Filmwill - just curious which pharmacy did you find 3 weeks worth of malarone for $40? I already bought ours, so too late, but would be curious for future trips.

Girlspy, Where was the clinic that gave you your info?

Our travel doctor, who leads medical expeditions to Cambodia, recommends Malarone and not doxy for SE Asia because:
a) Malarone is more effective and has fewer side effects
b) It is difficult to avoid the sun in SE Asia
c) Doc believes that excessive use of antibiotics causes resistance.

Our family of four (2 adults, 2 teens) took Malarone in Thailand and Cambodia for two weeks with zero side effects. Nothing on our pharmacy printout said anything about not drinking. Cost was $20 for 56 tablets.

jgg, I don't think it was the pharmacy that mattered (CVS) but the semi-decent prescription plan I have, which covers Malarone.
Everyone in our travel group last year took Malarone and we all had different plans--all covered it.
crosscheck's experience made me curious so I just went back and checked the papers that came with the prescription. No mention of taking alcohol to prevent side-effects.

We chose to take Malarone after breakfast. For optimal absorption, Malarone should be taken with a dairy product or a meal with some fat, and we typically had yogurt as part of our breakfast so it seemed the best time. Also, we consistently eat breakfast at about the same time every day, but the other meals we tend to be sporadic about. And, it was easy to get out the pills in the morning and take them, and not have to worry about taking them later or carry them around.

Our prescribing information came right from Glaxo Smith Kline, as we got it as a personal import to Japan (not sold as prophylaxis in Japan). No mention of avoiding alcohol, nor from any other source I've ever seen, and I've seen plenty.

I cannot comment at all of those at all. When you live in tropical areas it is for the most part simply not practical to take them, you can't take them forever(!). So we don't. We have to rely on 'avoidance'.

So, although not suggesting for a moment not to take ( indeed you should follow the advice and take them !!) - however, I will add a few points.

1> Don't forget to take the normal precautions ( I am sure someone can post a link to somewhere that lists them )

2> Try the Lemon Grass spray that is readily available, we use, seems to keep them away.

Another poiunt about the 'bites' is that you want to avoid the bites themselves because the 'bite' can indeed cause other problems, not just malaria, I think this was discussed some while back. If you are in an area where you might get bitten it goes along with the fact you might get 'dirty' also, in particular ankles, perhaps hiking around etc.

You want to take care of those 'bites' as they can become infected easily, this is nothing to do with the Malaria side, simply though if you get bites and scratch them you could get infection. Couple of bites around the ankle, mixed with spashes of water and dirt.....

So along with taking those medications taking precuations not to get bitten and then 'taking care' of any bites ( anticeptic ointment etc ) should not be forgotten.

PS - Possibly a dumb comment -
But if anyone is worried about side effects of 'this and that' can't you 'try them out' at home well before your trip to find out. Then if you get any side-effects that could distrupt your travels speak to the Doctor and try an alterative ?

Is anyone else amused by the fact that Bob started this thread and it quickly devolved into a factual confrontation? I have a distinct memory of Bob and one of the participants engaged in a "dialogue" a few years back. A coincidence? Perhaps.

I fell right into it, headfirst, subdued by the really nice India and Nepal report.

Didn't help that I had an argumentative sort of day, either.

Or maybe I've got it all wrong, and I'm the participant with the dialogue you remember.

one issue not mentioned is that certain drugs in this category are not as effective in certain areas as are others...

WHAT DOES THE STATE DEPARTMENT SUGGEST FOR DRUGS WITH AND WITHOUT BOOZE??

I guess to sum up this discussion , Girlspytravel ,in reading her spy manuel, only uses information that gives her permosion to do what she wants. ie..malarone has only a very insignificant higher percentage of side effects than a plecebo, therfoe it is no good.

Does the spymanuel not mention over use of antibiotics? This is how drug resistant bugs develop. Besides a chest cold is a viral infection and antibiotics are not effective on viruses.

Km, for some strange reason, people don't want to be rational when they are convinced, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that what they have accepted as truth is not the case at all.

Unfortunately, as a way of stating something as an absolute fact, when in fact, she is not correct at all. People don't like to be told, particularly in this context, that a very expensive drug, MALARONE, which was developed because the previous generation of malaria drug had too many side effects, ALSO has very toxic side effects as well, and more importantly is hugely expensive. But most importantly, people don't like to know that a commonly prescribed antibiotic that costs US6,00, AND IS PRESCRIBED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS PURPOSE-MALARIA PREVENTION, AS WELL AS MALARIA TREATMENT CAN BE USED IN LIEU OF SUCH EXPENSIVE AND TOXIC GENERATION OF DRUGS.

The drug companies don't want you and your doctors to know that either.

Now, the issue you raised about the overuse of antibiotics with respect to doxycycline does NOT apply in this context, because there are other broad spectrum antibiotics that fall into the overuse category, and are NOT used, unlike doxycycline to treat malaria. Remember, doxycycline IS used both as a malaria prophylactic, and as a TREATMENT, IF you should contract malaria.

Now, this is from the FDA, and these side effects are what both my Dr. and pharmacist were referring to:

www.drugs.com/pro/malarone.html

Post-Marketing Adverse Reactions
In addition to adverse events reported from clinical trials, the following events have been identified during world-wide post-approval use of Malarone. Because they are reported voluntarily from a population of unknown size, estimates of frequency cannot be made. These events have been chosen for inclusion due to a combination of their seriousness, frequency of reporting, or potential causal connection to Malarone.


Blood and Lymphatic System Disorders
Neutropenia and rarely anemia. Pancytopenia in patients with severe renal impairment treated with proguanil.


Immune System Disorders
Allergic reactions including angioedema, urticaria, and rare cases of anaphylaxis.


Nervous System Disorders
Rare cases of seizures and psychotic events (such as hallucinations); however, a causal relationship has not been established.


Hepatobiliary Disorders
Elevated liver function tests and rare cases of hepatitis; a single case of hepatic failure requiring transplant has been reported.


Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders
Photosensitivity, rash, and rare cases of erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome.

In sum, it's your choice. If you want to spend 90.00 on a drug that you may not be able to take all the way through your travel period because of side effects, like a friend of friend was unable to do, then your 90.00 won't do you much good. However, people do take Malarone without side effects, obviously. But don't be fooled by drug companies who want the public to think that Malarone is the be-all and end-all of malaria prophylactics, when a very safe and reliable antibiotic stand-by is available which will give some added benefits to you, should you develop up a bacterial infection, all at a fraction of the cost.

Don't speak for me. I never said it was the 'be all' or 'end all'. I just expressed my experience (and the experiences of everyone I know who's taken it). No side effects, not expensive.
And, love, I'm not a doctor, but if you think that taking 60+ tablets of doxy is good for your immune system, you've gotta be smoking something.
BTW, did we drop the alcohol thing? Cuz that point you were trying to make has not support in your quoted text or in the link.
All I see is someone drumming up drama just to be "right"...are we sure that this isn't Oksana?

Ok I'll take a malarone and a doxycycline with my whiskey and red bull chaser tonight and will let you guys know in the morning if I have any side effect. One thing I know for sure I would not get is yeast infection!

Kim J-no the original "dialogue" was Bob and Spygirl. It actually led to a wonderful two month period during which neither posted on this board.
Karen is attempting to ruin thois thread with facts and information. This forum should not be confused with such items.

Let the flaming continue. Please.

Yes, filmwill, I'm still waiting for support for: "which also includes not being able to drink alcohol while taking them [Malarone]"

Now I have to go look for the "dialogue", lol.

I have to chuckle......after all these years we all know what she is yet we still argue with IT.

Let IT go everyone and maybe IT will go away again!

If you don't feed IT, IT will get bored and go away.

Aloha!