Has anyone experienced side effects from taking this anti-malarial?

Sorry just realized I posted this in the wrong area...meant for Afrika fodorites...plse. disregard. My apologies.

My daughter took this for acne and it made her very light-headed/dizzy. Her doctor prescribed an alternative.

just in case you check back -
my son (24) has taken this on 4 separate occasions for trips in certain areas of India, etc and he never had any side effects.

There are however, other options - you should speak with someone at your local travel clinic - I find they are more 'up' on all these meds vs. our family Dr. - he sends us to a travel clinic to help decide which meds we will or will not take/ which shots we will or will not choose/ etc.

Many major hospitals and airports often have travel clinics. good luck and have fun !

Thanks for your input! There is a travel clinic in the regional health dept. but they are reluctant to give advice.

they may not want to give you advice, but they should be willing to give you all the info so you can make an informed personal health choice.

Malarone, mefloquine, doxycycline, and others - some have been found not to work in certain areas, do in others, etc

you can do internet searches, use the travel.gov.state web site, look under everything, ask this clinic for the pros and cons of each drug - at our travel clinic they have access to computers that show you the area you are traveling, the rate of a diseases/ likelihood/ what drugs work/ etc and then you can make an informed decision.

try calling a larger hospital near you if this one is not helping you make a decision

You probably know this medication - it is a variant on tetracycline which many of us have taken for pneumonia and other infections. It is a long-used antibiotic which for most people has no long-term side effects and mild short-term side effects, although as with many antibiotics, stomach distress can be troublesome.

Photosensitivity also a potential side effect. Wear sunscreen.

While this is not specific for malaria (as would be Malarone [nowadays, prefered] or Lariam [more side-effects]) doxy while the least expensive, has its own drawbacks. Sun sensitivity, so sun protection is a must; for women especially, getting Thrush (in other words, discharge); has to be taken longer than any of the two named drugs above.

Do not take Larium (melfloquine).

About 25% of patients that take Larium experience side effects from Mild Anxiety to Suicide.

Do a google search on Larium Suicide.