Thanks for checking out Go Backpacking and sharing your experience with malaria medications.

I'm about to head to Laos again and got myself a month's worth that was covered by my health insurance (so plenty affordable). The way I see it is that I really have nothing to lose by taking it and it's a bit of added security, but it really is a personal choice.

The important thing to remember that others here have said is that each medication is region-specific. Don't assume just because you took one pill in Central America that it will also work in Southeast Asia. Do some research before you go, and absolutely wear bug repellent!

P.S. This is a really fantastic website Dave!

http://www.malariahotspots.co.uk/beenThere.asp

And they’re covered under my drug plan so I got them for pennies a pill (or less after the deductible). Because Malarone is used to treat something else, it’s not considered a preventative (and therefore drug plan prohibited) drug. So see if it qualifies under yours and stock up before you go. (buy now store in parents’ fridge for 1-2 years before expiration)

Here’s some stuff I’ve found out in my research.

Things to consider. Malarone is almost impossible to get outside of the Western/northern world. It’s an attempt to stop resistance to it. But often you’ll find travellers with extra that they’d like to dump for free or minimal amounts on the road. You’ll see the messages on TT often

Also, my travel MD mentioned that certain drugs are good for some regions and useless in others. So you might be better off with a mixture of treatments. Ask yours about a mixture – start with Malarone continue with Doxy?? I’m so not a doctor so definitely follow up. And as someone already mentioned you can get Doxy anywhere for a lot less.

I’m with you on Lariam – very scarey.

I definitely can be like your friend, and I try to take what I find on the internet with a grain of salt. At the same time, seeing all the drug makers in the US get sued years after they had drugs approved by the FDA gives one pause. I’m going with my gut on this one, and we’ll see how it goes!

Do you recall which drug you took which caused the hair problem? It’s quite alarming, not that I have much hair anymore.

If I did in fact use to take the Doxy for acne (in my early 20’s), then I’ve already experienced taking it for more than a year with no ill effects. It might not be as effective as the other options, however in a way, it’s my closest option to not taking anything at all (which I’m not yet ready to do).

I got a 15 pill prescription to test it out on myself while still in the USA. I feel a bit silly about it, however I think I’m going to get it filled this weekend and make sure I have no ill effects.

I almost believe I use to take this particular antibiotic to treat acne, in which case it’ll have a double benefit!

I’ve got to go back for a couple more jabs so have some time to decide which I want to take. She mentioned one tablet that they would prescribe three weeks before and then monitor you. Don’t like the sound of that. I also don’t like the sound of taking a table daily. I’m hopeless.

Thanks for the post and the comments… I’ve got some reading to do!

Lariam for sure doesnt have a good rep. Kinda wonder how that passed FDA regs but then the FDA is corrupt as heck anyway.

With so many types on the market, and so much information on the internet about each, you’d have to be crazy not to conduct your own independent study into which (if any) will be best for you and your tailored trip. It’s imperative to get a balanced picture and then, and only then, make your decision.

Before my first trip to Asia I read up and eventually plumped for doxy as I knew some areas I would pass through were resistant to other forms of anti-malarial and some of the anti malarials – as you quite rightly mentioned – potentially had some real nasty side effects. Anyway, I bought loads of doxy in advance (enough for my whole intended trip, which cost a small fortune) only to find that I could have bought them in a Bangkok pharmacy for a fraction of the price. My point is this: during the research stage, it’s also worth checking if you can get them (for certain) in your intended countries. You could save a fair bit of cash this way for a long journey. But obviously it’s not worth chancing it unless your 100% sure you will be able to pick them up!

As it panned out, over time I read more about the anti-malarials and the powerful effect they can have on your body and wound up not taking any at all. I guess it’s just a personal decision and only one that an individual can make, and based on the current risk in whatever area you are in. Essentially, you have to weigh that up and take it from there.

The day I decided to stop taking them I also made a conscious decision to drop everything and get the hell out of an area immediately if there became an increased risk of malaria, and thought a little longer about potential places I would visit. Again, if I felt the risk was too high I would think carefully before going there or wait until the risk had decreased – after all I was away for a long time so this was a valid option.

I didn’t take anti-malarials for years after that, but then decided to take them when I got to the Bay Islands, Honduras. On the way up there we learnt, from locals, that there was an increased risk of malaria at that time. In any event, I got hold of some and started taking them – and my bloody hair began to fall out! Seriously, within two weeks of starting them it was coming out in clumps. I lived on Utila for around 3 months and after a little while there I talked to loads of travellers residing there permanently (such as dive instructors/Divemasters etc) and learnt that many of these folks didn’t take them, the locals didn’t take them, and the risk of Malaria wasn’t as bad as I had thought. I stopped taking them after a few weeks yet my hair continued to fall out for another 3 months afterward. Eventually it stopped but by then my long hair had started to look real bad – really thin and not good at all.

All’s ok now, but I dare say that has put me off anti-malarials for life. I would take them again if the risk was hideously high, but I would also think even more carefully first and only chomp them down if it was deemed absolutely essential. But this is just my experience of them. Everyone has to read up and make a decision based on medical facts and from a wide variety of sources.

Not sure if you were planning to buy the doxycycline before leaving the States and then carry it with you the whole time, but if so, I thought I’d mention that Wal-Mart and Sam’s sell doxycycline for only $4. You can get 30 of the 50 mg, or 20 of 100 mg. Of course, you’ll need a prescription before you can get either one.