Anti-Malaria medication puzzle

Noni

http://Goanvoice.org.uk
Malaria advice for Tourists

Aishah

skwilliston - good news around here is there is very low malaria this year because the rain did not cause excessive flooding. As the weather cools and land dries, malaria chances are decreasing in Rajasthan. I would be inclined to do what you do, not take anti-malarials, but take a treatment pack as a precaution. You wouldn't even need this if you are travelling around main cities and centres and not staying much in isolated areas. All medical facilities here are well equipped for malarial treatment.

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kristinm

Aishah- in your experience with meeting travellers would you say most of them take the malaria meds or not? And do many complain about the side effects?

skwilliston

Aishah--That's great news! When you recommend a "treatment pack" to carry with us, what would that include? Thanks for your input. Stephanie

edwardseco

Okay, I get off on the subjecy of self treatment. First of all, one is in very little shape to analyze a disease when hit that hard. All I cares about was misery. Second, there are different symptoms so it could be any variety of causes. Beyond that, there are different varieties of malaria with different treatments. What is one to do, carry a microsope? Its a nasty new trend coming out of Europe to do self treatment. But, it feeds some very bad medical practice and in a broader sense is developing more resistant varieties of diseases. Doctors are cheap and relatively good in India so..

Aishah

As edwardesco has said, doctors are cheap and good here and that would be your first port of call if you suspected you had malaria. Some travellers are taking Malarone as a precaution pack for treatment. Some are taking this as a prophylactic. Kristinm - it is like 50% are taking anti-malarials, and 50% not! Those taking Malarone seem to have less side effects, but I am not a medical professional and not the person to give professional advice.
I should have mentioned the self-treatment would be for when you are in very isolated areas and no possibility of getting to doctor or hospital rapidly. Also check with your own medical practitioner as to what he/she recommends. Doctors and hospitals are available in most towns and villages travellers are staying at.

Nick-H

Agreed... Do not attempt to self-diagnose and self-prescribe malaria. Would you do the smae thing with, for example, TB, in your own country?

This may not be polite, but out of all the ideas in the far-too-many threads about mossies and malaria on this site, this one is the most absolutely lunatic!

Doctors, labs, hospitals are at your disposal here: you will need them if you catch anything half as bad as malaria. Mess with malaria itself (very hard to diagnose, hence the labs) and you put your life on the line.

If you have any suspicions, see a doctor, and follow his recommendations. You might be carrying a drug for a different strain of malaria. You might even receive more up-to-date treatment in India, and are far more likely to find a doctor who can recognise the disease than back home where it is not endemic.

Leave those pills at home.

Or pack that microscope!

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wonderwomanusa

I take Doxycycline; the "worst" side effect is to increse my sensitivity to the sun. No stomach problems. No crazy dreams. No big bite out of my travel money.

My friend Ralph died of malaria in 1974; it is in his memory that I ALWAYS take anti-malarials.

Besides, there are plenty of diseases in India for which there is no vaccine or pill ... I'd just as soon be as protected as possible.

dianam

Then my question is, am I really likely to get see mosquitos in Dec? Traveling from Mumbai to Admedabad to Delhi to Dehrudun to Rishikesh.

Thanks for any word on this!

dianam

wonderwomanusa

It will be warm enough in both Mumbai and Ahmedabad for lots of mosquitos; fewer in Delhi and farther north. In fact, according to the CDC, you are at risk whenever you are lower than 2000 ft elevation.

dianam

Thanks, Wonder Woman. I will go prepared.

fajitanumerouno

Well, I just got my prescriptions from the travel doc and for the number I need to buy for all 4 of us its crazy pricing here in the USA. I was hoping for a cheaper online Canadian pharmacy to be prepared but I guess I will have to get some here and then stock up in India.

Did any of you read of that woman Kinga Freespirit -
http://www.kingafreespirit.pl/kingaen/ - she was called, who died of some kind of horrible cerebral malaria in Africa. Her travel diaries are interesting to read.

On the subject of people in family getting diseases, my grandmother-in-law died of complications from Malaria in her 80's in Ahmedabad (so I guess we should look out.......it was in like March or April if I recall now) and then my father-in-law has had it when he was young. Mother-in-law got typhoid once from bad water, sister-in-law had (she thinks) dysentery from eating some street food the relatives told her not to eat (forbade actually but as a teen did she listen???!!!). But all this was awhile ago now.

Anyhow, we will be in Ahmedabad and then in Kerala. I am surprised by that map listed earlier shows Ahmedabad at higher risk then Kerala and the south. I would imagine that with it being warmer all year round in Kerala, and all the rivers and mosquitos it would be required there also. Surprising.
Does this Odomos have deet in it? Can I buy in India, I was looking around here and bug repellent is harder to find in November then you would think.
Va;

fajitanumerouno

If this is anti-malarial you all are talking about, it is now on the Wal-Mart $4 list per prescription. The 50mg you get 30 and the 100mg you get 20.
Seems a good deal if its what you have a prescription for and you are near a Wal-Mart, whether you like it or not.
Val

edwardseco

Its a close varaint and works well (not 100%). Mosfree has also been suggested. Doxy is dirt cheap in India but watch the expiration date in any case..

edwardseco

"variant"..