Cloroquine/Proguanil and hair loss

marla

My local travel clinic has recommended Cloroquine/Proguanil as the recommended anit-malarial for India but I've read that it can cause hair loss. Is this true or happened to you or someone you know? - I know this is vain but I've really long hair and would be mortified if my hair started to thin out. (NB. don't mind taking the tablets over a long time period - that's not the issue for me.)

Why is C/P recommended over Malarone? i.e. is it better in terms of protection, has less side affects or because it's cheaper but still works? Does anyone know what the side affects of Malarone are? - I'd been lead to think that they weren't to bad by friends who'd used it in Africa.

FYI, I'm only going away for 3 weeks, travelling to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Goa.

THANK YOU!!!

Ikuru

HI and wellcome to the club marla!

My advice.

Dont take malaria pills. you can actually take them once you get malaria and get rid of it that way (this is what I heard anyways).

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seventies'hippy

Theres loads of stuff, for & against malaria here & there on IM if you search around, plus theres more INFO here

rab

Ugh??? Are you sure?

Seriously, by all means hear out other people's experiences, but on this issue and any other medical issue listen to your doctor and not just the words of other Indiamike members.

I have no knowledge of Ikuru's medical credentials, nor those of any other Indiamike member, but if your doctor says take a prescription then listen to him / her.

I have used Proganuil / Chloroquine combination a couple of times and it is ok. You may get a slight stomach ache when you take the weekly pill but on the whole it is fine. Your hair may feel unhealthy in some ways, maybe a bit unmanageable or lacklustre but that will clear up when you come off the tablets. My wife has long hair and she didn't particularly like these drugs but she had no hair loss and the beneficial effects of an active holiday in a nice climate with healthy food more than outweighed any negative affects of Proganuil / Chloroquine.

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cyberhippie

Good advice from Rab, to answer the posters question about the Chloroquine/Proguanil versus Malarone.
Both offer adequate protection against Malaria in India so from that point of view there's nothing to choose between the two of them.
As for side effects well the Chloroquine/Proguanil ones are well documented. Malarone is too new to have much case study so the long term effects of using the drug are as yet unknown, though there is a body of opinion that reccomends not to use Malarone for any longer than a month!!
One thing to remember in all this the reason that some drugs have been rendered useless in the fight against Malaria is the parasite's over exposure to drugs like Chloroquine/Proguanil so when we willy nilly choose a drug like Malarone when Chloroquine/Proguanil will suffice we are begining a whole new evolution, so in 10 years time we will have to find an alternative to Malarone.
It is probably better to stick with what works until such time that it is rendered useless. This will give us more time before the next generation of drugs is rendered useless by over exposure!!

Sahibcol

I have taken chloroquin/proguanil religiously on all previous visits to India. I've never knowingly succumbed to any side-effects, and last time I looked in the mirror still had a fine head of hair. Its a fact of life, just as some people are more prone to certain illnesses, others react differently, or not at all, to different medications. You just have to weigh up the consequences ; either enduring a bout of minor, short-term inconveniences, or exposing yourself to a potentially life-threatening disease. Take your pick.

marla

Thanks guys - that's all pretty reassuring. I don't mind my hair looking bad for a month, I just didn't want it to fall out!!!

vistet

...IF you are able to selfdiagnose and
IF you are in shape to take them : two large ifs .

Well , ultimately you risk thinning out what`s beneath your scalp .. or a lot worse.

Listen to your doc. By all means , prepare your questions by talking to others , but listen to your doc.

marla

Thanks Vistet - I wasn't considering taking no antimalarials; I just wanted to know which one was best for me i.e. if hair loss had been a common with C/P then I'd have gone with an alternative such as Malarone. Thanks for your input though.

edwardseco

Never had any problem with that regime. However, I have also used doxy with only modest sun sensitivity. The reactions are very personal. Some people get a reaction and others don't to each of the preventives. With the possible exception of Larium its not widespread.
All I can say about the wait and see approach (treat it later) is that it is a bit like trying to reinforce your house as a hurricane hits. God be with you if you are not in the care of family and a trusted medical practicioner..

Ikuru

Hey Rab, no Im not sure at all, But I think I got this bit of information from the Vaccination Doctor... I was told you had to take more than normall, (like triple the dose or something). But dont take my word for this...

All I know for sure is that I was ensured It wasnt such a big risk... And Having suffered sideeffects from my first trip with malaria pills (blured vission, dizzyness etc) I just dont take them anymore...

Allthough for sure dont take my word for it.

Its just something that I have been told a loong time ago, and I know most people I hung around wasnt taking them either so... But like I said I dont know, so well like you say, Its good to ask.

divadino

I get so annoyed with people who just assume because they are seasoned travellers that they are "hard" core by not taking the anti-malarials. Sorry guys, I feel really strongly about this - a friend of mine who had the same attitude and had lived in Africa before, went out there to visit her dad and didn't bother taking any (but "took all other precautions etc") - well she came back and 2 weeks later ended up critically ill in the special tropical diseases hospital with the type of malaria that can kill you within days. Luckily she recovered, but believe me she's been doing tons of press stuff now to warm people about this laid back - "i'll be ok" approach!

please take the pills - we are so lucky in the west that we have access to these and there are lots of people who don't in India, Africa, S.America etc who die because they don't have that life saving privilege!

end of rant!

Dinah

divadino

I should add that I've taken Chloroquine and Progunail before and no problems. Like all medicines, there are always contra-indications and they tend to affect a small number of people, however the drug companies are obliged to list them and point this out to people. Don't panic. I've got lots of long dark curly hair...... and it's not thinned out (it has gone grey though but that's another story!!)

Dinah

vistet

Sure, the odds are with you (like a single go at Russian Roulette) but the worst case scenarios include severe brain damage or death : I prefer not to gamble with these kinds of risks.

Arun

In 1997 I had hair like this. By 1999 there was little left...