lariam (mefloquine) confusion

kim&deborah

hi all ... i'm very torn about whether or not to take lariam. i took it 8 years ago without any major side effects, but have been reading all these horror stories. malarone is an option but a very expensive one for a three month stay ... and doxycycline doesn't sound too pleasant either. i'm wondering if any of you out there are taking lariam and doing just fine ...
i'd appreciate any feedback ... thanks, kim

TimMakins

Isn't it interesting how the authorities in different countries recommend different malaria regimes. In the UK/Ireland, we are recommended to take Chloroquine and proguanil: see here:
http://www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk/

This site is run by the National Health Service (ie public health) of Scotland.

Tim in Ireland

__________________
Travelling Tim - http://www.mapability.com/blogs/

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Mark Twain

Mahawauki

I have taken larium a number of times over the last 10 years when in a malarial climate and never had any problems at all with it.

I do however know some people that have had some side effects though none of the horror stories that you seem to hear.

I guess if you have taken it before and had no problem with it then you should be OK. though I am not sure what the current advice is with regard to larium/malaria in India as it does seem to change from time to time as the malarial parasites can build up resistance to the anti-malarial drugs.

Casey

I took larium and was very sick and a bit crazy. I switched to doxycyline once I arrived in India and had no reactions except clear skin! I have taken doxy 3 times and have never had any problems.

Lakshmi Bhabi

I never had any problems with lariam.

Merchant

Where are you going in India, and when are you going there? It matters. The malaria risk is not uniform across the subcontinent--and in some places, there is no malaria at all.

dani

I just noticed that since last year our authorities don't recommend anymore to take prophylactic malaria medication in india, but to just carry emergency meds

Nick-H

What is the point in carrying emergency meds in a country that has doctors and pharmacies on every street, and good, afordable private hospitals?

That alone makes me think your authorities may be out of touch.

Emergency medication for malaria? Catch the strain that affects the brain and the emergency is getting to hospital before it kills you

__________________
.


Just one member of the IndiaMike Mod Team

dani

Nick, they are not so much out of touch as it seems, I just didn't want to publish here the whole article (which would be in german anyway).
They advise that if you get high fever and you can't be absolutely sure that it is not malaria, you should seek immediate medical attention. That means visiting a doctor who takes a blood sample and gets that analyzed in less than 24h. If that should not be possible, take the emergency medication and visit a doctor as soon as possible. The reason is that a variant of malaria can become life threatening in about 1 day.
You're right that there are pharmacies at every corner, so package tourists and travellers who stay in cities would not run into problems even without carrying their emergency meds. But what do you do if you are trecking somewhere and need a day or two to reach civilisation? Carrying around some 10 pills is not THAT exhausting...

Nick-H

What you say about trecking or traveling in rural areas is absolutely right. In those circumstances, rather like ocean sailing, one has to accept that one cannot get instant medical attention and plan accordingly.

This is such a controversial area. On recent study concluded that it was better to risk catching maleria than to take long-term prophylaxis. Authorities disagree, and IMers certainly disagree!

I once heard it said that about the only symptom malaria cannot produce is pregnancy! So being absolutely sure, unless you know a mosquito has never been near you, is hard! The last time I had fever I took a malaria test, and will quite likely do so when I have fever again.

PortieOwner

I have taken Larium for each trip to India and it doesn't make me any more crazy than usual. No particular dreams either. The travel doc at my university claims none of her patients have had side effects beyond dreams.

We do have a family friend who got malaria in the South Pacific and it is a scary and debilitating disease.

Portie

dani

The problem with lariam is it should not be taken long term.
The recommendation is max two months if I remember right.
I'll be there at least trice as long. So what to do?
I decided to follow the recommendation of my government and "only" take with me lariam as emergency medication, but I will not take it prophylactic

guidedeba

Dear mr. Dani .. Would you please be a little clear about that variant please... I have never heard of any variant which can complete it's protozoal life cycle so quickly. I would love to enrich my knowledge.

>>Kim & Deborah >> By the way I think Nick-H will support me in this matter. that why don't you check the whole matter where we all had written over this subject (quite a lot on Malaria prophylaxis).
I am trying to put that link here.

dani

Do you mean the incubation time? As far as I know it is between 10 days and 4 weeks.

The two months I mentioned are the duration of the visit. Lariam has to be taken from 1 week before the journey until 4 weeks after the journey. That makes a bit more than 3 months of taking lariam.

goangoangone

Doxy

__________________
GoanGoan......here