malaria tablets?

punchinello · Oct 15th, 2006, 09:33

I'm interested in why Doxy is seen as bad long term. Vibramicin 50mg is actually prescribed as a daily treatment for long term acne problems. I didn't have particularly bad acne when I was a kid, but someone thought it was a good idea and anyway, I was on the stuff for probably 6 months (didn't change me much, but then it wasn't terrible in the first place). I understand the ethical problem (my girlfriend works on the genetics of antibiotic resistance, and in her opinion, it's inevitable and we're just going to have to develop ways to deal with), but is it really that bad for your health to take doxy for more than a month?
I'll be taking it for perhaps 2-2.5 months, as I'll be moving in and out of malaria zones without a clear 2 week break. I have a supply of probiotics which should last the entire time I'm there, will this offset the negative effects sufficiently?
I wonder, given the Dengue outbreak and all the other mosquito borne diseases, whether it would be worth thinking about just protecting (and I mean seriously protecting, permethrin soaked clothes, DEET and sleeping under a mosquito net) against mosquitoes. Malaria is bad, but Dengue is almost as bad and less treatable, as far as I know. Artemisinin is expensive, but it is supposed to be very effective in treating Malaria (or so I heard from a doco on TV, which was probably a couple of years old). More confusion to add to the situation. Sorry.
Oh, and what are the standards of Doxy production like in India? Is it safe to buy there or are there fakes?

JesseK · Oct 25th, 2006, 05:34

my decision was made easy by the travel nurse we visited at the san francisco department of health. two of her friends died of malaria in africa, they chose not to take the medication.

edwardseco · Oct 25th, 2006, 05:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by punchinello

I'm interested in why Doxy is seen as bad long term. Vibramicin 50mg is actually prescribed as a daily treatment for long term acne problems. I didn't have particularly bad acne when I was a kid, but someone thought it was a good idea and anyway, I was on the stuff for probably 6 months (didn't change me much, but then it wasn't terrible in the first place). I understand the ethical problem (my girlfriend works on the genetics of antibiotic resistance, and in her opinion, it's inevitable and we're just going to have to develop ways to deal with), but is it really that bad for your health to take doxy for more than a month?
I'll be taking it for perhaps 2-2.5 months, as I'll be moving in and out of malaria zones without a clear 2 week break. I have a supply of probiotics which should last the entire time I'm there, will this offset the negative effects sufficiently?
I wonder, given the Dengue outbreak and all the other mosquito borne diseases, whether it would be worth thinking about just protecting (and I mean seriously protecting, permethrin soaked clothes, DEET and sleeping under a mosquito net) against mosquitoes. Malaria is bad, but Dengue is almost as bad and less treatable, as far as I know. Artemisinin is expensive, but it is supposed to be very effective in treating Malaria (or so I heard from a doco on TV, which was probably a couple of years old). More confusion to add to the situation. Sorry.
Oh, and what are the standards of Doxy production like in India? Is it safe to buy there or are there fakes?

Long term use may cause liver damage (the long and the short of it). I used Indian made Doxy and had no problems with it. I could tell immediately it was the real stuff as I get sun sensitivity the first week or so. Watch the expiration date as old Doxy is much worse for the liver..

edwardseco · Oct 25th, 2006, 06:41

Dengue is less likely to kill you but by the reports I have seen much longer to get over. I suggest ample Odomos in the day time..

Nick-H · Oct 25th, 2006, 12:36

I have read recently that after surviving a first attack of Dengue, a second attack is likely to be fatal.

The is a more serious (as if the basic wasn't bad enough

) form of of disease --- dengue haemorrhagic (goodness, the spell checker recognised my mangled version of that word!) fever.

Malaria may reoccur over a lifetime, but one big difference is that there is treatment available for it. There is no treatment for the Dengue virus; only medicines to give some relief to the symptoms.

punchinello · Oct 25th, 2006, 14:14

My girlfriend and India travel partner got typhoid in Mexico last year and a second attack of something unknown (may have been a relapse of typhoid or something new altogether) was at first diagnosed as Dengue. So she found out all about it and yes, there's the haemorraging and stuff. I haven't probed much further as I'm sqeamish about these things, but she seems to be more scared of Dengue than anything else, and she knows about most diseases (or how they actually work, anyway - she doesn't know much about treatment). So Dengue, I think, is pretty ugly at the very least. I have also heard the second attack is fatal.
Small story about my girlfriend's experience of Mexican hospitals:
3 of them got typhoid, one was so delirious as to be effectively unconscious. Doctors in one of the more reputable hospitals in Mexico City decided that they'll make some dollars by removing non vital organs (appendix was what they were going for, I think). Being biochemists all three of them, they knew what was going on and the other 2 smuggled the delirious one out. They spent the next two weeks in a youth hostel with drips hanging from the ceiling fan. Dunno what the moral is. Are Indian hospitals potentially this dodgy?

Nick-H · Oct 25th, 2006, 15:05

i don't think so.

But you might quickly be reclassified as medical waste if you are in a private hospital and they find out that you can't pay....

But then, unless it is a very posh place, even as a budget traveller you probably will be able to.

Barryjames · Jul 21st, 2007, 02:42

Just slightly O.T. but, can anyone recommend a good Medical Insurance Company in GOA.
Am in the UK until end of next month so cannot search locally myself.

Spent the last eight months or so in Goa, only once slept without the Mossy net, Bitten on the bum and two weeks later, Chickungungua (spelling)

I am determined that the only thing that I will be bitten by in future is 'Love'

~The French invented the only known cure for dandruff. It is called the guillotine~

simv · Jul 21st, 2007, 16:55

http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3339/chikitsarg7.jpg

Even though malaria is not listed, I am sure the guy has cure/preventive tips for it.

ps - the clinic is not owned by me.

goangoangone · Jul 23rd, 2007, 08:25

I wonder what the "GAS TRICK" is?

Maybe he'll teach you a few tunes.

Patheya · Sep 20th, 2007, 18:23

just throwing this to the top of the board for people interested.. (save the oldies doing it with a big sigh of resignation for the newbies)

2020angel · Sep 20th, 2007, 19:05

Actually...does anyone on here have M.E...and what do they do,if anything,about immunisation/Malaria etc?

Nick-H · Sep 20th, 2007, 22:13

I believe the standard UK advice (for travellers to most of India) is currently 'diagnosis and treatment' rather than prophylaxis

2020angel · Sep 21st, 2007, 16:46

Thanks Nick..Seems like a good idea...many years ago when i went to Thailand,both i and my daughter took anti malaria tablets..but had to stop after 3 months anywa.Whilst there, the general feeling by Thai doctors seemed to be NOT to take prohylactics as the mosquitos eventually get immune?..their advice seemed to be..don't take any medication,but use insect repellant and cover up...then when you have left a 'malaria zone' to get tested asap.

Nick-H · Sep 21st, 2007, 17:17

It is very country/area dependent.

Both the extent of malaria infection and the strain of it present at your destination determine the advice and the appropriate drugs, if any. Malaria remains one of the world's biggest killers, and the kind that affects the brain can kill very quickly.

There is one strain of malaria organism that has become resistant to one of the older drugs; chloroquine, I think, which is why it is usually recommended to be taken with Proguinal --- but, please do your own research on this, I could well be wrong!

It is not the mosquito that becomes resistant and, so far as I know, it is only this one combination. Some people have the idea that taking anti-malarials just increases resistance; i don't think this is necessarily true.

Oct 25th, 2006, 12:36	#20
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	I have read recently that after surviving a first attack of Dengue, a second attack is likely to be fatal. The is a more serious (as if the basic wasn't bad enough ) form of of disease --- dengue haemorrhagic (goodness, the spell checker recognised my mangled version of that word!) fever. Malaria may reoccur over a lifetime, but one big difference is that there is treatment available for it. There is no treatment for the Dengue virus; only medicines to give some relief to the symptoms. __________________ . IndiaMike Mod Team (The Grumpy One)

Jul 21st, 2007, 16:55	#24
simv Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: India Posts: 23	http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/3339/chikitsarg7.jpg Even though malaria is not listed, I am sure the guy has cure/preventive tips for it. ps - the clinic is not owned by me. Last edited by machadinha : Jul 23rd, 2007 at 09:28. Reason: removed image tags

Jul 23rd, 2007, 08:25	#25
goangoangone Maha Guru Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Goa Posts: 1,454	I wonder what the "GAS TRICK" is? Maybe he'll teach you a few tunes. __________________ GoanGoan......here

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Oct 15th, 2006, 09:33	#16
punchinello Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sydney Posts: 137	I'm interested in why Doxy is seen as bad long term. Vibramicin 50mg is actually prescribed as a daily treatment for long term acne problems. I didn't have particularly bad acne when I was a kid, but someone thought it was a good idea and anyway, I was on the stuff for probably 6 months (didn't change me much, but then it wasn't terrible in the first place). I understand the ethical problem (my girlfriend works on the genetics of antibiotic resistance, and in her opinion, it's inevitable and we're just going to have to develop ways to deal with), but is it really that bad for your health to take doxy for more than a month? I'll be taking it for perhaps 2-2.5 months, as I'll be moving in and out of malaria zones without a clear 2 week break. I have a supply of probiotics which should last the entire time I'm there, will this offset the negative effects sufficiently? I wonder, given the Dengue outbreak and all the other mosquito borne diseases, whether it would be worth thinking about just protecting (and I mean seriously protecting, permethrin soaked clothes, DEET and sleeping under a mosquito net) against mosquitoes. Malaria is bad, but Dengue is almost as bad and less treatable, as far as I know. Artemisinin is expensive, but it is supposed to be very effective in treating Malaria (or so I heard from a doco on TV, which was probably a couple of years old). More confusion to add to the situation. Sorry. Oh, and what are the standards of Doxy production like in India? Is it safe to buy there or are there fakes?

Oct 25th, 2006, 05:34	#17
JesseK Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: San Francisco Posts: 6	my decision was made easy by the travel nurse we visited at the san francisco department of health. two of her friends died of malaria in africa, they chose not to take the medication.

Oct 25th, 2006, 06:41	#19
edwardseco Maha Guru Member Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: Land that shakes and bakes. Posts: 3,410	Dengue is less likely to kill you but by the reports I have seen much longer to get over. I suggest ample Odomos in the day time..

Oct 25th, 2006, 14:14	#21
punchinello Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Sydney Posts: 137	My girlfriend and India travel partner got typhoid in Mexico last year and a second attack of something unknown (may have been a relapse of typhoid or something new altogether) was at first diagnosed as Dengue. So she found out all about it and yes, there's the haemorraging and stuff. I haven't probed much further as I'm sqeamish about these things, but she seems to be more scared of Dengue than anything else, and she knows about most diseases (or how they actually work, anyway - she doesn't know much about treatment). So Dengue, I think, is pretty ugly at the very least. I have also heard the second attack is fatal. Small story about my girlfriend's experience of Mexican hospitals: 3 of them got typhoid, one was so delirious as to be effectively unconscious. Doctors in one of the more reputable hospitals in Mexico City decided that they'll make some dollars by removing non vital organs (appendix was what they were going for, I think). Being biochemists all three of them, they knew what was going on and the other 2 smuggled the delirious one out. They spent the next two weeks in a youth hostel with drips hanging from the ceiling fan. Dunno what the moral is. Are Indian hospitals potentially this dodgy?

Oct 25th, 2006, 15:05	#22
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	i don't think so. But you might quickly be reclassified as medical waste if you are in a private hospital and they find out that you can't pay.... But then, unless it is a very posh place, even as a budget traveller you probably will be able to.

Jul 21st, 2007, 02:42	#23
Barryjames Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Goa Posts: 93	Just slightly O.T. but, can anyone recommend a good Medical Insurance Company in GOA. Am in the UK until end of next month so cannot search locally myself. Spent the last eight months or so in Goa, only once slept without the Mossy net, Bitten on the bum and two weeks later, Chickungungua (spelling) I am determined that the only thing that I will be bitten by in future is 'Love' *~The French invented the only known cure for dandruff. It is called the guillotine~*

Sep 20th, 2007, 18:23	#26
Patheya Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 18	just throwing this to the top of the board for people interested.. (save the oldies doing it with a big sigh of resignation for the newbies)

Sep 20th, 2007, 19:05	#27
2020angel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Brighton Posts: 50	Actually...does anyone on here have M.E...and what do they do,if anything,about immunisation/Malaria etc?

Sep 20th, 2007, 22:13	#28
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	I believe the standard UK advice (for travellers to most of India) is currently 'diagnosis and treatment' rather than prophylaxis

Sep 21st, 2007, 16:46	#29
2020angel Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Brighton Posts: 50	Thanks Nick..Seems like a good idea...many years ago when i went to Thailand,both i and my daughter took anti malaria tablets..but had to stop after 3 months anywa.Whilst there, the general feeling by Thai doctors seemed to be NOT to take prohylactics as the mosquitos eventually get immune?..their advice seemed to be..don't take any medication,but use insect repellant and cover up...then when you have left a 'malaria zone' to get tested asap.

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Sep 21st, 2007, 17:17	#30
Nick-H Loud-mouthed, Noisy Bird Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 24,219	It is very country/area dependent. Both the extent of malaria infection and the strain of it present at your destination determine the advice and the appropriate drugs, if any. Malaria remains one of the world's biggest killers, and the kind that affects the brain can kill very quickly. There is one strain of malaria organism that has become resistant to one of the older drugs; chloroquine, I think, which is why it is usually recommended to be taken with Proguinal --- but, please do your own research on this, I could well be wrong! It is not the mosquito that becomes resistant and, so far as I know, it is only this one combination. Some people have the idea that taking anti-malarials just increases resistance; i don't think this is necessarily true.