Malaria Prophylaxis

[Doug3006]

Do you really think you are getting into your Doctor that day or a US pharmacy has the medicine in stock? Best case you are getting next day shipping and I think many will be going to urgent care with whatever PA they have that day.

Just a guess…but mentioning that you may have malaria probably gets you placed near the front of the line with most doc’s…or at least most emergency rooms. Malarone is a commonly prescribed malaria treatment..not just a prophylactic.

 

[revturbo9967]

I had some weird dreams on malorone but nothing crazy. I’ll take it again in May when I go back over.

 

[J.Ogilvie]

A side note to taking Doxy ....
Doxy has the tendency to kill everything in your stomach I always take a probiotic when taking Doxy to keep my stomach in order

Is there a particular probiotic you would recommend for travel? Most of the good ones that I know about have to be refrigerated.

 

[Rare Breed]

Good point, but I would think telling the doctor you’ve been to Africa would be a rather obvious thing to do. Keeping that to oneself would be a bit silly. Even if one were unconscious, surely someone in the family would think to tell them.

I returned from South Africa with a high fever and a terrible bite wound. I went to a doc-in-the-box and told them I had contracted African tick bite fever. The doc asked why I thought so. Well, I explained, I’ve just returned from Africa. I got bit (and showed her the rather hideous bite), and oh yeah, I have a 102 degree fever. Then I handed her a print out of the CDC pages on ATBF. She agreed with my diagnosis and prescribed doxycycline. I didn’t think it wise to test her knowledge of Africa-endemic infections.

Basically given I make my living from research and many doctors in my family I too have learned to do your own research and present your information to your doctor. Medicine is both an art and a science in spite of people thinking it is only the latter. My family who are doctors told me they are appreciative of patients that take charge of themselves like this versus thinking their doctor has all the answers…they do not

 

[mdwest]

Is there a particular probiotic you would recommend for travel? Most of the good ones that I know about have to be refrigerated.

When I take doxy I generally just eat foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, etc that are high in probiotics… that seems to be enough for me… unless I’m truly out in the middle of nowhere it’s generally not too hard to find something regional that is good for gut health… olives are high in probiotics.. kimchee, pickles, miso, sourdough, any fermented cheese, and a bunch of other foods can keep you in order…

 

[375Fox]

When I take doxy I generally just eat foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, etc that are high in probiotics… that seems to be enough for me… unless I’m truly out in the middle of nowhere it’s generally not too hard to find something regional that is good for gut health… olives are high in probiotics.. kimchee, pickles, miso, sourdough, any fermented cheese, and a bunch of other foods can keep you in order…

Just keep in mind you’re not supposed to combine dairy/calcium and doxycycline. It reduces the effectiveness.

 

[Andrew62]

Is there really a physician so dense that when presented with a patient with fever, body aches and severe fatigue WHO JUST RETURNED FROM AFRICA doesn’t think “hey, I wonder if he got malaria? “

Actually, yes! My Dad got malaria but the local ER physician said it wasn’t malaria, so I took him to Ruby Hospital in Morgantown, WV, where they got him straightened out. This physician wasn’t dense, he was ignorant and arrogant.

 

[DLSJR]

Just remember that you only have to get Malaria once and you’ve got it forever and that should tell you whether to take a prophylaxis or not.

I always take Malarone before leaving my tent in the morning and have never had any adverse effects. I also take Doxy along but keep it in reserve for tick bites.

 

[Doug Hamilton]

Hello AH,

Me and my younger brother are going to Namibia next year on our first safari. After hunting for plains game, we are spending a few days on the Okavango River fishing.

As it's a malaria risk area, we will both be taking Malarone. I have read that some people don't take malaria medicine due to the potential side effects.

It got me wondering how people on this forum feel.

On my first trip to Zimbabwe my PH was laid up for a day with a recurring malarial fever. HR kept insisting that we should go hunting as Zim was paying for it. I convinced him that I would asunder around, take pictures, and socialize a little, and be fine with him recovering. My buddies brother-in-law (a lot older than us) wss a WW II vet. He hot malaria in the South Pacific. He dealt with recurring fevers for the rest of his life. Those two guys convinced me that I do jot want malaria and I take the meds anytime I travel into a high risk area. That includes two trios to Zimbabwe and numerous trios into Central America. So far no problems with side effects.

BTW,
I thought malaria prophylactics were tiny little condoms for mosquitos.
(That was just a joke). ;-)

 

[Mountainshadows]

I did not realize mefloquine was still around (Larium?). Booze is not necessary to trigger those dreams. If I could have filmed those dreams and made movies I would be a billionaire! That's what we were issued when in Iraq in 2003. I read some years ago on a study that said it actually caused brain bleeds. I'm fairly certain it is no longer issued to Department of War personnel.
A few years later when going to Afghanistan we were prescribed doxycycline.
I've been home over a year and a half but worked in Papua, Indonesia for 2 years. Malaria is quite the issue there, yet we were never given any preventative meds. They used to fog our camps with malathion and we still had guys get malaria. I did some research on malathion and the company didn't like it when I raised hell about its long term effects on humans from continuous exposure. I started taking doxycycline on my own while I was there.
I never got malaria but I can tell you mild dengue fever is no joke.

 

[Doug3006]

Actually, yes! My Dad got malaria but the local ER physician said it wasn’t malaria, so I took him to Ruby Hospital in Morgantown, WV, where they got him straightened out. This physician wasn’t dense, he was ignorant and arrogant.

Glad your dad got straightened out! Doctors are no different than plumbers, accountants, street sweepers or attorneys. There are some who should consider a career change ‘cause they’re no damn good. It’s up to us as patients to take charge of our healthcare. Second opinions are a real thing.