February 10, 2012
Topics A-Z Drugs Malaria Tablets
Malaria Tablets |
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Dear Ask The Doctor: Hi there, I'm due to fly to Kenya in late June and have been looking at the various malaria tablets available - the best I came across is Malarone but at over £50 for the amount of tablets I would need (23) I really can't afford this on top of the £50 I am already paying for injections etc. Obviously I don't want to risk not taking any malaria prevention but do not like the side effects possible with Larium or Doxycycline. I then came across Chloroquine, which is cheap seemed less risky in terms of side effects than the others. Also, my partner thats Levothyroxine tablets due to an underactive tyroid - should this be taken into account? I really don't want illness to ruin my holiday - please let me know what you would recommend. Kind regards, Ashleigh Dear Ashleigh: I understand your concern about Malaria Prophylaxis. I agree with you that Chloroquine is a good choice due to the low cost and also through all these years have proved to be a good prophylaxis medication, also due to its easy compliance. Malaria chemoprophylaxis should preferably begin 1-2 weeks before travel to malarious areas except for doxycycline, which can begin 1-2 days before and taken once a week and up to 4 weeks after returning from the endemic area. But I would suggest you first to find out if the specific area where you are traveling to is resistant to Chloroquine. A new drug, mefloquine (LariamR), is highly effective against both chloroquine-resistant and FansidarR-resistant P. falciparum infections. Mefloquine has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use as an antimalarial agent. These revised recommendations incorporate mefloquine in the armamentarium for prophylaxis of malaria however it might be also more expensive than Chloroquine. There are no interactions between Malarone and Levothyroxine that I am aware of and also none with Chloroquine. I wish you a safe travel and remember that malaria transmission occurs primarily between dusk and dawn. You should take protective measures to reduce contact with mosquitoes especially during these hours. Such measures include remaining in well screened areas, using mosquito nets when sleeping, and wearing clothes that cover most of the body and repellent. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 25 May 2010 ) |
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