Experience(s) with malaria prevention meds?

I typically travel where Malarone is the recommended anti-malarial. I am not overly sensitive to meds, except the few I am allergic to, so my side effects were minimal...but a little annoying. Note that Malarone is not one of the ones that may exacerbate psychotic episodes in the sensitive or prone to.

That being said, the first time I used Malarone, I was not told to take it early in the morning; just the same time in whichever time zone I started and could continue..so with a 9 hour time difference, I started at a time that I could take it at dinner where I was traveling. Mistake. I slept little and have very vivid dreams. I finally found someone on the tour that had some OTC sleep meds to give me for 1 decent night's sleep in 3 weeks.
Since then I arrange it for taking with breakfast. It reduces the dreams dramatically, but I still don't sleep as well as at home. So, with doctor's advice, I take a prescription sleeping pill supply with me for use every 5 to 7 nights.
This is one where the name brand is recommended, but may be expensive and occasionally short of supply (in Canada); however, the generic version is supposedly readily available (and quite cheap) in the countries where it is effective for their mosquitos. Due to overuse in the past, some mosquitos are resistant to some anti-malarials, so where you go will depend on which are effective medications.

there are only about 3 options, and dosage and continuation of use varies....as does price. Review them to decide which doses you would be more able to comply to. (daily but ending a week after leaving malaria area vs weekly but taking for 6 weeks after leaving the area).

My family has, over the years, taken chloroquine, Lariam, and Malarone. Six of us had no side effects to any of the three; my son-in-law got cold sores from the Malarone so he took Lariam the next time. It's no longer sold in the US, although other forms of mefloquine are.

Anti malaria med will be specific to where you are going. So you may not have a choice. Mosquitos get resistant to some.
Other option is to not take any at all.
There are countless people living in a such areas that do not take the meds

I took Malarone when I went to Botswana and had no noticeable side effects. As I recall, I believe that you start taking it a couple days before you leave so you may get your ”trial” before you depart.

Also took Malarone before our safari in Tanzania last summer. No noticeable side effects.

We did anti-malaria meds for our safari in East Africa last year and had no issues with that medication.

I traveled with my parents, husband, and sister to Tanzania about 12 years ago and we all took Malarone. I had the absolute worst, most horrific nightmare of my life the first night. I still remember it clearly. Then no more dreams after that; no one else had any side effects.

Thank you to all who have responded and shared experiences!!

I took Aralen for two years in the Peace Corps in Ecuador. You had to choose a day to take it, and then stick to that schedule or start over on a new day because of the medicine processing through your liver in a certain amount of days. My day was Saturday. I drew a picture of a big mosquito and hung it in my room with the words "Did you take your Aralen today?" I didn't have any problem with it (besides vivid dreams) but my roommate felt it made him queasy.

If you do not take the meds, if you get home and are sick go to the doctor immediately and tell him/her that you've been in area with malaria. A few years ago, a teacher in AL died from malaria that she got on a trip.

My husband and I took malarone during our trip to Kenya last summer. We both experienced pretty significant insomnia the first couple of nights (like, wide awake at 2am). That improved though after maybe 2-4 nights taking it. The only other thing was that toward the end of the trip, I started getting frequent headaches. Not intolerable, but enough to be frustrating and annoying. I will note however that I tend to be sensitive to meds in general and this isn't the first time I've gotten these headaches after being on a medication for a couple of weeks, so you may be fine.

I’ve taken Malarone in the past and will again on my upcoming Kenya trip. The key is to take it at the same time everyday and take it with food. It’s better with a higher fat food as well.

I lived in Ghana for 7 years and took everything. I also stopped taking everything after my first 6 months (except when I was pregnant) when I realized I would be living there permanently. I’ve also had malaria. Malarone was the easiest for me to tolerate.

Hi Maggie -

As a taker of anti coagulants for the rest of my natural, I have to be super careful when taking ANY other drugs (I. E. Ibuprofen is an absolute no-no). They have to play nicely with what I’m currently taking. So we consulted with my GP and like Laura it was Malarone for Botswana. No noticeable side effects other than mild irritation at having to keep taking the damn things a week or so after we arrived back in Blighty.

Although as someone who has been ‘follically challenged’ for over fifty years when asked about whether I’ve suffered side effects with any drugs, I usually try to keep a straight face when I say “yeah, radical hair loss”.

Ian

I have taken several without any issue. Just a note that US drugs bought here can have different names from those used in other countries, even in Canada.

I know Aralen is a brand name for chloroquine (not hydroxychloroquine 🥴).

Thank you all for the continued sharing of experiences. Very helpful.

I’ve taken malarone and had zero side effects.

I lived in Liberia, West Africa, for two years. Never took any malaria prevention meds because I didn't want any of the possible side effects. I brought plenty of insect repellent, both spray and wipes (and used them liberally), brought a lightweight, long sleeve Ex-Officio BugsAway hoodie to wear (with long pants and closed shoes) when I ventured out at night, and stayed indoors after dark as much as possible. You can also take care when leaving or entering your accommodations after dark to prevent any mosquitos from coming in. I had maybe two or three mosquito bites in the two years I was there, and never contracted malaria. It's possible to travel without the meds if you are very careful.

Thank you!

I looked on REI (which weirdly has only oneBugsAway flannel shirt on clearance), then also checked the ExOfficio site, and most all of the Bugs-Away clothing appears to be on clearance with only one or two hoodie colors in very limited sizes. I will do a deeper-dive search later, but I am wondering if they are phasing out the line for some reason. Cute lightweight hoodie, though, that could come in handy even at home. But, that does not mean we cannot get other brands with similar protection, so it is still good to hear you had a good experience with protection clothing.

We have obtained Rxs of Malarone, and we might (have not yet decided) do a trial run of 2-3 days of pills a few months before traveling (with our doctor's warning that pills should only be used for the specific time frame for which they are prescribed (right before/during/after being in risk area(s), just to see what happens, realizing IF we do that non-sanctioned little trial, there are other factors that could influence side effects later (foods, etc.).

We will use Deet and also treat clothing with permethrin (which is likely the treatment used by BugsAway), have hat nets treated with the same, too.

Then, we also learn about tsetse flies..........yeesh, which is some ways can be worse than mosquitos. No prevention against the African Sleeping Disease. Apparently not wearing dark (black/blue) or colorful clothing, and clothing that is not too thin (that they apparently can bite thru) is one's only hope. We will be the nerds in the beige double layers of shirts, head nets, gloves, and with the lingering essence of Deet :o No doubt the animals will laugh at us.

What an adventure this will be......................

Maggie's, may I ask where you are going and what you are doing? It may that ai have been to Tanzania a few times, and done safaris and gorilla trekking in Uganda as well as volunteering, but this feels just a little bit of overkill.
I would like to help put things I to perspective for you...if you share the plan.

Maria, I will send you a PM.

Sounds good.

Stop being so afraid. I lived in Africa for 7 years and only got malaria once. Sleeping sickness? I wouldn’t worry about this. You won’t see the locals dressed like you propose. Use a net at night, use deer, take malarone….

Emily, our goal is to not catch it "only once."
Huge thanks for your encouragement, though.

If we are traveling to a Malaria possible area, we take Mefloquine on a weekly basis. No side affects. Depending on where you are going you may need the Yellow Fever vaccine.

I agree with some of the comments about not being too afraid of malaria. I lived in West Africa for over 13 years and most people who live there don’t take prophylaxis malaria pills. But that said, I do highly recommend that you as a tourist do take the pills because you don’t want to be sidelined during your short stay because of malaria. If, however, you will be staying for a long period of time, if you have average health, you might consider skipping the pills.

Also, it’s hard to compare your own potential for side effects with what other people experience. If you know the name of the drug you’ll be getting, search on the internet for “prescribing information” and the name of your drug. You’ll find the detailed FDA prescribing information which will give you the information about contraindications and side effects along with other clinical trial information that is associated with the drug.

After I left West Africa, I returned much later for a research mission and did take for a short period, doxycycline. However, my side effects from that was just general tiredness so after about a month I stopped taking them and felt much better. I also didn’t get malaria.

—//—
Update: I saw that you indicated you’ll be taking malarone. Here’s the prescribing information for malarone from the FDA. Pore over it :). Don’t be turned away by the scientific names and details. The document in many areas is not that difficult to understand as long as you don’t pre-scare yourself ;-)

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/drugsatfda_docs/label/2008/021078s016lbl.pdf

I took Malarone and had no noticeable side effects, but, as others have said, the type of medication that is appropriate is different for different regions.

I disagree with those who minimize malaria. My cousin and her husband lived in Kenya for several years. Her husband had malaria several times. No big deal. Apparently, if he felt sick, there were meds to take, and that would be that. However, she didn't have it and was starting to think she was immune somehow.

Then, she returned to Canada to look after our uncle's estate when he died. She started to feel ill and thought she had the flu and didn't pay it too much attention. Then she became extremely ill. She had to be rushed to the hospital. Because she was in Canada, nobody was thinking about malaria. Her renal system shut down. She fell into a coma. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with cerebral malaria. Her daughter was called from across the country, because my cousin wasn't expected to live.

Fortunately, once she was diagnosed correctly and treated, she started to improve. She awoke from her coma and regained some of her kidney function. But it was a close call.

Malaria can often be easily treated if it is diagnosed and treated in time. But the incubation time can mean that one doesn't show symptoms until after one returns home. So, it's important to be aware of this, because it can be deadly.

After seeing what my cousin went through (it took months to recover, and she never fully regained her kidney function), I took the meds when I travelled to Namibia, but only when I was in a higher risk area (not all of Namibia has malaria-carrying mosquitoes).

I also had a friend who died of Dengue fever while he was wintering in Mexico (which he had done for a couple of years). So, when I travel to places where there are risks of serious mosquito-borne illnesses, I take it seriously. There aren't medications to prevent all types of mosquito-borne illnesses (such as Dengue, Zika, and Chikungunya), so avoidance with repellents, clothing, and sleeping nets can be helpful.

I do have permethrin treated clothing, but I find a lot of it to be too hot. I did find some gauzy scarves on Amazon, though, and I like them because they are cool and can be used on my head, as a shawl, as a beach coverup, as a sarong, etc. https://www.amazon.com/Tickled-Pink-Repelling-Classic-Lightweight/dp/B073DQQRZT/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=insect+repellent+scarf&qid=1688482074&sr=8-3

Msackeygh - By your name/handle, I’m guessing you’re Ghanaian? 🇬🇭 I lived in Accra for 7 years.

@Emily, yes! :) 🇬🇭

@BB , I don't think many of us here are trying to minimize malaria. I think those of us who live or have lived in malaria-infested regions are stating a fact that most people (not counting tourists) do not take a prophylaxis malaria pill. Longterm prophylaxis malaria pill is hard on the liver, so no one who is living there for a long time will be taking that kind of medication as if it were just a vitamin pill. And those of us who live(d) in that region definitely know that malaria is an endemic problem.

A lesson anyone who lives in the region (or visits the region) should know that once they are out of the area and if they get sick within say a couple of months, they should immediately suspect malaria if they get symptoms reflecting malaria and either start taking treatment drugs if they have any or let their local doctor know. And you're right that a local doctor not practising in a malaria infested area may not be looking out for that and may not even know how to treat it. In any case, this is a lesson that anyone who lives in malaria area should know.

Agreed. My cousin said that, had she been in Kenya when she started feeling sick, she would have suspected malaria and probably would have started treating it right away. But, since she wasn't there, and because she hadn't had it before and didn't realize it would feel a lot like the flu at first, she didn't clue in. So, yeah, it is important that people be aware that incubation can take a while.

And I do know that Malarone is not for long-term use. It would also be too expensive to use long-term, especially for a lot of people who live in malaria-prone regions. But my understanding is that cerebral malaria is more likely to develop and be very serious in people who haven't experienced previous cases of malaria, so I believe it's definitely a good idea for short-term travellers to take prevention meds.

A thank you to all who shared experiences/information ---- very helpful to us!!

Update: We have obtained Rxs of Malarone, and we may or may not (still deciding, as we have many months yet) do a 2-3 day "unsanctioned" trial run at home to determine potential side effects). We will wear light-colored clothing, pull socks up over pants during dawn/dusk, use DEET and permethrin, and follow any/all additional guidance by the guides/staff.

The experiences you all shared personally and/or of those of people you know were both encouraging and cautioning. Thank you, sincerely, for responding. Additionally, I have read extensively on the CDC site and Mayo site, as well as info from our tour company's medical advisors, in addition to consulting with our PCPhysican.

Appreciate you!! Happy, safe travels to all!!