What works the best with the fewest side effects? I took Cipro on a hunt in the Chobe
and the sun almost wasted me.
Thanks

Cipro is an antibiotic and is useful for major diarrehea. It is not an anti-malarial medication. I have used both Doxycycline (side effect is sun sensitivity) and Malarone.

I will continue using Malarone but I always take some "Doxy" with me in case of Tick Fever.

John

Malarone!

Doxycycline is a good option and also works as a broad sprectrum antibiotic for things like tick bite fever etc. The downside is that it has a lot of side effects such as thrush and sunburn etc ..... you can counter the former by taking a daily dose of acidophilis and the latter (to some extent) by taking it in the evening.......

Malarone is a better option in most areas but is a lot more expensive and not always available if you need to buy more over here.

Larium is another option but has shed loads of possible side effects......

I generally take doxy but trust me on the sun screen! For most of southern Africa Deltaprim (made by Wellcome in SA) or the CAPS equivalent Malasone is very effective unless you a) drink alot, b) are a smoker _gives a bad headache on the day you take it if you smoke or c) are allergic to sulphur ( Like me)

Larium works very well if a) you don't drink heavily on the night you take it and b) don't mind the occasional odd dream (Hitler dressed as little bo peep skipping round a field quoting Winston Chiurchil in pigion english is still my favourite larium induced dream )

Doxycycline has the corollary benefit of being a general antibiotic in case you get cut, scraped, bitten by a spider, or come into contact with the plague (particularly in Zambia).

I prefer Malarone, even though it is more expensive.

I had good luck with Doxy. As stated above, take in the evening to lessen the effects of sun-sensitivity. I generally wear pretty full coverage clothing (long pants and sleeves and a full brimmed hat) when hunting, so I didn't really notice any sensitivity to Namibian sun after the first day of adjustment. Rather than acidipholus, I tried to eat a live yogurt every day or so. I didn't die, so it must have worked.

I have only been to Africa once. Non malaria zone in Namibia, but wanted to take the precaution just in case. I opted for Malarone due to the nightmares, etc. associated with some of the others. Many said that did not happen with Malarone. First two nights there, i had terrible nightmares, and woke up each night looking for my gun....... Not something I wanted to continue so I stopped taking it.

I think they all have side effects

Malorone is what we are using now with zero side effects. Larium I think made me anxious and gave Sadie wild dreams. The extra expense is worth it for me.

Mark

Think youself lucky enough to have the choice.... we can't buy them at any price in this part of Africa......

Malarone - convenient and no side effects for me. Was recommended by a physician specializing in world travel. Also, be sure to take along a good, broad spectrum antibiotic in case you get sick.

I take Larium without any side effects. Most Malaria meds are started at least one week before you leave the US, so if you experience a problem, you can change the scrip. This is something you should discuss with your Doctor. Good hunting, LDK

Doxy all the way. It has a very minimal side effect profile for most patients and as 500grains pointed out works for a wide variety of infections including soft tissue infections. The sun sensitivity is irrelevant if long pants and sleeves are worn as should be done anyway to help prevent bites. To prevent malaria take once a day. If you get an infection/fevers, take 1 pill twice daily and seek medical care. Malaria prophylaxis has always been an area of interest for me. Remember, the best way to avoid getting malaria is to reduce your number of bites (permethrin impregnated clothes, long pants/shirt, permethrin impregnated mosquito nets for night and DEET on exposed skin). Permethrin is the best thing since sliced bread.

I got Tick Fever in January and the tropical disease spec in Nairobi prescribed doxycycline. The box of pills had a brand name so I didn't realize what is was. I wore long sleeves (rolled up when it was hot) and long pants with sandals. I'm normally a sun worshipper and my arms and feet felt like they were in a toaster oven. The sun actually hurt my skin and it burned even with sunscreen. I would take it again for tick fever because it worked so well but I won't take it for malaria prevention.

Malarone without a question. I did have vivid dreams on it, but not nightmares, as are reported on many other meds.

Took Larium for a month in Tanzania with no ill affects, but my hunting partner had dreams and even seemed disoriented during the day, not even remembering the names of animals.
This frightened me off Larium, so the last trips have been taking Malarone with no ill effects except on the pocket book .

Dak

quote:

Originally posted by WESR:
Doxy all the way. It has a very minimal side effect profile for most patients and as 500grains pointed out works for a wide variety of infections including soft tissue infections.

I completely agree. If you can take something that gives you the malaria prevention effect plus antibiotic protection it seems like a no-brainer to me: Doxy. Plus no goofy dreams or other strange side effects. The sun sensitivity should be addressed -- regardless of the use of the antimalarial medication -- with sun screen.

I think the international medicine guys will tell you malarone has higher efficacy in preventing malaria than doxy. None of the prophylaxis are 100% but malarone is considered the best by many physicians.

. . . and so long as you have Ambien to counteract the bizarre dreams, what the hey.

Yes, the Ambien is good stuff! I don't use it at home but on safari, it was great. No jet lag issues, no nothing - just wake up rested. Thanks Mike.

Another vote for Malarone. No side effects- just had to remember to take it every day. Brian

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter Formerly Known As Texas Hunter:
I think the international medicine guys will tell you malarone has higher efficacy in preventing malaria than doxy. None of the prophylaxis are 100% but malarone is considered the best by many physicians.

I question this. There are very few head to head studies comparing malaria prophylaxis regiments. I am not aware of any studies comparing malarone to doxy. In the studies I have seen, doxy has shown equal efficacy to mefloquin. My impression from talking with some of the infectious disease docs at Walter Reed (some of the world's most renowned experts in tropical medicine and malaria)is that this is not true. To each his own. Bottom line is they all work fine. Again, pills should be used as your last line of defense and not primary prophylaxis. Think permethrin.

Thanks for all the input. I will be accompanying Stilllucky (and he is) on this hunting trip to Zimbabwe. I am very prone to side effects and needed all of this info. We have made our decision and are going for it, win loose or draw.---Thanks again.

Doxycycline combined with chloroquine.
The doxy. covers a multitude of other problems.
What gives me the right to make a suggestion-25 yrs as a doctor and three trips to Africa.

quote:

Originally posted by Hunter Formerly Known As Texas Hunter:
I think the international medicine guys will tell you malarone has higher efficacy in preventing malaria than doxy. None of the prophylaxis are 100% but malarone is considered the best by many physicians.

Our county health department recomends Malarone as the drug of choice.

I have done it 4 ways.

First trip I took Doxy and suffered a hell of a sun burn.

Second trip I took Larium felt a bit odd during the trip and then was melancholy and depressed once back home. Wrote it off as PSD.

Third trip I again took Larium and had horrible dreams, was a bit of an emotional basket case at times during the hunt and suffered incredible depression and uncharacteristic mood swings once back home. I will never take that crap again. This was at the same time when troops returning to Bragg from Afganistan participated in a spate of homicides, suicides and domestic violence which thy attempted to blame on the drugs side effects. I always wondered if it wasn't a bad batch of that drug.

Forth trip I didn't take any drugs. Suffered a wierd viral type illness a few days after returning home that lasted for nearly two weeks. I never did get a good answer to what I was suffering from. I think Cipro finally knocked out the bug.

Last trip I took Malarone. After the sticker shock of purchasing the stuff it worked great and had no side effects for me. A bit of a pain trying to remember to take the pill every day.

My wife and daughters are going this year and a friend has suggested we use Deltaprim once we arrive in Harare.

Perry

Malarone, from now on.

I have taken Larium on many hunts starting in 1994.

On each trip, I noticed that I was getting quite aggitated with people. To the point that I actually did not enjoy the entire safari I went on in 2002. I shot a 46" Buffalo on that hunt and I had a ph that hunted harder than anyone I have ever hunted with.

I have switched to Malarone and have no regrets.

I do not tolerate Doxy well. The sun brns like fire when I take Doxy.

If you have taken Larium and not noticed any bad effects, (or maybe minor effects) consider my example. My effects worstened with each subsequent course taken.

Malarone is an incredibly effective drug, So you have to take it every day. You have to brush your teeth every day, don't you? You have to eat at least once a day don't you? It is not that big of a deal. Don't let the every-day-dose keep you from trying it. (BTW, you have to take Doxy every day too.)

So Malarone cost a bit more.

How much did you spend on your safari?

I've never taken anything other than Larium, and I have never noticed any ill effects at all. However, I think I'll be looking at MALARONE a little more closely the next time I need a prophalaxis for maleria! No need to push my luck!

quote:

So Malarone cost a bit more.

How much did you spend on your safari?

Exactly

Im with Wendell on this one . Started with Larium in 94 and after five trips the side effects keep getting worse. For me its feeling seasick for several days after taking. As soon as I start to feel better its time to take it again. Ill try Malarone on the next trip and hope for the best.

Personally I am a DOXY NUT and very fortunately (could be my Africa genes) I DONT get sunburn at all (-:

Some other AFRICA NUTS whom I know DONT take anything would you believe, this is what they do.

They IGNORE all the good advise and take nothing then if (PER CHANCE) they actually get Malaria then they have the EMERGENCY NUTTERS KIT which is the Fansidar (3 tablet king hit fix) apparantly it does work and kills the Malaria dead. Just take the three tablets after the event and sit back and wait

Rather them than me, it is only for those big time bushveld people whom are harder than Rhodesian Teak

Cheers, Peter
How does it work?

Pyrimethamine belongs to a group of medications called the antimalarials. It is combined with a sulphonamide antibiotic called sulfadoxine. This combination is used in the treatment of a type of malaria caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum.

Malaria is caused by an organism which is classed as a protozoa and is a parasite which is carried by mosquitoes. During a bite from a mosquito, the parasite passes into the body. Once inside, it lives and reproduces. This results in the infection known as malaria.

In the blood, malaria parasites break down a part of the red blood cells known as haemoglobin. When this happens haemoglobin is divided into two parts; haem and globin.
Haem is toxic to the malaria parasite. To prevent it from being damaged, the malaria parasite produces an chemical which converts the toxic haem into a non-toxic compound.

Pyrimethamine and sulfadoxine work by blocking the production of a chemical called folinic acid inside the parasite. Folinic acid is essential in the production of new genetic material (DNA). DNA is necessary for the parasite to reproduce, therefore by blocking it's formation this prevents the malarial parasites from increasing in number.

This combination is commonly used in conjunction with quinine in the treatment of malaria. It is not recommended for the prevention of malaria.