Leaving for Namibia in a few weeks. Checked out threads here, then CDC, mdtravelhealth and others, and figured that though contracting malaria is not a high probability, with my luck I'll be having chills and fever before I even get home.

I've never been one to worry about my health much, but in the last 3 years I've had various parts of my anatomy removed and other parts re-configured (as in quad bypass), so I'm coming around to this whole "take care of your body" crap.

So I call my GP's office and explain where I'm going and what I need. I explain that I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject, and that I could use a prescription for malarone. "Uh, we'll get back to you on that," was the reply. The nurse calls back the next day and says, "The doctor is going to call in a prescription for chloroquine for you." I tell her my reading warns against that drug, and read her the part from the CDC web site that says, "chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in Southern Africa and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region." Another, "Uh, we'll get back to you." Another couple of days and a nurse calls to tell me that "on the advice of an infectious disease specialist, the doctor will call in a prescription of mefloquine." So I tell her, I already have "vivid" nightmares and Larium would not be a good choice. How about some malarone?

So I'm on hold again as the doctor is out of town til next week.

I don't understand...my wife went in to her GYNOCOLOGIST of all people, and got HER prescription for malarone without any grief!!!

Maybe I need to go see her!

My GP did not know squat about what was needed for my trip to Namibia last year. Crist, even Wendell knew more. I went to an international travel clinic. The nurses gave me Malarone right there. No need for me to go through a doctor.

The gynecologist knew nothing about antimalarial prophylaxis or from personal experience knew about it, thus the no hassel prescription. I think that the gynecologist was probably grateful that her patient at least provided a drug name for a drug she had no experience in prescribing. A request for antimalarial prophylaxis isn't an everyday occurence in the U.S.A.

The GP consulted an old text book and came up with chloroquine. When he learned there might be something better, he then asked the all knowing infectious disease specialist who came up with Larium. Perhaps the infectious disease specialist was right but I wouldn't want Larium either.

quote:

My GP did not know squat about what was needed for my trip to Namibia last year.

Typically doctors in the areas/countries you will visit are the most knowledgable.

The webistes for tarvellers in the US/Canada/Uk etc tend to be so on the side of cuation that they speak crap most fo the time. Its not uncommon to have tourists in the Cape taking malaria prophylaxis on recommendation from their doctors....or even yellow fever shots for SA

Its obviously why they do this as they often work on provincial scales etc.

Docs in areas with tropical diseases or those that see more 'rural' illness/injury are typicaly far better equipped to deal with these or dispense advice.

I knew a few kayakers in Uganda who got malaria (vivax variety) and siad the local docs knew excatly what to do..for US$10, they see it all the time, like city doc with flu in winter...they know the deal...

call your health department. You might be in for a supprise. In the southern part of the US the massive unrestricted influx of illegals from all over the southern hemisphere makes the health departments very use to dealing with tropical diseases. That's where I got my anti malarials.

Last year I asked our GP for a prescription for Lariam. The prescription I received had the chemical name, something didn't look right so I looked it up and he had prescribed the wrong stuff. Called the nurse, and spelled out L-A-R-I-A-M and also gave her the chemical name.

Regards,

Terry

I went to a travel clinic that I found through the CDC site and they knew exactly what I needed, recommended or did not need. They had me show them on map the exact locations where I was going. I took the Larium, I think the dream thing is blown way out of proportion and largely psychosymatic. I had NO side effects and no one else that I was with did either. People tend to laugh off malaria, but it kills hundreds of thousands and people in the US die from it every year after contacting it somewhere else.

Acer

Just get your wife's gynecologist to write a scrip for you too. No sweat and forget the GP.

Mark

Loboga, some people have had very serious complications with lariam...I have some friends that took it without problem..But I took malerone and have had absolutely no problems with it...So it will be by my side for my third safari...one pill aday...

Mike

I use an international travel medicine specialist in Houston. He prescribes Malarone for travel to the Selous. A few years ago my buddy and I both took Larium. I had zero side effects. He had troubling dreams and anxiety. This time I'm taking Malarone and he's taking doxycycline. He'll be covered in sunscreen. We'll both be covered in bug repellant.

Very few docs are up on tropical/travel medicine.

People tend to get more worried about side effects than diseases.

Most cities will have a travel medicine clinic.

Like every thing else, you get what you pay for.

Malarone was cheapest at Walmart in 2001. I just wrote the RX for myself and paid for it out of my pocket. It may not be covered on some RX insurance plans. Yes there are some bozo "GP's" out there.

Hey Terry are you taking Larium again or are you switching to Malarone? Ive used larium four times and get a bit air sick while flying. Ive never suffered from airsickness before, just while using larium.

els is right....your local CDC is the place to start. Besides dealing with the local teenage birth control, they have the current meds required for your hunting area. And if they make a mistake, at least you won't get knocked-up!

I actually had very vivid ,wierd dreams on Malarone. I would never take Larium after what I heard. My kids got Malaria in Zambia but they weere there for 9 months and had to stop their meds. The took Malarone with no side effects.

Good Luck.

Sprig.

Acer,

Ask the locals what they do for malaria. Much of Namibia has no risk.

jim

I'm generally not too worried about side effects on most prescriptions - but ever since my early 20's (coincidentally right after Ranger school) I routinely have "participatory dreams" where I actually leap out of bed to brace the wall that's collapsing and other weird scenarios. My long suffering wife shepherds me back to bed - or at least wakes me up. Hell, I quit keeping firearms in the bedroom after the first couple of episodes.

I DON'T NEED LARIUM to have an exciting nightmare!

Most of the folks that have problems with Larium were also mixing it with alcohol, its not recommended.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Acer

Just get your wife's gynecologist to write a scrip for you too. No sweat and forget the GP.

Mark

...but remember, you do NOT have to put your knees up and your feet in those stirrup doodads to check for malaria, no matter what she tells you...

easiest cheapest,add sunscreen is doxycycline&theres no reported resistance.millions of teenage girls are on it &basting themselves in the sun too.BEST,kim

Unless you are alergic to sulpher just get your PH to pick up some DELTAPRIM ( made by Welcome in South Africa). Took it for years in parks and never had a break through. Less side effects than anything else I have ever taken except that if I smoked too much just after taking the pils they gave me a headache- so took them in the evening.

Give them to all my staff. Cheep and effective.

Don't be goose-use doxycycline and protect yourself against a whole lot of other nasties.

My GP is an avid African hunter and has nearly 2 dozen safaris behind him now. I didn't know this until I went in for my pre-trip visit. He smiled when I told him I was headed to Zim for a hunt and needed to get some shots and prescriptions. He said he would be right back, he had something to show me. He brought in his elephant hunt pictures from Botswana that he had just returned from.

That was in September, last year. I was back for a visit in February and he brought in his pictures from the Lord Derby Eland hunt he had just returned from in CAR.

Always did like him, but even more so now.

DP, I've got to know who your doc is. I'm moving to Anchorage from the bush and need to find a new GP. If there is one in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area with Africa experience that would be perfect!

We're leaving for Namibia in a few weeks -- my wife got her vaccinations at a specialty travel clinic, I got mine at my university's student health clinic.

The student health doc actually read and highlighted the CDC web page for Namibia and took care of everything prescribed, while the travel clinic gave my wife an unnecessary yellow fever vaccination and omitted Hep. B.

BTW how much does Malarone usually cost per dose? Mine turned out cheaper than expected but I can't figure out if my insurance somehow picked it up.

quote:

Originally posted by yukon delta:
DP, I've got to know who your doc is. I'm moving to Anchorage from the bush and need to find a new GP. If there is one in the Anchorage/Mat-Su area with Africa experience that would be perfect!

YD, you have a PM

John, The receipt for my wife's prescription for 24 pills says $141.62 but the final after Blue Cross was $28.82

I'm surprised they would spring for it, though its a damn site cheaper than paying for malaria!

Acer,

Thanks for the info -- my price looked a lot more like yours, so it looks like I got lucky!

JF