Laos forum

Malaria tablets Help/advice

danielleand-
mike

backpacker
Posts: 19

Hi we have been given a prescription for Doxycicline for whilst we are in Laos, were also going to Thailand and Vietnam and have been told that these are low risk areas so wont need Malaria tablets for here. The thing is we have read about so many bad side effects Doxycicline gives. Has anyone suffered any side effects from this?? I know its not worth not taking them as the effects of Malaria are much much greater than the side effects of Doxycicline but i just dont want anything to spil are trip or a life time.
Thankyou all
xx

#1 Posted: 8/5/2011 - 07:22
Thomas922

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Actually Doxy is the mildest of the Malaria drugs. None work 100%. I heard of a person or two being sun sensitive, (of the very few I met who actually ever took em). But one was very white. Like ghost white. So if you are very fair you do have a better chance of that but I have heard of no other major symptoms on the ground. (Of course there are more on paper). Oh by the way don't take with any dairy for at least three hours. And stay upright for 30 min after taking it with water.The photo sensitivity thing isn't a given but can be permanent with long term use.

#2 Posted: 8/5/2011 - 10:58
Nixxypie

tourist
Posts: 55

Doxycycline often makes people sensitive to sun light and your burn a lot easier, which is it's biggest side effect, so if you normally burn easily then use extra protection and a higher factor. Then you have the usual headaches, nausea etc that you get with almost all medications. However a plus side of it is that it's actually an antibiotic (cure for chlamydia!) and so it often prevents stomach upsets that you might catch on holiday.

The most effective anti-malarial is Malarone but it's a lot more expensive, and I think only about 3% more effective. With Doxy you have to take it for 28 days after visiting a malarial zone and so you will still have a degree of protection elsewhere. Also if you're female it does stop the pill from being effective so make sure you're protected in other ways.

As no antimalarial is 100% effective the best treatment is prevention, so try to keep covered, use high % deet spray and use a mosquito net if available. Also bare in mind that malaria can take months to show any symptoms so if you're still travelling or return home with flu like symptoms make sure to get it checked out and mention your recent travels to your doctor.

Hope this helps! (I'm a nurse who's worked on an infectious diseases ward).

#3 Posted: 9/5/2011 - 03:58
somtam2000

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There is a story on malaria in Southeast Asia here that may also be of use.

#4 Posted: 9/5/2011 - 07:30

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christay2009

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"Actually Doxy is the mildest of the Malaria drugs" - Malarone is the winner surely. If you plan to be in KL at all, I bought Malarone there and it was considerably cheaper than in the UK.

#5 Posted: 25/5/2011 - 03:19
enigmatic

longtail driver
Posts: 8

I was advised by my travel clinic that the nausea normally associated with Doxycycline was generally caused by not following the instructions (i.e. taking it after a meal and not lying down for a while afterwards). I've got to say that this seems to work, except in Huay Xai where I broke the rule by taking Doxy after a beer before going to bed, and felt very unpleasant for most of the day after.

#6 Posted: 26/5/2011 - 20:59
Rufus

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Malaria prophylactics are not needed in Lao unless you are going on an extended jungle trek. Get advice from a specialist in tropical medicine, preferably one who works in the region.

#7 Posted: 27/5/2011 - 07:07
Nixxypie

tourist
Posts: 55

Bare in mind that some anti-malarial medication takes up to a week before it takes full effect, so although it may be cheaper buying it from South East Asia it may not be very safe if you are already in a high risk zone.

#8 Posted: 27/5/2011 - 07:15
hollyb941

newbie
Posts: 1

Hello
just wanted to share that i had to get ALOT of doxycycline malaria tablets 7 months worth (520 to be exact) for me and my boyfriend.
Now i had to shop around and asked boots, local pharmacist etc all coming back at about £105 EEKKKKK

Then i called my Local Tesco who where very helpful and said instead of paying per pill (like all the others had done) he would order them in as 50 packs to make it cheaper.....so that total has gone from £105 to £40 all in!!!!!

Also he said he would provide two bottles so we could pop our million pills in and take the label off of one of the blister backs (so customs wont get funny) this will save us a HUGE amount of room in our backpacks.

Anyway just thought i would share this info, If you are looking for cheap Doxycycline tablets and don’t want to go to an online chemist (which could be dodge)

Cheers

#9 Posted: 1/6/2011 - 21:35
Rufus

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"just wanted to share that i had to get ALOT, (sic), of doxycycline malaria tablet"

Why? Did you live in the jungle for some weeks?

#10 Posted: 2/6/2011 - 09:17
Thomas922

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Seriously. 7 months on Doxy? Overkill time 20.But to each his own.

#11 Posted: 3/6/2011 - 01:42