Doxycycline or malarone cheaper in Spain??
 

Does anyone know if it is possible to buy either of the above anti malarials in Spain (or Morocco) more cheaply than in UK?

hi

isnt doxy about 2p a tablet in the uk anyway?

Possibly - we have been mainly researching Malarone, which seems to have the least side effects and for the length of time we need, it is very expensive - so any information on the above query will still be useful, thanks!

just one other thing concerning side effects, i'm probably going to give doxy a go personally for probably a six month plus stint in africa, £2 per tab vs 2p suddenly becomes an easier choice! but, african sun plus sunlight sensitivity from doxy may be very silly obviously.
my plan was to try doxy here in the uk summer sunshine. the day before i got a fortnights worth was the last of a very hot spell, since ive been taking them its been cloudy, rainy stormy etc!
however, i have become a little redder than usual in the sunshine we have had (i work outside) and as long as i dont lie down having taken one with food and water (not milk) no problems.

sorry if you think all this a little off topic, but its just a long winded way of saying try before you go!!!

doxy useless
 

Hi just thought you'd like to know i got malaria taking doxycycline in nth namibia and used malarone as a treatment in angola,no problem with sunburn but the doxy did'nt work for me.I've used lariam and chloroquine no problem b4 it ended my trip up the west coast to the uk,i got real sick and could'nt carry on,still not that great now.ron.:(

in a barcelona pharmacy today:

Malarone (250mg, 12 units) EUR 55
Doxycycline (100mg, 16 units) EUR 2,39

Doxycycline - cheap, great treatment for tick bite fever but a compete waste of time and money as an antimalarial.

My personal favourite is Deltaprim made in Zimbabwe (even now) and it is available in Namibia, Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Only one tablet a week, and it is cheap. One years supply for my family cost £15!!!

Thanks for all the help. However, I'm a bit baffled by the previous poster's comments on doxy being useless for malaria - on what authority does he have that info, I wonder, since reliable UK pharmacies, including Boots all recommend it for Ghana and Mali as an anti malarial?? Having done my research and read all the above posts, I think I'll try the doxy out for my week in Ghana. I am then flying straight to Spain for a few days, so if Doxy suits, I can pick up a supply there for my trip to N, Africa. I f I don't get on with it in Ghana, I'll have to bite the financial bullet and shell out for Malarone I guess!

there are different strains of malaria, and different areas suit a particular drug. I'm not a doctor, so won't give advice. This was explained to me by a doctor in the Nomad shop in London. But that may be why you get conflicting reports of success with doxy, or any other anti-malaria drug.

See this reference: Elsevier

I have lived and worked in malarial areas for most of my life. My father was a medical doctor in Central Africa; and on the mines he covered he had 24 000 patients. Over a period of 25 years he worked with numerous agencies, as malaria was the mining industries biggest killer. He conducted numerous drug trials to determine what worked, and what didn't. Doxycycline didn't..

I personally have had malaria while not following my fathers advice and taking Tropical Diseases hospital recommended products.

As mentioned by others, different areas have different strains. Some more lethal than others. Having seen my farming neighbour in Zambia die of cerebral malaria within 24 hours of the first headache, I would not trust my life to doxy in a malarial area. I would carry it as a potential treatment though. I may be bluffing myself, but I think I'm worth more than the cost saving between doxy and malarone/larium/paludrine/chloroquine or any of the other more established effective antimalarials...:Beach:

Here are few references which may be useful reading:
The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease - Abstract: Volume 186(3) March 1998 p 183-186 Delayed Neuropsychiatric Effects of Malaria in Ghana. - If doxycycline was an effective preventative, this article would not have finished - We therefore recommend a search for effective malaria prevention and intervention strategies to avert the more serious clinical manifestations of mental disorder likely to evolve in this imminently lethal infectious disease.

Wiley InterScience :: Session Cookies

Finally, the French Army have 25 000 soldiers deployed in malarial areas - and they are currently using doxy as part of their prophylaxis protocol, so it is not all bad for Doxy... :-)

doxy
 

Take malarone as a treatment for malaria it works,don't take malaria lightly, i know,in angola you can get arianate as a treatment as well,:cool4: made in belgium,should work.ron.

anti malarials
 

i work in the african oilfields...as people have said before, different strains are found in different places.

the main things i think you should consider are:

how long do you intend to be in malarial areas?
-this will have a massive effect on your choices. some of the cheaper medications require a few pills a day while in malarial areas and a substantial lead/post visit period of taking them too. this will end up with you eating pills for the entirity of your trip, which could also lead to kidney / internal problems. [if i were to take this course of medication, i would never be off them, including my 5 week rotation periods.]

balance the cost of medication, but consider how many of each pill is required daily... eg, malarone requires only 2 days prior, during and post trip, with one a day. others are significantly more....6-9 months in africa... do you want to be a 2 wheeled pharmacy!?

side effects, some of the medications available affect people in different ways, but be prepared for upset stomachs and other side effects eg, a common side effect of malarone is extremely vivid/bizarre dreams!!

many people have taken malaria quite lightly, and had to deal with it when they get it. true, in some areas, its just a case of a few days in bed sweating and then get yourself back on your feet again [as i found out in se asia].

however, WEST AFRICA IS NO JOKE, DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE LETHALITY OF CEREBRAL MALARIA.

for this reason alone, the oilfieds across africa enforce the use of malarone. yes it is expensive, but it only requires one pill a day and pre/post trip requirement is short.

this is just my 2 cents worth, im not a doctor, so do your own research. but dont take the risk, if in doubt get the best stuff.

Regimen 1
Mefloquine one 250mg tabletweekly. OR
Doxycycline one 100mg capsule daily. OR
Malarone one tablet daily.

Regimen 2
Chloroquine 300mg weekly (2x150mg tablets). PLUS
Proguanil 200mg daily (2x100mg tablets).

Regimen 3
Chloroquine 300mg weekly (2x150mg tablets) OR
Proguanil 200mg daily (2x100mg tablets).

Regimen 4
No prophylactic tablets required but anti mosquito measures should be strictly observed: Avoid mosquito bites by covering up with clothing such as long sleeves and long trousers especially after sunset, using insect repellents on exposed skin and, when necessary, sleeping under a mosquito net.

Proguanil 100mg tablets are supplied as Paludrine Tablets
Chloroquine 150mg tablets are supplied as Nivaquine or Avloclor Tablets
Mefloquine 250mg tablets are supplied as Lariam Tablets
Malarone is a combination of Atovaquone 250mg and Proguanil 100mg

Chloroquine, Proguanil & Maloprim Start one week before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Mefloquine (Lariam) Start two and a half weeks before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Doxycycline Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for four weeks after return.
Malarone Start two days before travel, throughout your stay in an endemic area and continue for one week after return.

Chloroquine May be taken for periods exceeding five years.
Paludrine May be taken for periods exceeding five years.
Maloprim Can be taken for periods up to one year.
Mefloquine Can be taken for periods up to one year.
Doxycycline Can be taken for periods up to six months.
Malarone Can be used for travel periods up to one year.

website: Table of Vaccines & Malaria Prophylaxis

full list of vaccination requirements for africa: Africa - Vaccinations & Malaria Tablets



having said this-enjoy your trip!!

selfdiagnostic kit
 

Hi!.Where I can buy selfdiagnostic kit for malarija and is it 100% efficien.
Thanks!

Be very careful!
 

Please don't make silly and uninformed comments like this, you may put people at risk by doing so. Just refer to the many websites where Doxycycline is mentioned...The ONLY person qualified to say such a thing is a qualified Medical Practitioner or Scientist.:confused1:

Of course you can tell us about your experiences with the drug... :thumbup1:

Doxycycline is a waste of money
 

Doxycycline is a waste of money and the trouble is you can't always trust a doctor because different doctors give you different advice.

For example, Doctor 1 told me to take Doxycycline, very effective.
I later contracted malaria in Africa. The malaria did not surface until I was back in the UK.

I ended up in the tropical disease ward in Newcastle, the doctors there told me take Doxycycline should never of been recommend and was not effective as a anti malarial.

So i feel really experiance with the drug is more useful than what your doctor says.

The amount of doctors that don't know the area & go by govt. health 'ideals' is incredible. No one on here should say 'yay' or 'nay' to it all but getting advice from those who've done it before etc is invaluable.

Personally I've had malaria aged 13, I remember (bits of it) well, I was on Paludrine at the time which obviously had no effect in E.Africa. I've taken Lariam for each trip since it was first on the market. I do not have any vivid dreams & in fact sleep better with it. Malarone causes my hair to fall out ... Doxy I took years ago in Asia but don't like it due to the sun sensitivity factor & in Africa that can be dangerous for you.

I have a fantastic doctor in a hospital in Toulouse who really knows what she's talking about, travelled in Africa, lost her brother to malaria in Guinea & we agree on most things & she tells me what's new etc ... I've never had the rabies shot, she completely agrees with me that it's a waste of time as you need the antedote if you get bitten anyway!

As far as I am concerned FORGET THE COST - this is your life, you only have ONE!

IF YOU CAN AFFORD THE TRIP YOU CAN AFFORD WHAT'S BEST FOR YOU!

Kira

NHS UK website malaria link
 

GP surgeries in the UK get their malaria prevention advice from Destinations - Fit For Travel This is actually an NHS Scotland site although it is the reference site for the NHS throughout the UK. I have been a GP for 25 years.

And the lowest cost malarone online where a prescriptions are issued online and are included in the price is Dr Fox Online Prescriptions | Anti Malaria Tablets UK | Malarone Pills This online clinic posts world wide. I own and run the website.

I have been a member this forum about 6 years. Own trip to Toaudenni. 80 or so previous posts about subjects other than health.

Opinions here seem to differ too much!?!

Several health info sites all agree Doxy is fine for ALL of Africa, (except one who says Mauritania only is different?)

Further down this forum someone has posted that they will have some Doxy left for sale after their trip if they carry on forgetting to take it like they have been doing!

Is the reason Doxy doesn't "work" because one pill a day is easy to forget?

Why would so many health professionals who create and use these sites, one of which is used in every GP surgery in the UK, continue to do so?

:confused1:?c?

Fake meds could also be a reason for doxy not working. Malerone doesn't seem to be available outside the developed world, so less likely to be counterfeited, but doxy is available very cheap everywhere and really you've no way of telling whether it's real or not.

I read something ages ago about a scheme starting in Nigeria where you could text a serial number from your packet of meds to a central place and they'd tell you if they were genuine or not. Seems like a great idea, but I've not seen / heard anything about it since.

Hello - was interested to read this as I am off to Tanzania for a month in a couple of weeks.

As one does, I went to my GP last week to check on travel jabs and antimalarials. Travel jabs all up to date, but on the antimalarial front I was advised to take either Malarone or Doxycycline. I have some Doxycycline left over from my last trip, which was made by Cipla or Dr Reddy and bought in India. It's now either on the expiry date or a couple of months past it. I am also about 15 tablets short of the full amount needed for starting before I go and continuing for a month after I get back.

So - questions (probably ones that Tony ABC can best answer) - 1) Is the Doxycycline I've got still OK and 2) will I be able to buy more Doxycycline locally in Tanzania? Or should I say 'sod it' and go for Malarone?

here's a good overview for what works in Uganda. I guess that Tanzania won't be that different.

THE EYE MAGAZINE - National Lake Rescue Institute - Saving life on water

Hi Ilesmark. You can definately get doxy in Tanzania. I didn't need to get any there, but just stocked up in Nairobi at 3p per tablet. Presume you'll be arriving in Dar? If so there's plenty of pharmacies in the city where you should be able to get sorted out.

Get your antimalarials from my website. It is regulated in the UK by the Care Quality commission. You do not need to see a GP. You get advice from the UK NHS advice site. The prescription is included in the price. The tablets are posted from an NHS pharmacy in Glasgow and it is cheaper than anywhere else. What more can I say. Google Dr Fox and stop machinating.

TonyABC - thanks for advice, but at £100 a go for Malarone I will stop 'machinating' (I think the word you are looking for is 'vacillating' :oops2:) and stick with Doxycycline.

In my opinion, it's dodgy buying medicines online without consulting your doctor first. How do you know the patient's medical history, what other medicines he/she is taking? Pushing your service on people here doesn't feel right, sorry. But anyways, how would I know, you are regulated by the Care Quality commission or whatever.

Best regards.

I'm working in the Dem. Rep. of Congo at the moment as a medic.
I use Malarone to prevent and treat malaria.
I also use Optimal - IT as a malarial test kit - pretty reliable results so far.
Costs for Anti-malarials are about the same all over Europe.
Only buy after consultation with a Doctor or at a travel clinic.
Use anti-malarials along with mozzy net, spray and cover your skin up. It only takes one infected mozzy to pass on malaria. Educate yourself about Malaria.
Do not take anyones "side effects" stories as gospel. Everyone is different.

Happy Travelling.

...doxy
 

..after almost 8 years on the road and traveling through a variety of malaria zones in order to get the most up to date information i also recommend the website :
Destinations - Fit For Travel

However, for other medical reasons neither my husband or i can use maralone and so our choice is limited mainly due to the length of time we are in malaria zones and the length of time it is practical to take some of the other drugs (other than doxy).

We have used doxy long term and have suffered little or no side effects. the sensitivity to sunlight is something to consider...but come on...if you are a motorcyclist arent you covered up for most of the time? Helmet, gloves, jacket and pants! your skin is not that exposed for the majority of the time and therefore not exposed to much sunlight!?

For most of our time in Africa (2 years) we took doxy and did not contract malaria.
for all of our time in malarial zones in south America we also took doxy. due to sickness ie vomiting my resistance was lowered (daily tablet -if you keep vomiting them up your protection is more than likely reduced) and at that point i contracted malaria.

Never, ever enter a malarial zones without taking prophylactic drugs.
Malaria is a killer -it is also the worst thing that I have ever ever experienced.

do your research - there's plenty of good and accurate advice out there. do not rely on heresay. visit the site mentioned above. go to your GP. they are trained medical professionals.....you take your motorbike to a BMW (or other) dealer for service/repairs/parts/advice don't you? if the mechanic then says...you urgently need to replace/repair/review something...do you discount his advice?
Of course doctors have their areas of 'specialty'....their advice is of course not 100% guaranteed but there are no guarantees in life - just best guess and their best guess is more qualified than yours.

At the end of the day - regardless of drug- regardless of side effect and regardless of cost...with first hand experience i can tell you - dealing with ANY of this is better than contracting malaria itself.

Doxy
 

Doxy is in the medical sense not an antiprofilaxe but a antibiotic! It is known that antibiotic work against malaria but do you want to take antibiotics for a year, or two? I think if you devellop resistance againts antibiotics you'r in a world of trouble!

NEVER go into malaria area without taking profilaxe, the "I am on standby" system simply does not work because the most effective time to fight an upcoming malaria is during the first two days where it reveals itself with only very mild symptoms which make you wait for another day or so to see how it goes tomorrow. When you are starting to feel sick enough to get worried, you'r TOO late!! That is the big problem with malaria, it start off very mildly, like nothing to worry about, but you'r wrong. Last weekend 2 Dutch tourist died of malaria in Gambia, they did not take any profilax.

In Africa they have widespread available the Chinese 'wonderdrug' Artesunate or what ever name it carries but usually it contains ARTE. This is proven and cheap.

Myself, I have been on Lariam (myflocine) for a year, no problems what so ever but maybe I was lucky because some people are sensitive for the side effects (only 2%!!!)

cheers,
Noel

no doubt irresponsible.
 

Having lived in worked in Africa for the past 5 years & contracted malaria 6 times you might find it strange that I continue not to take any form of anti malarial drug. I do however, have a good supply of coartem which is a form of the Chinese wonderdrug as a cure. It does the trick pretty good, second day of the 3 day course and normally I'm felling OK.

Available in major cities for a very resonable price in Africa. Wouldn't know where to get it in Europe or the US.

Not to say I don't take other precautions against malaria such as sleeping under a net, spraying my room before sleep and using repellant when available.

Yes malaria is a killer especially to pregnant mum's, kids under 5 & people with concurrent conditions such as thyphoid.

There have been more deaths in my small town here in Sth Sudan since they fixed the road than malaria deaths. Now everybody is recklessly speeding, literally causing carnage outside my residence. Will that stop people from overlanding through Africa?
CJ.

resistance
 

Yes, the key difference between residents and locals who are not taking any prophylaxis is that they have (normally) already attracted malaria several times so your bodies have built up some resistance, usually just enough not to die when you get it again and in any case you will recognize it in an early stage.

But for overlanders who's resistance system have never seen anything like the malaria parasite, the situation is quit different. It is essentially the same as 500 years ago when the Spanish invaded South America and caused havoc under the indigenous with a simple flu virus! They had no resistance at all and died by the millions. Neither do we overlanders have any resistance against malaria! And that is where the prophylaxis comes in! It won't prevent you from attracting malaria but it will prevent you from becoming fatally ill due to total absence of resistance!

Equally important as the prophylaxis is indeed prevention; before dusk put on long trousers, socks, shoes, repellent especially around the ankles, sleep under an impregnated mosquito net and avoid sleeping on the ground as the malaria mosquito has it working territory at low levels (around 30 cm), the obvious really!

Greets,

Noel

Malarone might not be the ideal treatment
 

Hi, i just wanted to contribute 1 thing to this discussion:

on a 2 year long African overland trip i got malaria while staying in Zanzibar. I was carrying Malarone as treatment (didn't use it as prevention) and took the prescribed quantity of pills as treatment. It didn't help at all. After three days (could barely walk or lift my arms anymore) i went back to the doctor and got some local medicine (don't remember the name). Felt fine a few days later.

So malarone might not be the miracle stuff some doctors make it to be either.

Koen

I was in South Africa and Swaziland in May. My US travel doc said that Malarone was the only thing that worked with the strains out there today. She thought that taking it as treatment, not as preventative, was a mistake. When I got to Africa, the staff at the safari lodge didn't use anything because they were there year round and the side affects of long term use were unacceptable. Bring back DDT.

Hi

You must be medically qualified to make such a statement, which goes against a great deal of current medical advice on taking Doxy for Malaria?

I think Doxy is usually two tablets a day when prescribed as an anti-biotic. One tablet a day as a long term malarial prophylaxis. But I'm no Doctor.

To me thats an advantage, if I have something that my medical guide books and the small amount of knowledge gained from several wilderness type first aid courses suggests can be treated with such an antibiotic I have them to hand already.


Jason

Doxy
 

Hi Grizzly,

What I state is factually correct and you draw conclusions that I don't draw. I pose a retorical question about taking an antibiotic against malaria while there are alternatives specifically designed against malaria!

Also, if you need treatment, antibiotic is sometimes used together with a strong dose of prophylaxis.

Cheers,
Noel

As a for instance, paracetamol is a pain killer when taken as prescribed. Taken at bigger quantiities than prescribed it becomes something else.

The point I was making is if prescribed at one tablet a day Doxy is not at a strength to be an effective antibiotic. So you describing its use as a prophylactic also as being an antibiotic is not really correct (you would have to double the dose or more for that), and it won't have as bad a long term effect than it or any other drug prescribed at a strength to act as an antibiotic. It is of course prescribed worldwide as a prophylactic, and both by my GP and travel clinic nurses in fact because they know I will be taking it for perhaps a year or more. Malerone would perhaps be better but at what cost for long term use, and then I can't change dose of the Doxy if I have something it could treat.

Many people develop resistance to certain antibiotics just from the amounts given by their GP, but there are always(?) alternatives available to them. You suggest the results of taking doxy long term is a thing to be avoided which as I said does go against all current general medical advice available to me. I think you are over stating your case in a dramatic way which does not help this thread. The only assumption I made was that you must be medically qualified. The rest of my previous post was as told to me by medical nurses and GPs, some of which are experts in travel medicine, but I can't type here that you can definitely change your Doxy dose from one to two a day to start acting as an effective antibiotic as I'm not qualified to do so!

Cheers

Jason

:)