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Have been researching some on a trek in N. Laos that we plan on doing and there is a high risk of Malaria. Obviously the whole idea is to not get bitten but...shite happens ya know.

 

Has anybody taken malaria pills? What kind of reaction to them did you have? Did ya go crazy? Feel sick? What? Have an appointment to speak to a doctor but was just trying to get first hand experience from peeps on here.

 

Cheers \:\)

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once you get it, you never get rid of it.

just drink a lot of Gin and Tonics. that is what they did in the old days. but then again, they used to drill into your head to release the even spirits.

 

a bunch of my friends were doing work in ghana and they got it about 5 times in the year. said it sucked! they wanted to die. and they were taking medicine. they said that although malaria was worse than the medicine, it was not by much.

 

there are a few different herbal alternatives as well. no idea as to how effective they are.

 

i would say to risk it, but you are going during monsoon season so there is a good chance you would loose that gamble. confused.gif

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Yes.

 

Doxy... dry you out and you burn really badly. AVOID

Larium - Make you crazy AVOID

others really don't work, unless the have introduced some new one's in the last few years..

Malaria pills are useless unless you keep taking for upto a month after you get back. If you can do this on larium then you are one cyco farkker!

 

Laruim was illegal in this country a few years back. Actually you may find it impossible to get malaria pills here at all.

 

My advice ( I have had Malaria a few times while taking pills) Get some Larium and if you get symptoms start taking heaps ( every few hours) this will hold it off til you can get to a hospital then you can enjoy the wonderful roller coaster ride that Malaria is!

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Ive been consulting with a teacher at my school whos quite famous. Hes only 1 of 2 people in the world who have been to every country in the world. He might be the only one but I belive there is another. Hes written a book on it too.

 

Nanri sensei has had it as many times as Fattwins has skis and was on Larium. He said he didnt go crazy but was buring up at over 40 degree fever for quite a long duration.

 

I know where I can get Malaria pills in Japan in Osaka at the main health branch. And since its the rainy season probability will be high but if Im high enough in the mtns like N. Laos is in some areas at over 1500 meters then there are very few mosquitos...its the other areas that Im thinking about.

 

What I found out here Indo is that you get 1 pill/week so Im not sure how dosing up on several pills would be. Sounds a bit dangerous.

 

Other symptoms? Did you go crazy or lose the plot? How did you feel physically? Ill go to the center again to consult with a doc but just would like some of your personal experiences with the drugs because of the bodys reactions/symptoms to it.

 

Cheers again.

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Besides immunisation for Hep A & B, Typhoid, etc, we used DOXYCYCLINE for Malaria during a three week trip to PNG - I'd definitely use it again.

 

Although side effects are dependent upon many things, it made me feel like superman - nuttin' could hurt me. (Nice buzz to maintain 24/7 during a long, rough trip!)

 

Do a Wikipedia search on it - also treats many other nasties that you wouldn't wanna get, and helps heal scratches, etc so they don't become ulcerated in the tropical conditions.

 

Check out these links:

 

http://www.vaccinations.com.au/

 

http://www.vaccinations.com.au/Travelguide_Country.htm

 

http://www.vaccinations.com.au/PDF/deseases/malaria.pdf

 

Have a happy time getting jabs 'n pops.

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When I was in Thailand a few years back, you could buy any of the above over-the-counter at most drug stores for a fraction of the price I had paid for Larium in the States. Problem is, you can never be entirely sure if you're getting the real thing or not.

 

I had no side effects from Larium.

But decided to drink plenty of gin and tonics just to be safe ;\)

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I should edit that - I was reading up on OLE some months ago and it was often stated that this was effective with malaria, but of course that's no guarantee cos it's not stated to be 100% effective, but for some it's been great.

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How long are you going?

If it is longer than 3 weeks you might consider taking them if it is shorter forget about it. By the time you will actually get the malaria symtoms you will be back here and they probably know what to do.

I was in Laos a few years ago and it seemed no one took them.

My cousin took malaria pills on a trip to Thailand and kept taking them until 3 weeks after he got to Australia, by week 4 he was very ill. It seemed that all the drugs did was suppressing the symptoms. (He met his future wife this way as she felt sorry for him and took care of him - still does)

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probably 30 days between Laos and Cambodia so bout 15 days for each country. Not long but its all I can squeeze in.

 

Ive heard both as you mentioned - Peeps not even worrying bout it and peeps taking em. Im just trying to gather as much info as I can as it seems taking them can make you just as ill even if you dont catch malaria... :wheresawhatTFshouldIdograemlin: confused.gif wakaranai.gif

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"Hes only 1 of 2 people in the world who have been to every country in the world. "

 

this is in extremely poor taste, sorry in advance if it offends anyone.

 

does he have to make routine trips back to africa in order to keep that title?

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ummmm, no - he does research on tribal communities and writes books.

 

>this is in extremely poor taste, sorry in advance if it offends anyone.

 

does he have to make routine trips back to africa in order to keep that title?

 

If you met him youd retract that comment guaranteed. Also, he never talked about that...I heard it from the principal when I first had an interview and mentioned that I love traveling to which I found out bout him... Nanri sensei is one of the nicest guys Ive ever met thumbsup.gif

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 Quote:
Originally posted by SubZero:
[QB] we used DOXYCYCLINE for Malaria during a three week trip to PNG

Although side effects are dependent upon many things, it made me feel like superman - nuttin' could hurt me.

Subz, I'm suprised you got a buzz out of Doxy.. Never heard that one b4.

I'll email ya some stuff CB

found this... SIDE EFFECTS: Doxycycline is generally well-tolerated. The most common side effects are diarrhea or loose stools, nausea, abdominal pain, and vomiting. Tetracyclines, such as doxycycline, may cause tooth discoloration if used in persons below 8 years of age. Exaggerated sunburn can occur with tetracyclines; therefore, sunlight should be minimized during treatment.
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I would rather have Malaria than take Larium. A good friend of mine who is the poster child of being happy and all around good guy took it and almost immediately suffered from the consequences. His depression was gigantic, cried at the thought of anything and questioned living. Once he had it diagnosed, it was traced back to the Larium. It took about 6 months for it to leave his system.

 

Also the US Army quit using it once it was found to be the primary cause of some Soldiers who had killed their wives/girlfriends upon return from Iraq.

 

I am not sure what the alternatives to Larium is but I would find out.

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 Quote:
Originally posted by firedog23:
I am not sure what the alternatives to Larium is but I would find out.
In oz they prescribe Doxycycline or Laruim as the main contenders.
Depends on the lenght of your stay and what ya going to be doing.

the other alternative is Malaria! ;\)
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 Quote:
Originally posted by Creek Boy:
Hes only 1 of 2 people in the world who have been to every country in the world. He might be the only one but I belive there is another.
Supposedly the most travelled man in the world is Charles Veley of San Francisco, California, USA,
has, by age 40 years, 11 months, 25 days, traveled to 589 places,
and is currently the #1 ranked traveler on earth.
(Guinness recognized)


PACIFIC OCEAN
Admiralty Islands (Manus)
Austral Islands
Australian Capital Territory
Banaba (Ocean Island)
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Chatham Islands
Chesterfield Islands
Chuuk, State of
Clipperton Island
Cook Islands (Southern)
Coral Sea Islands Territory
Easter Island
Fiji Islands
Galapagos Islands
Gambier Islands
Guam
Hawaiian Islands (including Northwest Hawaiian Islands)
Jarvis Island
Johnston Island
Kermadec Islands
Kingman Reef
Kiribati (Gilberts Chain)
Kosrae, State of
Line Islands, Northern (Christmas, Fanning, Washington)
Lord Howe Island
Loyalty Islands
Marquesas Islands
Marshall Islands, Republic of
Midway Island
Nauru
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Northern Marianas
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Palmyra Atoll
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Queensland
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Madagascar
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Seychelles (Inner Islands)
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ASIA
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Korea, North
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Kyrgyzstan
Ladakh
Laos
Lesser Sunda Islands
Liaoning
Macau
Madhya Pradesh
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Malaysia (Peninsular)
Manipur
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Orissa
Ossetia, South
Pakistan
Philippines (Northern/Luzon)
Philippines (Southern/Mindanao)
Pondicherry (French India)
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Shenzhen
Siberia (Russia in Asia)
Sichuan
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Singapore
Spratly Islands
Sri Lanka (Ceylon)
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Taiwan. R.O.C.
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Turkey in Asia (Anatolia)
Turkmenistan
Uttar Pradesh
Uttaranchal
Uzbekistan
Vietnam, North
Vietnam, South
West Bengal
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Province

http://www.mosttraveledman.com/default.asp
The one million dollar travelling man

If your teacher can cap that list then you will seriously be able to blow me away with a feather as that would represent a phenomenal feat.


I think CB your best bet against malaria is prevention, easier said than done, but long sleeves, and pants and plenty of repellant and a sleeping net and crossed fingers.
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I dont know the fine details about the states/provinces where hes been...just that hes been around the world as well. That list in incredible. Guess now theres what 194 countries with Montegreou (sp?)

 

Indo, clean your PM box mate, its full.

 

>>I think CB your best bet against malaria is prevention, easier said than done, but long sleeves, and pants and plenty of repellant and a sleeping net and crossed fingers.

 

Yup, thats what Im hoping as well SG. Prevention is key Im just trying to find info on the "what if" part of it...PS, nice new Sig ya got there lol.gif

 

Malaria or go crazy thumbsdown.gif

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actually Daver he did most of it (350 places) in one 3 year period, that must have been an amazing three years, if he writes a book it will be on my must read list.

 

The Antartic and sub Antartic Islands on his list are pretty impressive, you dont just catch a local sightseeing boat to reach those places!

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As you can get sick from Larium + you can get malaria even if take pills. Many people opt for not taking them, but having with them in case they get malaria. You can suppress the illness somewhat then and rush off to a hospital to get proper treatment.

 

we did a 4 week trip through Laos and Cambodia and didn't take malaria pills. But be careful.

 

Don't miss out on (Been there,)Don Deth in the far south of Laos and try to go from there over the Mekong river into Cambodia. (we tried but the river level was too low so we ended up flying to Siem Reap).

 

and Sihanoukville in Cambodia, my favorite mellow beach in S-E Asia (less hectic than thailand, although they should clean up the beach now and then)

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I've only tried to buy anti-malarials once when travelling from Japan. It was over ten years ago, but they cost getting on for fifty times the cost of getting them in India. Might as well get them after you arrive.

 

That bloke's not been to East Germany :p

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Gonna head to Don Khon in S. Laos before heading into Cambodia. Kinda backpacking but really wanna see that part of the Mekong. (edit: I have no idea what I was thinking when I wrote the previous sentence so it sounds odd)

 

And, did you mean Don Dhet thats just a bit North of Don Khon??

 

Heard good and bad thangs bout Sihanoukville and the surrounding beaches but it might be a nice stopover for a few days to relax. Have that penciled in.

 

cheers again for personal experiences

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ive done a few trips through those areas. started on the larium and stopped after a few weeks for reasons already discussed - felt shit, strange dreams, crazy stomache.

Im travelling through central america and the amazon (!!) for 3 months starting next week \:\) and im not gonna take any medicine. just use heaps of DEET (which ive heard has some bad side effects if you use too much) and long sleeves in the dodgy areas. I like this G&T theory. ill be sure to take a daily dose. And as Sanno said, the larium can supress the illness after you get it so i might buy some of that just in case.

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