Have brought this back for our new members.

hello i am going to North Goa on 6th April with my husband and young son, he'll be 2. This will be my 4th time and my sons 2nd time but the first time i took my son he was only 6 months old so i didnt really find it hard to get the malaria tablets/medicine down him but now hes a pain for taking medicine. I have tried many different ways to get him to take medicine, mixing it with juice etc, but hes not having it. I have heard i can get a tablet over in Goa that u have 2 take once a week , as opposed to the tabelts you get here in the Uk daily. Can anyone clarify this and will this be suitable protection for my son.
Thanks

have you tried wrapping the tablet in a mallow sweet..like a flump or similar,i use to do this when my children were small.

hello, no i i havent tried that method yet, but i think my son will suss out the tablets there lol , have u anymore ideas? Thanks x

I will be travelling to Goa in a month for a work trip and shall have all vacination next monday. But I am a little worried. Somehow I think I might be pregnant (accidental) but it's too soon to take a test. Does anyone know if the vaccines will affect the baby if I am really pregnant?
Of course I will ask the docs but I am so lost in all this because I can't lose this trip and... I don't know what I'll do!
Thanks in advance...

Kya

A bit late in the post I know, but I have to take issue with Yelpin and his/her statement that UK doctors"never" warn about the side effects of malaria tabs. Mine did!
And perhaps he/she can explain how they feather their nests by recommending these tabs.
the only way I can see them making any money is to recommend paludrine, which I understand is only available on a private prescription.
I have taken the usual daily and twice weekly tabs with either no or little side effects and will do again.
del949

There seems to be different views/opinions regarding anti-malarial medications and wondered what would be the best thing to take. I do not usually take any medication for anything and am worried about side effects as I always seem to be susceptible to them. Also one of us is diabetic and wondered if that made a difference. would appreciate any advice.
Megs

If you are worried or someone from your party is worried, seek professional medical advice.

I have only suffered very mild side effects, wife has suffered a bit stronger.
No idea re diabetics,but have had a look at the leaflet with our tabs and although there is a long list of ailments where you shouldn't take them diabetes is not mentioned.
definately check with GP

del949

One of the things my G.P. mentioned one year was that as I was trying to conceive, not to take the malaria tablets as they could (not would) affect cell formation.

They made me sick as a dog, chucked 'em in the bin as soon as I got there and used repellant where needed but only saw mozzies at the spice plantation in Ponda-stayed at Ramada Caravela in Varca.

hi,
I have to agree with Sydney in that you should seek medical advice from your Doctor or practice nurse to find the most suitable anti-malarial for your needs. I have taken "Malarone" for travelling to West Africa and at no time did I or my partner suffer any side-effects, so for myself I will have no qualms about taking them again when I go to Goa, however just because they suited me does not mean that they will suit everyone else, my practice nurse actually wrote me 2 prescriptions 1 for "Doxycyclone" and 1 for "Malarone" and advised me to try the "Doxycyclone" a couple of weeks before going on holiday for a period of a week which I did but it did not agree with me, hence using the "Malarone", as for risks for diabetics I am not aware of any contra-indications using either of these drugs but would strongly advise a visit to their local GP just to make sure.
Hope this helps some.
Cheers
Scruffyish

Thanks for your reply.
I went to the doctor this morning and I didn't take some vaccines because they have live agents and I would have to wait 3 months before trying to conceive. I should/could wait to get pregnant and take the vaccines but I had to weigh the importance of this timing to me (and it is important).
The doctor did prescribe me with Paludrine and Resochina (this one I guess is a portuguese name for some other medicine - is the one to be taken once a week). I was told pregnant women take these medicines so I should be alright :s though the information on the package says the risks must be measured. I'm guessing I'll go with my instinct, as to keep taking them for 4 weeks (or less) after getting back, knowing how many mosquitoes have been around me and so
I'm kind of thinking there must be some excess of caring about this issue, because I was born in Mozambique, 30 years ago, and I had nothing but the basic vaccines, malaria already existed of course but no one in my family (some lived there for over 25 years) ever got sick :p
I'll be careful alright with the food and the water and even with what I wear (got the repellent ok) and I'm sure everything will be fine. In a month I'll tell you about it

I'm sorry, I forgot to explain just one bit, as long as my first question was about the effects of medication and vaccines if I was already pregnant and that would be accidental. I want to get pregnant in March, so I stopped taking the pill this month and had some weird symptoms that's why I was worried, but yesterday I had the confirmation I wasn't pregnant so I was relaxed today until I found out I can't take some vaccines if I want to conceive when I get back from Goa. That's it. Sorry for the rambling :o)

kyasbaby,
IF you conceive whilst in goa , you can do a Bekham and name your baby after where he/she was conceived, as in Brooklyn Bekham etc,

Although maybe Baga doesn't sound so good

del949

LOL no I'm not going to conceive in Goa - my boyfried is staying at home besides in Portugal we have a strict policy on names allowed for children and can't name them like we want
Now for a new doubt: I'm confused as I read "Chloroquine is NOT an effective antimalarial drug in South Asia and should not be taken to prevent malaria in this region" (http://www.cdc.gov/travel/regionalmalaria/indianrg.htm) and a pregnant woman (or trying to conceive) should only take mefloquine and the doctor gave me cloroquine (sp?) and paludrine!!!
Everyone here seems to be taking the same as I was prescribed but the US department of health says they're not effective in India
Great puzzle... like I said, I think they're playing with our health

As far as I know about chloroquine. It's a very old drug and has lost some of its effectiveness as the mosquito parasites in some areas have become resistant to it.
I assume that as you have to start taking it a week before you go that it will be out of your system within two weeks after you stop taking it.
i.e. 4 weeks after your holiday finishes. so maybe not interfere with your baby plans

del949

Del949

It does interfere. My baby plans are to conceive some two weeks after arrival I will go talk to the doctor next monday and show her my findings on the subject. Because my partner was seen by the doctor next door in the same building (it's a national travelers health office) and he was prescribed with metofloquine We're in Portugal, there's no doubt about it :p

just wondering, how many of you have been to goa or are going without having injections or taking any tablets?
and have any of you actually caught anything?