Bought some Malerone today. Doctor recommended that I must take them as I have no spleen so my immune system is low. Cost me £58 for the course

I never took them last time as they usually knock me out ans spoil my holiday

6 more sleeps to go

thanks for the info jxk8 i will ring the travel clinic at our doctors surgery and see if they can issue the prescription -if not off to the doctor!

Has anyone here bought their tablets in Goa before? And if so can you recommend some & a chemist please, we're staying in Baga, leaving in 2 weeks time. The Nurse I saw at my GPs wouldn't prescribe me Malarone that's really annoying, only C&P, Im going to try taking it for the week before, but if it makes me ill, gona stop and just hope I can get something that's ok in Goa. The other worry is I heard that the reason the anti malarials dont give side effects out there is because their fake - the doctor that said this was generalising on India as a whole though, does anyone else have any idea if the ones sold in Goa are actually for real, the whole thing is turning into a bit of a dilemma!!

I need the same advice as you Bunny.
I am taking my 4 year old son to see the doctor tomorrow to perscribe him the childs malarone, which i have worked out at approx £18.
Myself and my partner and planning on getting some anti malaria tablets in Goa, as the alvaclor make me sick.

my friend's mum knows someone who lives in Goa so i'm hoping she can find out for me if not, the other worry is i assume the ones in Goa you need to take a few days before, the same as the ones over here, all a bit confusing. I'm gona take my C&P next week that's 2 wks b4 i go that at least gives me a week to sort something else out if they make me ill....

MALARONE (OR IF TAKING PROGUANIL) WARNING IF ON WARFARIN!!!

Pharmacy just rung us regarding O.H. who is on warfarin. IF you are on warfarin (blood thinners) and want to take Malarone (or any of the other anti malarial tablets that contain proguanil) they recommend that you take the tablets at least ONE WEEK before travelling (instead of 2 days). Get your INR blood checked. In some cases proguanil reacts with warfarin and makes the blood too thin. You will then also have to have your INR checked whilst out in India.

O.H. now having second thoughts about taking them.

had booster jabs at clinic today nurse say do not need malaria tablets.Use good spray and creams should be ok

I just wish all this medical advice from our nurses and GP's was consistent! Anybody else been told they don't need malaria tablets???

Pam
unfortunately that is what members are finding- everyone is getting different info from the medical profession

In March whilst in Goa I visited the pharmacist to ask advice on anti-marials. I advised the chemist that the chloroquine and progaunil made me ill, He sold me just chloroquine at 7 rupees a strip. I was happy, and suffered no adverse reactions to taking this just once a week.However I hadn't realised that they were not sufficient by themselves.

Before going in December I looked into things further to discover that although chloroquine was advised it was also stated that some resistence is evident and therefore proguanil is also required also.

My advice would be don't leave things until you get to Goa if you intend to take anti-malarials. Make your decison on the information available to you here at home and get your tablets before you go. As far as I can see you cannot obtain Malarone in Goa, just the chloroquine and proguanil. Doxyclycline should be given serious consideration, but a prescription is required for this also.

Nice one Miccie, Good advice

I think I will go with the Doxycyline, I'v read that as a bonus it also gives some resistance to food poisoning .

However I would like to be sure it is available in Goa,
I planned on getting just one prescription for myself and share it out to tied the whole family over until I can get further supplies in Goa

cheers
Pill Poppin Rog

I've been trying to find out whether you can get Doxycycline in Goa too. You can get it by mail order from India, so I presume you can buy it out there.

Folks please listen you need to take malaria precautions, foofoo I would sack your nurse obvious she or he don't know whats happening in Goa, everyone reading this post you can get all the latest on Google tap in malaria Goa.

I personally would not wait till I got out to Goa as you have to take some meds a few days before going, as I had to with the Doxycycline tabs, and the waiting till you get out there to get the medication, well is this all for the saving of a few pounds, your health is more important, get down to the docs and insist on a prescription, I don't know where my last post went, it was a bit stronger than this one, maybe the mod deleted it? but I am only trying to help you, and if I get through to at least one of you my post may just have done that.
Oh and one last tip get to the local shop and purchase a fly/insect/mosquito killer and spray the room of a night before leaving even under the bed and behind the curtains......jxk8.

no - I havent deleted it jxk8. Is it not still on this thread?

As I said...I'm going to take Malarone....but O.H. does he risk suffering blood clot...dvt or worse if it mucks up his INR??

No Fiona, I don't know where its gone but it was a little bit stronger than my last post (thought you might of binned it?), but I am only as I say trying to get the people who are about to go understand that this year poses a greater risk than at any other year in the past....jxk8.

if I had deleted I would have a note of it-it wasn't me, honestly!

spoke to the travel clinic today and the nurse advised p&c said dioxcycline would need a prescription but both are effective.also spoke to pharmacist at asda who rang to check advice and told me p&c recommended until end of february and then the situation will be reviewed.we're going feb 19th for 2 weeks and as the p&c didn't make us bad we'll probably go with them as it saves getting a doctors appointment

Nurse told me today that we need to take P and C.

The same P and C the people reported to return with Malaria last year (maybe true).

For a sore knee alone we can:
rest it
pack ice/heat on it
take supplements
eat correct foods
visit natural healers, physios.

What will the nurse say:
Ibuprofen for 2 weeks and come back.

They do not give you the best course of action but the most simple and effective way to solve a problem.

These forums are great for sharing advice/info. However they are all opinions (and it appears even the nurses advice are only opinions) and i would not let any posts on this topic fuel any paranoia.
You type in "lump" on a search engine you can easily convince yourself you have cancer.

You search through the internet looking for "goa" malaria" advice" etc You will only get horror stories and warnings further fuelling paranoia.

My ADVICE would be to take the action you felt neccessary the minute you knew Malaria was present. The risk is very low and the stastics are well in your favour. But ultimately we all know there is a risk. A risk that only you can choose to take. If in any doubt then take the relevant precautions.

My insight onto the precautions:
Malarone - paranoia free
PnC - advised by most warnings that have been issued
Stuff in Goa - appears that it aint good enough or risky. No evidence or formal advice to say different so it still sits in the "risk" department for me.
Chloriquine - On most eveidence ineffective.
Others - tbc

Or go, use the repellants, have a good time and live for the moment.

Entirely up to you