my 4 year old son swallowed his malarone tablet last night without me having to crush it and disguise it with some awful chocolate sauce.
I am so proud of him. I got the tablet out of the packet and said to him, we both need to take tablets now to go on holiday, so i put the tablet in his mouth, he tilted his head back and he drank a glass of milk.
Now i hope he does the same everyday

Aww bless him Y/M I hope you give him a big hug .......

Ok really confused now as which ones to take?

Chloroquine + Proguanil was what I had last two years. Only side effects I had were strange dreams. Apparently these are the wrong ones.

Thinking of not taking anything and making sure not to get bitten (as I did the last two years with 100% success).

Just watched the video's on malariahotspots.co.uk ... wont be risking it now

Mardon we were in Goa till last week we took Malorone no side affects they were great, I know they are exspensive but i think your health and peace of mind worth it. Everyone we were talking to was taking malaria tablets

Mardon. I started taking P&C last year but had to stop due to really bad stomach pains even though these were the only ones which didnt list abdominal pains as a side effect!
I went to check with my GP last week and we ruled out Malarone as they include proguanil and it wasnt possible to know which ingredient in the P&C caused the problem. This might be something to bear in mind if P&C didnt agree with you.
Decided against doxycycline ivo heightened risk of sunburn and so we opted for the lariam. I did feel slightly nauseous the morning after taking it but its only one tablet a week so Im sure I can manage. I have noticed that one of the uncommon side effects of lariam is abnormal dreams so they might not work for you!. It really is hard to make a balanced decision on what is most suitable. I guess its a lucky dip......

The good news is I have just discovered that my M&S insect repellent has 50% deet so thats one problem less to solve.

Jackie

Fiona,
first please accept my sincere apologies with reference to copyright issues.

Now if you Google and type in Goa Herald, then click complete online news edition on there search box type in malaria, and read on, this is why I might sound so up tight about this malaria post.

Mardon,
I have just returned after three glorious weeks of sunshine with temps in the region of 30 to 35 everyday and make no bones about it it was hot, higher maybe some-days, now if you have read my previous posts, it states that myself and the wife this year took Doxycycline and yes we did read up on the side affects re: skin rash and to be careful with the sun, we had no ill side affects, all was well while taking them in fact we are both still taking them, now on the last few and as I have said no issues with them but I also said we are not all made the same, so my advice would be only to try and if you start an adverse reaction with taking them just stop but these I found where good, the cost £21-60 for the two of us for the 3week duration and couple of days before and couple weeks when we came home.

Again I know I sound as though I am rattling on but believe me your health is more important than anything in this world "PROTECT YOURSELF" with the best means possible.....jxk8

PS Fiona I cant summarise the need to protect in anymore words........

So its between lariam, Doxycycline (sun burn risk) and Malorone.

I have a pretty strong constitution so I'm thinking my stomach should be ok. I'll read up on the side effects prices etc at lunch then post what I decide.

How's this for confusion. My sister and I have this morning both been to our doctors surgery to have our vaccinations updated. We both saw 2 different practice nurses. The nurse my sister saw looked on the appropriate website and said that she didn't need to take any anti malaria tablets but to check the website before she goes as the situation changes daily. The nurse I saw said that protection was recommended and she mentioned P&C which is what we usualy take. I think I will be going with what I have been told as I do get bites although not severely, my sister never gets any bites.

The site my nhs nurse checked:

http://www.travax.nhs.uk/InfoPage.htm

requires registration

Been taking my C&P tabs for 2 days now - no side effects apart from suffering terrible insomnia - and not particularly felt tired during the day from the lack of zzz. I rarely get this - can actually say i've never had this before, has anyone else had this off these tabs? It wouldnt be so bad if i was actually in Goa as at least i wouldnt be wasting much time asleep, but have a week of work to get through before i go and am worried the missed sleep will catch up with me and i'll get shattered before i even get there, let alone the 4 weeks of the tabs when i get back! i've googled the side effects and none mention insomnia,only on Mefloquine, not C&P

Also does anyone know if you can buy Deet insect repellent in the chemists around Baga / Calungute - thanks

Yea, you can buy repellants with Deet added, usually 50% strength.
Have you used Deet before??
If not, don't spray in a confined space. The effect can be quite nauseating and give a choking effect if you inhale some of the spray. I tend to use it for the room, giving a good spray just before leaving, so the effects have died down by the time you return and kept any mozzies at bay.
Also there are side effects to using it on your skin so try to keep it on your garments.
I go for the more friendly repellants for skin contact and find that the herbal based ones work OK.

I've not used Deet before - thanks for the tip
Also is it only worth using at night? Or are there likely to be mossies / other insects about during the day? Just wondering if it's worth putting on as well as suntan lotion during the day

Bunny230 you need to use the deet more at night, especially early evening that's when they come out. I always make sure I'm well covered before we go out for our evening meal. If you are a very early riser, I would also use it in the morning as well.

Debs

Hi
I just thought i'd post to make people aware my friend went to goa on the 24th november for two weeks and took some tablets, stayed in calangute we have been a good few times before so knew about the higher risk this season, and she is now in hospital with malaria would of been worse if she had took no tablets and she is bad now so can imagine how she would of been, So please be careful and don't take any risk for the sake of a few tablets and a couple of quid.
Nicola

got my paludrine/avloclor (p&c) from travelpharm.com. £12.60 for a seven strip pack delivered post free.ordered them saturday night -arrived this morning. this is the cheapest i have found.

For anyone that has used Avloclor (C&P) and had the side effects - eg - tummy ache, diarrhea etc, did it start straight away or come on over a few weeks? So far i've been absolutely fine on them, but worried if i have some dodge food in Goa i wont know whether its the tabs or the food causing it, one of my friends said she took Avloclor and was fine til she got home, then had to stop taking them as she was so ill. Has anyone else found this?

We used to be fine when we took them before we went but found a couple of days into the holiday we went off our food for a day, which is catastrophic in Goa as that is one of the reasons we love going - for the fantastic food. We now take them before just before we go to bed and don't have any effects whatsoever now. We have done this for the last 6 years.

Hi Nicola,
I am very sorry to hear about your friend, I do hope she is alright and has a full recovery, please send her my best wishes.
Just a question to ask your friend or maybe you know as to what tablets she was taking to protect her against malaria whilst in Goa, as you mentioned in you post she was well aware of the high risk factor this year and that the strain of malaria this year, and also this year somewhere (internet) it mentions that some medication where not protecting against the Plasmodium falciparum strain.

It would be interesting to find out just what meds she was taking? and what was the strain of malaria that she has contracted, could it be the Plasmodium falciparum strain?.......jxk8