Malaria Tablets? To take or not to take? Would appreciate Doctor's advice.?

I am going to India for 3 months, mainly Goa, and have found out that malaria is on the increase. I have been advised by a couple of British nurses who work in India that there is little point in taking anti-malarial medication as it is by no means 100% effective, has side effects and can delay diagnosis and treatment of specific strains of Malaria. I have taken malaria tablets many years ago, cannot remember which ones, and did experience very nasty side effects. Would your advice be to take them or not? If I decide not to then what symptoms should I look out for in order to get an early diagnosis? I will of course take every precaution against mosquito bites.

I'm a pharmacist and I would definately recommend to you take maleria tablets. yes they are not 100% effective but some protection is better than none. the current regimen recommended for goa is chloroquine + proguanil whic can be taken continually for up to 5 yrs so fine for your length of stay. you need to start them a week before you do and due to the lifecycle of the maleria parisite take them until four weeks after you come back at the following doses

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

these are the main side effects of both of them
Proguanil (Paludrine) can cause nausea and simple mouth ulcers.

Chloroquine (Nivaquine or Avloclor) can cause nausea, temporary blurred vision and rashes.

and the main symptoms of maleria
Symptoms of malaria include fever and flu-like illness, including shaking chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. Nausea, vomiting, and diarrhoea may also occur. Malaria may cause anaemia and jaundice (yellow colouring of the skin and eyes) because of the loss of red blood cells. Infection with one type of malaria, P. falciparum, if not promptly treated, may cause kidney failure, seizures, mental confusion, coma, and death.

I know which one i'd rather choose

the regimen for goa is also availiable in a travel pack over the counter you will need 17 weeks worth which even if they won't split a pack will only come to about 拢45 so quite cheep.

like you said its not 100% so take precautions not to get bitten eg insect repellent containing deet and see a doctor straight away if you start getting flu like symptoms.

Take them. The consequnces of not taking them is going to be worse than the side effects.

take the tabs. rather be safe than sorry

Go to a doctor and get something for Malaria. I would think you'd need it in India and Goa. It's not the ordinary malaria you should be worried about even though that's no picnic - but the cerebral malaria which kills you quickly if you are unlucky enough to get it. By the time you've decided you haven't got the flu - it's too late - especially if you are miles from a hospital equipped to deal with it. Lots of people tell you not to bother about medication for malaria but I know of 2 people who died from it. A father and later, his adult son. The son knew all the risks because of what happened to his dad but obviously chose not to take medication and it got him as well. Sorry to be a scare-monger. All medication has side effects for some people. Suggest you contact Hospital for Tropical Diseases in London. They'll give you chapter and verse about it.

Don't listen to anyones advice on this site.

...yes, you are right, they can have very serious and extreme side effects.
...Yes, you are right, some of them are little more than placebos.
...yes, you are right, if you get malaria, an anti malerial course can mask the effects and prevent early detection.

But maleria is a serious disease which kills million every year
Get proper qualiified advice from a doctor who actually knows about tropical medicine (not just a GP, who will know nothing apart from what he has read in drug-company advertising literature)

If u are going to Goa i would say that you will need to take them. The good news is that the ones that you need are Proguanil and Chloroquine, you can buy them in the pharmacy, and they happen to be the ones that are most common for people to take on holiday. You need to take the tablets one week before you go, the time you are there and then for four weeks after ur return. Hopefully any of the side effects that you suffer will pass in the week before you do. I think that the benefits out weigh malaria! Remember any flu like symptoms with in a year of ur return should be reported to ur doctor as flu like symptoms are the first sign of malaria.