Hi folks,
I can't help with your specific areas, but I can advise about the side affects of Doxycyline. Myself and a 40 strong volunteer group all took this for a month in Uganda. We had a few strange dreams, but the increased sensitivity was hard to notice because we were in a sunnier place than we were used to. 40 Brits living under the equator for a month, imagine that! Anyway, what was ultimately important was that none of us got malaria during the period we were taking the medication.
Photosensitivity like any side effect isn't a given and can vary in severity. As for effectiveness there are clear guidelines on what options are best and your GP wouldn't be advising using an ineffective medicine. Personally I would go for doxycycline solely because of the reduced cost. For indefinite travelling malarone could bankrupt you! Side effects are a potential with either and you won't know unil you try, but I know plenty who have used both without issue.
Go chat to a pharmacist if you need more info.
Well, I don't need to tell you to discuss this with you physician as it's obvious that you have.
Trust your GP's advice about doxycycline. The dosage of the antibiotic is the same as they prescribe for the treatment of acne. Just take it with food early in the day as it can cause acid reflux (heartburn) if taken before bed. It's worst side effect is an increased sensitivity to the sun. Basically, use your suntan lotion and a recommended SPF15 or greater. Doxy can be taken for at least 2 years of continuous use. Malarone can not.
Malarone is expensive and has greater side effects. Some do experience hallucinations while others have no effects at all. But, it is not meant for long-term travel. It was designed for the military and it does not have a lot of long-term effects information available to the public. Doxy has a long-term history. You will have to continue the drug for ~3 weeks after your travels but... I'd rather do that than take my chances with Malarone.
As for Doxy masking other medical problems - unlikely at the dosage taken. If you do need medical attention for anything, tell the medical personnel what medications either of you are taking at that time. If you need an antibiotic, there is a plethora other medications available. Doxy (at the anti-malarial dosage) does not interfere with other antibiotics.
I took doxycyline for a couple of months in Asia and had no noticeable side effects. I'd happily take it again if necessary.
I was advised malarone has fewer side effects but as already mentioned, it's expensive.
The only malaria drug I've heard of having horrible side effects is Mefloquine (larium) which can cause hallucinations and other psychological effects.
Bex is correct - mefloquine (Larium) should be at the bottom of anyone's anti-malarial list, especially for women. Women experience the more severe side effects than men.
Things I forgot to mention...
1) Doxy is available as an OTC in most CA/SA countries. Just be sure to purchase it (if necessary) from a reliable pharmacy.
2) Alternative contraceptive methods should be used during the first three weeks of doxy use if a woman is taking birth control pills. Doxy does decrease their effectiveness short term. Basically, stay on the OCs but also use additional protection, such as condoms or a diaphragm for the three weeks.
I can vouch for the Lariam/Mefloquine side effects. I had some seriously trippy hallucinations on that stuff
After month or two on it, I started to experience nightly hallucinations, fevers, chills and nausea. It was the strangest thing - I would be sick as a dog every night just before I went to bed, shaking, burning up, seeing all manner of things, then by morning I would be perfectly fine again. Physically at least.
Once the hallucinations started I just felt mentally off until I stopped taking it. Those last few months were defiinitely interesting!
Jen
[ 17-Jan-2013, at 12:17 by talesbackpack ]
Thank you all so much for taking the time to respond to my post.
I do trust my GP so was quite surprised by the other healthcare professional's very strong opinion against doxycycline. I thought I had totally missed something in what I had read to date
Thank you all, you have put my mind at ease. Isadora, thank you for your detailed advice and the malaria link.
This thread came at just the right time. Just bought my Doxycycline pills and had heard about the side effects of all the different types of pills that there is. Sounds like I made the right choice after the info on here!
uladh sa turas and MattyRex - glad to be of help. And thanks to talesbackpack for giving a personal experience with mefloquine (Larium). These types of threads show up regularly but most of the replies about Larium and no side effects have been written by men. (Sorry guys, but true.) There have been minimal replies from women at all.
I chose chloroquine for our trip to Panama because it's one of the only CA/SA countries where malaria is present but is not chloroquine-resistant. Had we included other countries, I would have chosen Doxy.
Not to put too fine a point on it (but being a woman) doxy can increase the chances of a vaginal yeast infection, though rarely. I'd rather treat that than a case of malaria. When women decide to take Doxy, I always recommend taking along one package of OTC treatment with them. They are not always readily available in more rural areas. Call it precautionary measures and do not take up space in your backpack or luggage. (Just a recommendation...)
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