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# near the top tj:
I'm going to be in Vietnam for a month or so in August... my doctor tells me I'll probably need Malaria tablets... a couple of friends have said that they're a waste of money and they send you mad anyway... any thoughts?

many many thanks lovely internet bots
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:39, archived)
# Yes - what do they contain, and is it any good as a recreational drug?
*goes to look it up*
(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:41, archived)
# I've taken them before with no problems.
Your Doctor is probably the one to trust on this.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:41, archived)
# that's what I was thinking
but I didn't want to needlessly give away money for things which will make me feel shit... especially because we're going to be in a low malaria risk area (coat and cities)

... but Malaria is for life and it's pretty shit so I hear.
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:43, archived)
# Yeah, my sister got malaria in Nigeria recently.
Not too seriously, but apparently it can come back at any time. Like I said, I had no ill effects from the pills, and I was about 12 at the time.
Generally, your Doctor will have more idea on health issues than your friends. They'll tell you about side effects too.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:46, archived)
# Well...you shouldn't save money on your health.
B3ta can't miss you.
(I helped save b3ta! Floppy Donkey crawled out of the ditch., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50, archived)
# This
(I helped save b3ta! mediocre ha ha ha, you're reading this, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:52, archived)
# Take the tablets
Malaria is still the biggest killer in the world today and is very, very easy to catch.

See what you can buy on the internet from reputable companies before being fleeced by your local chemist.
(I helped save b3ta! Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56, archived)
# there are different 'malaria pills'
and some have stronger side-effects than others (and are more/less expensive)

so this might account for the difference of opinions of doctors/friends.

I suggest doing some google-research to see what the situation is :)
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58, archived)
#
doing some google research asking your Doctor
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:01, archived)
# GOOGLE vs DOCTOR!
FIGHT!

(you are right...mostly. Doctors are better qualified than random internet sources, but they are not /always/ right.)
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:05, archived)
# True, and I'd probably back it up with some internet research.
But it's when people take things like random internet sources over their Doctor's word that things like the MMR episode happen.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:07, archived)
# true dat.
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09, archived)
# Nothing to prevent both.
Doctors are not gods, and the tapping the opinions of multiple hyper-critical skeptical nerds is a good source of theories and questions, if not answers.
(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:08, archived)
# Yeah, nothing wrong with doing both.
If I had to choose one, I'd go with the trained professional though.
(I helped save b3ta! my other username is a porsche , posting shit pictures so you don't have to, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:11, archived)
# Better to waste money going mad than to die from Malaria...
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:42, archived)
# ^this^
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:47, archived)
# ^that
(I helped save b3ta! Floppy Donkey crawled out of the ditch., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50, archived)
# ...
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:53, archived)
# Saw that the other day...
Nice to see a good old fashioned ghost movie that just uses psychological games instead of cgi bollocks.
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:55, archived)
# ^this^
(SirJonDangerous and his pony-sized bumblebee, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56, archived)
# Did anyone actually find it scary? Seriously?
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:55, archived)
# Nah. Creepy, maybe.
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56, archived)
# That I'll go along with.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:57, archived)
# especially the dead people posing in photographs bit...
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:00, archived)
# Lady Doom went to bed and refused to watch the rest of it...
Mind you, when you live in a dark old Victorian house that keeps making strange noises for no reason, stuff like that tends to be scarier...
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:57, archived)
# Mine does that too...
well, Georgian. I stay awake thinking it's burglars.

I also have a cemetary across the road. Probably not the best place for Mrs Doom to visit at nighttime, my house. :D
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59, archived)
# We live relatively near....
THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST!!!!

And once had a prolonged session of midnight door rattling to jangle our nerves.

Turns out it was a kid delivering pizza flyers who'd got stuck in the porch.
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:01, archived)
# Hahahaha :D
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:04, archived)
# If we thought we were scared...
the lad's face when a large hairy man with nowt but pants and a spear opened the door on him was the very definition of terror.
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:08, archived)
# :D Top work, Doom!
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09, archived)
# One tries :)
I'm saving that one for a future QOTW...
(I helped save b3ta! Sonic James Doom forgetting the date since... umm..., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:11, archived)
# is it meant to be?
it's a mystery film no?
(I helped save b3ta! monstrinho do biscoito teeeshurts = www.nogunarmy.com, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59, archived)
# That's where I get confused.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59, archived)
# Nah, cos I'd already seen The Innocents
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:01, archived)
# Wossat?
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:04, archived)
# Creepy 1960 film
which The Others rips off

Watch it, it's fab
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:08, archived)
# Oooooh I most certainly will
that sounds right up my street.
(I helped save b3ta! Captain Wow currently being a cunt in Infamous, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:10, archived)
# ...
www.amazon.co.uk/Innocents-DVD-Deborah-Kerr/dp/B000IMVMH0
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:19, archived)
# For SE Asia
I'd go with Malarone. They are very effective and have nothing like the evil side-effects of doxycyclin etc, though they're not cheap. Definitely better than malaria though

*EDIT* also make sure you have plenty of mossie-repellent. I found one based on eucalyptus oil very effective and it doesn't melt clothes like deet
(SirJonDangerous and his pony-sized bumblebee, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:42, archived)
# thanks for that
right - off to the nurse to talk about jabs
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:45, archived)
# She may mention something about feeling a little prick
don't take it personally
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:47, archived)
# I second Malarone
Worked fine for me, also experienced no side effects. Recommended by my Doctor and my father (who is also a GP).
(Brigadier Arthur Charles, Mrs, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:51, archived)
# DEET is fucking evil

The way my fingers felt every time I used it (even after washing them thoroughly) told me quite enough. It also ruined a couple of clothing items.
(I helped save b3ta! mediocre ha ha ha, you're reading this, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:54, archived)
# ^ THIS
Utterly.
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56, archived)
# Yup
very nasty. The eucalyptus stuff smells better too. Citronella is pish though
(SirJonDangerous and his pony-sized bumblebee, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58, archived)
# yes!
it can melt through certain plastics... horrible stuff.
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:01, archived)
# Marmite (if you can eat the stuff) keeps the mossies away completely.
couple of bits of bread per day with marmite on, you're sorted.

Edit: Internally applied, of course ;-)
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:54, archived)
# is there anything the stuff can't do?

(I helped save b3ta! pzyko Query failed., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:57, archived)
# I'm still researching..
;-)
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58, archived)
# This seems good
"Recently, a new type of antimalarial drug has also been available which is very effective since no mosquito populations have already generated resistance due to exposure. The new drug is called Atovaquone. Also, the drug has no side-effects" ( = Malarone)
Vs.
"Mefloquine may have severe and permanent adverse side-effects. It is known to cause severe depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression, nightmares, insomnia, seizures, birth defects, peripheral motor-sensory neuropathy,[2] vestibular (balance) damage and central nervous system problems." ( = Larium)
(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59, archived)
# peripheral motor-sensory neuropathy!!
I don't quite know what that is, but it sounds very bad.

like the effects of leprosy, or something.
(I helped save b3ta! The Alchemist king of the needlessly complicated, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:03, archived)
# makes your hands and feet go numb
and painful and in bad cases can end up in amputation. My father has it in relation to his diabetes.
(I helped save b3ta! Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09, archived)
# Regrettably I can't read the cited article without a journal subscription
but I suspect it means people started falling over a lot, and couldn't speak properly or pick things up. Sounds like being drunk, in fact. Except peripheral would mean it doesn't affect the brain. So like being drunk without the euphoria.
(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:13, archived)
# It's more like
having permanent, painful pins and needles my father says but in very bad cases, like in Hanson's disease it is very easy for sufferers to damage the extremities ( my father is not even allowed to cut his own nails ( not that he could reach his toes ) for fear of damaging them) and in cases where people don't look after themselves to well before you know it you have gangrene in your limbs.
(I helped save b3ta! Pasanonic 's been known to cause insanity in laboratory mice, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:16, archived)
# Irritating, the ability of meaningless illness-related pain to persist forever.
You might think that eventually you could learn to ignore it, like start thinking "this is just an erroneous nerve signal I've been getting for years now and I'm no longer going to let it bother me," but no.
(_Felix 's school of dance and occult sciences, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:30, archived)
# Since you're already quite mad, do what the doctor suggests
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:42, archived)
# what are your freind's qualifications?
(k3b/-\b Peace man., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:43, archived)
#
she's been to Malaysia.
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:44, archived)
# if you're concerned perhaps you should seek a second learned opinion.
(k3b/-\b Peace man., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:47, archived)
# poke her in the minch and secretly take tablets
(I helped save b3ta! Floppy Donkey crawled out of the ditch., Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:51, archived)
# we went to SE Asia
last summer, no one took any malaria tablets and we're all still alive (7 of us)
(I helped save b3ta! twig Save 6 Music, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:44, archived)
# But how many of you went?
(I helped save b3ta! Barbarossa is not my real name, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:45, archived)
# 5
two of us picked up cut-price wives while we were there
(I helped save b3ta! twig Save 6 Music, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:48, archived)
# Don't bother with anti-Malarials
I did two tours (holidays) in Vietnam, and the second time didn't take any, the side effects are horrendous.

Stay away from the Central Highlands and farms (doh!) and you're in no danger.

Side effects like: "Best if you keep out of the sun" - said the lovely BA Travel health woman.

Oh, and copious vomiting.

Edit Edit: get the swine fever jab, though. That's a must.

(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:45, archived)
# :D
thanks

I will be hitting you up for advice about things to do now I hope you realise.

anyway - off to the docs.

see you all soon

:)
(I helped save b3ta! Prof UnderCover evitable, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:49, archived)
# Avoid
Larium (mefloquine) as the psychological side-effects can be grim.

I have taken:
- Malarone with no problems at all - a little bit pricey, but that's all.
- Chloroquine, unfortunately useless in some areas because of resistance, but i had no problems with it except when i forgot and took it on an empty stomach (nausea)

Doxycycline can be a pain - malaria occurs in tropical areas so lets have a drug with a major side-effect of UV sensitivity. DOH.

Repellent a must - DEET can rot plastic but does work; just don't put the 60% shit on your skin. It burns. Not sure about "natural" repellants. Having a shit old hat that you can nail with DEET is a good way of getting rid of the buggers from round your ears. Saved my sanity in an Indian train station!

Er...sorry for the essay.
(prostheses, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09, archived)
# Larium isn't very nice.
I had a bit of a weird episode on that one - I had a paranoid moment in a hotel room in Vietnam, staring at the ceiling fan like Martin Sheen in 'Apocalypse Now'.
Avoid that stuff.

If you're not going 'up-country', and are just sticking to larger cities, I wouldn't bother with anything, but it's your choice.
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:48, archived)
# It's horrific stuff!
*bad memories of that*
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50, archived)
# nasty...
I don't think it's prescribed much any more, thank god...
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:52, archived)
# I resented paying nearly £120 for anti-malarials that make me sick as a dog!
it's just rude!
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56, archived)
# It is!
Especially when the Boots in Bangkok has them for about a tenth of the price...
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58, archived)
# no Larium has been linked with all sorts
of mentalness....avoid it like the plague...loads of cases in the US where soldiers went mental and killed their wives etc after it...google it

Think i took Malarone, had one day feeling a little queasy, but no big deal, and after that it was fine. Do take something though, malaria is not nice

(I helped save b3ta! cakeburglar still bored with Freebase, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:00, archived)
# yikes!
sounds like I got off lightly...
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:07, archived)
# my housemate
got given a curative dose of Larium after getting malaria. He reckons the only reason he didn't end up in an asylum was because he had past experience of LSD, and could control it to an extent. Or at least realise it was the drugs that were doing it, not that reality had gone a bit screwy. Imagine a 3-month-long trip. Yikes. He was a bit of a mental to live with.

(prostheses, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:16, archived)
# holy shit!
thank god he was an experienced acid-head!
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:18, archived)
# The only advice I can offer is
stay off the moors
(I helped save b3ta! Joe Scaramanga with a G-double-O-D vibration, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:48, archived)
# RACIST!
(SirJonDangerous and his pony-sized bumblebee, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50, archived)
# They usually don't affect me that much

also: there are a couple of different kinds of malaria tablets. Best follow the doctor's advice though.
(I helped save b3ta! mediocre ha ha ha, you're reading this, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:51, archived)
# eat garlic every day
best vampire fly repellant there is
(I helped save b3ta! CanonCaliber A big bore, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:57, archived)
# Also true...
(I helped save b3ta! J Peasemould Gruntfuttock Alpha Mike Foxtrot, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59, archived)
# Larium has a propensity to send folk mad
and is pretty old school anyway. If you can afford to get malarone - best protection with no madness.
(I helped save b3ta! Wasp Box like a nervous random stranger at a glory hole, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:02, archived)
# The different anti-malarials are VERY different.
Any comment that says "blah blah anti-malarial" without saying WHICH ONE is next to useless :-(

My recollection is that, for places you are likely to go, there are four main ones. In chronological order of invention:
1. Quinine, Chloroquine, Proguanil, etc,
2. Doxycycline;
3. Mefloquine (TM: "Lariam");
4. Malarone.

Group 1 is pretty much useless now, for most (all?) areas. The buggers are immune to it.

Group 2 may be enough in some places. Doxycycline is an antibiotic that also kills malaria. Not too bad to take.

Group 3 AWOOGA!!! Lots of people report getting nightmarish hallucinations with this. Recommend: don't take it, but do seek an alternative.

Group 4 Malarone: works great, but very expensive.

Frankly, you really don't want malaria. It's a right bastard. Malarone is fine to take, so if your wallet can stand it, surely that's better than running a hard-to-quantify risk of causing yourself a lifetime of hard-to-predict ill-health?

Worth getting professional advice -- we might all be worng :-)
Edit: and apols to SirJon for prolonging the TJ.
(I helped save b3ta! Bee Nice |-|, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:03, archived)
# This is a very thorough summing up.
I would attest to the Lariam nastiness personally.
Doxycycline can be bought very cheaply once you get there, but is of limited effect. It was developed as an anti-acne drug so will keep your skin clear, too.
But it also makes you more sensitive to the sun. Not very good in a tropical country, really.
(I helped save b3ta! enceladus, Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:12, archived)