Source
r/travel•
AngloItalian

Has Anyone Bought Malarone in SE Asia?

Yes, I know some of you will probably tell me you don't use them, or you did but stopped or don't see the point - I get it - but for those that do; have you had much success buying refills of Malarone in SE Asia?

We're trying to decide how much to tak with us as we don't know how long we'll be there, take to little & we'll need some more, we're just a little concerned on how available Malarone is & how much it'll be. If it's cheaper in the UK, we'll just buy it there.

But we need to know.

Posted Jul 25, 2012, 11:04 AM UTC · edited

115
micls•

We live in Bangkok but need to buy this for our honeymoon to Africa. I've emailed a travel clinic here in Bangkok that someone online claims has it. I'll post if I get a response. It's certainly not easy to find anyway

1
AngloItalianOP•

If you could feedback on that we'd be most greatful.

Congratulations by the way :)

2
micls•

Thanks :)

1
micls•

Reply:

Thank you for your email. Yes, Malarone is available at our clinic. It cost around 150 baht per pill. Possibly, you should make an appointment at least 2 days before visiting us.

Best regards Jutarmas O.,RN Thai Travel Clinic Hospital for Tropical Diseases Faculty of Tropical Medicine Mahidol University, Thailand

  • Available but not much/any cheaper than at home.
1
AngloItalianOP•

That's great, really helpful to know a rough price too.

We've just got a private prescription from the UK written out for us (from Italy), someone is just off to pick it up, we also called Superdrug & they've placed the order for us. After that, someone is going to UPS some marked as medical goods. Half the price of Italy, so fingers crossed.

1
trbngr•

Where in SE Asia are you going? Some regions have a really low risk of malaria... an malarone is quite expensive. If you really need it, buy it at home, then you know for sure what you're getting.

1
AngloItalianOP•

We're taking the Trans-Siberian through to China & from there plan on taking a trip south to Australia through as many places as possible, no time schedule as we've quit our jobs, sold everything etc.

Getting the first few months will be fine, it's just after that...

2
trbngr•

Damn, that's awesome. Good luck! :)

1
timbuktwo•

If you can take advantage of your work drug plans, that would be the cheapest way. Otherwise, there is some info here. Apparently it's not licensed for sale in Thailand. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1715924

1
timbuktwo•

I'd also recommend testing it before you leave. This may save you A LOT of money for something you don't necessarily need (given the region you're traveling it). Some people do have adverse reactions to it. Personally I did after about 5-7 days of taking it, and a few other people I spoke to as well, though the medical trials suggest only a very low % of people have side effects.

1
alan_sWandering the world but still call Australia home•

I took it with me on a trip through Thailand, Cambodia, India and Egypt in 2008 and realised that the doctor had miscalculated the number of days, so I needed more.

I was unable to buy it in any of those countries. Maybe I tried the wrong pharmacies. When I got to the UK they wanted me to see an expensive doctor for a prescription before they'd sell it to me; I was visiting Yucatan after that.

When my original dose ran out I took extra care with long sleeves and DEET instead. For my next trips I made sure to work out the right amount in advance.

1
AngloItalianOP•

I've been reading that the patent is restricted until 2014 so until then noone else can have a go at producing their own. Once that's done with, the price will come start to drift down & down & down.

1
alan_sWandering the world but still call Australia home•

I'm 65 and have interesting blood (leukaemia, diabetes and hypogammaglobulinemia) which is another way of saying "reduced immune system". That means I am theoretically more likely to catch nasty things as I travel. The odd thing is that so far, in wandering over 40 countries on my bucket list since that diagnosis, I have not. I also cannot have live virus inoculations such as Yellow Fever.

I took Malarone as I mentioned earlier, but that would not have helped against other mosquito vector diseases like YF or dengue. For that reason I have developed some standard habits in regions where that is a problem. These may seem over-the-top to some, but they work for me.

  • I make sure that there are no mosquitos in the rooms I stay in and demand insect spray from the proprietors if necessary.
  • I wear a hat, long-sleeved shirts and long trousers at dawn and dusk, with as little skin left exposed as is reasonably possible. My clothing is lightweight in the tropics, but not so light that mosquitos can drill through it.
  • After my morning shower I apply a light skin lotion as a base. Over that, if appropriate to the climate, I apply a sunblock. I finish with a light coating of 80% DEET to all exposed areas, including at least the face, back of the neck, ears and ankles. That strength of DEET is effective but can also cause skin problems; applying the skin lotion first allows more even spread of a thin layer and minimises the side effects.

That sounds like a lot of messing about, but it adds only five minutes to my morning routine and lets me wander mosquito regions with confidence.

1