BootsnAll Travel Community

I recently went to my local pharmacist to buy Malaria pills and cipro, and the total price was in the neighborhood of $500.....Does anyone know how easy it is to pick these up in South America, and how cheap they would be in comparison to purchasing them in the U.S.???

Thanks

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Yes, you can buy both malaria drugs and cipro while traveling in most destinations. Since the developing world, in parts, are invested with people who need malaria medication, then you can usually purchase it over the counter. I did that while traveling in Africa and it saved me tons of money.

Also, in some places, it's really easy to treat malaria and is often better to not take medication, deal with the side-effects, and then just treat it if you get it. It's a fraction of the cost.

I disagree entirely! Take responsible malaria prophylaxis, check out the NIH traveller's advise on this. As far as antibiotics are concerned, they are not to be taken routinely - only if you have a bacterial infection. And yes, you can buy them over the counter in many countries, but not necessarily cipro - why would you want to take cipro anyway? Before popping antibiotics, I should see a doctor if at all possible. If you end up taking them, make sure that you finish the course even though you start feeling better, it doesn't mean the bugs are gone yet!
But malaria is another matter. It can lay you out flat. I always take malaria pills on trips, ever since my first trip across Africa back in '84 (and I caught it anyway, but at least it was mild).Saying that, I avoid the likes of Lariam as side-effects can be severe.
Really, anyone setting out on a big trip should check out health advise. Please do, there are many good sites on-line and if you are at college there is usually free/cheap guidance available.

It all depends where you are going... and weighing the risks. You can buy meds abroad easily shoudl you decide to take them as prevention or a remedy. DOn't stress it.

PC

Check out my new RTW blog:
http://blogs.bootsnall.com/claudia

I don't know where you're going but for what its worth I lived in South East Asia for 18 years, did a fair bit of travelling to rural areas and never once caught malaria. And although I never had to, you can definitely buy anti-malaria pills over the counter cheaply (but I agree with donovan, I personally would prefer not to take any and deal with the consequences as it is easily treatable and although its horrible while it lasts, its unlikely to do anything permanent to you.)

Donovan,

quote:

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Also, in some places, it's really easy to treat malaria and is often better to not take medication, deal with the side-effects, and then just treat it if you get it. It's a fraction of the cost.

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You have to be joking right?

I cant believe you, of all people, offer this advice - its the most insane thing I have heard since the GHG invited her mother over for the summer....

Philip

www.philipblazdell.com

Philip - I am not joking, it's personal preference. And I didn't articulate my last statement correctly. The ultimate goal is to never get it in the first place. This is how you have to operate everyday, all day, and most often it's a royal pain in the butt.

However, if you can recognize the warning signs of malaria then you can always catch it before it becomes a major problem. Most people (unfortunately Africans) die from malaria by having it for an extremely long periods of time and never treating it, not by just a mild case of it.

Most of the aid works I know who live and work all over Africa, treat it when it happens. In almost two years of being in Africa, I got malaria once (but I was always cautious every day - repelant, mosquito nets) and it cost me $2 to treat. If I would have purchased western-based anti malaria drugs, like the person who posted above, I would to have taken out a house mortgage.

I don't want to debate it, it's just how it works for me and many others that I know. I have done both methods and, for me, I don't like trippy dreams and being paranoid for weeks on end.

To be on the political safe side for Bootsnall, I don't recommend this method.

[This message was edited by Donovan on 11 June 2004 at 8:31.]

When we were travelling in Zimbabwe the medications that we had been given and was recommended by doctors here in Canada was actually a cure for malaria, and was not prevention. Upon our return we were told that was the case for most, if not all malaria medication. The pills we were taken were these huge, white things. Check with your doctor and find out if you're getting a prevention, or a cure before shelling out money. Thanks to our drug plan we didn't have to pay anything for the medication, but I know that generally isn't the case in the United States. Things may have changed since then (this was in 1995), but it may be something worth double checking. It wouldn't hurt to ask.

______________________________
"Never for me the lowered banner, never the last endeavour." -- Sir Ernest Shackleton

To be honest, from the research I've done, Donovan's advice is pretty sound. Double check the area you're travelling to, what the risk is, and what strains are out here, then make your own informed decision. Sometimes, the side effects to the drug are worse than the disease itself!

And just to reiterate his point, destinations where malaria is a risk have doctors that can identify the disease and have prescription drugs available at a fraction of the cost.

Donovan posted:

"I don't like trippy dreams and being paranoid for weeks on end."

That's my life, in a nutshell.