Hey guys just wondering if anyone who has used this has had any bad experiences with it....as im planning on using this when I go to thailand ... Just wondering if it will make me feel sick or anything?

Hi

Are you just going to Thailand, or are you going to Laos/Vietnam/Cambodia as well? Because if you're only staying in Thailand then doxycycline is not necessary; there are no major issues with malaria in Thailand apart from at the border areas (with Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia etc).

I took doxy in SE Asia when I travelled through Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia and the only side effect I suffered from was in the latter stages of taking it I got heartburn. I think this was due to me not being religious about taking it on a full stomach after a meal; if you have it when your stomach is not full then it can irritate your stomach lining.

The other commonly-reported side effect (there are others less common) is that is makes your skin more sensitive to sun. I didn't find this myself but of course try to slap on the sunblock as much as possible to avoid burning anyway.

IMHO doxy is the best anti-malarial for SE Asia, despite these side effects and despite the fact you have to take it every day. Just be sure to take it before you reach the malarial area for the allotted time and also take it afterwards during the possible incubation period, take it regularly when you have a full stomach, and you should be fine. Couple it with covering up at dusk/dawn when the biters are most active (they love to chew on ankles/elbows!) and you should be all set to avoid malaria AND itchy bites

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Thanks for your reply mate, im going to phuket, chiang mai, chiang rai , bangkok and back to phuket. i just wanted to take it as precaution as i may decide to go to other places, i have a friend in phuket and she managed to get milaria there, so im goin with better to be safe then sorry, i got a friend using it now as i found out today and she has been taking it for 2 weeks and say she feels Dizzy and off balance ... so ill give it a go and see whaat happens i guess

Your friend must've been extremely unlucky to catch malaria in Phuket; it's almost unheard of. Had she been to any malarial areas in the previous weeks/months? It's far more likely she was infected elsewhere and it incubated and came out when she was back in Phuket.

Most medications have a plethora of side effects that affect different people in different ways. I've listed the two most common side effects for doxycycline but I guess it's also possible that your friend's dizziness is also a side effect of taking it. The best way is for you to try it yourself (you'll need to take it for a week or so before you actually reach Thailand) and see how it pans out for you. Remember to always take it on a full stomach to lessen the damage to your stomach lining.

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Advice from the British NHS at Fit For Travel

"Risk is present in forested and hilly areas mainly towards the international borders, all year round. There is low to no risk in the cities of Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Pattay and Phuket, the islands of Ko Samui and Ko Chang and the River Quai bridge area."

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oh ok doctor said 1 day before i leave then every day while there then 4 weeks after i get back??? , im also not sure if my friend from phuket was in a infected area

Ah, 1 day before, I see. I took it six years ago so trust your doctor, not me!

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Here's some more advice from the NHS's Fit For Travel site:

- Consider a trial course before departure, if you are using this regime for the first time, to detect if you are likely to get side effects (e.g. for one week). Otherwise doxycycline need only be started just before exposure (e.g. 2 days), continued through exposure and for 4 weeks afterwards.

- Erythema (sunburn) due to sunlight sensitivity can occur. Use of sunscreens is especially important and if severe, alternative prophylaxis should be used.

- Heartburn is common so the capsule should be taken with a full glass of water and preferably while standing upright.

- Occasionally anorexia, nausea, diarrhoea, candida infection and sore tongue (glossitis) have been reported and rarely hepatitis, colitis and blood dyscrasias.

Don't sweat it though - not to be too macabre, but you're far more likely to be run over or fall off a motorbike than be zapped by malaria in Phuket!

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well ive bought all the meds now :( you think i should take them or not?

Yes - since you have them you may as well take them I reckon! At least you will be covered up in Chiang Rai which is a bit nearer Laos and therefore slightly more of a risk.

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