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Most voted positive review

11 People found this comment helpful

I have traveled to Uganda, Africa seven times in the past four years and have taken Malarone on each of those trips. I start two days before I leave (per my doctor) and continue for seven days after I return, taking the tablet with breakfast each morning. My normal series is about eighteen tablets in all. I have not contracted malaria and have not had the side effects the other reviewers have n...

Most voted negative review

3 People found this comment helpful

I have been taking Malerone for more than a year and have not gotten malaria. I am worried about long term side effects though.

Shared reviews and ratings

SickofMalarone | 55-64 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
11/3/2023
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I want to start with my first experience taking Malarone came in November 2022. Three days into taking it I developed what I assumed was allergy symptoms: scratchy sore throat, stuffy nose, cough. It developed into full blown flu/covid like symptoms. And lasted for several months after I returned home. Returned to Africa in October, three days into trip and taking Malarone, the same thing started happening again. It was only then that I realized it was the drug, Malarone that was causing all my problems. I will never take this drug again. This time, I also felt weakened, dizzy, and had stuffy head, ears, and nose feeling. Ultimately, you end up feeling like you're having the worst flu of your life.Read More Read Less

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Beerpong1 | 45-54 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
5/13/2023
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Took Malarone on a holiday to Africa and for the prescribed 7 days later. Absolutely would NOT recommend this drug! OK, it works, I did not get malaria (or my email just didn't get bitten), but the side effects are horrendous! From a few days in started getting terrible stomach cramps and diarrhoea, on bad days about ten times. Loose stools actually turn watery and green after a while supposedly indicating poor absorption and bile not getting degraded? Dreams are extremely vivid when you can actually sleep. I was a child bed-wetter and due to the dreams, this happened again as an adult. Spent a few days absolutely incapacitated, weak, weak, lethargic and barely conscious. Migraine for several days straight. Sore mouth and weakness from extreme dehydration (try your best to take rehydration drinks etc!). Sensitivity to sun (was almost blind!), and could feel skin burning very quickly. Read More Read Less

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Annoyedlol | 19-24 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
4/17/2023
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Ruined my holiday! Side effects included upset stomach (nausea and diarrhoea), fatigue, indigestion, dizziness.

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Malarone | 55-64 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
2/10/2023
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have travelled to areas with malaria over 10 times in the past 10 years. Each time I have used Malarone to prevent malaria. I have never contracted malaria. The only side effect I had was vivid and sometimes wild dreams.

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MollyAnne | 35-44 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Caregiver
10/7/2022
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have traveled to Kenya four times, then Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. The first time went to Kenya I took Larium. It was a terrible experience. But gave me clinical depression. So the consecutive times I took Malarone. Twice coming home from Kenya I still had negative side effects after getting off of it, which were suicidal thoughts. Did not have to take it in Rwanda. Yay. I just recently came back from Uganda and once again, Anxiety, depression, and intense suicidal thoughts. I have never seen any of this on a warning label or in the side effects. Either stop being a missionary or die of unnatural causes. No. I am never taking this drug again.Read More Read Less

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Kristen | 55-64 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
8/1/2022
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 1.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I was prescribed Malarone for Malaria prophylaxis for a 10-day trip to Central and Western Kenya. I had to discontinue after 5 days due to intolerable side effects (uncontrollable diarrhea and stomach cramping). One is told to take the Malarone with a large meal to reduce side effects. The truth is that you need to take Malarone with a *fatty* meal, which is not the same thing as a large meal. For most people, it doesn’t make much difference. However, I am fat intolerant due to another condition and am perpetually on an extremely low fat diet. The result for me was that I could not digest this medication at all, had intolerable side effects (with much pain and some very embarrassing situations). I stopped it when I realized I probably wasn’t really absorbing the medication since it is fat soluble. Sad that my travel doctor didn’t pick this up before prescribing me the med. Should have been on Doxy. I am now home and hoping I haven’t picked up Malaria. Read More Read Less

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Winston | 35-44 | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
5/18/2020
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 5.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took this drug for many trips to Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands. The trips varied from one week up to four weeks. I never experienced any side effects and took this drug for a total of around 6 months over a 3 year period. [I tried an alternative anti-malarial when I ran out of Malarone on one trip - hydroxycloroquine - and had continuous stomach upsets and diarrhoea.]

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Jane | 35-44 | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
5/30/2019
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took Malarone for 10 days to prevent malaria while in a malaria zone in Africa. The side effects started off quite mild with a mild stomach pain and possibly slight depression. However, after 7 days of taking the medication I had the runs for three days and was suffering from anxiety attacks, depression and suicidal thoughts. I stopped taking the medication before the end of the course and will never touch it again. Since then I've been feeling lethargic and depressed and my stomach is still not 100% back to normal. I found this review page by searching for information about how long after stopping Malarone the side effects go away. I haven't found that information yet, but it looks like a lot of people are looking for it. Draw your own conclusions. Next time I'm just going to cover myself in DEET like I did anyway and not take any pills.Read More Read Less

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AHays24 | 25-34 | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
10/17/2017
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 4.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I am a 33-year-old female, and I took this drug while traveling to two countries in Africa for about three weeks in July 2016. I was pleased to not suffer any side effects while taking the drug, but as soon as I stopped taking it, I noticed immediate side effects right away. I took two days off when I got home to sleep off the jet lag and get adjusted, so I was groggy. But when I returned to work on the third day I couldn't remember quite a few of my co-workers names...people I'd worked with for a year. It took me several weeks to get everyone's name back so I could recall it quickly. When speaking even now (three months later), I often have trouble recalling the vocabulary word I'm looking for, and this only happened very rarely before. The worst side effect of all, I think, is that it's effected my short-term memory. I have a hard time remembering events that have happened a few days before. It's like some things just don't "stick" in my memory. Last week a colleague asked me for something concerning an event that we both attended a week before that, and my mind went completely blank. She told me I was at the event, and honestly, a tiny remnant of it came back, but I don't really remember being there. Not truly. Sometimes I can't remember a story or task I've told to a friend or colleague. Anyway, this is all pretty scary for a 33-year-old who was pretty quick-witted before and was in a Masters degree program just months ago. Worse, I'm to return to Africa in a few weeks and I'm just praying more Malerone won't make my condition worse or cause lasting damage. Read More Read Less

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JeaFel | 55-64 | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
8/5/2017
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took Malarone for 7 days and got severe diarrhea 4 days into my trip to Tanzania. The lodge doctor said it was the malarone and had me stop that and take massive doses of imodium, which I had to take the remainder of my trip and a few days after returning home. I've been off Malarone for 24 days and still have loose stool every morning.

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Anonymous | 25-34 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
2/29/2016
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 1.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took this drug for about 4-5 days in India before discontinuing due to side effects. My side effects included: 1. Depression and anxiety 2. Social detachment, inability to connect with others 3. Swelling, swimming feeling of the fluid in my eyes 4. A sense that people were speaking to me down a well, from far away 5. Dizziness, vertigo, swaying while standing still, trouble using stairs 6. Nasty chemical taste in my nasal passages 7. Frightening nightmarish sleep with no memory of the nightmares themselves, only anxiety and depression after waking from them 8. Intellectual fog, inability to process thoughts or communicate them very well Most of my 14 travel mates also took this medication and did not report any side effects. I just got lucky. The side effects vanished within 24 hours of ceasing the medication.Read More Read Less

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Deborah | 55-64 | Female | Patient
8/9/2015
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

My stool turned green having taken the drug for just 2 days. I don't know what this means.

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LeeuPiet | 35-44 | Male | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
6/18/2015
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Brain Fog symptoms started during use for about two weeks and continued after taking malanil (Malarone)

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Anonymous | 19-24 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
2/6/2015
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 2.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I personally have used malarone before and have not had any major problems with it. However, my boyfriend took it for the first time today and he almost passed out in a museum. He was well hydrated and fed so we were almost positive it was from the medication. He kept getting pale and lightheaded and his vision would go in an out. This happened for about an hour before he fell asleep. He will not be continuing this medication.

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grrrr | 3-6 | Female | On medication for 1 to less than 2 years | Caregiver
1/17/2015
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Been in DRC for 18 months - 3 year old taking malarone for this time. She still got malaria. We are sooooo careful with avoiding bites - but ultimately malarone didn't prevent malaria. Maybe it reduced the seriousness - who knows? Plenty of anecdotal evidence of expats on malarone getting malaria. What's the point? We are risking the side effects when its so easy to get a test at the first sign of fever and malaria is easy to treat if caught early. Daughter has reduced appetite and some skin problems which I'm now wondering may be malarone. Have heard lots of stories of rashes including a friend who was evacuated it was so bad. Worried now about potential neurological effects too. There have been no studies on long term use beyond a small study of a few hundred people for a month. There is evidence of harm on animals published by GSK (the manufacturers) even with only slightly larger doses per kg than normal prophylactic doses and over fairly short periods of time. No studies on efficacy on under 40kgs either. UK hasn't licensed it for more than 28days use. France doesn't recommend long term use. Have stopped giving it to my daughter.Read More Read Less

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travelbug248 | 19-24 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
12/17/2014
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.0
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I broke out with severe hives that covered my entire body (literally, head to toe), got very sunburnt (even when frequently applying SPF 30), and generally felt ill after 4 days of taking the medication. I went to the hospital where I was tested for liver & kidney damage (came back fine) and was instructed to cease taking Malarone as it was doing more harm than good. I was staying on a game reserve in South Africa where there have only been 2 cases of Malaria in 5 years. This medicine really messed up my body and I wouldn't recommend it unless you absolutely have to take it in a high-risk zone. I'm hardly allergic to anything that I know of, so my severe allergic reaction to this medication was a shock. If you break out in hives, see a doctor immediately. Read More Read Less

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Anonymous | 55-64 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
11/12/2013
Condition: Other
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have a fine rash over parts of torso and upper arms which is very itchy. Assuming side effect of malarone. Rash began on day 5 of treatment.

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Lynn | On medication for 1 to 6 months | Patient
10/23/2013
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 3.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

Weight gain, disorientation, nightmares

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velvatine | 35-44 | Female | On medication for less than 1 month | Patient
9/17/2013
Condition: Other
Overall rating 3.7
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I took this for 1 day prior to my trip to the Dominican Republic and for 5 nights while there and 7 days after as per advisory from the CDC. I have had the worse reactions from being dizzy, nauseated, abdominal cramps, muscles cramping and soreness, diarrhea, nightmares (never had a nightmare like these in my life), flu symptoms. the flu-like symptoms may be from getting a uri but not sure and doctor said symptoms of each are same so they are unsure either. All of the other symptoms are definitely due to the malarone. I also had severe weakness and anxiety attacks. I feel like I was poisoned. Oh on top of all of it...I felt anger/mood changes. I will opt for vacations in non-malaria areas from hence forth or maybe try to find something else (chloroquine was much worse by the way...I switched from it to the malarone) Read More Read Less

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MichaelG | 45-54 | Male | On medication for 5 to less than 10 years | Patient
8/22/2013
Condition: Prevention of Falciparum Malaria
Overall rating 4.3
Effectiveness
Ease of Use
Satisfaction

I have lived in West Africa for 7 years now. My company requires me to take Malarone or be sent home. I have had the normal side effects like mouth cold sores and some stomach umpset but none beyond that. Those that come to Africa for the first time should be careful when attributing diarrhea to the malarone... Most likely would have gotten the diarrhea either way... We have 400 expats working and living together and we compare symptoms and issues... very rarely do we see reactions as described by some of the other reviewers... Follow the direction... take plenty of water and 99.5% of the time you should be OK... Only concern we have is the long term effects on the liver. Read More Read Less

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