Which Antimalarials Should I Take Before Travelling Abroad?

Malaria is a disease spread by infected mosquitoes. The mosquitoes are primarily found in tropical and subtropical regions and are usually infected by parasites. Malaria is accompanied by unpleasant symptoms, such as sweating, headaches, vomiting, chills, and diarrhoea. If left untreated, malaria can be fatal. However, you can protect yourself from the disease by taking antimalarial tablets before travelling to countries where it’s widespread. Keep reading to learn more about antimalarials in Glenrothes, Fife.

Fortunately, taking malaria tablets can protect you from malaria. Check if the country you plan to travel to has malaria if you intend on a trip abroad. For optimum protection, you should take malaria tablets before, during, and after your planned trip.

Symptoms of malaria

Sometimes it’s difficult to spot malaria. The symptoms include:

• A high temperature
• Sweats
• Chills
• Headaches
• Feeling confused
• Feeling sleepy and very tired (especially in children)
• Being sick
• Tummy pain
• Diarrhoea
• Loss of appetite
• Muscle pains
• Yellow skin/ Whites of the eyes
• A sore throat
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing

It usually takes 7 to 18 days for your symptoms to appear after you have been bitten by a mosquito that’s infected.

In some cases, however, you may not experience symptoms for months or even years after traveling in rare cases.

What are antimalarials in Glenrothes, Fife?

Malaria prevention tablets help your body fight off the parasite that causes the disease. When you’re bitten by an infected mosquito, this parasite enters your body.

In order to ensure maximum protection, you must take malaria tablets while still adhering to other measures, such as avoiding mosquito bites. When they are not taken as prescribed, their effectiveness is greatly reduced.

Malaria tablets are usually available only on prescription. You can still order them from Cadham Pharmacy without having to visit your doctor.

How do you prevent malaria?

The treatment and prevention of malaria can be provided by antimalarial medication. When travelling to malaria-infested regions, you should consider taking these tablets first. Getting advice at the last minute is possible, but you should do so at least four to six weeks before your travel.

The pharmacist may prescribe antimalarial tablets to minimise your risk of malaria and explain how to prevent mosquito bites.

Antimalarial tablets can significantly minimise the risks of you contracting malaria by about 90%.

To determine the type of antimalarial tablet to prescribe, a pharmacist usually needs to know the following information:

• Your destination
• Your age
• Any relevant medical history regarding your family
• Your medical history, like any allergies to medicines
• Any medication you’re currently taking
• Your pregnancy status
• Any problems you’ve had with antimalarial medications before

Before travelling, you may need to take an antimalarial trial course. There is usually a short course to see if you have any side effects or adverse reactions. Travellers who have experienced serious side effects should be given antimalarials before departing.

Find out more about our travel clinic services here:

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How are antimalarials in Glenrothes, Fife taken?

Antimalarial tablets should be taken as directed by your pharmacist before entering a malaria-risk area.

There are some tablets you should start a few days before your trip, whilst others should be taken a week before. This means that as soon as you arrive in the country, you will have enough antimalarial medication in your body to prevent infection.

Missing tablets can lead to malaria infection. Take the tablets regularly and as directed.
It’s vital that you complete the entire course of tablets even if you have returned from the malaria-infested area. If you stop taking malaria tablets early, even when you aren’t in a place where malaria is prevalent, you can still develop malaria if you have already acquired the parasites.

Which antimalarials in Glenrothes, Fife are the best?

The commonly used antimalarial drugs include:

• Chloroquine phosphate. Chloroquine is considered the best treatment for parasites that are sensitive to the drug.
• Artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs). ACT is a blend of 2 or more medicines that work to fight off the malaria parasite in various ways.
• Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone)
• Primaquine phosphate
• Qualaquin (Quinine sulfate) with doxycycline (Vibramycin, Oracea)

In the UK, you can only get antimalarial tablets through a prescription, except for:

• Atovaquone/proguanil which can be purchased from your pharmacy (with restrictions).
• Chloroquine and/or proguanil – you can also buy this from your local pharmacy.

If you are not sure which antimalarial is right for you or your family, speak to one of our pharmacists.

How do you treat malaria?

With proper medication, malaria can be treated quickly and you have a high chance of recovering fully. Once your blood test indicates that you have the disease, you should begin treatment as soon as possible.

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This blog post was written on behalf of Cadham Pharmacy by Pharmacy Mentor.