Maybe I’m being paranoid and/or extra cautious, but I decided to switch to Malarone. I emailed back and forth with the nurse I’ll be traveling with, and she said that with the weird dreams I had last year, she didn’t like my chances with Lariam. I agree. The dreams weren’t intensely nightmarish, but they were crazy enough that I journaled about them…and I don’t do dream journals! =)
I got an appointment squeezed in this afternoon, and I’ll be going back up and getting the Malarone instead. I just want to say that I do not have any personal experience with Lariam and I do know plenty of people who have taken it and been fine…but in my case I would rather be safe than sleepless (or worse, based on what I read). I also want to say thank you to the people who commented on the previously related post…I am very sorry for what you have been dealing with, and I appreciate your advice to be safe rather than sorry.
Here’s to listening to those who know better and are wiser than I!
Hello,
My name is Kris Kvam and I heard about your post through the Lariam group. I'm glad you switched over to Malarone. I had taken Lariam when I was in Afghanistan but didn't realize the side effects of it until I was living in Africa. I had thought my symptoms were related to PTSD.
It was very interesting to hear about your dream side effects with Malarone. When I was living in Cameroon, some of my co-workers had problems too; I believe with their kidneys and liver. (I wasn't around when it happened) I am not mentioning this to scare you. But after talking with many people who have lived in Africa and other places with a risk of malaria, I have come to realize that all the prophylaxes can have side effects. I know some who have decided not to take pills at all. That is quite a risk considering that Malaria can be fatal. But given some of the lasting effects of different drugs, some think it is worth the risk.
To be honest, I don't think there is enough information out there about the malaria prophylaxis drugs for doctors to properly prescribe the correct one. Now that you know about the effects of Lariam, I hope you will be able to discuss it with other travellers you meet. Some of the more psychophysical and psychosomatic problems can be difficult to detect and understand. They can also be dismissed as the stresses of the environment by suffers and doctors alike. All these drugs need to be studied further.
I hope you have a great experience in Southern Sudan. From someone who just came back from a first trip to Africa, it is interesting what you find to be true and not true from what you thought it would be like. It's great that you will be going to a small village. You will have a range of experiences. It seems like you've had a great recommendation of books about Africa. I'd like to add my recommendation for Ryszard Kapuściński books and also Saviors and Survivors by Mahmood Mamdani. His knowledge of Darfur is exceptional and you might gets some insights about Southern Sudan as well.
Safe Travels and go with God,
Kris