Malaria Pills

[PecositaPri]

I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in India next month and need to get malaria pills before going. Does anyone know how easily they are to get here or if only certain physicians or pharmacies carry them? Thanks for any advice!

 

[elhombresinnombre]

I'm going to be visiting my boyfriend in India next month and need to get malaria pills before going. Does anyone know how easily they are to get here or if only certain physicians or pharmacies carry them? Thanks for any advice!

I bought Mefloquine from the farmacia at Av. Las Heras 2699 in Recoleta. The till receipt tells me they are Farmacia Nueva San Agustin SRL; the bag tells me they are part of a chain, TKL. I can't remember what it said over the door
By the way: antimalarials are generally cheaper in Buenos Aires than they are in the UK but they are a lot cheaper to buy where the disease occurs. Buy the antimalarials you will need for your next trip while you are still out there on this trip.

 

[Fishface]

do some research into types and the side effects of the malaria pills...there is one type that made me a sick as a dog - really awful. I went to Shimla to avoid the mosquitos and had a rest from taking the pills.

 

[syngirl]

If you cannot buy the pills specific to the strain in India, do not buy them. Wait until you are there. I would read all the information on the World Health Organization site and then decide what tactic you want to take. If you take the pills, make sure to take the right ones (have I repeated myself enough, haha).

According to WHO:
For India:Recommended prevention: III. In the listed higher risk areas: IV

Global Malaria Programme - Type of malaria risk and recommended prevention methods tells you what the iii and iv mean

WHO | India
tells you the areas

For the pills themselves you should be able to get them from a Vacunar centre -- the one I know of offhand is on Luis Maria Campos a couple of blocks from Solar de la Abadia and across from that Military complex.

 

[Dudester]

Do you really need them? If your BF lives in a big Indian city I doubt it. I've been to India 3 times and never took them. I ONLY take them when I go to sub sahara Africa. West, Central, East, and parts of South are the worst area's in the world IMHO. I don't even worry about Asia or Brazil (Amazon) - there is Malaria there but the most important thing is big cities vs rural and amount of time spent. If one joins the Peace Corp and spends half a year in rural India THEN I would take them - 2 weeks in Delhi and Agra? No Way.... (this is just what I do, I'm not a Dr. but have done plenty of reading on this - Watch out for Lariam - that is some nasty medication, a lot of bad reports) it's a balancing act so it's up to you.... there's other things you can do of course......

Lariam Action USA - LariamInfo I would read this.........

 

[tangobob]

I agree with dudster, The first time I came to BsAs my wife went to the doctors first she had injections for Yellow Fever Hepetitus (b & c ) malaria and probably others I have forgotten about. Despite her nagging I did not. Ha I'm still alive.