Antimalarial medication is used to prevent malaria and also to treat it.
If you have taken an antimalarial as a preventative measure, the same type of antimalarial should not be used to treat malaria. It is therefore important to tell the doctor treating you which antimalarial you have previously taken.
Preventative antimalarials
It is usually recommended you take antimalarial tablets if you are visiting an area where there is a malaria risk. Visit a specialist travel health clinic or your GP surgery to discuss your options.
The type of antimalarial tablets prescribed will be based on the following information you give:
- where you are going
- any relevant family medical history
- your medical history, including any allergies to medication that you have
- any medication that you are currently taking
- any problems that you have had with antimalarial medicines in the past
- your age
- whether you are pregnant
You may need to take a short trial course of antimalarial tablets before travelling. This is to check that you don't have an adverse reaction or side effects. If you do, alternative antimalarials can be prescribed before you leave.
Antimalarial treatment
If malaria is diagnosed and treated promptly, a full recovery can be expected. Treatment should be started as soon as your blood test confirms malaria.
The same antimalarial medicines used to prevent malaria can also be used to treat malaria. However, if you have taken an antimalarial as prevention, you should not take the same one to treat malaria. Tell the doctor treating you the name of the tablets that you took to prevent malaria.
The type of antimalarial medicine and how long you need to take it will depend on:
- the type of malaria you have
- where you caught malaria
- the severity of your symptoms
- whether you took preventative antimalarial tablets
- your age
- whether you are pregnant
Your doctor may recommend using a combination of different antimalarials to overcome strains of malaria that have become resistant to single types of medication.
Antimalarial medication is usually given as tablets or capsules. If someone is very ill, it will be given intravenously (through a drip into a vein in the arm) in hospital.
Treatment for malaria can leave you feeling very tired and weak for several weeks.
Types of antimalarial medication
Three types of antimalarials used to prevent and treat malaria are described below.
Atovaquone plus proguanil (also known as Malarone)
- Prevention: the adult dose is one adult-strength tablet a day. Child dosage is also once a day, but the amount depends on the child’s weight. It should be started just one or two days before your trip, taken every day that you are in a risk area and for seven days after you return.
- Recommendations: a lack of clear evidence means that this antimalarial should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women. It is also not recommended for people with severe kidney problems.
- Possible side effects: intestinal upset, headaches, skin rash and mouth ulcers.
- Other factors: it is more expensive than other antimalarials so may be more suitable for use on short trips.
Doxycycline (also known as Vibramycin-D)
- Prevention: the dose is 100mg daily as a tablet or capsule. You should start the tablets two days before you travel, take them all the time you are in a risk area and for four weeks after you return.
- Recommendations: not suitable for pregnant or breastfeeding women, children under the age of 12 (due to the risk of permanent tooth discolouration), people who are sensitive to tetracycline antibiotics or people with liver problems.
- Possible side effects: sunburn due to light sensitivity, stomach upset, heartburn and thrush. It should always be taken with food, preferably when standing or sitting. Doxycycline reduces the effectiveness of combined hormone contraceptives, such as the contraceptive pill or contraceptive patches.
- Other factors: if you take doxycycline for acne, it will also provide protection against malaria as long as you are taking an adequate dose (ask your GP). Doxycycline is relatively cheap.
Mefloquine (also known as Lariam)
- Prevention: the adult dose is one tablet weekly. Child dosage is also once a week but the amount will depend on the child’s weight. It should be started three weeks before you travel, taken all the time you are in a risk area and for four weeks after you get back.
- Recommendations: it is not recommended if you have epilepsy, seizures, depression or other mental health problems, or if a close relative has any of these conditions. It is not usually recommended for people with severe heart or liver problems.
- Possible side effects: dizziness, headache, sleep disturbances (insomnia and vivid dreams) and psychiatric reactions (anxiety, depression, panic attacks and hallucinations). It is very important to tell your doctor about any previous mental health problems, including mild depression. Do not take this medication if you have a seizure disorder.
- Other factors: if you have not taken mefloquine before, it is recommended that you do a three-week trial before you travel to see whether you develop any side effects.
Pregnancy
If you are pregnant, avoid travelling to areas of the world where there is a risk of malaria.
Pregnant women have an increased risk of developing severe malaria. There is also a greater risk that both the mother and their baby will experience complications if they get malaria.
If you are pregnant and unable to postpone or cancel your trip to an area where there is a malaria risk, it is very important that you take the right antimalarial medicine.
Some of the antimalarials used to prevent and treat malaria are unsuitable for pregnant women because they can cause side effects for the mother and her baby.
The list below outlines which medications are safe or unsafe to use while pregnant.
- Mefloquine (Larium) isn't usually prescribed during the first trimester of pregnancy (weeks 1-13), or if pregnancy is a possibility during the first three months after preventative antimalarial medication is stopped. This is a precaution even though there is no evidence to suggest that mefloquine is harmful to an unborn baby.
- Doxycycline is never recommended for pregnant or breastfeeding women because it could harm the baby.
- Atovaquone and proguanil (Malarone) are generally not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding because research into their effects is limited. However, if the risk of malaria is high, they may be recommended if there is no suitable alternative.
