Malaria medication how does it work

Drug Reasons that might make you consider using this drug Reasons that might make you avoid using this drug Doxycycline Adults: mg daily.

Some people prefer to take a daily medicine Good for last-minute travelers because the drug is started days before traveling to an area where malaria transmission occurs Tends to be the least expensive antimalarial Some people are already taking doxycycline chronically for prevention of acne.

In those instances, they do not have to take an additional medicine Doxycycline also can prevent some additional infections e.

Drug Reasons that might make you consider using this drug Reasons that might make you avoid using this drug Mefloquine Adults: mg base mg salt , weekly. Some people would rather take medicine weekly Good choice for long trips because it is taken only weekly Can be used during pregnancy Cannot be used in areas with mefloquine resistance Cannot be used in patients with certain psychiatric conditions Cannot be used in patients with a seizure disorder Not recommended for persons with cardiac conduction abnormalities Not a good choice for last-minute travelers because drug needs to be started at least 2 weeks prior to travel Some people would rather not take a weekly medication For trips of short duration, some people would rather not take medication for 4 weeks after travel.

Drug Reasons that might make you consider using this drug Reasons that might make you avoid using this drug Primaquine Adults: 30 mg base, daily Children: 0. Once a normal G6PD level is verified and documented, the test does not have to be repeated the next time primaquine is considered Cannot be used by pregnant women Cannot be used by women who are breastfeeding unless the infant has also been tested for G6PD deficiency Some people including children would rather not take a medicine every day Some people are concerned about the potential of getting an upset stomach from primaquine.

Drug Reasons that might make you consider using this drug Reasons that might make you avoid using this drug Tafenoquine Arakoda TM Adults only: mg per dose. Begin daily for 3 days prior to travel, weekly during travel, and for 1 week after leaving. One of the most effective drugs for prevention of P. Once a normal G6PD level is verified and documented, the test does not have to be repeated the next time tafenoquine is considered Cannot be used by children Cannot be used by pregnant women Cannot be used by women who are breastfeeding Not recommended in those with psychotic disorders.

To receive email updates about this page, enter your email address: Email Address. Malaria Notices. Malaria Hotline. Click here for contact information Contact Us. If your medication regime requires you to take it daily, take it at the same time each day.

For weekly regimes, take it on the same day each week. In the instance that you miss a dose, take it as soon as possible that day. For daily regimes, if you miss the dose completely for that day, skip the missed dose entirely and continue with your next dose.

Never take a double dose to make up for a missed dose. However, in the event that you need antimalarial medication at your destination, you should only purchase medication from a reputable pharmacy. Avoid buying medication from markets or unlicensed pharmacies, as medication may be fake or substandard. Unfortunately, fake antimalarial medications are common in many areas with risk of malaria. Malaria is a serious emergency. If you are in, or returned from, a malaria risk area and have flu-like symptoms , seek medical care immediately.

Make sure to tell your doctor you were in an area with malaria so they can consider it as a diagnosis. If malaria is left untreated or treatment is delayed, it can lead to severe complications including death.

Some adults who have lived in malaria-endemic regions throughout their lives develop partial immunity, but only for a short time. In fact, travellers with the highest risk of malaria infection are those who no longer live in a malaria-endemic country but return to a malarious region to visit their friends or family. Their immunity wanes while living in a malaria-free country because they are no longer exposed to malaria parasites. However, when travelling to a malarious area, they face the same level of risk as travellers who have never been exposed.

Previous malaria infection does not confer immunity so if you travel again to an area with malaria, preventive measures are necessary. Photo by Alexander Wild. Used under license. Travel Health Journal. Should I take antimalarial medication? How do I get a prescription for it? Because of this, drugs are often used in combination with each other to make sure the malaria parasite is removed from all areas of the body.

For example, primaquine can be used along with chloroquine to treat Plasmodium vivax. Combinations of drugs are also used to try to prevent the parasite from developing resistance to the individual drugs on their own. This is the strategy used in artemisinin combination therapy ACT , which uses an artemisinin-based drug plus one partner drug. ACT is currently the front-line treatment for Plasmodium falciparum malaria. If any parasites are left in the body after treatment, the disease may return.

For example, Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale are able to lie dormant and hidden in the liver even if the parasite has been cleared from the rest of the body. Partial immunity can be developed over years of exposure to the disease and although it never develops into full immunity it can reduce the severity of disease and risk of death from malaria. Most malaria deaths occur in young children under five years whose bodies have not had a chance to develop any immunity to the parasite.

Related Content:. What is malaria? Malaria Challenge. Malaria: An Introduction. What are infectious diseases? How helpful was this page? What's the main reason for your rating?