![Challenge Entry: Fluffy Disasters [challenge entry]](/images/board_posticon_c.gif)
From the Fluffy Disasters challenge. See all 329 entries (closed)
( , Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:30, archived)

I'm going to be in Vietnam for a month or so in August... my doctor tells me I'll probably need Malaria tablets... a couple of friends have said that they're a waste of money and they send you mad anyway... any thoughts?
many many thanks lovely internet bots
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:39,
archived)
many many thanks lovely internet bots

*goes to look it up*
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:41,
archived)

Your Doctor is probably the one to trust on this.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:41,
archived)

but I didn't want to needlessly give away money for things which will make me feel shit... especially because we're going to be in a low malaria risk area (coat and cities)
... but Malaria is for life and it's pretty shit so I hear.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:43,
archived)
... but Malaria is for life and it's pretty shit so I hear.

Not too seriously, but apparently it can come back at any time. Like I said, I had no ill effects from the pills, and I was about 12 at the time.
Generally, your Doctor will have more idea on health issues than your friends. They'll tell you about side effects too.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:46,
archived)
Generally, your Doctor will have more idea on health issues than your friends. They'll tell you about side effects too.

B3ta can't miss you.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50,
archived)

Malaria is still the biggest killer in the world today and is very, very easy to catch.
See what you can buy on the internet from reputable companies before being fleeced by your local chemist.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56,
archived)
See what you can buy on the internet from reputable companies before being fleeced by your local chemist.

and some have stronger side-effects than others (and are more/less expensive)
so this might account for the difference of opinions of doctors/friends.
I suggest doing some google-research to see what the situation is :)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58,
archived)
so this might account for the difference of opinions of doctors/friends.
I suggest doing some google-research to see what the situation is :)

FIGHT!
(you are right...mostly. Doctors are better qualified than random internet sources, but they are not /always/ right.)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:05,
archived)
(you are right...mostly. Doctors are better qualified than random internet sources, but they are not /always/ right.)

But it's when people take things like random internet sources over their Doctor's word that things like the MMR episode happen.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:07,
archived)

Doctors are not gods, and the tapping the opinions of multiple hyper-critical skeptical nerds is a good source of theories and questions, if not answers.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:08,
archived)

If I had to choose one, I'd go with the trained professional though.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:11,
archived)

Nice to see a good old fashioned ghost movie that just uses psychological games instead of cgi bollocks.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:55,
archived)

Mind you, when you live in a dark old Victorian house that keeps making strange noises for no reason, stuff like that tends to be scarier...
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:57,
archived)

well, Georgian. I stay awake thinking it's burglars.
I also have a cemetary across the road. Probably not the best place for Mrs Doom to visit at nighttime, my house. :D
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59,
archived)
I also have a cemetary across the road. Probably not the best place for Mrs Doom to visit at nighttime, my house. :D

THE ENFIELD POLTERGEIST!!!!
And once had a prolonged session of midnight door rattling to jangle our nerves.
Turns out it was a kid delivering pizza flyers who'd got stuck in the porch.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:01,
archived)
And once had a prolonged session of midnight door rattling to jangle our nerves.
Turns out it was a kid delivering pizza flyers who'd got stuck in the porch.

the lad's face when a large hairy man with nowt but pants and a spear opened the door on him was the very definition of terror.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:08,
archived)

I'd go with Malarone. They are very effective and have nothing like the evil side-effects of doxycyclin etc, though they're not cheap. Definitely better than malaria though
*EDIT* also make sure you have plenty of mossie-repellent. I found one based on eucalyptus oil very effective and it doesn't melt clothes like deet
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:42,
archived)
*EDIT* also make sure you have plenty of mossie-repellent. I found one based on eucalyptus oil very effective and it doesn't melt clothes like deet

don't take it personally
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:47,
archived)

Worked fine for me, also experienced no side effects. Recommended by my Doctor and my father (who is also a GP).
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:51,
archived)

The way my fingers felt every time I used it (even after washing them thoroughly) told me quite enough. It also ruined a couple of clothing items.

very nasty. The eucalyptus stuff smells better too. Citronella is pish though
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58,
archived)

couple of bits of bread per day with marmite on, you're sorted.
Edit: Internally applied, of course ;-)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:54,
archived)
Edit: Internally applied, of course ;-)

"Recently, a new type of antimalarial drug has also been available which is very effective since no mosquito populations have already generated resistance due to exposure. The new drug is called Atovaquone. Also, the drug has no side-effects" ( = Malarone)
Vs.
"Mefloquine may have severe and permanent adverse side-effects. It is known to cause severe depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression, nightmares, insomnia, seizures, birth defects, peripheral motor-sensory neuropathy,[2] vestibular (balance) damage and central nervous system problems." ( = Larium)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:59,
archived)
Vs.
"Mefloquine may have severe and permanent adverse side-effects. It is known to cause severe depression, anxiety, paranoia, aggression, nightmares, insomnia, seizures, birth defects, peripheral motor-sensory neuropathy,[2] vestibular (balance) damage and central nervous system problems." ( = Larium)

I don't quite know what that is, but it sounds very bad.
like the effects of leprosy, or something.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:03,
archived)
like the effects of leprosy, or something.

and painful and in bad cases can end up in amputation. My father has it in relation to his diabetes.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09,
archived)

but I suspect it means people started falling over a lot, and couldn't speak properly or pick things up. Sounds like being drunk, in fact. Except peripheral would mean it doesn't affect the brain. So like being drunk without the euphoria.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:13,
archived)

having permanent, painful pins and needles my father says but in very bad cases, like in Hanson's disease it is very easy for sufferers to damage the extremities ( my father is not even allowed to cut his own nails ( not that he could reach his toes ) for fear of damaging them) and in cases where people don't look after themselves to well before you know it you have gangrene in your limbs.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:16,
archived)

You might think that eventually you could learn to ignore it, like start thinking "this is just an erroneous nerve signal I've been getting for years now and I'm no longer going to let it bother me," but no.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:30,
archived)


last summer, no one took any malaria tablets and we're all still alive (7 of us)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:44,
archived)

I did two tours (holidays) in Vietnam, and the second time didn't take any, the side effects are horrendous.
Stay away from the Central Highlands and farms (doh!) and you're in no danger.
Side effects like: "Best if you keep out of the sun" - said the lovely BA Travel health woman.
Oh, and copious vomiting.
Edit Edit: get the swine fever jab, though. That's a must.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:45,
archived)
Stay away from the Central Highlands and farms (doh!) and you're in no danger.
Side effects like: "Best if you keep out of the sun" - said the lovely BA Travel health woman.
Oh, and copious vomiting.
Edit Edit: get the swine fever jab, though. That's a must.

thanks
I will be hitting you up for advice about things to do now I hope you realise.
anyway - off to the docs.
see you all soon
:)
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:49,
archived)
I will be hitting you up for advice about things to do now I hope you realise.
anyway - off to the docs.
see you all soon
:)

Larium (mefloquine) as the psychological side-effects can be grim.
I have taken:
- Malarone with no problems at all - a little bit pricey, but that's all.
- Chloroquine, unfortunately useless in some areas because of resistance, but i had no problems with it except when i forgot and took it on an empty stomach (nausea)
Doxycycline can be a pain - malaria occurs in tropical areas so lets have a drug with a major side-effect of UV sensitivity. DOH.
Repellent a must - DEET can rot plastic but does work; just don't put the 60% shit on your skin. It burns. Not sure about "natural" repellants. Having a shit old hat that you can nail with DEET is a good way of getting rid of the buggers from round your ears. Saved my sanity in an Indian train station!
Er...sorry for the essay.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:09,
archived)
I have taken:
- Malarone with no problems at all - a little bit pricey, but that's all.
- Chloroquine, unfortunately useless in some areas because of resistance, but i had no problems with it except when i forgot and took it on an empty stomach (nausea)
Doxycycline can be a pain - malaria occurs in tropical areas so lets have a drug with a major side-effect of UV sensitivity. DOH.
Repellent a must - DEET can rot plastic but does work; just don't put the 60% shit on your skin. It burns. Not sure about "natural" repellants. Having a shit old hat that you can nail with DEET is a good way of getting rid of the buggers from round your ears. Saved my sanity in an Indian train station!
Er...sorry for the essay.

I had a bit of a weird episode on that one - I had a paranoid moment in a hotel room in Vietnam, staring at the ceiling fan like Martin Sheen in 'Apocalypse Now'.
Avoid that stuff.
If you're not going 'up-country', and are just sticking to larger cities, I wouldn't bother with anything, but it's your choice.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:48,
archived)
Avoid that stuff.
If you're not going 'up-country', and are just sticking to larger cities, I wouldn't bother with anything, but it's your choice.

I don't think it's prescribed much any more, thank god...
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:52,
archived)

it's just rude!
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:56,
archived)

Especially when the Boots in Bangkok has them for about a tenth of the price...
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58,
archived)

of mentalness....avoid it like the plague...loads of cases in the US where soldiers went mental and killed their wives etc after it...google it
Think i took Malarone, had one day feeling a little queasy, but no big deal, and after that it was fine. Do take something though, malaria is not nice
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:00,
archived)
Think i took Malarone, had one day feeling a little queasy, but no big deal, and after that it was fine. Do take something though, malaria is not nice

got given a curative dose of Larium after getting malaria. He reckons the only reason he didn't end up in an asylum was because he had past experience of LSD, and could control it to an extent. Or at least realise it was the drugs that were doing it, not that reality had gone a bit screwy. Imagine a 3-month-long trip. Yikes. He was a bit of a mental to live with.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:16,
archived)

also: there are a couple of different kinds of malaria tablets. Best follow the doctor's advice though.

and is pretty old school anyway. If you can afford to get malarone - best protection with no madness.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:02,
archived)

Any comment that says "blah blah anti-malarial" without saying WHICH ONE is next to useless :-(
My recollection is that, for places you are likely to go, there are four main ones. In chronological order of invention:
1. Quinine, Chloroquine, Proguanil, etc,
2. Doxycycline;
3. Mefloquine (TM: "Lariam");
4. Malarone.
Group 1 is pretty much useless now, for most (all?) areas. The buggers are immune to it.
Group 2 may be enough in some places. Doxycycline is an antibiotic that also kills malaria. Not too bad to take.
Group 3 AWOOGA!!! Lots of people report getting nightmarish hallucinations with this. Recommend: don't take it, but do seek an alternative.
Group 4 Malarone: works great, but very expensive.
Frankly, you really don't want malaria. It's a right bastard. Malarone is fine to take, so if your wallet can stand it, surely that's better than running a hard-to-quantify risk of causing yourself a lifetime of hard-to-predict ill-health?
Worth getting professional advice -- we might all be worng :-)
Edit: and apols to SirJon for prolonging the TJ.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:03,
archived)
My recollection is that, for places you are likely to go, there are four main ones. In chronological order of invention:
1. Quinine, Chloroquine, Proguanil, etc,
2. Doxycycline;
3. Mefloquine (TM: "Lariam");
4. Malarone.
Group 1 is pretty much useless now, for most (all?) areas. The buggers are immune to it.
Group 2 may be enough in some places. Doxycycline is an antibiotic that also kills malaria. Not too bad to take.
Group 3 AWOOGA!!! Lots of people report getting nightmarish hallucinations with this. Recommend: don't take it, but do seek an alternative.
Group 4 Malarone: works great, but very expensive.
Frankly, you really don't want malaria. It's a right bastard. Malarone is fine to take, so if your wallet can stand it, surely that's better than running a hard-to-quantify risk of causing yourself a lifetime of hard-to-predict ill-health?
Worth getting professional advice -- we might all be worng :-)
Edit: and apols to SirJon for prolonging the TJ.

I would attest to the Lariam nastiness personally.
Doxycycline can be bought very cheaply once you get there, but is of limited effect. It was developed as an anti-acne drug so will keep your skin clear, too.
But it also makes you more sensitive to the sun. Not very good in a tropical country, really.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 14:12,
archived)
Doxycycline can be bought very cheaply once you get there, but is of limited effect. It was developed as an anti-acne drug so will keep your skin clear, too.
But it also makes you more sensitive to the sun. Not very good in a tropical country, really.

why don't they just leave him alone
stupid flying bastards always ruining everything
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:33,
archived)
stupid flying bastards always ruining everything



*clicks with trotter*


this is the latest pic i could find of her
she's got a lovely cartoon character mouth. Might save that for modeling reference
www.mylifetime.com/files/imagecache/photo_gallery_featured/files/images/e-gall-elvira-395x298.jpg
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50,
archived)
she's got a lovely cartoon character mouth. Might save that for modeling reference
www.mylifetime.com/files/imagecache/photo_gallery_featured/files/images/e-gall-elvira-395x298.jpg

zone horror is a treasure trove of crap
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:42,
archived)

once my finances are properly sorted, i mught upgrade my channels and get it. elvira is still the only film my dad will watch in total silence.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:50,
archived)

all they seem to show lately is shit 'merican straight-to-DVD stuff, that's not even entertainingly shit
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:54,
archived)

www.amazon.com/Elviras-Haunted-Hills-Cassandra-Peterson/dp/B00006D28U
not worth buying, but worth a download if you can find it.
( ,
Thu 16 Apr 2009, 13:58,
archived)
not worth buying, but worth a download if you can find it.