General information required re:malaria and holiday

chalky_bertie

Put on this board as it is travel related but feel free to move.

Went to South Africa at then end of August and then was going on a trip to Botswana, Namibia and Zambia. Obviously got all injections and malaria tablets. No problems until on the 3rd day after we had been sea kayaking that I had an "epileptic" style fit in the guest house and was rushed to hospital. They gave me drugs and I came round for about an hour then had another one. Stayed in overnight. Had to cancel safari and had to wait 2 weeks for doctor to accompany me on the flight home. The doctor in Africa said it was due to the malaria tablets as I have never had anything else wrong with me.

I have now had to stop driving and surrender my driving licence for 1 year. I work in the parcel delivery industry.

Anyway got my travel insurance claim in at the mo.

Is there any action I could take against the company that made the tablets?

Any more advice?

Voyager2002

I'm sorry to hear about this.

Has your doctor told you what happened, and why? Is there any suggestion that the tablets you were taking were defective? Had they been prescribed by a doctor, and had you been warned about any possible side effects?

Hintza

You haven't said what malaria tablets you were taking?

Taking on a drugs company on your own ...yikes. I think a lot of research will be needed by you on this one and even if you potentially had a case it could cost you hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Also you would have to prove it and they will probably have covered it somewhere.

When i was working in Madagagascar we had a similar case with one of the students on mefloquine (Larium)and had to change them to the old fashioned drugs...Doxycycline.

I assume you were on Larium from what you say. Did you take it for the required period before going abroad? Normally 3 weeks if you have not used it before.

Have a look here for starters:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mefloquine

Or here (you will probably thak your lucky stars after reading this):-

http://www.lariaminfo.org/pages/pdfs/alessonlearntlariamhalfancroft.pdf

alanrowell

chalky_bertie wrote: »

Is there any action I could take against the company that made the tablets?

None at all - the side effects of Larium (as it probably is) are well known and have been for more than a decade.

If your doctor did recommend Larium then I'm surprised (s)he didn't suggest you started them 3 weeks before your trip so at if there were side effects you would be able to stop using them and take something else for your trip. That's the advice I was given for Larium back in 1999.

If your family has a history of mental illness or epilepsy and your doctor knew that then I'd be very upset at them as Larium is NEVER recommended in those cases

Just for the record I got the vivid dreams which I remember to this day

Sam_Bee

Bertie,

That's horrendous, but consistent with so many Larium (which we are presuming it is?) users and the horrific side effects that come with it. I've only carried Larium as a potential treatment in malarial areas, I certainly wouldn't want to use it as a preventative.

I think you are better off googling for some type of support groups - I found these - which might be irrelevant - but maybe act a s a good starting point,

http://www.april.org.uk/pages/lariam.html
http://www.lariaminfo.org/support/groups.shtml

Voyager2002

Hintza wrote: »

You haven't said what malaria tablets you were taking?

Taking on a drugs company on your own ...yikes. I think a lot of research will be needed by you on this one and even if you potentially had a case it could cost you hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Also you would have to prove it and they will probably have covered it somewhere.

In practice, if it came to a legal battle it would be the insurance company fighting rather than the individual. But at the moment we are speculating... If the OP's doctor prescribed larium without checking his medical history, and without warning of possible side effects and advising him to begin taking the tablets well before travelling, there might be a case under medical negligence. If (as I fear) the OP simply bought tablets without seeking medical advice, then there is nothing to be done.

chalky_bertie

Wasn't Larium and I am very cautious on naming them just in case they think I am accusing them of something before I have got all the facts. Off for a brain scan on Thursday to see if they can find what it actually was. The thing that hasd annoyed me the most is that I have never been ill before this and now have lost my licence and am going to find it very difficult to get to work for 5am 12 miles away.

Hindsight is very good, but i feel I have had a lucky escape as I could have been in the sea or driving home and then what could have happened. May consult some legal eagle in the near future after everything has calmed down.

alanrowell

chalky_bertie wrote: »

Wasn't Larium.

The only other anti-malarial that isn't recommended for CURRENT epileptics is chloroquine, but I've never heard of it causing seizures in people who don't have epilepsy.

I think you were just unlucky.

The "good" news is that as it wasn't foreseeable then your insurance company shouldn't be able to wiggle out of paying you.

Hintza

So OP why are you asking on here?

A doctor in Africa said it was the malaria tablets. I have found from experience if they don't have a clue what is wrong with you the blame Malaria. Maybe this is just a variation on that.

Hintza

Since it was Malarone you took (as posted previously) have a look here:-

http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/malarone_ad.htm