# Anti malaria tablets in Dubai?



## Drak0na

I need to get anti malaria pills for my Ghana trip end of February. Where can I get malarone tablets? Any advice


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## expatsue

Drak0na said:


> I need to get anti malaria pills for my Ghana trip end of February. Where can I get malarone tablets? Any advice


We tried a couple of years ago and were told by a pharmacist you can't get them in Dubai. My husband got some in Riyadh in the end but they were hard to find.


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## Windsweptdragon

I got malarone tablets from the Dubai Mall Medical Centre Pharmacy last March. Not covered by health insurance though, so not cheap.


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## AugustChristopher

Drak0na said:


> I need to get anti malaria pills for my Ghana trip end of February. Where can I get malarone tablets? Any advice


In my experience, the best way to avoid mosquito bites is to take daily infusions of lemon-grass...Lemon-grass being a natural mosquito repellent..
You can find lemon-grass tea and you'll be fine by just taking one in the morning and another one in the afternoon..Know people who stayed for years in high-risk zones and never got malaria...
Enjoy your trip!


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## Drak0na

Thank u. Will try to get the tablets and will find out more about lemon grass


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## ganeshindubai

Try Al Mara Pharmacy ... They are all over the place


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## caramello29

Most pharmacies will have something for you.


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## earthworm88

Back in end of 2012, you would not be able to find anti malaria pills anywhere except one place and definitely not at any private or gov't pharmacies. I am not sure if it is still the case. 

Try calling American Hospital, they do fly in their own stock of Malarone (the most effective with the least side effects to date), they are expensive and you will need prescription from American Hospital and not from outside. 

And if you do get your hands on Malarone, they are best to be taken in the morning after breakfast with dairy. 

Have fun and stay safe!


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## XDoodlebugger

Drak0na said:


> I need to get anti malaria pills for my Ghana trip end of February. Where can I get malarone tablets? Any advice


A bit late aren't you? I was told I would need to be on them 30 days prior to arriving.

Another mosquito hint, be inside +/- one hour before sundown if at all possible, they get vicious then.


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## ccr

XDoodle****** said:


> A bit late aren't you? I was told I would need to be on them 30 days prior to arriving.


For Malarone, the recommendation is to start taking the daily pill 1-2 days before entering the area. And continue for 1 week after leaving the area.


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## Windsweptdragon

XDoodle****** said:


> A bit late aren't you? I was told I would need to be on them 30 days prior to arriving.
> 
> Another mosquito hint, be inside +/- one hour before sundown if at all possible, they get vicious then.


As ccr has said malarone is to be taken a relatively short time before you go into a malaria area, it all depends on the brand. 

I've forgotten the names of other ones now, but malarone was by far the best for least number of side effects. 

One you can't take if your family has any history of mental health issues. One girl I was travelling with took that, dreamt there was a hyena in the room, woke the rest of the 15 of us in there with a 'THERE'S A HYENA EATING ME!', can imagine the chaos that caused for the first few moments when waking. 

One of the other ones also makes you more sensitive to sunlight, not something you want when the African sun is beating down on you all day.

I know lots of people that now live in Africa, none of them take anti malaria medication as you can’t take it long term due to the damage the drugs do to you, also, it can hide the symptoms and delay therefore delay treatment if you do fall ill. I’d always recommend taking it for short term trips though.


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## expatsue

Drak0na said:


> I need to get anti malaria pills for my Ghana trip end of February. Where can I get malarone tablets? Any advice


Did you manage to get hold of any Malarone tablets in the end? If so, where and how much?


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