Well, $460 later and I'm medicated against the the worst diseases Sierra Leone's likely to throw at me - yellow fever, typhoid fever, hepatitis A, malaria - and I should even know within a couple hours whether or not I have tuberculosis (my money's on no).
But with my Toronto visit to tropics specialist Dr. Mark Wise came my first real disappointment of this whole endeavour: no mefloquine. In the world of malaria meds, there are three common anti-malarials prescribed for Sierra Leone: mefloquine, doxycycline and Malarone. Malarone was out of the question, since it would've broken the bank at about $1500.
I'd hoped for mefloquine, of which side effects include insomnia and vivid dreams ("good, bad, erotic and otherwise" according to the good doctor). Side effects? More like added bonuses, especially for a chronic sleep-hater such as myself, who often complains of boring dreams. Of course, there is the pesky business of the other side effects, of which Dr. Wise's website writes: "More serious side effects, such as seizures and psychosis, are relatively rare."
Alas, Dr. Wise settled on doxycycline for me, which boasts the comparably lame side effects of heartburn and upset stomach, and I yielded to his expertise. We'll chalk it up to round one of making wise choices in spite of my entertaining yet often foolish instincts.
And on the plus side, you weren't supposed to take mefloquine with alcohol. Doxycycline carries no such warning.
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2 comments:
I've got a cache of left-over Mefloquine if you ever want to kiss the sky... like almost everyone I know who's been on anti-malarials, I stopped taking them after a few months.
Think you'll last the whole time? Do you have you take it daily?
It is daily, yes. And I'll gladly take your left-over Mefloquine off your hands. It'd be nice to have a back-up if doxycy doesn't suit me well, or if I end up staying longer than anticipated.
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