Atovaquone / proguanil User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

• Res...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2017

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I found this drug tough to handle and have one more day to go. I took this for a trip to the Peruvian Amazon. I and another traveler had sleep problems taking it at night. That was remedied by taking it with full-fat yogurt after breakfast. However, I have had days of nausea and stomach cramps. I am assuming after I finish the post-Amazon 7-day course, I will return to normal. Tougher than I expected. I know many people who have taken this drug with no ill effects. Just depends on your constitution."

• 182...
• February 2, 2017

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria "I'm usually pretty tolerant of drugs, but this one was awful! Hot and cold flashes, sweating, abdominal cramps, headaches. The tablet form was much better. The scariest side effect for both forms for me is that my period stopped for 3 months, and I've never had any variation with that kind of thing. Felt like I was going through menopause, even though I'm very young."

• Dar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 17, 2019

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I had severe abdominal cramps. Also, the drug delayed my period. I was meant to take 33 tablets but stopped taking them after 5 days as the pain was unbearable and it didn't allow me to enjoy my holidays. I am still awaiting my period. I wouldn't recommend Malarone to anyone."

• Geo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 25, 2019

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Currently in Kenya (Jan 2019), south of Mombasa. Here for a 2-week holiday. Wife and I both took Malarone for a week with no side effects. 2nd week, we were both ill and stopped using it. Interestingly, we have not seen one mosquito since we've been here (coast), and many other hotel guests were complaining of the same Malarone symptoms and also stopped taking it too. We have been off it for 2 days and already feel loads better. Neither of us will take it in the future. Side effects as follows: nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, lethargy, insomnia, red blotches on skin, strange dreams when we did manage to sleep. How can you enjoy your holiday when you feel like this?"

• Fam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 29, 2022

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I had read these reviews before traveling and was really worried as I am quite sensitive to random things and have odd reactions to things in normal life. My husband, myself, and 3 teenagers (youngest is 15, 5ft 8 and 54 kg) all took these tablets with no side effects at all. We took them for over 3 weeks, a few days before, 2 weeks on holiday, and then 1 week after."

• Fai...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2019

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Just returned from a week's safari in Kenya, I was absolutely fine for the first five or six days, and then the drama started. I felt absolutely dreadful coming back from Mombasa, had to sit on a plane for 7 hours feeling like I was either going to faint or throw up any second. I've been home for 2 days now, and I'm still having to take it, I still feel lightheaded and nauseous, my throat is so painful I can't speak for too long, my head is bunged up completely, and I have headaches and interrupted sleep... and to top it all off, it even managed to cut through my IBS-C and give me rotten diarrhea!! And yet there was not a single mosquito in sight the entire holiday. Considering I soaked myself in DEET insect repellent 24/7 and wore long sleeves, etc., every single day, I don't think there was much chance of even getting bitten at all. In hindsight, it wasn't worth the difficulty."

• Car...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 4, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "On about my fifth day of Malarone, I had extreme faintness. Feeling like I wanted to faint frequently, trips to the bathroom, and severe brain fog. After not improving, I cut my trip short and came home, and after doing research, I saw that this was one of the big complaints among many people. Because I’ve had a couple of mosquito bites, I continued to take it for the recommended time, continuing to have the side effects. It took around 24 hours of being off the pill before I started to notice the brain fog decreasing and the lightheadedness disappearing. As an RN, it was my decision not to read the side effects before I took it because I feel like I would rather not be influenced in any way. It was a big mistake taking this drug, no one else in the group had any problems, and they all took a very wide range of anti-malaria tablets. I would highly recommend not taking this drug."

• Tya...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 12, 2021

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "2nd round of preventive Malarone treatment for me. 1st time into West Africa 2013/14, no significant major health challenges/concerns with taking 1 x tab/day pre/in-country/post trip. This time now, more ‘ringing in my ears,’ some headaches, diarrhea (but could also be the food?), some weird dreams. Vaccines, et al, are a personal journey/choice. Risks are noted for a reason. Cancel the trip? No, I don’t think so. But be “smart.” Be aware of the potential challenges. You can always start the treatment well before your trip, where you are closer to medical professionals/medical help, and see how you fare. God bless."

• Mik...
• April 10, 2017

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Took this for 10 days during a trip to S. America. No side effects. Realized, as the rest of my group experienced episodes of stomach distress and I had none, that this anti-parasite was probably helping there too. No complaints!"

• gga...
• August 26, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil "I took Malarone from August 2005 to July 2006, I had no side effects and no other health issues. As I was working in Africa in an area prone to malaria, it seemed to be the lesser of two nightmares. I did not experience any issues with malaria either."

• Bil...
• February 12, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Took Malarone for malaria prevention but got severe sensitivity to the sun (I have never had sunburn in my life, I don’t even usually tan) and burned an awful shade of purple after sitting in the shade for an hour. After a few days, I started getting skin blistering and scaly skin on my arms, which started peeling and causing immense pain. Stopped taking it at that point. Worst medicine ever."

• Puf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2018

For Malaria Prevention "I envy people who rated 10. I am an unlucky one. I took one for the first time today to prepare for a Peru-Amazon River trip. I got sick immediately: shortness of breath, stomach ache, nausea, and overall weakness. I've been in bed all day. I don't have the courage to take the second one. Forget about Peru. I just want to feel normal."

• bel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 3, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria "We took this drug, Malarone, when we went to Vietnam. I usually tolerate drugs well. I have never been so sick. I missed my bucket list, Angkor Wat. I had severe diarrhea and vomiting. There were two doctors on the trip who said the medication was more potent than originally thought. Anyone who had taken this drug also was ill. Belly."

• SBW...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2017

For Malaria Prevention "I started on this medication preventatively, two days before going to Cambodia and Thailand, through the 21 days I was away, and another 7 days till the pills were finished. Two days after completion, I broke out in hives. I also had the following other symptoms: elevated temperature, nausea, sore throat, body aches, exhaustion, and swelling. After an evening and day of itchy hives, I went to Urgent Care. I was told I was having a 'systemic reaction to an allergen.' Ten days later and I am still suffering from all the ill effects. My PCP diagnosed me with an allergic reaction to the malarial medication and started me on two medications to combat the symptoms. He obviously had seen this before. Horrible medication."

• Kar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2025

Atovaquone / proguanil "I took this for four weeks when I had babesia. I had brain fog, extreme lethargy, heart palpitations, low blood pressure, orthostatic blood pressure, dizziness, hives all over my body, pain in my muscles and joints. It seemed to help. Then my insurance stopped covering it. I was on doxycycline and amoxicillin at the same time and after (for four months). I still have some milder lethargy and brain fog."

• Gai...
• April 15, 2020

For Malaria "My husband and I were prescribed this for visiting Madagascar. We were both deathly ill and had to quit taking it despite our MD’s concurrence. Frankly, we had no bites, and we apparently were not in a malaria zone, and it was not malaria season. He missed the last day on the island and could not get his head off the pillow. When we then got on the plane to Paris, he was very concerned about his diarrhea. Once there, I had both ends going and ran a temp of 103°F. Almost went to the hospital. It was truly awful. Indeed, a case of the cure/medicine being worse than the disease."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 25, 2022

For Malaria Prevention "I took Malastad (atovaquone/proguanil) for a total of 23 days (1 tablet each day). On the second day, I experienced severe nausea, as well as trouble sleeping and fatigue (though that might also have been stress from traveling). I did not experience any severe side effects like most of the reviews I’ve read, and I’m pretty sure that nausea, fatigue, and headaches were the only side effects I got, since I experienced that when I went back on the medication after I forgot a dose. I had a better experience taking them at nighttime before bed than in the morning, and even though I did not always take them with a meal, I was completely fine. I was also bitten by mosquitoes severely during my stay in DRC, and I was terrified that I had gotten malaria, but I'm pretty sure that’s not the case. Though I would say that the thought of having to take a pill for so long without any idea of what it could do to you is scary, and I would avoid it if I could."

• mou...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 24, 2014

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "This will be my third time on Malarone. Never had any side effects, and even though I missed days taking it, no problems at all."

• Hau...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 16, 2013

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I have taken Malarone on the last 6 trips to the Papua New Guinea jungle area and also Liberia, Africa, with good results. I am very well satisfied with it as a prophylaxis and treatment also."

• Mar...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 3, 2017

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria "Fantastic drug for my Lyme disease! I was having night sweats constantly, and within 2 doses, they stopped."

• Cmc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2015

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Back pain, lethargic, pains in right leg, short of breath, sense of sadness, diarrhea"

• lau...
• March 27, 2015

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria "Highly recommend, but very expensive."

• CM4...
• June 29, 2016

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I take low-dose aspirin, and after several days on Malarone, I developed small bruises all over my extremities. I stopped taking the aspirin, and the bruising cleared up."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 17, 2025

Atovaquone / proguanil "I've been on a pediatric dose, 1 tablet with Azithromycin daily. After the 3rd day, I got very nauseated, severe brain fog, and lethargy. I think it's die-off."

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 13, 2022

For Malaria Prevention "This medication has made me feel sick, nauseous, with cramping and diarrhea. I’m currently taking it, and this time is the worst. I will never use this medication again."