Malarone and Brain Fog: What Users Say

• ion...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 19, 2019

"For those who had brain fog, lethargy, etc. - I take it because I was bitten by a tick and ended up with Lyme disease. I also ended up getting, from the same tick bite, babesia - babesia is treated with Malarone. Many people are walking around with babesia and are asymptomatic. It is possible you started to kill off the babesia or something similar and had a Herxheimer reaction - just throwing it out there that it may not be side effects but die-off (Herxheimer reaction) - I had the weird thoughts, brain fog, etc. when I first started it from the die-off and toxins that are released - it went away."

• Hin...
• August 20, 2020

"I have been taking Malarone now for 3 days (2 pills twice per day) and then after that 3-day period, just 1 pill twice per day) and will continue to do so for about 4 months. It is used to treat babesiosis (for me, alongside doxycycline, cefuroxime, and disulfiram for Lyme disease). However, I want to add here that many people seem to get very sick from this very quickly. Too many for it to be a common side effect. One other post mentioned this. The symptoms of nausea, brain fog, balance issues, heavy fatigue, and lethargy, etc., are all VERY common in the Lyme disease and co-infection world. If this drug is 'herxing' you so quickly, producing such typical co-infection-type symptom clusters, you MUST get checked for Babesia, and if you have Babesia, chances are you may have other co-infections too. (50% of those that get Borrelia from a tick bite also get Babesia, like me!) Long-term dangers of these conditions if left untreated are terrible. (Think Alzheimer's, dementia, etc.) Do not risk it!"

• 7...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 24, 2017

For Malaria Prevention "Do not take this medicine. After returning from a week-long trip to Haiti, I was constantly nauseous, dizzy, had brain fogginess, and was fatigued to the point that I couldn't even get through a day of work. I was 20 at the time and had never had any health problems. I also experienced severe depression. It was very scary as I had never struggled with any type of mental health issues prior to taking this drug. I went to multiple doctors after my trip trying to figure out what was wrong, and it took at least a month to realize it was from this medicine. At the time, I read from other reviews that some users experienced the same symptoms. Two years later, I am 22 now and from time to time have trouble with dizziness, nausea, fatigue, etc."

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

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."

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

"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."

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

"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."