Malarone and Insomnia: What Users Say

• Kom...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 19, 2020

For Malaria Prevention "I was in a 35/35 rotation to an oilfield camp near Doba, Chad, for 4 years. We had to take Malarone, and we were tested for its presence in our system. This medication gave me diarrhea, incoherent dreams, and sleep loss. I backed off the daily tablet dose to every other day in order to still pass the drug test. The diarrhea abated, and the incoherent dreams diminished. I didn’t contract malaria."

• ccj...
• November 20, 2011

For Malaria Prevention "I found that my trip was overruled by the dizziness, vertigo, insomnia, lack of appetite, and general feeling of unwellness this medication caused. I quit taking it on day 5, in order to be fully aware of myself and surroundings for the remainder of my trip."

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

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?"

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

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."