Atovaquone / proguanil and Diarrhea: What Users Say

• Bud...
• September 1, 2018

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "My 8-yr-old son and I took Malarone for 30 days, stopping 2 weeks ago. We both had loose stools and got mouth ulcers while on the medicine. I would consider those side effects mild. However, my son started having unwanted, intrusive dark thoughts while on the medicine, and he started obsessing over them, feeling very guilty and confessing them to me. He had never acted in this way prior to taking the medicine. He is also having some weird dreams, which make him feel bad. I have to wait 3 weeks to get an appointment with a child psychiatrist in our area but did see a pediatrician today who said his OCD-thought-like difficulties were likely due to the antimalarial meds. I had not realized the association. I do hope the thoughts go away soon as they are all-consuming to him and extremely worrying to both him and me. I feel helpless and don't know what to do."

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

Atovaquone / proguanil 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."

• MAN...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 14, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "My husband and I took Malarone on a recent trip to Namibia and South Africa. My husband started having deja vu the second day, then on the flight to Namibia, he told me the clouds were waves and there were surfers out there. Then he left the hotel room in the middle of the night in his pajamas shouting at other guests to leave his house! Had to lock the room every night on holiday. Said people on tour were a religious sect. He is 69, by the way. I had vomiting and diarrhea on the third and fourth days but stopped taking it as I had to look after my husband. I felt fine when I stopped taking them. Would NOT recommend."

• 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?"

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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"

• 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."