Atovaquone / proguanil and Fatigue: What Users Say

• Hin...
• August 20, 2020

Atovaquone / proguanil "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

Atovaquone / proguanil 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."

• 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."

• 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."