Atovaquone / proguanil and Headaches: What Users Say

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."

• 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."