Atovaquone / proguanil and Nausea: What Users Say

• mal...
• December 22, 2009

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I have used Malarone for the past 3 years, you have to take it 2 days prior to leaving the U.K. and for 5 days after returning. I find I get an upset stomach and/or nausea both on the 2nd day and the 5th day period. When using it in Africa, I sometimes ended up with nightmares, but all around, I find it is a good drug, and so far, I have not contracted malaria."

• 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."

• No...
• April 14, 2016

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "When I tried Malarone around 2007, I became nauseous, my stomach hurt, I could not eat at all and could not get out of the hotel. I had to stop the medication because I could not enjoy the vacation. However, in 2015, on another trip, I was given the generic version of Malarone. I felt fine during the whole stay and felt fine after the 7 days after the trip ended. While my friend, on the other hand, tried the brand-name Malarone version and started to feel nauseous and swollen during the first day of the trip and had to stop. What do I encourage you to do? Please try the generic version of Malarone - Atovaquone and proguanil hydrochloride."

• eub...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 17, 2016

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "Be advised that any medication can have adverse reactions on anybody. My experience with Malarone was when I traveled to Cambodia for 2 weeks. It took about a day before it started, but Malarone completely incapacitated me with a constant level of nausea. I could not eat, nor was it worth leaving the hotel because I was weakened by it. I, too, had to discontinue its use for the entire trip, completely soaked in DEET instead. It would be advisable to try malaria medicine several days before you leave for a trip to any questionable location. Ironically, in the middle of 105°F temperatures, in November, in full sleeves and pants, I never encountered a single mosquito."

• Res...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 10, 2017

Atovaquone / proguanil for Malaria Prevention "I found this drug tough to handle and have one more day to go. I took this for a trip to the Peruvian Amazon. I and another traveler had sleep problems taking it at night. That was remedied by taking it with full-fat yogurt after breakfast. However, I have had days of nausea and stomach cramps. I am assuming after I finish the post-Amazon 7-day course, I will return to normal. Tougher than I expected. I know many people who have taken this drug with no ill effects. Just depends on your constitution."

• 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."

• Puf...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 31, 2018

For Malaria Prevention "I envy people who rated 10. I am an unlucky one. I took one for the first time today to prepare for a Peru-Amazon River trip. I got sick immediately: shortness of breath, stomach ache, nausea, and overall weakness. I've been in bed all day. I don't have the courage to take the second one. Forget about Peru. I just want to feel normal."

• SBW...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 8, 2017

For Malaria Prevention "I started on this medication preventatively, two days before going to Cambodia and Thailand, through the 21 days I was away, and another 7 days till the pills were finished. Two days after completion, I broke out in hives. I also had the following other symptoms: elevated temperature, nausea, sore throat, body aches, exhaustion, and swelling. After an evening and day of itchy hives, I went to Urgent Care. I was told I was having a 'systemic reaction to an allergen.' Ten days later and I am still suffering from all the ill effects. My PCP diagnosed me with an allergic reaction to the malarial medication and started me on two medications to combat the symptoms. He obviously had seen this before. Horrible medication."

• 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."

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

Atovaquone / proguanil "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."

• 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."