My LLMD has just prescribed Malarone for my persistant Babs, along with Biaxin XL. I took Mepron for 6 months, but the symptoms are back, with a few new ones.
Has anyone had any experiences with this drug? Any information would be appreciated. Nancy
Posted by valymemom (Member # 7076) on :
I know some folks whose llmd put them on mepron/zith/art for 5/6 months and then switched to malarone for 5/6 months - all part of this doc's protocol.
When my son - after 5 months was switched to malarone - he went downhill after being almost symptom-free.
Another drug to keep in mind is: Some llmds are also prescribing bactrim for babs.
Posted by Geneal (Member # 10375) on :
Dear Nancy,
I am almost finished my third month of malarone (4 x a day) along with 600 mg of zithromax,
1600mg of bactrim, and 250 mg of flagyl weekly.
Make sure you take your malarone with fatty foods for better absorption.
I feel that I have made progress with this medicine.
I no longer have night sweats, stabbing pains in head, etc.
I do still have some air-hunger issues, but that has improved as well.
I started the malarone at one a day for a couple of days, then went to 2, etc.
After I was up for four a day (within 1 week), I added in the zithromax.
Then I herxed.
Hope this helps. My LLMD seems to believe that Malarone is the best med for babs....
Hugs,
Geneal
Posted by jasonsmith (Member # 10914) on :
Mepron compared to Malarone???
Posted by CaliforniaLyme (Member # 7136) on :
MALARONE may be better solo because it has better pentration into tissue re the liver stage exoerythrocytic stage- but Mepron WITH ARtemesia would have the same effect because Art has good liver penetration!!!! see following- ********************************************
1: Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 2001 Jul-Aug;95(4):429-32 Related Articles, Books
Causal prophylactic efficacy of atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) in a human challenge model.
Berman JD, Nielsen R, Chulay JD, Dowler M, Kain KC, Kester KE, Williams J, Whelen AC, Shmuklarsky MJ.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA. [email protected]
Plasmodia infect the liver for about 7 days before subsequently infecting the blood.
Present prophylaxis against Plasmodium falciparum malaria employs agents that primarily kill blood stages and must be continued for 28 days after the last exposure.
Atovaquone-proguanil (Malarone) is a new antimalarial agent that is licensed in 35 countries as treatment against blood-stage infection, but its components (atovaquone and proguanil) have separately been shown to be active also against liver stages.
To determine whether atovaquone-proguanil is sufficiently active against liver stages to be discontinued 7 days after exposure, we challenged 16 volunteers with P. falciparum via infected mosquitoes.
Twelve volunteers received atovaquone-proguanil (1 tablet daily) on the day prior to challenge, on the day of challenge, and for the next 6 days; 4 volunteers received matching placebo. All placebo volunteers demonstrated parasitaemia and malarial symptoms beginning on days 11-12 after challenge.
No atovaquone-proguanil volunteer acquired malaria. Atovaquone-proguanil is the first licensed antimalarial agent that kills P. falciparum in the liver and that may be discontinued 7 days after the last exposure.
1: Infect Agents Dis 1995 Dec;4(4):182-95 Related Articles, Books, LinkOut
Babesiosis: new insights from phylogenetic analysis.
Persing DH, Conrad PA. Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA.
Piroplasms of the genus Babesia, along with their relatives to the Theileridae, comprise a genetically and antigenically diverse group of tick-transmitted intraerythrocytic pathogens that together have considerable veterinary, medical, and economic importance. Since the first description of a human case of babesiosis in 1957, this zoonotic infection has now attained a worldwide distribution.
In the northeastern and upper midwestern United States, the transmission cycle of Babesia microti overlaps that of another well-known zoonotic agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease.
Phylogenetic analysis of Babesia and Babesia-like piroplasms from human and animal sources has shown that many of the small Babesia spp., including B. microti, B. equi, B. gibsoni, and a recently described piroplasm infectious for humans known as WA1, may be phylogenetically related to Theileria.
Implications of this observation may include the possible existence of an exoerythrocytic stage of parasite development and attendant features of chronicity, immune suppression, and perhaps lymphoproliferation.
In this review, we provide a brief summary of recent developments in the study of Babesia and related piroplasms and speculate on the ramifications of chronic babesial infection in humans.
Current trends in research on tissue stage of malaria.
Kamboj KK. Division of Parasitology, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow.
The tissue stage or the exoerythrocytic (EE) stage of the malaria parasite, for many years remained the most neglected form mainly because of its inaccessibility being located in the liver.
The advent of in vitro techniques resulting in the successful cultivation of these forms in primary hepatocyte cultures and a variety of cell lines has greatly augmented research on these stages and have provided unique in vitro systems which can be used as primary screens for candidate chemotherapeutic and immunoprophylactic agents and have facilitated better understanding of the sporozoite-hepatocyte interactions. Sensitive and specific nucleic acid probes (DNA and ribosomal RNA) have been developed to quantify EE stages in infected livers. Efforts to establish SCID mouse as a model for cultivation of EE stages of human malaria parasites have been encouraging. The earlier assumptions that these tissue stages are free from immune attack have been proven wrong and the hepatic phase itself now appears to be essential for the induction of protection against the pre-erythrocytic stages. Liver stage specific antigens have been identified in recent years. Despite its intracellular position, this 'hidden' form has been found to constitute a target for antibodies, cytokines, and cytotoxic T cells. The present review focuses on the advances in research on the 'silent' stage of malaria parasites.
Publication Types: Review Review, tutorial
Posted by savebabe (Member # 9847) on :
I have been on both mepron and malarone. My doc did start me on mepron, lariam, and then malarone. I think when my doc added septra is when I really started to make progress on this disease. If people can tolerate it, I would recommend septra with babs treatment.
Posted by Vermont_Lymie (Member # 9780) on :
I am on malarone for about 40 days now. Seems to be pretty effective. I am only supplementing it (for babs) with red root tincture and occassional boneset tea, per Buhner's recommendations.
Malarone side-effects hit me pretty hard, but everyone is different and many are able to tolerate this one very easily. Other buhner supplements seem to have helped in the past two weeks: Siberian ginseng -eleuthero, Sarsaparilla herb, and (non-buhner) chitosan. At least, I am feeling better, so it may be that malarone takes 6 weeks to adapt to or these supplements are helping deal with its side effects.
Posted by jasonsmith (Member # 10914) on :
The herb I've mainly seen recommended is Art. Recommendations on where to get it?