Has anyone taken Larium for malaria when pregnant?

[millyl]

I just wondered if anyone out there has taken Larium whilst pregnant? We are off to Kenya for 2 weeks, and being pregnant, it's going to be a relaxing on the beach and maybe some deep sea fishing holiday. However I have been assured by EVERYONE i know, doctors, nurses, obstetricians and friends with medical knowledge, that I would be insane not to take any anti-malarials, as malaria in pregnancy is extremely dangerous, both for the mother and baby (I am 17 wks pregnant). I have taken Larium before, many years ago, and suffered from vivid dreams and mood swings. I figure I can handle that if it keeps the baby safe... but does it?! I would like to know if anyone has taken malaria when pregnant and gone on to have a lovely healthy baby? I am so worried about the unknown side effects it might have on the baby. I would rather take nothing... and keep reassuring myself that it is windy where we are going, so mozzie flight is inhibited, and I have tonnes of deet sprays, natural sprays and clothing sprays... but what if I just got that one fatal bite.... Arggh! Any advice or just words of wisdom would be most appreciated...

I have no idea, however, if all the doctors and Nurses, etc...are telling you that it is safe to take, I would assume it is....they would not recommend it if it wasn't safe or if there are any concerns they would tell you about those.

wouldn't take larium in a million years when pregnant, it has a list as long as your arms of dodgy side effects in people who AREN'T pregnant, who knows what it might do to the baby?
also wouldn't go to the east of africa unprotected against malaria.
why on earth have you chosen kenya as a holiday when pregnant? I wouldn't go (and I'm a gung ho kind of person who went to india when early pregnant and on antimalarials - not larium though - having said that, that pregancy produced a child with no thyroid gland, who knows if the antimalarials caused it?)

Stay at home. Or go somewhere non-malarial.

Just because a medication has bad side-effects on the person taking it doesn't mean it would have the same effect on the unborn Baby though!
Saying that I do agree wiht minty, I would no go to such place when pg in the first place if not on anti malari med...

Larium is pretty scary - made me completely bonkers. Very powerful adn I don't think I would be at all happy about taking it no matter what anyone said.

this is what the netdoctor has to say to this

However, this is also on netdoctor
hmm

No i don't think it would have the same effect on the unborn baby
But I think it is a dodgy drug and wouldn't know what effect ifany it may have on the baby
And that second netdoctor link confirms that I think anyone would be bonkers to take larium while pregnant and certainly bonkers to go to east africa without anti-malaria protection, and larium is the only anti-malarial recommended against the particularly hideous type of malaria they have there

Ergo, don't go to Kenya on holiday when pregnant

there is no way I would take Larium when pregnant (I am also in the "would never take it under ANY circumstances camp, and we use dto live in Kenya..)

Is where you are going definitely malarial? (although if you are off to the coast it will be...)

we took malarone as the best, "safest" anti-malarial, BUT have no idea about use in pregnancy.

There is also the vitamin B route (high doses taken daily) as it makes your blood taste rotten. We also at times used doxycycline (again, no idea about use in pregnancy).

I had dd1 out in Kenya, but we lived in Nairobi which is to all intents and purposes malaria free.

I would also not consider using deet products when pregnant (again, I would questio their use anyway).

Best option would be not to go, but if that is out of the question, I would really explore ALL the options - Larium just wouldn't feature on my feasible list at all.

The whole thelidamide thing meant I swerved pretty much all drugs the whole time I was pregnant, I just didn't want to run the risk. I am a bit extreme though.

Maybe this website will help you.

afraid I am with Minty on this

(and doxycycline and malarone are both contraindicated in pg)

Thanks MrsB, had to type last post at super speed as te dd's were wanting their tea, and just come back to check whether either drug was usable in pregnancy.

the costal areas of kenya are paludrine resistant (told this by my GP and also by dh's uncle who is an expert in tropical medicine)

said uncle took paludrine in this area instead of larium and ended up in intensive care. Malaria is bloody serious.

I would contact the manufacturers of larium and ask them if they have any data on use in PG.

If I wasn't properly protected, I really wouldn't go. But that is me.

Discus the relative risks with your GP. And if you do go, take the utmest care not to get bitten, long sleves, and trusers at night, with mossie repellant round your wrists and ankles, mossie nets etc etc

The last time I went I managed not to be bitten at all. But it does only take one bite if you are unlucky

the info from the malarone site here suggests that malarone is not contrindicated in pregnancy.

However, I'd still not take it.

It's a tricky situation. I'm with mb - I certainly wouldn't go anywhere malarial unprotected, but I wouldn't want to take any effective anti-malarial when pregnant.

oh, my mistake - was reading here and skipped to the 'breastfeeding' bit

Thank you all for your amazing messages. I am totally petrified of harming the baby - i've already taken one, and i don't want to take any more. I've done tonnes of research on what one can and can't take, and Malarone has no data existing to say whether it is safe or not. Reportedly it is what they prescribe in France and Belgium, but the doctor from the Tropical Diseases hospital said that no British doctor will prescribe it when pregnant. Essentially Larium has been taken inadvertently by pregnant ladies before, as it has been on the market for years and years, and generally they have been OK (esp 2nd & 3rd trimester), which is why they let you take it. Malarone hasn't been on the market as long so they have not had enough cases to study - and obviously you can't do drug tests on pregnant ladies.

We are now considering cancelling our holiday - we;re supposed to go on the 1st december, and i haven't been away for over a year (we have an 18month old who had a tricky start)... I was so desperate for a break and time in the sun (we had planned to leave the little one with parents)... And we really can't afford to just throw away the money for the holiday - it took a lot of saving up. Now I just feel like the most stupid person ever for booking Kenya (although when booking the agent said she never takes anti-malarials, has always been fine; that families and pregnant ladies from Nairobi go to the coast on holiday and are fine.. and I just believed her. I guess I wanted to go so badly!) So we will call the agent tomorrow, but I don't think we'll get any money back. I know the hospital of tropical diseases said it was fine to take Larium, (hence why I took the first one) but there just doesn't seem to be ANY hard facts out there. And if the baby were born with any problems, I would eternally blame it on myself. Maybe I might be lucky and it would all be fine, but the what if is just too risky...

oh dear.
were you pregnant when you booked the holiday or just ttc? if the latter, it is possible (but you'd have to check) that you could claim on your travel insurance on the basis that it isn't medically safe for you to travel...

alternatively could you speak to the agent, tell her what you've found out, lather it on a bit thick about how you relied on what she said, and see if she will transfer you to another holiday somewhere else? Worth a try surely...

Thanks Minty. Unfortunately we knew I was pregnant, so we are going to try the latter. Maybe they will defer and let us go this time next year (if I can persuade someone to look after 2 children!!)... if not, well, we just feel like total plonkers temporarily, but hopefully we will produce a beautiful, well and happy baby - and that's priceless.

I'm so glad you've decided against your trip. It really isn't worth risking the health of either you or your baby. I went to Kenya on my honeymoon, took Larium before, during and for a whole month after (as instructed by the doctor). It wasn't until I'd stopped taking it, that we were allowed to ttc. So if you'd gone, you'd have had to have taken it not only for the holiday, but also for another month after and that's a long time to inflict such a strong drug on both you in your pg state and your unborn child.

Don't worry, you can always do a holiday another time.