Doxycycline

[ingrid28]

Hey,

Does anybody know the cost of doxycycline in South Korea and whether you can purchase it without a prescription at a local pharmacy? Also does anybody know the Korean for doxycycline?

Thank you.

[lotte world]

Why not just ask your local pharmacy?  Almost without exception all of the pharmacists in my tiny town speak English, and drug names are often just phonetically spelled in hangul.

[ingrid28]

Thanks. I'll stroll down to my pharmacy tonight and check it out.

[Schellib39]

Pretty sure that you will need a prescription in order to get Doxycycline. Should not be difficult to get the prescription written though. If you are getting it for a trip to SE Asia to prevent malaria I would just recommend getting it there. It will be cheaper than in Korea, and you can definitely get it over the counter at a pharmacy.

[bmcass]

I have this same question, since I'll be traveling to Indonesia in August, and the CDC recommended Doxycycline for malaria.  Did you have to get a prescription for it?  I'll be heading to the local pharmacy this weekend to inquire about it.  I had my co-teacher write my inquiry in Korean on my iPod touch to prevent any potential confusion.

To address the previous poster's suggestion, the procedure for taking doxycycline requires oral consumption of the medication 1 - 2 days prior to leaving, thus, it wouldn't be effective to wait and purchase it in Indonesia.  This is actually quite flexible and good for last minute travelers, since other malaria medications require daily consumption up to 4 weeks prior to departure.

[lotte world]

Pay for Malarone.  You'll need a prescription, probably you'll have to go to Seoul for that.  It's not cheap, but it's worth it.

[justanotherwaygook]

Pay for Malarone.  You'll need a prescription, probably you'll have to go to Seoul for that.  It's not cheap, but it's worth it.

I second this advice.  There's way to many stories about problems with doxicyclene.

See a doctor that specializes in travel, get your prescription for malarone and buy it.  The only bad thing I've heard about Malarone is that you get an upset stomach if you don't take it with food.  I've taken it and never had an issue.  I'm fairly sure you only need to take it a few days before departure like doxycyclene (and a week after, I think).

Also, the doctor at the travel clinic will be able to figure out if it's really necessary.  You'd be surprised at the places where you don't need it.

[Jrong]

Pay for Malarone.  You'll need a prescription, probably you'll have to go to Seoul for that.  It's not cheap, but it's worth it.

If you can handle the side effects of Doxycycline (and most ppl don't experience more than a slight sensitivity to sunlight) then it may not be worth buying malarone. Doxycycline is cheap as pennies in most of the world and effective. Also, a good side effect of doxy is that is will clear up your skin if you have any issues with acne.

You can't go wrong using Malarone, however, just costs a lot more.

[iamrhart]

i highly reccomend you dont use Doxy. It is terrible for your eyes (nerve disk in the back). i used it in college, and it caused some irreversable damage, luckily we stopped it before it got too bad.

[Jrong]

i highly reccomend you dont use Doxy. It is terrible for your eyes (nerve disk in the back). i used it in college, and it caused some irreversable damage, luckily we stopped it before it got too bad.

Doxy has been widely recommended for many things for many years. I've used it for about a year and had no issues (that I know of). I'm not saying you're wrong, but if you make a statement like that, you're gonna have to back it up with some study and not just anecdotal evidence.

[83travelinman]

i highly reccomend you dont use Doxy. It is terrible for your eyes (nerve disk in the back). i used it in college, and it caused some irreversable damage, luckily we stopped it before it got too bad.

Doxy has been widely recommended for many things for many years. I've used it for about a year and had no issues (that I know of). I'm not saying you're wrong, but if you make a statement like that, you're gonna have to back it up with some study and not just anecdotal evidence.

Agreed, I was on doxy for over 3 years as a prophylaxis, the only problem was photosensitivity, and that went away after a year. If you are using it to keep away from malaria, the dosage is so low that you may just get a little more red--I think it is 100mg (only once a day). BUT, you all may have taken it for skin issues, in that case the dosage is around 300-700mg.

I would recommend it, for sure. Just stay away from mefloquine, the night terrors might ruin your vacation.

[Soggybread]

Used Doxy for acne on and off a few years ago.

Only problem I faced was an upset stomach if I didn't eat enough food before consumption.

Didn't have any other side effects.