Travel Clinic · Oxford
✓ NaTHNaC-aligned · GPhC-registered pharmacist

Antimalarials

in Oxford.

Prescription antimalarial tablets matched to your destination, length of stay and health profile. Malarone, Doxycycline and Mefloquine are the three first-line options – each with different schedules, side effects, and contraindications. Pharmacist consultation, supply and dispensing at any of our four Oxford branches.

Book Antimalarials Appointment
Price per tablet

From £0.70 per tablet

Malarone £2.50/tablet - tailored supply
MALARONE / DOXYCYCLINE / MEFLOQUINE · PRESCRIPTION TABLETS · DESTINATION-SPECIFIC

Dose Schedule Cover 
Malarone
(Atov/Prog)
 ONCE Daily:        1 to 2 days prior, & 7 Days After £2.50/tablet  
Doxycycline

ONCE Daily:        1 to 2 days prior, & 4-Weeks after

 £0.70/tablet 
(LARIAM) Mefloquine
 ONCE Weekly:  10 Days Prior &    4-Weeks After £5/ Tablet
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Tablet choice depends on your destination, length of stay and health. Pharmacist consultation included.
All three options dispensed same-day where stock permits.
Clinical brief · Malaria

Three antimalarials, three trade-offs.

No single “best” tablet – your destination, schedule and tolerance decide.
A MediPill pharmacist checking a medicine pack in the dispensary
Antimalarials - Travel-ready in one visit

Malarone (atovaquone-proguanil)

The first-line choice for most short to medium-stay travellers. Daily tablet, well tolerated, start 1–2 days before travel and continue 7 days after leaving the risk area. Suitable in pregnancy from 2nd trimester (with pharmacist sign-off). Priced at £2.50/tablet.

Doxycycline

A cheap alternative – daily antibiotic that also covers some bacterial infections. Start 2 days before travel, continue 4 weeks after. Main side effects: photosensitivity (sun-burn risk), gut upset, thrush in women. Avoided in pregnancy and children under 12.

Mefloquine (Lariam)

Weekly tablet – easiest dosing for long-stay travellers. Start 2–3 weeks before travel so any neuropsychiatric side effects appear before you fly. Contraindicated in epilepsy, depression, anxiety disorders and cardiac arrhythmia. Used less than Malarone or Doxy due to side-effect profile.
Symptoms to watch for

Symptoms of malaria.

Onset 7 days to a year after a bite. Contact NHS 111 immediately if symptoms appear after recent travel – mention your destination.

Cyclical fever

Spikes every 24–72 hours.

Severe headache

Often with photophobia.

Muscle aches

Body-wide fatigue.

Nausea & vomiting

With loss of appetite.

Severe fatigue

Bedridden in severe cases.

Jaundice

In severe falciparum malaria.

Cerebral malaria

Coma, seizures - medical emergency.

Eligibility checklist

You should book Antimalarials if…

  • You are travelling to sub-Saharan Africa, the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia or the Amazon basin.
  • Your destination has year-round or seasonal malaria transmission.
  • You will spend even one night in a malaria-endemic area.
  • You are visiting friends and family in a high-risk region.
  • You are pregnant or planning to be - tablet choice needs a careful discussion, and some options are not suitable in pregnancy.
Tablet choice depends on destination, length of stay, age, pregnancy, and health history. Mefloquine contraindicated in epilepsy, depression, anxiety, cardiac arrhythmia. Doxycycline avoided in pregnancy and children under 12.
VACCINATED MEDIPILL OXFORD
Antimalarials FAQ

Common questions, answered.

Depends on your itinerary and health. Short trips under 4 weeks: Malarone is usually first-line. Long-stay (months): Mefloquine or Doxycycline are more practical. Tight budget, short trip: Doxycycline. Pharmacist decides on the day after reviewing your trip and history. Guides by destination: Thailand · India · Vietnam · Sri Lanka · Bali · South Africa.
Malarone: 1–2 days before travel. Doxycycline: 2 days before. Mefloquine: 2–3 weeks before (to test tolerance). All continue for either 7 days (Malarone) or 4 weeks (Doxy/Mefloquine) after leaving the malaria zone.
No tablet is 100% effective. You also need to: use 50% DEET repellent, sleep under a permethrin-treated bed net, wear long sleeves and trousers from dusk to dawn, avoid being outdoors at peak biting times.
Speak to us before you book anything. Tablet choice in pregnancy is a careful balance: the manufacturer’s information for atovaquone/proguanil says it should only be used in pregnancy if the expected benefit to the mother outweighs any potential risk to the baby, and its safety in human pregnancy has not been established. Doxycycline is not suitable in pregnancy at all. Your pharmacist will go through your destination, your dates and your medical history, and will tell you honestly if the safest advice is to speak to your GP or midwife first, or to reconsider travel to a high-risk malaria area.
Not the ones most travellers need. Atovaquone/proguanil, doxycycline and mefloquine are prescription-only medicines, so they are not sold off the shelf. You do not need a GP appointment though: our pharmacist assesses your destination, dates and medical history and can supply them here, at any of our four Oxford branches.
All four Oxford branches can dispense antimalarials after pharmacist consultation. Mefloquine may be order-in stock – book ahead.
Specific contraindications per drug. Mefloquine: epilepsy, depression, anxiety. Doxycycline: pregnancy, children under 12. Malarone: severe renal impairment. Pharmacist screens on the day.
Malarone: usually well tolerated, occasional gut upset. Doxycycline: photosensitivity, gut upset, thrush. Mefloquine: vivid dreams, anxiety, dizziness in some users. We go through the expected side effects with you before you start.
Four Oxford branches · book any

Find your nearest branch.

MediPill Botley

📍 9 Westway Square, OX2 9TJ
🕒 Mon–Fri 8:30–5:30 · Sat 9–2
📞 01865 247 023
Book at this branch

Headington Pharmacy

📍 207 London Road, OX3 9JA
🕒 Mon–Fri 8:30–6 · Closed weekends
📞 01865 765 559
Book at this branch

MediPill Summertown

📍 227 Banbury Road, OX2 7HQ
🕒 Mon–Fri 9–6 · Sat 9–12
📞 01865 558 348
Book at this branch

MediPill Deddington

📍 The Studio, Hudson St, OX15 0SW
🕒 Mon–Fri 9–5:30 · Sat 9–12
📞 01869 337 583
Book at this branch

Need antimalarials for your trip?

Book online for a same-day slot at any of our four Oxford branches.
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