Monsoon Meandering

Doxycycline

Well actually, I haven’t.

In fact, just the idea of it sounds scary after receiving so many spam emails over the years.

The last post talked about our medication options for Malaria and once I decided on which one we’d go for it was time to get hold of some.

Why not wait to buy them in India?

A good question as they’re so much cheaper but I don’t want to back myself into a corner, having to hunt high and low for tablets on the first few days of my holiday, when I should already be taking the tablets.

Doxycycline is only available in the UK with a Doctor’s prescription, which a Doctor won’t give you.

A fine oxymoron, unless of course you get your wallet out and then suddenly a
prescription isn’t a problem at all.

My options were limited:
 - Go to my surgery and get a private prescription for £15.
 - Get a private prescription in person from a travel clinic somewhere then source the tablets
 - Use an online pharmacy that can also give you a private prescription
 - or maybe I could have just replied to one of the many spam emails I get…okay, maybe not.

Off I searched to locate an online pharmacy, controlled by the rules of the UK NHS (National Health Service), which deals with exactly the same medicines I would have got from my local pharmacy.

The private prescription service for most online companies seems to revolve around you answering – truthfully! – some questions, your order is then placed, a real Doctor then checks your answers to the questions and approves the prescription before your medication is dispatched.

The questions for Malaria are;
 - Are you pregnant or do you intend to become pregnant during your trip or within 3 months afterwards?
 - Are you breast-feeding or will you be during your trip?
 - Have you been diagnosed with liver disease?
 - Have you been diagnosed with kidney disease?
 - Do you have epilepsy or seizures?
 - Are you taking the anticoagulant warfarin (Used to thin the blood)?
 - Are you aware that no malaria tablet provides 100% protection?
 - Are you aware that if you get a fever between 1-week and 1-year after exposure you should seek medical attention and tell the doctor the background?
 - I will read the patient information leaflet supplied with my tablets.
 - The tablets are for my own use.
 - I am over 18.
 - I agree to the terms and conditions.

After checking a few reviews I opted, rather nervously, for www.doctorfox.co.uk and I’d be lying if I said the low price of prescription (£5) and pills didn’t entice me further.

Immediately after ordering the pills I received confirmation messages, the next day I was notified that the Doctor had approved my answers and my order was confirmed. Today I received an email to say that the order is in the post.

It was so easy.

I will still need to buy some more in India but I’ve got enough to last me for quite a while.

Now, back to www.doctorfox.co.uk… I wonder if they sell other blue pills that I often get spam emails about.
(I’m joking!)