Anitol versus Cipro

[MVPinBoynton]

We will be in Egypt in September and don't want to ruin our trip by getting intestinal distress. I have read on the boards that we should get the antibiotic Anitol when we get to Egypt and use it if we have a problem. I have also been told to get Cipro here before we go and take half doses as a prevention while we are there. Any recommendations, or should we just do both?

[G.M.T.]

Originally Posted by MVPinBoynton

We will be in Egypt in September and don't want to ruin our trip by getting intestinal distress. I have read on the boards that we should get the antibiotic Anitol when we get to Egypt and use it if we have a problem. I have also been told to get Cipro here before we go and take half doses as a prevention while we are there. Any recommendations, or should we just do both?

Why pump yourself full of antibiotics when there is no need to. So long as you are not going "native" and take the usual precautions, no ice cream, no ice cubes, no salad, the meat is well cooked, don't drink the tap water even for cleaning your teeth etc. you should be OK.

Also taking antibiotics for no apparent reason can lower your acceptance for such drugs when you may need them urgently.

Just remember the old British colonial advice:

If you can't
Boil it
Cook it
Peel it
Forget it

Ron

[cruisemom42]

Cipro and Antinal are both antibiotics. There is no reason to take either proactively.

On my land tour last February, our guide had Antinal available (you can buy it OTC at any pharmacy) and advised our group to let him know at the first sign of any "distress." One fellow, who insisted on eating salads and putting ice in his drink, of course needed the Antinal. He said it worked very well. It is an antibiotic that works against a broad spectrum of bacteria, including some of the ones that most commonly are associated with food poisoning (e.g., salmonella, e. coli, etc.)

Note: The rest of us were simply careful what we ate and were fine. Our guide advised us what to avoid and what was okay in almost every place we dined.

[smeyer418]

now you know why there super bugs around that have become resistant to most antibiotics- taking them when you don't have to. Unless you are immune compromised, taking antibiotics as a preventative is a mistake.

[MVPinBoynton]

I certainly agree with both of you and have no desire to take unneeded antibiotics for numerous reasons. I was actually more interested in finding out if Cipro would be as effective as Anitol. Do either of these work relatively fast if you do come down with Mummy Tummy to correct it, or will it take a couple days of misery to work?

[cruisemom42]

Originally Posted by MVPinBoynton

I certainly agree with both of you and have no desire to take unneeded antibiotics for numerous reasons. I was actually more interested in finding out if Cipro would be as effective as Anitol. Do either of these work relatively fast if you do come down with Mummy Tummy to correct it, or will it take a couple days of misery to work?

I don't know if any of us are qualified to determine whether Cipro is better or worse than Antinal. From what I've read and heard, Antinal seems to work very well on the types of bugs you are likely to encounter in Egypt. Guides will tell you it's better, and I've read trip reports where the Antinal works pretty quickly if taken PROMPTLY when signs start. My fellow traveler seemed to be fine within a day.....maybe less.

EDITED TO ADD: By the way, if you are trying to locate it in Egypt, it's ANTINAL not ANITOL.

[MVPinBoynton]

Thank you for correcting the spelling. I was thinking that it was Antinal, but had copied down Anitol on the a post that I kept from a few months ago.

I was hoping we had some bacteriologists on CC that could tell me which was better. I seem to remember a post a while back that mentioned that Cipro hadn't been effective in Egypt; but if I just get the Antinal when we get there, I should be covered if something gets to me. We will be very cautious about what we consume too.

[seafun]

Hi again MVP! Keep counting down those days...

I've always heard that Antinal is a much better choice because it's more directly targeted at the "bugs" encountered in Egypt.

And no, I wouldn't take it or anything else before any symptoms, I don't think it works that way.

When I got my "poisoned ice cream bar" at Abu Simbel that gave me the dreaded E.D. (...from the travel notes... "No, not Erectile Disfunction, the much more dreaded Explosive Diarrhea!" ) I didn't take anything -- just bottled water, bread, 24 hours in my room, and pretty soon I was up and exploring temples again. Whether it might have been a quicker recovery with Antinal? Probably. But I'm kind of a "let your body do it's own thing" kind of person.

[MVPinBoynton]

Hi again Seafun. Just 114 days to go. I can't wait. Of all the wonderful places I have been all over the world, I don't think I have ever been more anxious about any destination as I am about Egypt. I plan on getting the Antinal and hopefully not needing it. I will try to not be tempted by ice cream, like a recent explorer to the land of the Pharoahs. It will be hard to turn down ice cream, but you convinced me to make the sacrifice. The only ice cream we can get in Egypt is Antinal flavored.

[cherylakers]

We were in Egypt in February and a lot of us came down with Mummy's tummy. In fact, they called a Dr. to the ship for myself and several others. The Dr. actually prescribed Cipro for us. It was a lower dose than what you get here in the states though. Only 250 mg instead of 500 mg. I though Antinal was similar to imodium because he was going to give me antinal too, but asked if I had imodium and I said yes, and he said that works better. I did get a shot though to stop the vomiting which it did immediately. The imodium worked within 4 or 5 hours. He also gave us a liquid to stop the nauseau which it also did immediately. So, basically I was sick Friday night, called Dr. Saturday morning, felt better by evening, took it easy Sunday and was back to normal Monday doing everything everyone else was. We were on a riverboat docked in Luxor so we were lucky to have a Dr. available to come to the ship. The people that did not see him and just tried to get over it by taking imodium only did not get over it right away. it took them several more days. The funny thing was, we ate only at the Cairo Marriott and only bottled water, no fresh fruit or veggies, cooked meat, etc. We were very careful and I still got sick. Oh well.

I definitely would not take any antibiotics as a precaution. I had a friend just return from 14 days in Egypt and 7 in Jordan and very few people got sick on her trip.

Have a great time.

[nizurc]

We were in Egypt two weeks ago. Antinal (12 capsules) can be purchased over the counter at an Egyptian pharmacy for US $1.00. Box is sealed and directions inside box are in English. Fortunately, we didn't need to use this broad spectrum. Recommend purchasing Antinal upon arriving in Egypt; the tour guide will gladly make a stop at a pharmacy before you begin touring. If you start to experience Mummy Tummy, you'll have the Antinal available to take immediately (with bottled water, of course).

Enjoy your trip.

[Sparky333]

Just returned from Egypt yesterday. BEST TRIP EVER, by the way. But to the topic -- even though I thought I took every precaution, didn't eat salads or unpeeled fruit, used bottled water for brushing teeth even in 5-star hotels, etc., etc. I did get mummy tummy and it was just as Seafun described it (ED is the accurate term). I'm so glad our guide had Antinal for me so I was able to get well quickly (missed half a day of touring, sad but could've been worse). A few people we were with took Immodium and never got rid of the problem - they were not so bad that they were stuck in their rooms, lucky for them.

From everything I've read - the Antinal is targeted exactly at their "bugs" while Immodium is not. And it is super cheap and readily availiable at drugstores as others mentioned. I'd guess most guides carry some for their people and if not will stop and get some for you.

Don't know if it would be worth taking Cipro with you.

The positive spin on it is that I actually lost a few pounds on this trip unlike most vacations where I gain.

Have a great trip!!!


P.S. Mike, are you the one staying at the Grand Hyatt in Cairo? If so, you won't be disappointed. It is fabulous and exceeded my expectations. The one "problem" we encountered was the Arab owner made it strictly "no alcohol" two days before we arrived so you couldn't get a beer at the bar or in your mini-bar or at dinner. Not that I'm in need of alcohol at every meal - but it still would've been nice to watch the sunset while drinking a cold Stella on our balcony overlooking the Nile.

[MVPinBoynton]

Sparky,
Thanks for the great info. I will be prepared. It is a shame that you took all the precautions and still got it, but that does seem to happen. I also appreciate the info on the Grand Hyatt. I am surprised about the alcohol, but that isn't a big deal to me. I will have more than enough Egyptian beer at other places.

[smeyer418]

When you are leaving the airport you can get duty free alcohol to carry with you.... some Saudis(and other hypocrites) fly into to Egypt...change out of their traditional Arab dress go to the nearest duty free buy the limit offour bottles and spend a drunken orgy vacation in Egypt....that;'s who goes to their discos until dawn.

[GloriaF]

Our Travel Medicine nurse recommended Cipro 500 mg with Immodium twice a day when symptoms were present.

We haven't been to Egypt yet, this was for any cruise. We had the Cipro filled at our local pharmacy and insurance covered it. I cut the Immodium packets into smaller units (with the Immodium name still visible) that would fit into the Cipro bottle for easy packing and it has become one of the standard things we pack each time.