Thanks for sharing your experiences! Good to know that you can get it without prescription. Just curious, where are you from as that might be relevant for others?

Four of us traveled in India for a month. We all took Dukoral and no one got sick. So I’m a believer!

You’re very welcome!

Thanks Will! I really appreciate your help and expertise!

Hi Terry, this isn’t a guarantee but you can ask the flight attendant to give you a bag of ice. That’s probably the best you’ll be able to do.

Thanks Will but doesn’t it have to be refrigerated and wouldn’t we need the booster one week before we head to Cuba? My concern is if we get it here in Canada before we leave on December 20 it will be unrefrigerated on the plane to Florida.

Sorry to be a pest! It’s been many years since we travelled!

Thanks so much

Hey Terry! Excited for your upcoming trip! Now in terms of getting Dukoral, you can actually get it in Canada before you go by heading over to a travel clinic. This would apply if you’re in the US as well.

We are heading back to Cuba in January 3/20 -JUST over the 3 month mark. Do we need a booster dose? Unfortunately one week before our January 3 departure we will be in Florida. Is it possible to get Dukoral in the US without a prescription!

Thanks!

Just remember ..with Dokoral… the protection from heat-labile toxin producing enterotoxigenic E. coli (LT-producing ETEC ..the major source of Traveler’s Diarrhea) only lasts three months… and then you need to do a booster dose. If you’ve gone five years since your last dose… you need to do the full two dose series all over again.
Protection from Cholera is two years.

Thanks for sharing these facts! Always good to see both sides of the argument as I know some people swear by it and others that see it more as a placebo effect type of thing.

Thanks for sharing your experiences Rachael!

There are many things that can cause “issues”.
Dukoral only protects you from Cholera and E.coli. (IF you took it properly following the instructions)
If you got some other “bug” or something else other than Cholera or E.coli infection.,.then Dukoral can not protect you.

I’ve taken the two doses of Dukoral before both my trips to Asia. Followed the instructions exactly.
No side effects from the oral Dukoral vaccine. Might as well have been drinking ordinary clean water.
Also…no traveler’s Diarrhea. 😃
“HK Traveler”’s illness must have been caused by something else.
I’ve known lots of people who have taken Dukoral with no side effects at all.
Dukoral does not protect you against everything out there in the world.
It does not even protect you against all pathogens that can cause Traveler’s Diarrhea and Sickness. It only gives you some protection from Cholera and E.coli ….the most common cause. There are other causes that you can still become infected with.
But eliminating the most common cause by taking your two doses of Dukoral gives you a much higher chance of not getting sick.
I’ll always take my two doses before travel.
HK Traveler’s suggestion of only taking one dose of Dukoral….will not give you proper protection, unless you took your proper two doses of Dukoral within the previous five years.

Instructions for taking Dukoral come with the package. Dosing instructions also available on Dukoral’s website.
dukoral.ca

To be safe, I wait even longer after eating than they say before taking a dose. I wait until three hours after eating. And I don’t eat anything for two hours after taking a dose.

That’s definitely new! This must be a new thing because I used to always have to get a prescription for it. Good to know!

We’ve used it for several trips now – China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Mexico and we haven’t run into any issues yet.

Thank you sharing your experiences! Great to hear a positive experience with Dukoral. I think the lesson is “better safe than sorry”. While it’s never going to be conclusive and some may still get sick but some protection is better than none at all.

Thanks Will.
I’m so happy to have found your site plus you are a Canadian as well. :-)

Hi Cristina! Timing wise, you’re right take the first dose up to 6 weeks before departure. At that point, space out your second dose at least 1 week later but make sure you do it 2 weeks before departure (the official Dukoral prescription). After that you’re all good!

Thank you for your opinion and experience on Dukoral. Very informative.

I have a question about the timing of the 2 doses.

First dose should be taken 6 weeks before departure?

Second dose: 1 week before departure? Could I take maybe 2 weeks before departure? (Just in case I experience any terrible side effects & can recover a bit before my actual trip?)

Right, and you can’t go back in time to see how it would have been with/without the drug. And great point, too, that it ONLY covers cholera and e-coli. Many things can make you sick! We got intestinal parasites when we were in India. Nothing Dukoral could have prevented. Still, combined with adequate food safety awareness, I think it’s a good safeguard.

Thanks for sharing your experience! I feel like this is one of those tricky things where if nothing happens, you can pinpoint it on Dukoral but if you do get sick, everyone is going to say Dukoral doesn’t work. What makes it challenging as well that Dukoral protects you from only certain things that can cause the general “food poisoning”. That said, I’m glad you played it smart and used it in combination of savvy and safe travel! Thanks for stopping by :)

Thank you so much for your detailed story. This is really good to know especially with your first-hand experience. I wonder if it’s something where everybody reacts to it differently but a good word of caution for anyone looking into taking it. From my experience, I’ve taken Dukoral 3-4 times at this point and I’ve been ok and will probably continue to take it.

In summary
Dukoral if not needed, take only one dose like the pharmacist told me to. Two doses screwed me up good. After the hospital bout, I ended up with big hemorrhoids for the first time in my life a few days later. Had to get my body all back into sync.
I won’t ever take it again. I’d rather have the runs, take some immodium rather than end up with severe dehydration as a result from taking Dukoral. Or if taken, follow the instructions 14 days before trip, then 7 days next dose before trip.
Happy travels and glad I survived the ordeal.

That’s a really good tip! For my trip to Ethiopia, I took Dukoral before the trip BUT it didn’t prevent issues happening later. Luckily I had Cipro which is that antibiotic you’re talking about.