In 1990, Lariam (mefloquine) became the drug of choice for malaria prevention. It was endorsed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and prescribed for travelers, government workers, and the U.S. military who were going to regions where malaria was present. It was even given to airline crews who flew to malaria regions.
Mefloquine has been responsible for psychotic breakdowns, suicides and a host of other side effects. Many people taking it stopped on their own because they were able to realize it was the drug that was causing the problems.
Here is a vignette of my experience with the drug after it was first released in 1990.
I was in charge of the health unit for a film being made in northern Thailand. I was aware that there was chloroquine resistant malaria in that region. I contacted the CDC and talked to the head of the Malaria Prevention Department. He told me that the drug of choice was Lariam. I was unable to obtain it in the USA but was able to get a supply in Europe.
I wrote a letter to the crew instructing them to take the drug while in Thailand. I think now it was fortunate that many stopped taking the drug because they recognized it was causing “ weird” feelings. I myself took the drug and noticed no effects from it. However about 3 weeks into the “shoot” a camera-crane operator went suddenly berserk. It took 5 people to hold him down and get him to the hospital, where eventually enough valium calmed him down. He was however still paranoid and irrational, and had to be evacuated back to England.
I had, at the time, no idea what the cause was for his breakdown. It wasn’t until two years later when reports started appearing about the drug’s side effects that I realized what the cause was. I shuddered to think about some of the airline pilots and U.S. military who were being given the drug.
I would be interested to hear if anyone has had personal experiences, or friends who have experienced side-effects from the drug.
Judith Standley says
Interesting story. It’s strange with Lariam (mefloquine) because like you, my family – including our 6 year old daughter (at the time) took it on a trip to Tanzania and Kenya, and we were fine. Lariam is also one of the drugs that is safe to used during the 2nd and 3rd trimesters of pregnancy, and in children, and is effective against most P. falciparum (except in resistant corridors around SE Asia). So while it has had some bad effects on some people it shouldn’t be thrown out with the bathwater!
Nicki says
My husband took this neuro toxin in March 2011. The same day he took the first pill he said he “felt different’, and that “something was wrong”. He said he wasn’t himself anymore. As the weeks went by, my husband continued to take his mefloquin as was told (he is active duty). He became increasingly aggitated, irritable mood, a complete personality change. He described himself as “dark”. This drug effects the limbic system as I now undrstand it. Which makes sense after hearing my husband say that he feels no emotion. It has been awful. He came back from deployment last month a completely different person. Worst part is, he didn’t even go on the originally assigned mission, which was the whole reason why he took it! I see him struggling with his own mind. The Dr.’s do not believe us. It has been very surreal. I understand the skepticism except I am seeing this first hand. My darling husband is having visual and audio hallucinations. We are three months out from his last dose. My advice…NEVER TAKE THIS DRUG. There are plenty of alternatives. There is a great website for lariam sufferers. http://www.lariaminfo.org. Good luck- Nicki
Nicki says
I posted on this website a few months back. I am happy to say my husbands personality is back. I’ve told him some of the things that happened while he was taking lariam/mefloquine and he has no memory of it. We finally found a doctor who was able to shed some light on what was happening. I’ve heard people say they’ve stopped taking Lariam and would rather take their chances with malaria! So for anyone suffering from Lariam/Mefloquin, hang in there. It does get better, it just takes time. -Nicki
Claire Standley, Editor says
Hi Nicky,
Thanks so much for that update. Based on stories just like yours, we at malaria.com have decided to run a survey of our readers’ experiences with taking drugs to prevent malaria. Here’s the link to the survey: http://malaria.com/featured/malaria-drug-side-effects-survey. Please spread the word!
Thanks again!
– Claire