Mefloquine/Lariam (anti-malarial drug)

Currently making the news in Canada:

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail
Published Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2017 8:20PM EDT
Last updated Tuesday, Jun. 20, 2017 8:20PM EDT

MPs say Ottawa should reach out to soldiers who took mefloquine

Veterans Affairs Canada should contact former military members who were sent to Somalia, Rwanda and other countries in the 1990s to determine if soldiers who took the anti-malaria drug mefloquine now need mental or physical services, a Commons committee says.

The veterans’ affairs committee, which on Tuesday released a report after nine months of studying veterans’ mental health, also recommends the department co-operate with researchers who are willing to study the effects of the drug, which some veterans say gave them permanent brain damage.

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Last fall, the military’s Surgeon General surveyed the medical literature about mefloquine. Although he concluded that the long-term negative effects have not been proven, he decided that the Canadian Forces would no longer offer the drug as a first option for preventing the disease during deployments to regions where malaria is present.

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Veterans told the committee they experienced debilitating mood issues, sleep disorders, aggression, depression and memory loss as a result of mefloquine toxicity, sometimes lasting long after their deployment.

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https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/mps-say-ottawa-should-reach-out-to-soldiers-who-took-mefloquine/article35404742/


Fort Bragg Soldiers/CBS News:
2003 Jan 27

The Dark Side Of Lariam

Last summer, four soldiers from Ft. Bragg were accused of killing their wives. Two of the men committed suicide, and the other two await trial. So many brutal crimes, so similar, so close in time – raised questions, and the army sent a team to investigate.

One possible suspect was mefloquine - brand name Lariam, an anti-malarial drug. It was invented by the U.S. Army and is routinely given to soldiers deployed overseas. In scientific terms, Lariam can cause neuropsychiatric adverse events. In plain language, it can make lose your mind. No one questions Lariam's effectiveness in preventing the deadly disease of malaria. Millions of tourists and other world travelers have taken it with no problem.

But a significant number of people have seen and felt first hand its devastating side effects. Vicki Mabrey reports.

It was supposed to be a dream vacation, a safari to Kenya a year and a half ago for Dr. Robert Daehler and his wife Jane, seen here on home video. What you won't you see is how, deep in the African bush, she suddenly transformed before his eyes.

"She just became completely psychotic in the van," says Bob. &quot She) started taking her clothes off and she had called people back from the dead. And they had a doctor at this lodge that came into the van. And she looked at Jane and she said, 'Did she take Lariam?' She said she had seen this in many Americans."

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http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-dark-side-of-lariam/


From The Independent (UK):

Jonathan Owen
Wednesday 15 April 2015 20:10 BST

Exclusive: Shocking figures reveal scale of mental health problems among veterans treated with Lariam

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been accused of knowingly risking the mental health of its own soldiers after new figures showed that nearly 1,000 British servicemen and women have required psychiatric treatment after taking a discredited anti-malarial drug.

Psychosis, suicidal thoughts, depression and hallucinations are among the mental-health problems associated with Lariam, also known as mefloquine.

But the MoD has rejected all appeals to stop giving the drug to troops posted overseas – to the mounting fury of relatives, politicians and retired military figures who fear it could be responsible for an epidemic of psychiatric illness in Britain’s Armed Forces.

The Independent can reveal that a retired major-general who was given Lariam prior to a deployment to Sierra Leone is among those struggling with the after-effects.

Maj-Gen Alastair Duncan, who commanded British forces in Bosnia, is currently in a secure psychiatric unit after a post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) episode over Christmas.

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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/lariam-hundreds-of-british-soldiers-suffering-from-mental-illness-after-being-given-anti-malarial-10179792.html

More info from Iraq Veterans Against The War:

https://www.ivaw.org/lariam

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A quick google on this drug turns up a great deal of highly disturbing information.