Mefloquine (Lariam) for anti-malaria prevention

JJ_BPK · 06-20-2012, 03:49

There are a couple earlier posts on this subject. This is just a reminder.. Ref: lariam

From another QP:

Quote:

To my military brothers and those that may have served or have family members in the last 20+ years that have served:

Brothers / sisters most of us if not all have taken Mefloquine (Lariam) on one or more deployments for anti-malaria prevention. The data is overwhelming of what is surfacing about it's harmful effects on people that took it. I think it is worth your time to read through this info and then do you own research. I would also suggest that you may want to get it annotated in your medical records and in your official files. Please help spread the word amongst our brothers / sisters.

This website is a good starting site, w/links to detailed articles:

Quote:

MEFLOQUINE (LARIAM) ACTION

Dr. Remington Nevin presenting his recent research on the epidemiology and pathophysiology of mefloquine neuropsychiatric side effects. December 2011.

Neuropsychiatric Adverse Events Associated With Mefloquine

Articles about Lariam, links are at the site: http://www.lariaminfo.org/

Documents Uncovered by Judicial Watch Raise Concerns About Use of Drug for Military Personnel, Judicial Watch, May 2, 2012.
Pentagon Stays Silent on Whether Suspect in Afghan Massacre Took Controversial Anti-Malaria Drug, Democracy Now, March 27, 2012.
Did Lariam (Mefloquine) play a role in the Afghanistan massacre? Homecoming Vets at the Crossroads of Humanity, March 27, 2012.
Special Considerations for US Military Deployments, from the CDC Yellow Book traveler advisory in its new, 2012 edition. Published online by the CDC in July 2011.
Senator Dianne Feinstein Calls for Review of Anti-malarial Drug. August 18, 2011
New study will examine Mefloquine as a Treatment for Malignant Glioma (Brain Cancer) . Mefloquine is designed to block a protein that helps to clean the waste in the cells and to destabilize the cell membrane. Blocking this protein may cause tumor cell death. (Study registered in September 2011)
Meeting Report: Doxycycline for Malaria Chemoprophylaxis and Treatment: Report from the CDC Expert Meeting on Malaria Chemoprophylaxis. Am J Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, April 2011
Collateral Damage, Sunday Business Post, Ireland. April 10, 2011
Bad Medicine, Sunday Business Post, Ireland. April 10, 2011
Experts: DOD malaria drug policy for detainees is malpractice (PDF). January 23, 2011
Irish Defence Forces to sue government. January 16, 2011
Seton Hall Law Report Shows U.S. Military Routinely Administered Controversial Drugs to Detainees in Guantanamo Bay (press release). The full report is also available. December 2, 2010
The neuroscience community has started putting things together and is going after mefloquine: Anti-malaria drug mefloquine induces motor learning deficits in humans, Frontiers in Neurosci. 2010 Nov 19;4:191.
The Few. The Proud. The Broken. GQ, March 2010.
Toxic Cocktail: Army struggles with mental health care by Jason Notte, TheStreet.com, Sept 16, 2010.
Policy Memorandum on the Use of Mefloquine (Lariam) as Malaria Prophylaxis, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense, Sept. 2009.
August 2009: Lariam (mefloquine), manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals, is no longer being sold under that trade name in the United States. Generic mefloquine, however, is widely available here and in other countries. The name of our organization and website have been changed to reflect the change to generic mefloquine.
"I want an apology." Watch the compelling story of Mike Kuligowski, the grieving father of Specialist Adam Kuligowski, who committed suicide in April 2009 while taking the anti-malarial drug mefloquine. He was given mefloquine by the Army. Four short videos.
Fort Campbell (KY) Tries to Stop Soldier Suicides,” Kristin M. Hall, ABCNews/US. Adam Kuligowski (see story) was taking mefloquine before his death. Broadcast April 25, 2010.
Mefloquine prescriptions in the presence of contraindications: prevalence among US military personnel in Afghanistan, 2007. Remington L. Nevin, MD, MPH, Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (2009).
Drugs to Prevent Malaria in Travelers [summary]. Comprehensive review finds mefloquine to be the only FDA-approved antimalaria drug associated with death. Jacquerioz FA, Croft AM, Cochrane Review, Oct. 2009.
Two Anti-Malaria Drugs Have Fewer Side Effects. Malarone and doxycycline have fewer adverse effects than mefloquine. ABC News (Reuters), Oct. 7, 2009.
Obituary: Sue Rose, Founder, Mefloquine (Lariam) Action, Sept. 8, 2009.
Lost to Lariam? by Kari Lydersen, Chicago Reader, Sept. 09.
Epileptogenic potential of mefloquine chemoprophylaxis: a pathogenic hypothesis, Remington L Nevin, Malaria Journal 2009, 5 August 2009.
Drugs, death, and the manufacture of doubt, by Dan Olmsted, posted on “Age of Autism” blog. MANY comments about Lariam follow the article. [ April 2009]
“The Army has dropped Lariam,” reports Kelly Kennedy, Army Times, March 22, 2009. Re Army Surgeon General’s Orders of Feb. 2, 2009 (see below).
“Create a Consistent Drug Policy,” letter to Stars&Stripes (second letter), Dr. (Maj.) Remington Nevin, March 25, 2009.
Anti-malaria drug limited due to risks, Jeff Schogol, Stars & Stripes, Marcy 5, 2009.
Soldiers Committing Suicide by Jason Notte, The Phoenix [Boston], March 11, 2009.
Updated Guidance on Use of Mefloquine (Lariam) for Malaria Prophylaxis, Dept. of Army, Office of Surgeon General, 2 Feb 09 . This Guidance officially makes doxycycline the “drug of choice” for malaria prevention and adds TBI to contraindications for US military contemplating use of mefloquine.
"Lariam: Why is this high-risk drug still prescribed when safer anti-malaria drugs exist?", Sue Rose/Jeanne Lese, in Medication Sense.
"A Lesson Learnt: the rise and fall of Lariam and Halfan," by Dr Ashley Croft, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, April 2007. Dr. Croft is one of the world’s experts on Lariam.
"Before Walter Reed. . .". Dan Olmsted updates his report on the military’s abusive treatment of wounded soldiers and their handling of Lariam toxicity, Nieman Reports Watchdog, March 5, 2007.
Analysis: Iraq casualties and causality, Dan Olmsted, UPI, May 23, 2005. Did mefloquine (Lariam) trigger a number of suicides among soldiers serving in Iraq in 2003?
Consumer Reports, “Lariam’s Legacy,” March 2002. “The most-prescribed malaria drug could produce psychiatric side effects in more than one-quarter of all travelers who take it.”