Mefloquine

Mefloquine is an orally administered antimalarial drug used as a prophylaxis against malaria. It also goes by the trade name Lariam^TM (manufactured by Roche Pharmaceuticals) and chemical name mefloquine hydrochloride (forumulated with HCl).

It is the recommended antimalarial in west Africa, where the local malaria strains are very virulent and increasingly resistant to older drugs.

Like other antimalarial drugs, it has side effects. It had been known to cause severe depression if taken for long periods, particularly by people with a history of psychological problems. In the 1990s there were suggestions in the media [1]that the drug may have played a role in the Somalia Affair, the misbehaviour of Canadian peacekeeping troops on duty in Somalia.

External links

• possible permanent neurological damage, calls for reassessment (UPI)
• Manufacturer's information page
• Clearinghouse for information on mefloquine news, research, toxicity
• 2004 UPI story about military suicides
• 2005 AP Story on Larium causing GI's to "freak out" (AP)