Mefloquine
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Mefloquine is an orally administered antimalarial drug used as a prophylaxis against malaria. It also goes by the trade name LariamTM (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] (http://www.commando.org/somalia/mefloquine.html)that the drug may have played a role in the Somalia Affair, the misbehaviour of Canadian peacekeeping troops on duty in Somalia.
External links
- Manufacturer's information page (http://www.rocheusa.com/products/lariam/)
- Clearinghouse for information on mefloquine news, research, toxicity (http://www.lariaminfo.org/)
- possible permanent neurological damage, calls for reassessment (http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20040526-105156-8460r) (UPI)
- 2004 UPI story about military suicides (http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20040907-103916-2982r.htm)