LARIAM Reviews (MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 1.2 (149 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LARIAM with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
|
Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken from shortest to longest duration (reviews with no time reported listed first). Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) |
More on LARIAM: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
| RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR LARIAM | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
| 1 | Anti malarial | 1st time was fine, but 2 years later took it again and totally lost my marbles. Any drink apart from water made me sick and i was in such a daze that although i managed to phone the doctor i forgot why i had called them - all this after just 1 tablet. Within a week i was fine - i think, although my short term memory is still rubbish. | Do not take it!!!!!! | M | 27 | 1 days | 9/27/2007 | 1 | Depression, anxiety, panic attacks, confusion | I toke two or three of these pills four years ago and I turned crazy for three days. Will not take it again, it should be banned. Take Malarone instead, it had no side effects on me. | M | 34 | 3 days | 11/3/2008 | 1 | visit to zimbabwe | vomiting, diarrhea my lips and nails went blue, confused. taken 15 years ago. | i would not want to contract malaria so it is important to take an antimalaria drug, just don't take Lariam! I thought it was banned but seems like it is still being prescribed. | F | 35 | 3 days 1X day | 6/8/2012 | 1 | malaria prevention | depression, anxiety, paranoia, confusion, loss of balance, blurred vision, long- and short time memory loss, irritability, chronic fatigue, suicidal thoughts, clumsiness, muscle atrophy, muscle and joint pains, dissociation, depersonalization, chest pains, shortness of breath | The symptoms have been there for 11 years now. Devastating effect on quality of life. Would very much like to know if there is a cure. I recommend NOT to take this drug. | F | 3 days 1X day | 8/6/2013 | 1 | trek in Africa | sleeplessness, wierd dreams,was very teary the day after taking it,became a total basket case | I stopped taking this hideous drug after three weeks when I realised what it was doing to me. I had six more months in Africa and was prepared to get malaria and treat it than suffer this drug (thankfully I didn't get it) My trip was twelve years ago and I have been an insomniac ever since! This drug should not be available to ANYONE! | F | 26 | 3 days | 1/26/2008 | 1 | malaria | Thought of dying no appetite sweating tiredness felt like crying hallucinations don't get close to this drug rather have malaria next time | 35 | 3 days | 10/4/2016 | 1 | Prophy | Took this drug 10 years ago. Changed my life. Serious anxiety I can't stay in the house alone even going to the bathroom I have to leave the door open | M | 40 | 3 days 1X day | 11/28/2023 | 1 | To cure malaria | I have had a headache for 19 years now. Cured the malaria, kept the headache. | Numerous clients on safari in Africa had horrible side effects. NEVER TAKE THIS DRUG. | M | 50 | 5 days 3X day | 1/31/2021 | 1 | Trip to Africa | Dizziness, migraines, hypohydrosis, weight gain, lethagy, pernicious anaemia, memory confusion, general symptoms associated with hypothyroidism.t | Took Larium for one week approx 10 years ago and within hours of taking the tablet became ill. Doctor immediately changed anti-malaria tablet and started treatment for symptoms, 10 years on, am having to take daily doses of levothyroxine and have been on countless different types of medication to combat mefloquin contra indications. STILL undergoing tests and medical reviews to combat effects of this drug. Has had a devasting and long term effect on my life, and continues to do so. It really should be banned. | F | 45 | 7 days 1X day | 11/16/2010 | 1 | trip to Africa | sleeplessness, anxiety, depression, feeling that I wasn't "in my body" | I was warned about this drug and ignored advice. Take MALARONE instead! That said, the rest of my family was fine on it. If you're suffering from bad side effects, I recommend acupuncture--it helped jump-start my body so I could get back to normal. | F | 38 | 8 days | 12/16/2007 | 1 | Holiday to Turkey | Zombie like state,verbal response to questions but no physical movement, short term memory loss | Wife and I were prescribed Lariam as an anti malari drug for our holiday to Turkey in 1998. Thats when our lives changed for ever. I was not affected as far as I can tell but my wife was. While on holiday she became lathargic and slow. When we got home she was like a zombie. She seemed to stare into space and only speak when spoken to. I would say lets go out and she would reply yes but would not move. I would say come on and she would say I'm comming but just sit there. Took her to hospital where a brain scan revealed a problem on the front of her brain. Later a biopsy revealed the swelling of the blood vessels at the front of the brain which was pushing on the brain. The diagnosis was Cerebral Vasculitice. Doctors said it was probably caused by Larium but could not be 100% sure. At the time I did some research and found other stories related to Larium side effects. I cannot belive that people are still being subjected to Larium in 2009.She had to take very strong medication as well as other tablets to reduce the inflamation. She was not allowed to become pregnant whilst taking these medicines. We have been to hell and back and come through ok. Although I wish it never happened, my wife is lucky it was not worse. She has to take tablets for the rest of her life but its near as damn normal as we can make it. She holds a full time job and is doing OK. PLEASE DONT TAKE THIS DRUG AND IF A DOCTOR RECOMENDS IT, ASK - WOULD YOU TAKE IT? | F | 43 | 14 days | 3/16/2009 | 1 | malaria prophylaxis | I have not taken Larium myself but have collected reports from dozens of friends and acquaintances over the years, after a friend of mine had a month-long psychotic episode in India on Larium, thinking he was Jesus and that he had caused the great earthquake in Gujarat. About 80 or 90% of people I've talked with have had nightmares, panic attacks, hallucinations or psychotic episodes on Larium. Don't even consider taking it. The fact this is still on the shelves is insane. | M | 33 | 14 days | 12/6/2009 | 1 | malaria tablets for travel to india | anxiety and shortness of breath; sleeplessness; depression; acne and weight loss - due to extra anxiety. | the lasting side effects were not apparant until well after i was no longer taking the medication. it's been a year and a half since i've taken this medication and i still have the side effects. it's better to have malaria. 30% of the people taking this medication have side effects. the alternate drug has a 14% rate on side effects (on the drug company's web site) -- not much better! | F | 33 | 20 days | 6/14/2005 | 1 | Malaria prevention | Everything on the insert, except suicide. Also, some which are not mentioned - see additional comments: | Took it in 2003 and found myself in a deep, dark pit that took years to crawl out of. In addition to the all usual symptoms, tinnitus, anxiety, panics attacks, etc, my emotions disappeared (except terror - that stayed). I guess you cannot imagine what it must be like not having emotions, until you experience it. And then pain disappeared. I could injure myself without feeling it. The feeling of impending doom all the time. Feeling of there not being enough light. I could look directly into the sun and not feel pain - not feel the impulse to look away. Erectile dysfunction for years. Zero appetite - food tasted like cardboard. Had to force-feed myself. Had to pretend to my family that I was OK and had feelings for them - too terrified to tell them what was actually happening. It was like living in the worst horror movie you can imagine. Hormones went bezerk. I'm sure my hypothalamus is fried. | M | 47 | 21 days | 3/15/2009 | 1 | Anti-Malarial | Diarrhea, weight loss, loss of appetite,stomach cramps,IBS, possible colitis, suicidal thoughts,night sweats,paranonia, terrible shakes/tremors,vision problems,mouth ulcers,weak and tired. | I took lariam for 1.5 months for a trip to West Africa and based on multiple visits to the hospital when I returned,CAT Scan, possible stomach surgery,tremors and a complete loss of appetite I will NEVER travel to a place that requires an anti-malarial again. I had to try both Malarone and Lariam and neither worked. I feel like I have been permanently damaged and pray that I get back to the active/healthy person I use to be. I am depressed and have awful thoughts. One night I wrote down things that just past through my mind and reading it later appeared psychotic. I do not regret Africa, I will always regret taking these drugs. | F | 40 | 35 days | 8/16/2009 | 1 | Lagos-Nigeria | Dizziness, Cramps,after 3 weeks loss of appetite, nausea started at week 5 of taking the tablets, vomiting, stomach upset, feelings of disconnection. Stomach is still upset and still experiencing dizziness several weeks after stopping taking them. | Will not take again | F | 23 | 42 days | 2/17/2008 | 4 | Trip to Ghana | The only side effect I experience was bizarre dreams. | I was taking the once a week kind (for 8 weeks), which is more expensive, but seems to have way less side effects, according to both people here and those I traveled with. | F | 21 | 56 days | 7/7/2007 | 1 | Military Deployment to S. America | Vivid dreams, sleeplessness, neuropathy. | I took Lariam for approximately three months during which time I experienced some sleep disturbances. The worst of it was and still is (3-1/2 years later), is the neuropathy. About a month after starting on the medication, I experienced shooting pains in my body, muscle fasciculations and tingling and buzzing sensations throughout my body. Like I said, these nerve disturbances still exist today 3-1/2 years later. I have every reason to believe it is permanent. Please explore other options for malaria prophylaxis. There are safer alternatives to Lariam. This drug should certainly not be your first choice. I'd go so far as to say it should be banned. | M | 29 | 90 days | 4/12/2008 | 1 | Required for work | I experienced insomnia, paranoia, mania, psychoses, and have vivid dreams. | Do not take this drug. It is poison. | M | 42 | 140 days 250 mg 1X W | 6/17/2010 | 1 | Work in Africa | Facial numbness and tingling (as if recovering from a strong anesthesia at the dentist's) | I decided to give Lariam a try, as I did not want to take anti-malaria pills every day for six months. After the first pill I was OK for about four days, but then the facial numbness and tingling began. I switched to doxy after that one week. | F | 32 | 1 weeks 1X W | 6/21/2010 |