Drug Safety Information for LARIAM (Mefloquine hydrochloride)

Safety-related Labeling Changes for LARIAM (MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE) Rx Drug: FDA Link

Boxed Warning Added for neuropsychiatric adverse reactions

Safety-related Labeling Changes for MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE (MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE) Rx Drug: FDA Link

Boxed Warning Added for neuropsychiatric adverse reactions

Adverse Drug Reactions for LARIAM* (Mefloquine hydrochloride)

These charts and graphs are based on reports received through the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) program (see below).

Top 20 Adverse Effects Associated with LARIAM
(reported in FDA Medwatch/FAERS Reports)

  Side Effect # of FDA Reports
1Anxiety*268
2Depression*239
3Insomnia*178
4Dizziness*148
5Headache128
6Panic attack*124
7Suicidal ideation*123
8Nausea123
9Fatigue112
10Nightmare*103
11Paranoia*102
12Hallucination*95
13Psychotic disorder93
14Disturbance in attention88
15Confusional state85
16Tinnitus82
17Abnormal dreams*71
18Feeling abnormal70
19Amnesia69
20Balance disorder69

* This side effect also appears in "Top 10 Side Effects of LARIAM " in the drug's Review Summary based on AskaPatient reviews.

Top 10 Reasons for Taking LARIAM
(associated with FDA Medwatch/FAERS Reports)

Reason # of FDA Reports
1Malaria prophylaxis*4574
2Prophylaxis*842
3Malaria*673
4Product used for unknown indication534
5Foreign travel52
6Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy42
7Leukoencephalopathy30
8Plasmodium falciparum infection26
9Occupational problem environmental25
10Adverse event25

*Also a top-10 reason in AskaPatient Review Summary.


Types of Adverse Events for LARIAM

Total Reports Filed with FDA: 8178


Number of FDA Adverse Event Reports by Patient Age for LARIAM

Total Reports Filed with FDA: 8178*


* Reports for drugs with the same active ingredients have been aggregated in this analysis: Mefloquine hydrochloride (Lariam, Mefloquine)

Charts are based on 8178 reports filed with the FDA between 2004 and June 2015.

Adverse Event Reports are submitted to the FDA by pharmaceutical companies (mandatory reporting is required by manufacturers, distributors, or importers), health care providers such as doctors (voluntary reporting), and by patients themselves (voluntary reporting). More Information on FDA MedWatch (FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program)Voluntary reporting takes place under the FDA's MedWatch program, where health care professionals and consumers submit reports to FDA when they find a problem with a drug, medical device, biologic, or other FDA-regulated product. An adverse event is any undesirable experience or extreme side effect associated with the use of a medical product. Adverse events include: death, life threatening event, hospitalization, disability or permanent damage, congenital anomaly or birth defect, medical product use requiring a surgical or other intervention, or other serious medical situation believed to be caused by the drug.

Click to go back to search results and LARIAM Reviews and Review Summary .

Historical Analytics of FDA Adverse Event Reports Provided by Druginformer.com. FDA Drug Safety Information, including safety-related labeling updates, required post-approval safety studies, risk evaluation management strategies (REMS), alerts, and recalls are compiled by AskaPatient.com from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.