LARIAM Reviews (MEFLOQUINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 1.2 (149 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare LARIAM with similar:
Type: Rx Drug
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Results are sorted by Date added. 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 | Peace Corps | facial convulsions/muscle spasms with spaciness; panic attacks. | I took Lariam for about a month while I was in the Peace Corps. I stopped because I experienced facial spasms/convulsions for a number of hours combined with spaciness and panic. They switched me to doxycycline, but about once a month after that point I would have seizures again. Of course, Peace Corps maintained this was all psychosomatic (though I had traveled a great deal before and never had experienced anything remotely like it.) Even now, 5-1/2 years later, I'll have similar episodes. Lariam should not be on the market, let alone privileged as an anti-malarial drug of choice. | F | 30 | 1 months | 1/15/2008 | 1 | Lived in India 1 year | Totally disabling anxiety and panic attacks, insomnia - very very long term effects. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG ! | If you want to lose your mind then take this medication. There are many alternatives. I have travelled back to India many times afterwards and have NEVER taken anything after this horrible experience - I would FAR PREFER to get malaria when travelling and in fact, when you are in places like India the local docs are very skilled at recognizing malaria right away with first symptoms and very effective treatment. DO NOT TAKE THIS DRUG, DON'T EVEN RISK IT !! | F | 40 | 4 months | 1/11/2008 | 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 | 4 | trip to gambia | just taking larium for the third time in 2 years very lucky no side effects unlike other travellers on other tablets | F | 46 | 3 times | 10/29/2007 | 1 | Anti Malarial | hallucination, dreams, anxiety attacks, crazy thoughts, | NEVER, NEVER take this pollutant! | M | 25 | 2 weeks | 10/19/2007 | 1 | military deployment to Afghanistan | I had to run for a toilet the moment it hit my stomach. I failed to do research on this pill before or during my deployment so didn't recognize two other effects until recently. | I was in Afghansitan for 23 months with the Army and religiously took my pill every "Mefloquine Monday." I thought the length of my deployment caused the anxiety that led to sleeplessness. As I was in my mid-40s I was aware of short term memory loss and was concerned that this was the onset of Alzheimer's. That scares me. I've been back now 19 months as a contractor and haven't taken pill one. I wish I had read the side effects and risked getting malaria, especially that the area I was/am in is not even a threat area. Malaria can be treated, but the short term memory loss concerns the hell out of me. Lesson learned: always research what others prescribe to you and carefully weigh your alternatives. | M | 47 | 23 months | 10/16/2007 | 1 | Trip to India | shortness of breath, cardiovascular irregularities, chest pains, dizziness, gastrointestinal disturbances, sensitivity to light, burning/tingling feeling in hands, chills, extreme fatigue | Can you believe it that I took just 1 pill and after 9 months, I still have bad gastrointestinal disturbances and fatigue. It has been the longest 9 months of my life. There are alternatives, so do not take this voodoo drug. | M | 40 | 1 days | 9/28/2007 | 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 | malaria prevention | extreme dizziness all the time, weakness in hands and legs, depression, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, blurred vision, anxiety, panic attacks | i'd never experienced any of this until after taking lariam. now almost 2 years later, i'm still suffering the same adverse effects of this medication. the damage seems to be permanent in some cases. | F | 26 | 3 months | 9/23/2007 | 1 | anti-malarial | Short-term memory loss, depression, speech problems | I took lariam for 2 months while working in Sierra Leone in 2001. I was given no alternative. 6 years later I am still suffering with short term memory problems and depression which I never had before I took it. It became a joke while we were out there that everyone had a 'Lariam day' each week when they took their tablet, and on that day no-one really expected them to be able to function properly. (great, except I was in the Army on a military operation!) | F | 29 | 2 months | 9/8/2007 | 1 | Travelled to Vanuatu | Brought on PHYSCOSIS!!!!! I have no history of mental illness, and I've now been on anti phsycotics for three months so that i can live a reasonably normal life after only taking two Lariam tablets. Dangerous Stuff!! I can't drive, concerntrate properly and my self confidence has completely deminished. | THIS DRUG SHOULD NOT BE ON THE MARKET!! I only took two tablets and if I wasnt able to get back to Australia and medical attention within 48hours I may not be here today. This drug is dangerous. It gave me delusions, halucinations, horrific dreams, rash, nausia, massive anxiety, completely irrational, uncontrolable thoughts!! Don't take this drug!! please! | F | 23 | 2 weeks | 9/7/2007 | 1 | Trip To India | Crazy CRAZY Dreams,Depression, Shortness of breath, severe mood swings, suicidal thoughts [ a friend who went on the trip with me also suffered from terrible nausea and anxiety]. | DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE!! I would rather have dealt with malaria and got it treated than to deal with what I went through for months after coming off of this medicine. I have supported groups that are calling for it to be taken off the market. I have no idea why this is approved by the FDA. Also research issues with our military and this drug. | F | 20 | 2 months | 9/5/2007 | 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 | anti malaria | Fever, shivering, cold night sweats, (would wake up drenched, and ice cold), crazy dreams, intense & continuous head aches, pressure in ears & head, poor balance. | This was after taking 1 pill- which lasts for a week. Wont risk taking another one. I'd rather have Malaria in the city, than experience these effects out in the bush where medicine is not available. | M | 31 | 1 weeks | 5/8/2007 | 1 | malaria prophylaxis | Intense anxiety, shortness of breath, depression, insomnia. The insomnia and shortness of breath passed over a period of months. But, I've never dealt with anxiety before I took Lariam and now struggle with it on a daily basis over 8 months after I took my last pill. | You don't know how bad your life can be if you feel you can't even get a complete breath. It saddens me to think that people are blindly given this medicine without being fully informed. By all means, ask your doctor about Doxycycline and Malarone. I was not even made aware of these options and now my life has been affected in ways which I wrestle with several times a day. I haven't given up completely...but am beaten down multiple times a day. If God forbid you take this medicine, do no take it with alcohol. There was no warning on my prescription bottle and it put me in a dangerous situation one night. This pill may some day be viewed as the asbestos of pharmaceuticals. | M | 29 | 8 weeks | 4/25/2007 | 1 | anti malarial prophylaxis | hallucinations, anxiety, forgetfulness, depression | This is like taking crazy pills! They made us take this in the Peace Corps and let me tell you, the side effects only get worse over time. I like how they say that only people with history of mental disorders are suseptible, well then most of Peace Corps Volunteers must be mental because so many of us had bad bad side effects from this. I would have to say that atleast 40-50% of us had some sort of psychological reaction to this drug and some of us have lasting effects! DO NOT TAKE THIS EVER! I would personally risk malaria than take this ever again! | F | 25 | 20 months | 2/23/2007 | 1 | malaria prophylaxis | paranoia, hallucinations, vivid dreams, severe anxiety leading to panic attacks and social anxiety, motion sickness, dizziness, short term memory loss, confusion | All of the side effects increased the longer I was on Larium and some have subsided since I have stopped but the anxiety, suseptibility to motion sickness and short term memory loss have persisted even years after having stopped taking the medication. | F | 27 | 10 months | 2/23/2007 | 1 | anti malaria | panic attacks, shortness of breath, chest pain, insomnia, nightmares. Very restless, lack of concentration | Take the daily anti-malaria pill-doxycyline. I only had 2 lariam pills and I am still feeling the side effects 8 weeks after the last dose. Symptoms are less but are still present | F | 38 | 2 weeks | 2/7/2007 | 1 | Lariam | Bad dreams,high blud pressure, insomnia, mood swings and restlesness while taking the drug, after one month of the last pill severe tinnitus started and continue already for 2 months. I do not know if it is permanent or will stop some time. Mood swings, reslesness decreased but continues every other week(already three months) | Do not take this drug. Do not think that you will not be affected. Think that if you are affected how you are going to manage your life, your work and other nice things in your life without your brain . There is no cure the side effects do not stop even after stopping the medication. Do not risk with your life. | M | 36 | 3 weeks | 12/13/2006 | 4 | Travel to Africe | None | People may slate this drug but I found it the best by far. It was much easier to take - only once a week as opposed to having to remember to take it at the same time each day. I didn't suffer any side effects at all. I know people do, but until you try it you want know. My suggestion is to try it, if you get a side effect after a couple of weeks then you can swap to another type. | F | 20 | 3 months | 11/15/2006 |