Mefloquine and Depression: What Users Say

• a...
• September 23, 2015

Mefloquine for Malaria Prevention "As an A-Detachment medic, I was forced to use this drug for over two years straight. I was also in charge of malaria chemoprophylaxis for my team. During the loading dose, my guys started complaining of weird dreams and depression. Returning from South America, at least 3 out of 11 of the team guys divorced their wives. By the time I raised the BS flag and started a new preventive treatment, another 3 were on their way to divorce or had separated from spouses due to depression and other issues like anger and other issues directly associated with Lariam. I wrote an extensive report and passed it along to the 7th Group Surgeon, but did not even get a courtesy reply. Today I walk around with multiple issues: depression, other mental and physical..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 30, 2020

Mefloquine for Malaria Prevention "Was issued this drug for a deployment to Afghanistan. Took it for a year. Now I have a stutter in my speech, anxiety, depression, and a bit of paranoia. I've been told it's PTSD, but I spent the entire time over there stuck on the base doing paperwork. I didn't experience any traumatic stress at all."

• Bil...
• March 19, 2020

For Malaria Prevention "My best friend was a lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He was well-liked and had no underlying mental issues that any of us knew of. He hung himself in the bottom of a naval vessel within 36 hours of taking it. He had gone to the ship's infirmary dozens of times within those 36 hours. Some people have no side effects, some people have vivid nightmares, and other people experience a physical change in the brain stem, causing them to sink into a deep, permanent depression. Taking it is like playing Russian roulette. I’d much rather just take doxycycline every day."