FYI Army stops using Lariam anti-marleria drug

[JMARINER]

For those of us who cruise to the tropical jungles:

 

"Almost four decades after inventing a potent anti-malarial drug, the U.S. Army has pushed it to the back of its medicine cabinet.

 

The dramatic about-face follows years of complaints and concerns that mefloquine/Lariam caused psychiatric and physical side effects even as it was used around the globe as a front-line defense against the mosquito-borne disease that kills about 800,000 people a year.

 

"Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago," said Dr. Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. He believes the drop in prescriptions is a tacit acknowledgement of the drug's serious problems."

 

 

 

 

Full text at:

 

http://www.taiwannews.com.tw/etn/news_content.php?id=1763941

 

 

J

[Travelcat2]

Do you know what they are using instead? This is interesting information for people traveling to several places in the world.

[jhp]

Malarone

[Travelcat2]

Thank you.

[journeyfan]

According to the AP article cited by JMARINER, the Army has switched to doxycycline in many cases, stating that "In 2008, the Army dispensed 8,574 courses of the drug [Lariam]. In 2010, it fell to 2,054. At the same time, the Army increased fivefold the number of doxycycline prescriptions." But the same article quotes the director of the Navy's Department of Preventive Medicine as saying that Lariam remains one of his best tools for preventing malaria as it is "much cheaper than the most effective drug, Malarone, and can often work better than doxycycline."

 

So no, jhp, it does not appear that the Armed Services is switching to Malarone due to its cost.

[Shipkicker]

We board the Navigator next week on the "Ultimate Amazon" cruise. I was in my doctor’s office and answered yes to the usual question about any injections (Yellow Fever) and he suggested I take doxycycline as a malaria preventative. I was in his office for a different matter and he brought up malaria. I asked if I really needed to take this and his response was that Malaria was a something I really did not want to get especially when it is preventable. It is a low dose antibiotic, one pill a day starting two days before departure and continuing four weeks after the trip. Of course, you should consult your own physician or health care professional.

[Jeronimo]

Always used Doxcycline

Its amazing stuff, its actually an antibiotic but its protection against malaria.

If you read the product sheet its good for virtually all infections and diseases.

Only side effects are more sensitive to the sun, so avoid sunbathing, and don't take whilst lying down

Otherwise its the malarial med to go for.

[tallship]

Always used Doxcycline

Its amazing stuff, its actually an antibiotic but its protection against malaria.

If you read the product sheet its good for virtually all infections and diseases.

Only side effects are more sensitive to the sun, so avoid sunbathing, and don't take whilst lying down

Otherwise its the malarial med to go for.

 

For the very reasons you suggest regarding the effects of the sun as well as side effects from taking antibiotics over a prolonged time frame, the use of Malarone is often prescribed albeit it is more expensive