This article is provided courtesy of DefenseWatch, the official magazine for Soldiers For The Truth (SFTT), a grass-roots educational organization started by a small group of concerned veterans and citizens to inform the public, the Congress, and the media on the decline in readiness of our armed forces. Inspired by the outspoken idealism of retired Colonel David Hackworth, SFTT aims to give our service people, veterans, and retirees a clear voice with the media, Congress, the public and their services.
So you're sucking it up for Uncle Sam in Baghdad, and now you've also been ordered to suck up a mefloquine (a.k.a. Larium) pill every week to keep from getting malaria?
Whoa! Larium?
Isn't that the evil shit that made those dudes at Bragg go off the deep end and whack their wives? Is this another attempt by Big Brother to use GIs as guinea pigs for experimental drugs? What's the deal? Am I going to wind up as another statistic at SFTT.org?
Okay, first I have to tell you up front that I'm a doctor, and I wear the green uniform. So you might understandably view whatever I tell you with some skepticism. But you should also know that I did a few years as a dumb grunt with stripes on my sleeves before I went to medical school.
When my boss told me during Gulf War I to take those little nerve agent pills called pyridostigmine, I said "yes, sir," and tossed them in the sand like most of my buddies did.
So should you chuck your malaria pills? Is mefloquine as bad as they say it is?
Well, it ain't as safe as Tylenol, I can tell you that. But don't toss your pills just yet. I have given mefloquine to troopers under my care with a clear conscience. I also have taken the stuff myself.
The biggest complaint that most folks have when they take the mefloquine is that it gives them very vivid, and sometimes weird, dreams. In a very few cases it also causes vertigo and nervousness. None of my own patients reported these side effects, but the Army Aviation Center has enough concerns about them that it doesn't allow anybody on flight status to take mefloquine.
As far as the drug causing homicidal flip-outs, though - I don't think there is any connection.
What's that, Doc? You mean that I can drive my fifty-ton tank around when I'm dizzy and having nightmares from my mefloquine pills, but those flyboys get to take a pass? What's up with that? What do they take to keep from getting malaria? Good question.
The aviators take an antibiotic called doxycycline. Doxycycline doesn't make you dizzy or cause you to have wicked dreams, but it isn't perfect either. Doxy makes you much more sensitive to sunlight. Light-skinned folks who take it can get a sunburn that looks like it was caused by a burst of napalm (you can imagine what kind of problems that could cause in a place like Iraq during August). Doxy also gives some people terrible stomach cramps. And you have to take doxycycline every day instead of just once a week like mefloquine.
So should I chuck the mefloquine pills or not, Doc?
That's up to you. Don't take mefloquine (or any drug) with blind faith. Having concerns about what drugs you are putting in your body is a healthy practice as far as I'm concerned. There are risks and benefits with any drug. But keep in mind that malaria is serious bad news.
The falciparum variety - the kind that mefloquine protects against - is the worst there is. Malaria is a disease where microscopic, worm-like parasites get in your blood when a mosquito bites you. The parasites set up shop in your liver and your red blood cells and wreak havoc. Falciparum malaria is a killer. Keeping from getting bitten in the first place is the best protection. But if a determined radical Muslim mosquito does get you, mefloquine and doxy are about the only drugs that will give you real protection from the microorganisms that cause malaria.
Personally, I'd rather take doxy than mefloquine. But I tolerate doxy well (I have dark skin), and I don't have a problem remembering to take a pill every day. If I were in an area where falciparum-carrying mosquitoes lived, and I didn't have any doxy, I'd take the mefloquine. I'll take a few vivid dreams over having microscopic worms in my blood cells any day.
Mefloquine is not just used by the military. Thousands of people use it in areas where malaria is common. The vast majority take it without any serious problems. But there are plenty who cannot tolerate the drug. If you are one of them, you should ask for doxycycline. A good Doc should have a supply of doxy for soldiers who can't tolerate mefloquine.
If you want a perspective from the other side of the coin, visit this
website
that was put together by an Australian who had a very bad Larium experience.
He has a lot of information about the drug and more informative links
on his site.
Meanwhile, my recommendation to the troops: If you can't get any doxy, and you're thinking about chucking the Larium, you'd better be damned sure that there aren't any mosquitoes living nearby. It only takes one bite.
