Pentagon Silent on Whether Suspect in Afghan Massacre Took Controversial Anti-Malaria Drug (Lariam)

[Guest guest]

below this article I have included info I have been sharing for years on

the dangers of Lariam

Sheri

PS - I have info on Homeopathic prevention of malaira

http://wwww.nationofchange.org/pentagon-silent-whether-suspect-afghan-massacre-took-controversial-anti-malaria-drug-1332859679

Published: Tuesday 27 March 2012

" Pentagon Silent on Whether Suspect in Afghan Massacre Took

Controversial Anti-Malaria Drug "

Video at website

Metfloquine, also called Lariam, is used to protect soldiers from

malaria, but has been known to have side effects including paranoia and

hallucinations.

As Staff. Sgt. Bales is charged with murdering 17 Afghans, we

speak with reporter Mark , who revealed the Pentagon recently

launched an emergency review of a controversial anti-malaria drug known

to induce psychotic behavior. Metfloquine, also called Lariam, is used to

protect soldiers from malaria, but has been known to have side effects

including paranoia and hallucinations. It has been implicated in a number

of suicides and homicides, including within the U.S. military ranks. In

2009, the army decreed that soldiers who’ve suffered traumatic brain

injuries should not be given the drug. But this month, just nine days

after Bales’ shooting rampage, the army issued an emergency decree

calling for the review to be expedited. “The military announced that this

drug should not be given to people who have brain problems like traumatic

brain injuries,” says. “What the military has discovered is that

out on the battlefield, those rules aren’t being followed and some

soldiers who do have these kinds of problems are getting this drug.” The

Pentagon says there’s no connection between its review of Metfloquine and

the murders, but it’s refused to confirm or deny whether Bales was given

the drug. reports for the Huffington Post that the Pentagon

initially ordered the review of Metfloquine in January.

_____________________________

from Sheri

BE VERY AWARE - these drugs are terrifying - I'll post more

info........just had an email last night from one of my listmembers whose

FIL has had a severe reaction we think to Lariam - MANY MANY

reported

" Reviewers' conclusions: Mefloquine prevents malaria, but has

adverse effects that limit its acceptability . There is evidence from

non-randomised studies that mefloquine has potentially harmful effects in

tourists and business travellers, and its use needs to be carefully

balanced against this. Trials of comparative effects of antimalarial

prophylaxis should include episodes of malaria and withdrawal from

prophylaxis as outcomes. "

http://www.aafp.org/afp/2004/0201/p521.html

From The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Chichester, UK: Wiley

& Sons, Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mefloquine for preventing malaria in non-immune adult travellers

(Cochrane Review)

Croft AMJ, Garner P

COCHRANE FOR CLINICIANS: PUTTING EVIDENCE INTO PRACTICE

Mefloquine for Preventing Malaria in Nonimmune Adult Travelers

WILLIAM E. CAYLEY, JR., M.D., M.DIV., University of Wisconsin Eau

Family Practice Residency Program, Eau , Wisconsin

Am Fam Physician. 2004 Feb 1;69(3):521-523.

This clinical content conforms to AAFP criteria for evidence-based

continuing medical education (EB CME). EB CME is clinical content

presented with practice recommendations supported by evidence that has

been systematically reviewed by an AAFP-approved source. The practice

recommendations in this activity are available online at

http://www.cochrane.org/cochrane/revabstr/AB000138.htm.

Clinical Scenario

A 54-year-old woman preparing for a mission trip to Mexico asks what she

should do to prevent malaria.

Clinical Question

Should we prescribe mefloquine for the prevention of malaria in nonimmune

adult travelers?

Evidence-Based Answer

Mefloquine prevents malaria in military personnel, but its effectiveness

in a heterogeneous population of civilian travelers is poorly studied.

Evidence of side effects is based on spontaneous reports and may

underestimate their frequency.

Cochrane Abstract

Background. Mefloquine is commonly prescribed to prevent malaria in

travelers and has replaced other drugs because Plasmodium falciparum is

commonly resistant to them. However, mefloquine may be associated with

harmful neuropsychiatric effects.

Objectives. To assess the effects of mefloquine in adult travelers

compared with other regimens in relation to episodes of malaria,

withdrawal from prophylaxis, and adverse events.

Search Strategy. The

authors

1 searched the Cochrane Infectious Diseases Group specialized trials

register (September 2002), the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled

Trials (the Cochrane Library, Issue 3, 2002), MEDLINE (1966 to September

2000), EMBASE (1980 to September 2002), LILACS (September 2002), Science

Citation Index (1981 to September 2002), and bibliographies in retrieved

papers and standard textbooks. They contacted pharmaceutical companies

and researchers in the subject of malaria chemoprophylaxis.

Selection Criteria. Randomized trials comparing mefloquine with other

standard prophylaxis or placebo in nonimmune adult travelers and

non-traveling volunteers were selected. For adverse events, any published

case reports were collected.

Data Collection and Analysis. The authors independently assessed trial

quality and extracted data. Adverse events from observational studies

were categorized by the study type. Study authors also were

contacted.

Primary Results. Ten trials involving 2,750 non-immune adult participants

were included. Five were field trials, and of these, all involved

primarily male soldiers. One trial comparing mefloquine with placebo

showed that mefloquine prevented malaria episodes in an area of drug

resistance (Peto odds ratio [OR], 0.04; 95 percent confidence interval

[CI], 0.02 to 0.08). Withdrawals in the mefloquine group were

consistently higher in four placebo controlled trials (OR, 3.56; 95

percent CI, 1.67 to 7.60). In five trials comparing mefloquine with other

chemoprophylaxis, no difference in tolerability was detected. The authors

found 516 published case reports of mefloquine adverse effects; 63

percent involved tourists and business travelers. Four fatalities were

attributed to mefloquine.

Reviewers' Conclusions. Mefloquine prevents malaria but has adverse

effects that limit its acceptability. There is evidence from

nonrandomized studies that mefloquine has potentially harmful effects in

tourists and business travelers, and its use needs to be carefully

balanced against this potential risk. Trials of comparative effects of

antimalarial prophylaxis should include episodes of malaria and

withdrawal from prophylaxis as outcomes.

These summaries have been derived from Cochrane reviews published in the

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in the Cochrane Library. Their

content has, as far as possible, been checked with the authors of the

originalreviews, but the summaries should not be regarded as an official

product of the Cochrane Collaboration; minorediting changes have been

made to the text

(http://www.cochrane.org).

Practice Pointers

Residents of countries with endemic malaria have some protection from

severe disease because of partial immunity. Although mefloquine is

commonly recommended for preventing malaria in the 70 million nonimmune

civilian travelers visiting such areas

annually,

2 reports of adverse effects have led to public

concern.

3 The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently issued a Safety

Alert indicating potential side effects ranging from depression to

psychosis and suicidal

ideation.

4

This review sought documentation of the efficacy, tolerability, and

safety of mefloquine in civilian travelers, but the authors found only

field trials in military populations and tolerability trials in

nonexposed civilians. One study found that mefloquine and doxycycline

were equally effective (one case of malaria prevented for every two

people treated), but the study did not include enough patients to detect

a clinically meaningful difference between the medications. Four trials

found more withdrawals from mefloquine than placebo (of every 30 patients

given mefloquine, one stopped treatment), but six trials found no

difference between mefloquine and other medications in the rates of

withdrawal from therapy. The only side effects consistently specific to

mefloquine in the controlled trials were insomnia and fatigue, but the

review found 516 additional published case reports of adverse

effects.

Although the reviewed studies suggest that mefloquine may be just as safe

and effective as other malaria prevention medications, it is unclear if

the efficacy information derived from military populations can be

generalized to the civilian traveling population. Because 63 percent of

the 516 adverse-event case reports were from business or tourist

travelers, it is possible that civilian populations may have more

difficulties with mefloquine and lower tolerance for its adverse effects,

and may be less likely to continue therapy than persons in a more

structured military

setting.

5

Since this review was published, one study in nonimmune civilian

travelers found that atovaquone plus proguanil is just as effective as

mefloquine, with fewer neuropsychiatric side effects and fewer

withdrawals from

prophylaxis.

6 Another study comparing four prophylactic regimens in civilian

travelers found that overall tolerability was the same among mefloquine,

doxycycline, chloroquine plus proguanil, and atovaquone plus

proguanil.

7 Patients taking mefloquine had higher rates of severe

neuropsychiatric side effects, and patients taking chloroquine plus

proguanil had higher rates of adverse skin

reactions.

7 A third study has shown that nearly one third of malaria cases in

returning travelers is late-onset illness, most often caused by

Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium ovale, which have a liver phase that is

not susceptible to

mefloquine.

8

Although mefloquine is the most commonly recommended agent for malaria

prophylaxis, no study has adequately assessed its safety and efficacy in

the general civilian population. Although mefloquine prevents malaria,

doxycycline may work just as well, and atovaquone plus proguanil may work

better with fewer side effects. Selection of an antimalarial agent should

be guided by the patient's health status and travel plans.

Research is needed to clarify the most appropriate regimen for prevention

and terminal prophylaxis against liver-stage P. ovale and P. vivax.

Recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are

available online at

http://www.cdc.gov/travel.

The Author

E. Cayley, Jr., M.D., is assistant professor at the University of

Wisconsin Eau Family Practice Residency Program.

Address correspondence to E. Cayley, Jr., M.D., University of

Wisconsin Eau Family Practice Residency, 807 S. Farwell, Eau

, WI 54701 (e-mail:

bcayley@...). Reprints are

not available from the author.

REFERENCES

1. Croft AM, Garner P.

Mefloquine for preventing malaria in non-immune adult travellers.

Cochrane Database Syst Rev.

2000:CD000138.

2. Lo Re V 3d,

Gluckman SJ. Prevention of malaria in travelers. Am

Fam Physician.

2003;68:509–14.

3. Croft AM, Garner P,

Squire SB. Malaria prevention for travelers.

JAMA. 1998;279:990.

4. U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

2002 safety alert–Lariam (mefloquine hydrochloride). Accessed November,

2003 at:

http://www.fda.gov/med-watch/SAFETY/2002/lariam_deardoc.htm

..

5. Croft A, Garner P.

Mefloquine to prevent malaria: a systematic review of trials.

BMJ. 1997;315:1412–6.

6. Overbosch D, Schilthuis

H, Bienzle U, Behrens RH, Kain KC, e PD, et

al. Malarone International Study Team. Atovaquoneproguanil versus

mefloquine for malaria prophylaxis in nonimmune travelers: results from a

randomized, double-blind study. Clin Infect

Dis. 2001;33:1015–21.

7. Schlagenhauf P, Tschopp

A, R, Nothdurft HD, Beck B, Schwartz E,

et al. Tolerability of malaria chemoprophylaxis in non-immune

travellers to sub-Saharan Africa: multicentre, randomised, double blind,

four arm study. BMJ.

2003;327:1078.

8. Schwartz E, Parise M,

Kozarsky P, Cetron M. Delayed onset of

malaria–implications for chemoprophylaxis in travelers. N Engl J

Med. 2003;349:1510–6.

The Cochrane Abstract is a summary of a

review from the Cochrane Library. It is accompanied by an interpretation

that will help clinicians put evidence into practice. E. Cayley,

Jr., M.D., presents a clinical scenario and question based on the

Cochrane Abstract, along with the

evidence-based answer and a full critique of the abstract.

Copyright © 2004 by the American Academy

of Family Physicians.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A substantive amendment to this systematic review was last made on 28

August 2000. Cochrane reviews are regularly checked and updated if

necessary.

Background: Mefloquine is commonly prescribed to prevent malaria in

travellers, and has replaced other drugs because Plasmodium falciparum is

commonly resistant to them. However, mefloquine may be associated with

neuropsychiatric harmful effects.

And some of these links might not work any longer:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11034675

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/07/23/blood_electrification_effectiveness_on_malaria.htm

REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Mefloquine prevents malaria, but has adverse

effects that limit its acceptability. There is evidence from

non-randomised studies that mefloquine has potentially harmful effects in

tourists and business travellers, and its use needs to be carefully

balanced against this. Trials of comparative effects of antimalarial

prophylaxis should include episodes of malaria and withdrawal from

prophylaxis as outcomes.

AND

google on Lariam dangers

here are some that comes up

#

The Dark Side Of Lariam - 60 Minutes - CBS News

60 Minutes II asked both the FDA and the CDC about how well the American

public is informed of Lariam's potential dangers. But both government

agencies ...

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2003/01/27/.../main538144.shtml - Cached -

Similar

#

Dangers of taking Lariam

Dec 4, 2008 ... What Makes Lariam a dangerous Drug ( side effects):

Depression; Suicide; Suicidal thoughts and behavior. Common Misspelling

or other names: ...

prescriptiondesk.com/drugs/lariam/ - Cached

#

Is Lariam dangerous? | Mail Online

Is Lariam dangerous? Last updated at 09:07 27 August 2002. Add to My

Stories. Brunt, 22, a brilliant Cambridge student, took a fatal

overdose ...

www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/.../article.../Is-Lariam-dangerous.html -

Similar

#

Lariam (mefloquine) Information

Medical and scientific reports were documenting dangers associated with

Lariam as early as 1987. For instance, a study published in the British

Medical ...

www.indiana.edu/~primate/lariam.html - Cached - Similar

#

Lariam (mefloquine) Side Effects Lawsuits

Studies of Lariam determined its dangers. Lariam Side Effects Linked

paranoia, anxiety, hallucinations, suicide, violence and mental

disorders. ...

www.lariam-larium-side-effects.com/ - Cached - Similar

# [PDF]

The Lariam Files; There is compelling evidence that, for a small ...

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View

settlement from a pharmacy after suing for " failure to warn "

about Lariam's dangers. is doing her best to provoke government

action, so far with only ...

www.lariaminfo.org/pages/wp-content/uploads/the-lariam-files-08.pdf

#

Lariam Side Effects: Larium Malaria Drug

Lariam Linked to Dangerous Side Effects The maker of the anti-Malria drug

is starting to alert doctors and is placing a new warning label on the

....

www.personal-injury-attorney-finder.com/.../lariam_side_effects.html

- Cached - Similar

#

Providentia: How Dangerous is Lariam?

Oct 21, 2008 ... Malaria kills millions of men, women and children each

year and represents one of the greatest health threats the world has ever

known.

drvitelli.typepad.com/.../the-dark-side-of-lariam-how-dangerous-is-it---cbs-news.html

http://lariaminfo.homestead.com/

http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/larrefs.html

Mefloquine References

many journal articles on this

Legal Action Over Mefloquine (Malaria Drug)

Date: Nov 7, 2004 9:32 PM

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/11/08/legal_action_over_mefloquine_malaria_drug.htm

Sadly our greedy medical Mafia have chosen the far primitive but

profitable drugs over much simpler and effective methods such as that

discussed in

" Blood Electrification Effectiveness On Malaria "

(

http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/chris/2004/07/23/blood_electrification_effectiveness_on_malaria.htm

).

Imagine what could be done if, even some of this useless, drug research

money could have been used to refine and enhance our immune

system?

Gupta

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/ Homeopathy

http://homeopathycures.wordpress.com

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start March 20 & 22