When I started on larium a couple of years ago, the bit of paper included in the box cited the following possible side-effects:

“Feeling or being sick, dizziness, vertigo, loss of balance, headache, sleepiness, sleep problems, diarrhoea, stomach ache, psychiatric reactions (mood & behaviour changes, feelings of worry or anxiety, depression, feelings of persecution, crying, aggression, restlessness, forgetfulness, agitation, confusion, panic, hallucinations), other neurological reactions (fits, pins and needles, weakness, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, hearing impairment, co-ordination problems, shaking of the hands and fingers), circulation effects (changes to blood pressure or heart rate, palpitations, chest pain), effects on skin/scalp (fluid retention, skin rash, itching, hair loss) breathlessness, muscle cramps, joint pains, muscle pains, tiredness, fever or chills, sweating, loss of appetite, indigestion, change in levels of blood factors (white blood cells, platelets, enzymes etc), allergic reactions, and occasional reports of suicidal tendencies.”

In admiration, my colleague Steve wrote the following poem, to the tune of that old Flanders and Swann favourite, “The Gasman Cometh”. Please sing along:

“A Week on Lariam”
by Steve Davies

Twas on the Monday morning I took my mefloquine,
My hands began to tremble and my head began to spin,
My legs got pins and needles, all my friends were most amused,
And I went straight back to bed, feeling anxious and confused.

Twas on the Tuesday morning the vertigo arrived,
I staggered and I stumbled but somehow I survived,
My co-ordination problems made me feel such a twit,
But they were just precursors to an epileptic fit.

Twas on the Wednesday morning that I awoke in tears,
With visual disturbances and ringing in the ears,
My scalp had started itching which gave me quite a scare -
So I scratched it uncontrollably, and out fell all my hair!

Twas on the Thursday morning the fever came along,
With chills and cramps and muscle pains I wondered what was wrong,
With my enzymes all excited and my blood cells on the blink
I was panicky and nervous and couldn't sleep a wink.

Twas on the Friday morning the paranoia struck,
Everyone was after me, my time was nearly up,
I locked myself inside my room, and that allayed my fear -
But then I felt the rumblings of impending diarrhoea.

On Saturday and Sunday forgetfulness set in...
...
...so it was on the Monday morning I took more mefloquine...

Malaria
Malaria kills over 1 million people each year, 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa. For a more serious look at the disease, its impact and possibilities of combatting it, look at the series I did earlier this year for Africa malaria day: introduction, the tools for combatting malaria, the obstacles to its elimination, and some thoughts on what we can do.

Tags: africa mefloquine malaria lariam