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My Lariam dreams | My Lariam dreams |
(about 14 hours later) | |
There's been a call for the British Army to stop using a controversial anti-malaria drug, mefloquine - best known under the tradename Lariam. The Ministry of Defence and the NHS insist it's safe but some can suffer unnerving effects. | There's been a call for the British Army to stop using a controversial anti-malaria drug, mefloquine - best known under the tradename Lariam. The Ministry of Defence and the NHS insist it's safe but some can suffer unnerving effects. |
Savings from some temp jobs, living off a low-cost diet of baked beans for a year and the newfound ability to rack up a fat overdraft meant that by the summer of 1998 - at the end of my first year at university - I had enough money to make a month long holiday to Tanzania with a couple of former school friends. | Savings from some temp jobs, living off a low-cost diet of baked beans for a year and the newfound ability to rack up a fat overdraft meant that by the summer of 1998 - at the end of my first year at university - I had enough money to make a month long holiday to Tanzania with a couple of former school friends. |
Ahead of our trip we all bought our mosquito nets and sun cream and each visited the surgery to get the requisite jabs from the nurse. | Ahead of our trip we all bought our mosquito nets and sun cream and each visited the surgery to get the requisite jabs from the nurse. |
Because the malaria risk was deemed to be high in the part of east Africa where we were visiting, all of us were also prescribed anti-malarial drugs. | Because the malaria risk was deemed to be high in the part of east Africa where we were visiting, all of us were also prescribed anti-malarial drugs. |
Our previous trips to the tropics had involved taking a daily pair of proguanil tablets with couple of chloroquine tablets each week. But for Tanzania, the doctor explained that the mosquito parasites were apparently resistant to these anti-malarials so instead I would be prescribed mefloquine. | Our previous trips to the tropics had involved taking a daily pair of proguanil tablets with couple of chloroquine tablets each week. But for Tanzania, the doctor explained that the mosquito parasites were apparently resistant to these anti-malarials so instead I would be prescribed mefloquine. |
He mentioned the potential side effects but we didn't dwell on them. | He mentioned the potential side effects but we didn't dwell on them. |
We started taking the Lariam tablets a couple of weeks before flying out to Dar es Salaam and none of us noticed anything unusual. | We started taking the Lariam tablets a couple of weeks before flying out to Dar es Salaam and none of us noticed anything unusual. |
We loved Tanzania and Zanzibar. We climbed Kilimanjaro, hung out on beaches, and kidded ourselves that we were immersing ourselves in the culture too. | We loved Tanzania and Zanzibar. We climbed Kilimanjaro, hung out on beaches, and kidded ourselves that we were immersing ourselves in the culture too. |
But soon every Thursday morning (we took the weekly pill on a Wednesday) was spent swapping stories about the hilarious, vivid, crazy - almost hallucinogenic - mefloquine-infused dreams we'd experienced the night before. | |
At least it was entertaining for two of the three of us who were affected - I felt rather sorry for my mate who was missing out on all the fun. And there was even a bit of sleepwalking and talking in my sleep for good measure. | At least it was entertaining for two of the three of us who were affected - I felt rather sorry for my mate who was missing out on all the fun. And there was even a bit of sleepwalking and talking in my sleep for good measure. |
Our dreams were lucid and odd. People turning into safari animals and inanimate objects transmogrifying into living, real people. At times dreams blurred into being awake. | Our dreams were lucid and odd. People turning into safari animals and inanimate objects transmogrifying into living, real people. At times dreams blurred into being awake. |
Anyway, our month in Africa was soon through, we touched back down in the UK and the dull reality of summer temp work kicked in. | Anyway, our month in Africa was soon through, we touched back down in the UK and the dull reality of summer temp work kicked in. |
And for me, so did the darker side effects of mefloquine. We had taken it only for six weeks and were required to take another few weeks after returning home. | And for me, so did the darker side effects of mefloquine. We had taken it only for six weeks and were required to take another few weeks after returning home. |
A long summer holiday as a student ought to be the days-of-your-life stuff - a time not to have any stress and for living without a care in the world. | A long summer holiday as a student ought to be the days-of-your-life stuff - a time not to have any stress and for living without a care in the world. |
But anxiety crept in to my life - feelings of foreboding and inexplicable nervousness about doing anything in public. The vivid and entertaining dreams felt long gone. | But anxiety crept in to my life - feelings of foreboding and inexplicable nervousness about doing anything in public. The vivid and entertaining dreams felt long gone. |
I landed another temp job quite quickly, but managed a single morning in the office before returning home sick. I didn't go back to work that summer. | I landed another temp job quite quickly, but managed a single morning in the office before returning home sick. I didn't go back to work that summer. |
In fact I barely left the house over the next few weeks. I was mildly paranoid and I was depressed. And it wasn't immediately obvious why. | In fact I barely left the house over the next few weeks. I was mildly paranoid and I was depressed. And it wasn't immediately obvious why. |
There were terrible mood swings and feelings of utter helplessness over the following weeks. I was lucky to have supportive friends and family around me. | There were terrible mood swings and feelings of utter helplessness over the following weeks. I was lucky to have supportive friends and family around me. |
Eventually I went back to the doctor who I urged to look at the side effects - this was, of course, before the days of being able to use the internet to do heaps of self-diagnosis and share scare stories. The GP told asked whether I'd ever suffered from depression, which I hadn't. He told me to stop taking the Lariam immediately. | Eventually I went back to the doctor who I urged to look at the side effects - this was, of course, before the days of being able to use the internet to do heaps of self-diagnosis and share scare stories. The GP told asked whether I'd ever suffered from depression, which I hadn't. He told me to stop taking the Lariam immediately. |
Gradually the side effects seemed to subside. And after a further six weeks or so, I had got back to college and got back to life as before. It was such a relief. | Gradually the side effects seemed to subside. And after a further six weeks or so, I had got back to college and got back to life as before. It was such a relief. |
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