Highly unlikely - you were more likely to have a reaction to an immunization that you received. Lariam is oral pill given once weekly when in areas where malaria is endemic.

I was on Mefloquine for a JCET to Tchad back in '05. Our medic took me off of it because I started having some "anger issues." At one point I can remember being in my hotel room in a rage kicking the crap out of the door to the room because I could hear the music from the live band out back. It wasn't particularly loud or obnoxious but for some reason it made me really angry. That, and a few irrational outbursts were enough to get me pulled off of the Mefloquine and swtched to Doxy, which gave me a horrible sunburn but cut back sharply on the irrational anger.

I recently deployed to another malaria zone and was put on Doxy because to get on Meflequine now you have to have a documented reaction to Doxy. It was fine at first but then I had a reaction to the Doxy that I wrote off as not having eaten with the dose but then it happened again even though I had eaten this time. This reaction, in addition to the severe nausea of the first reaction, included vomiting, dizziness and some mild paresthesia in my lips and fingers. After that I was switched to Malarone, which still causes nausea if I don't eat with it but that is it.

I remember taking it in the test phase, around 1987 or 88 during Cobra Gold in Thailand. Most of my unit was still taking quinine, every day, those of us selected for the test knew because we only took a pill once a week. 3 months in Thailand, with heavy drinking and no side effects. Dont recall anyone having any problems with the meds.

deleted

Reading about Lariam made me long for the good old days of Cloroquine/Primaquine in Southeast Asia when all you had to worry about was it made you crap in your pants...

I am currently TDY in Costa Rica and we have a mixture of people taking Doxy and Mefloquine. People taking Doxy on a daily basis dont really have problems. But others who take Doxy or Mefloquine once a wekk feel really sick after taking it. Some said they started talking in their sleep.

I was on it for two years straight. While I did have a few bad dreams, I had some great dreams too. But more to the point I did not get malaria in a village that had an "outbreak" while I was living there.

While many of my fellow volunteers complained about "lariam dreams" in reality they complained about everything so I would take their reports with a large grain of salt.

Can't take it on an empty stomach. Nausea is a common side effect when taken empty or dehydrated. Dreams are not any worse or better when on these meds...but generally more "real" or "vivid".

Eagle

Exactly.

And be careful about sun exposure with the Doxy.

TR

Thanks Eagle and TR that is good to know, I will pass on the info because the prescription instruction entail to take the meds two hours before any meal. I am sure some guys will be happy to hear that.

DOXY
 

Glad i searched Doxy and found this thread. I am currently taking it...going on 2.5 months of it (100mg/day), and for me, it has done nothing but give me the craps and now, i believe it is giving me a really weird case of heartburn/indigestion.

I talked to Doc, got some Nexium....but i think the problem is within the esophagus because every time i swallow it feels like the food and water gets stuck right at the opening of my stomach where the end/bottom of my esophagus is, then feels like a balloon expanding then subsides until i swallow again. Have had to sleep sitting up, now on a ramp i made out of my bed to alleviate the pain and sleeplessness at night. I can tell it has gotten better with the Nexium because during the day I'm not feeling like I'm bloated or trying burp... but I am off (took myself off) of the Doxy for a few until this gets better because Im afraid the combination of both my counter the other.

Anyone else have a similar issue with Doxy?