Anti-Malarial Drug To Stop For Troops?

Anti-malarial drug Lariam, which has been prescribed to UK troops between 2007 and 2015, causes severe side effects including anxiety and depression.

11:14 27 May 2016

MPs on the defence committee have criticised the MoD over the way it issued anti-malarial drug to at least 17,000 service personnel once between April 2007 and March 2015. The controversial drug has been linked to severe side effects including anxiety and depression, which can be more detrimental to those who are serving in challenging and dangerous countries.

 

Committee chairman Dr Julian Lewis said: "It seems quite clear that not only is the MoD unable to follow the manufacturer's guidelines for prescribing the drug in all instances, but a number of troops discard their Lariam rather than risk its potentially dangerous side-effects.

 

"It is our firm conclusion that there is neither the need, nor any justification for continuing to issue this medication to service personnel unless they can be individually assessed, in accordance with the manufacturers' requirements.

 

"And most of the time that is simply impossible, when a sudden, mass deployment of hundreds of troops is necessary."

 

He added: "In a larger minority of cases there are disturbed nights, damaged sleep, psychological ideas that are unsettling and dangerous."

 

"In reality the whole experience has been deeply unpleasant. So much so that phrases like 'mad Monday' or 'crazy Tuesday' are used amongst the armed forces when this stuff has been doled out in the past."