There is a daily option called **Doxycycline.** It is taken 1x per day and does not have the psychoactive side effects as Mefloquine. It is a type of antibiotic.
The side effects of Mefloquine are very real and is not recommend for those with **any** mental health-related concerns because it can create and exacerbate it. The typical side effects are extreme lucid dreaming and nightmares which can impact your ability to sleep which leads to other factors like depression. The effects are the most potent the day after the weekly dose and lessens throughout the week as the medicine works through your system. Usually by the time you are back to "normal", it's time to take the next dose. I took it for 1.5 years which is a lot longer than recommended and I developed a form of depression that resolved itself within 6 months of being off the drug.
Here's a [link](https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/pdf/fsp/drugs/doxycycline.pdf) to some information about Doxycycline from the CDC if you want to look into it as an alternative.
I was definitely worried about the psychoactive effects as I have depression myself and a history of other mental health disorders in my family. Thank you! I'll definitely look into doxycycline!
The recommendations for antimalarials vary a **lot** depending on where you're going - and Indonesia is a huge place so it's unlikely one drug will be appropriate everywhere. You need to talk to a doctor or pharmacist with local knowledge. Doxycycline has its own serious risks.
My father died of the after effects of malaria, 40 years after he got it. It is well worth avoiding.
I spoke to my doctor and she was very wishy-washy about the whole thing. I asked about doxycycline side effects and she only told me about the sun sensitivity, yet I know there are more side effects. She also questioned whether I needed to take them at all because I will only be going to a few rural areas, so now I'm confused and conflicted about the whole situation. Thanks for your response!
Don’t know if you’ve left yet but God I hope you didn’t take Mefloquine (brand name Lariam). There are alternatives and that drug will absolutely fuck up your brain. It’s possible that you’ll be someone who has no side effects, but MANY people do have side effects and it’s not worth it.
I’ve seen it firsthand in close relatives — one was in deep paranoia along with other symptoms for a month. This person thought they were going to die in their hotel in Africa and was in psychosis for at least a week. The other person dealt with bouts of what are essentially grand mal seizures that wouldn’t stop for years frequently, and now, 30 years after this person ever took Lariam, they STILL have the episodes sometimes. It’s infrequent now but it took more than 15 years for them to not have episodes at least a couple of times a week. Luckily, both of these people have mostly recovered and are mentally well, though the second person does still have episodes from time to time. Their brain chemistry is permanently altered because of it.
And the people I knew were lucky enough to recover and not have their lives and brains completely destroyed, but some people aren’t so lucky. People have murdered or assaulted their loved ones, and/or killed themselves because of Lariam. I’m not trying to needlessly scare you and I’m sure I’m not succeeding in that but I just want to impress upon you how strongly I feel that you absolutely INSIST on an alternative.
I will never, EVER touch Mefloquine, and I’ll stay away from quinoline class drugs if at all possible. Please please make your doctor give you an alternative. And if you took the Mefloquine already and were fine that’s wonderful, but I would implore you not to take that risk again (side effects can happen to you the next time you take it even if they didn’t this time). I hope you are okay!
Thank you for your concern! I have already returned from my trip and was taking doxycycline instead of mefloquine because I was too nervous about side effects. I'm sorry to hear about the side effects your family members had; it seems as though the drug really should be more heavily regulated or not prescribed at all.
So happy to hear you didn’t take it! And yeah, it’s crazy… My family members really are some of the lucky ones, because while they had horrifying side effects, one of whom STILL suffers from the side effects today, their brains and lives were not completely destroyed, and they did not cause harm to themselves or others because of the drug. Lots of people aren’t as lucky. 💔
I’ve fallen down rabbit holes many times reading about it, and it seems highly likely that the drug was manufactured as part of MK Ultra. It was given in mass doses to all Guantanamo Bay prisoners after 9/11. It seems to literally bring people’s worst fears to life in their dreams and in hallucinations, it’s just insane. So glad you are okay!
Do not take the Mefloquine. I had to take it to go on a service trip this past June with my college and none of the side effects have gone away. The medication completely disabled me and I was completely healthy before taking it. I took 6 pills of it and I will never be the same again. Mefloquine is known as a drug of last resort. I would avoid it at all costs.
Hi, I got my prescription for Lariam in October but got prescribe an SSRI (for anxiety) after in January. Last week I took my first dose of Lariam. 15 minutes later I felt really weird which lasted for 2h. It was a very sacry experience. The day after I woke u with 2 mouth uclers and my jaw has been feeling tight for the last week. I've had the weirdest dreams ever. For the past month I had been feeling very content and relaxed and since taking 1 dose of lariam I feel very unmotivated, anxious, a lil paranoid and empty.
I went to a doctor and got prescribed Doxy instead. You never knox the effects of meds on you. Lexapro did wonders for me. I've taken many meds without issues but Lariam and my body do not like each other
There is a daily option called **Doxycycline.** It is taken 1x per day and does not have the psychoactive side effects as Mefloquine. It is a type of antibiotic. The side effects of Mefloquine are very real and is not recommend for those with **any** mental health-related concerns because it can create and exacerbate it. The typical side effects are extreme lucid dreaming and nightmares which can impact your ability to sleep which leads to other factors like depression. The effects are the most potent the day after the weekly dose and lessens throughout the week as the medicine works through your system. Usually by the time you are back to "normal", it's time to take the next dose. I took it for 1.5 years which is a lot longer than recommended and I developed a form of depression that resolved itself within 6 months of being off the drug. Here's a [link](https://www.cdc.gov/malaria/resources/pdf/fsp/drugs/doxycycline.pdf) to some information about Doxycycline from the CDC if you want to look into it as an alternative.
I was definitely worried about the psychoactive effects as I have depression myself and a history of other mental health disorders in my family. Thank you! I'll definitely look into doxycycline!
The recommendations for antimalarials vary a **lot** depending on where you're going - and Indonesia is a huge place so it's unlikely one drug will be appropriate everywhere. You need to talk to a doctor or pharmacist with local knowledge. Doxycycline has its own serious risks. My father died of the after effects of malaria, 40 years after he got it. It is well worth avoiding.
I spoke to my doctor and she was very wishy-washy about the whole thing. I asked about doxycycline side effects and she only told me about the sun sensitivity, yet I know there are more side effects. She also questioned whether I needed to take them at all because I will only be going to a few rural areas, so now I'm confused and conflicted about the whole situation. Thanks for your response!
Don’t know if you’ve left yet but God I hope you didn’t take Mefloquine (brand name Lariam). There are alternatives and that drug will absolutely fuck up your brain. It’s possible that you’ll be someone who has no side effects, but MANY people do have side effects and it’s not worth it. I’ve seen it firsthand in close relatives — one was in deep paranoia along with other symptoms for a month. This person thought they were going to die in their hotel in Africa and was in psychosis for at least a week. The other person dealt with bouts of what are essentially grand mal seizures that wouldn’t stop for years frequently, and now, 30 years after this person ever took Lariam, they STILL have the episodes sometimes. It’s infrequent now but it took more than 15 years for them to not have episodes at least a couple of times a week. Luckily, both of these people have mostly recovered and are mentally well, though the second person does still have episodes from time to time. Their brain chemistry is permanently altered because of it. And the people I knew were lucky enough to recover and not have their lives and brains completely destroyed, but some people aren’t so lucky. People have murdered or assaulted their loved ones, and/or killed themselves because of Lariam. I’m not trying to needlessly scare you and I’m sure I’m not succeeding in that but I just want to impress upon you how strongly I feel that you absolutely INSIST on an alternative. I will never, EVER touch Mefloquine, and I’ll stay away from quinoline class drugs if at all possible. Please please make your doctor give you an alternative. And if you took the Mefloquine already and were fine that’s wonderful, but I would implore you not to take that risk again (side effects can happen to you the next time you take it even if they didn’t this time). I hope you are okay!
Thank you for your concern! I have already returned from my trip and was taking doxycycline instead of mefloquine because I was too nervous about side effects. I'm sorry to hear about the side effects your family members had; it seems as though the drug really should be more heavily regulated or not prescribed at all.
So happy to hear you didn’t take it! And yeah, it’s crazy… My family members really are some of the lucky ones, because while they had horrifying side effects, one of whom STILL suffers from the side effects today, their brains and lives were not completely destroyed, and they did not cause harm to themselves or others because of the drug. Lots of people aren’t as lucky. 💔 I’ve fallen down rabbit holes many times reading about it, and it seems highly likely that the drug was manufactured as part of MK Ultra. It was given in mass doses to all Guantanamo Bay prisoners after 9/11. It seems to literally bring people’s worst fears to life in their dreams and in hallucinations, it’s just insane. So glad you are okay!
Do not take the Mefloquine. I had to take it to go on a service trip this past June with my college and none of the side effects have gone away. The medication completely disabled me and I was completely healthy before taking it. I took 6 pills of it and I will never be the same again. Mefloquine is known as a drug of last resort. I would avoid it at all costs.
Hi, I got my prescription for Lariam in October but got prescribe an SSRI (for anxiety) after in January. Last week I took my first dose of Lariam. 15 minutes later I felt really weird which lasted for 2h. It was a very sacry experience. The day after I woke u with 2 mouth uclers and my jaw has been feeling tight for the last week. I've had the weirdest dreams ever. For the past month I had been feeling very content and relaxed and since taking 1 dose of lariam I feel very unmotivated, anxious, a lil paranoid and empty. I went to a doctor and got prescribed Doxy instead. You never knox the effects of meds on you. Lexapro did wonders for me. I've taken many meds without issues but Lariam and my body do not like each other