Replies

I have to say, I have my doubts about this. Thousands of us took Mefloquine (Lariam), once a week, for months on end, and while there were some side effects -- most of the guys had extremely vivid nightmares -- thousands and thousands of SF soldiers never killed anybody (except the enemy, who needs killing).

Also, Mefloquine has also been used throughout the conventional military extensively, every time they are in a malarial zone, which in this war means since the first deployment to Afghanistan. And SF, active and Guard, have been taking it for years -- malaria is endemic in the third world hell holes we go to, and trust me on this, malaria would wrack up a lot more guys and kill a lot more guys than Lariam could, even if it was a hundred times as bad as this writer suggests.

Now, on the other hand, we had a guy in our unit (then A Co. 1/11th SF, USAR) leave the unit and some years later he killed himself. However, when he was in the unit its area of interest was Arctic Europe -- Norway and the northern USSR. SO Malaria was not a concern and no one ever took Lariam in those days. In his case, he wound up losing his job with the State Police because he ran afoul of Massachusetts's politically connected Bulger crime family. He got depressed and wouldn't welcome his old friends again. Finally, one day, he ended it -- a sad business and those criminals Whitey and Billy Bulger are to blame more than Bill is for his death.

But my point is, yes, even elite SF guys do occasionally suffer sufficient life reverses that they kill themselves. Guys even did it in Vietnam. A guy I know did it in Lebanon. And yes, we reported them as accidental deaths because the Army would screw their families out of insurance and benefits.

I wonder if this post is a preemptive strike on Special Forces men by the mainstream media, because SF veterans have been in the forefront of many of the most damaging attacks on Kerry. Either that, or they want to harm SF because it is effectively prosecuting the war on terrorism.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

18F I can guarantee you with a 100% that no one in this story is targeting SF, and the writer is about as apolitical as a reporter can get. In fact, he has worked extensively with the Gulf Veterans Center to make sure information is brought forward to the military so that those soldiers (however few they may be) receive the appropriate disability benefits. Those of use who have been around SF for a very long time know how your bodies break down at a fast rate and how notoriously the military does not acknowledge the damage. I agree that there are a significant number of soldiers who have no problems with the drug, and that malaria is a disease no one wants. However, I would hope that SF command would not follow the regular military down a blind path. Iraq and Afghanistan are not resistent areas for chloroquine, there were only a few cases of malaria in these regions according to the CDC. The CDC does not recommend Lariam for any region of the world(resistent or not). There are safer alternatives that are just as effective in preventing malaria. Since I know the SF soldier to be quite intelligent, my hope is that questions are asked and answered by the command.
Wife of former 18a and CW2

However, many substances have a specific side effect only a small segment of the population -- like peanut allergies. Could be that's the case with Lariam, especially since it is well known to have mental/neurological effects. Another possibility is that the combination of Lariam with something else that is now being given to these servicepeople triggers the effect in a certain subset of them -- new vaccines, a certain type of amphetamine prescribed to keep Special Forces guys going through long rigorous missions, or something else along those lines.

"I have to say, I have my doubts about this. Thousands of us took Mefloquine (Lariam), once a week, for months on end, and while there were some side effects -- most of the guys had extremely vivid nightmares -- "

Vivid nightmares are an indication that a drug IS having an effect on the brain, mild though it may be. From what I understand, those guys who had the severe reactions to Larium subsequently had tests that showed brain stem damage. Specifically, they had SPECT scans and, I believe, evoked nystagmus tests. You only flunk both those tests if you have something bad going on in your brain. You certainly don't exhibit nystagmus, especially persistent upbeating nystagmus, or have an abnormal SPECT from garden variety psychological issues. It's organic in nature. And the psych problems are secondary to the organic problem, not the other way around. Also, there's no way to predict who'll get those particular side effects from Larium. In other words, the guys who are a little 'off' aren't necessarily the ones who'll have problems. It seems to be completely random. I'm sure Larium helps zillions more than it hurts, but woe to the one in a thousand. I, for one, am glad that the potential side effects are getting publicized, however rare they may be. Forewarned is forearmed.