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Some Troubling Thoughts On Anti-Malaria Medicines
By Don Causey
June 2006
What are hunters doing these days to keep from getting malaria when they go hunting in Africa and other parts of the world? I ask that because I have had some troubling experiences personally with anti-malaria medicines and because I am picking up reports of other hunters having such problems. Let me start with one of my own experiences.
Two years ago, when I was preparing to go hunting in Democratic Republic of Congo, my physician recommended I take Larium as a malaria prophylaxis. He warned me that some individuals react badly to this medicine but, given the seriousness of the malaria threat in Congo, he thought I should take it.
I accepted his advice and began the regime as recommended, only to fall prey to what I now know are fairly common side effects of the drug – namely, vivid dreams, strange ideation and even an episode of hallucination. The latter occurred one night as PH Nicky Blunt and I waited in a tree blind over a waterhole. Seems I dozed off at one point and began to have a vivid dream of being in the very tree blind where I was. Then, abruptly, I woke up (or seemed to wake up) to find that the tree had turned upside down. I can remember vividly the experience of looking down at the ground, clutching wildly at the tree to keep from falling.
The next morning, I shared the experience in camp, and that jarred loose a landslide of similar stories about normally well-balanced clients experiencing insomnia, having terrifying dreams and/or falling into suicidal depression on safari.
Here is a Larium experience Hunting Report subscriber Mel Toponce recently shared with me: “Before I left on a safari to Mozambique last September, I began taking Lariam on advice of my doctor. The first sign of trouble was during my flight to Africa when I was unable to sleep, which is very unusual for me. On arrival in Maputo, I took some sleeping pills and was able to get a little rest. However I then began to experience dizziness and anxiety. I also had very little appetite. The best way I can describe how I felt was just plain awful….”
Toponce says he believes the problems he had were attributable to Larium. The question is, have other subscribers had similar experiences with Larium? Are the horror stories I was told in Congo about depression and other reactions true? Or were they campfire exaggerations? It is important, I think, that hunters compare notes on Larium reactions, and I will tell you below where to send your comments.
That leaves Malarone, another widely used malaria medicine. My own bad experience with Malarone began last May as I was being Medivac-ed home after an accident in Cameroon. About 15 minutes into my flight out of Douala, the attending physician leaned forward and said, “Mr. Causey – are you taking Malarone?” I replied that I was, and went on to ask why. “Well, that explains the missed heartbeats,” she said, turning the oscilloscope that was monitoring my bodily functions around so I could see it.
Indeed, the heartbeat was normal for four to six beats, but then it would stop momentarily for at least the length of time during which a beat would take place. The missed heartbeat pattern (I have never had this problem before) was so pronounced the head of cardiology at Nairobi Hospital was summoned to take a look during my stopover there. In both instances – on the plane and in the hospital – the moment I divulged that I was taking Malarone the concern for my well being vanished.
The question is, do doctors in the US know of this? Is the condition dangerous? Have other hunters had this experience? If so, were there noticeable symptoms? And what about mixing blood thinner (or Warfarin) with anti-malaria medicine. Toponce says he was taking Larium during his Mozambique safari because he was taking blood thinners and his doctor was afraid to mix Warfarin and Malarone. Has anyone else been warned of this? Should you have been? Again, I think it will be of value if subscribers to this publication share their recent experiences with anti-malaria drugs.
To share your experience with anti-malaria medicine, e-mail me at: doncausey@msn.com. Or write: The Hunting Report, 9200 South Dadeland Blvd., Suite 523, Miami, FL 33156. US and foreign physicians are particularly urged to comment.
Ultimately, the problems outlined above were not life-threatening. Certainly, the problems created by the medicine are less severe than the problems associated with getting malaria. Still, it is a valid question - are we as a community informed enough about the side effects and downsides of various anti-malaria medicines. Your comments will help kick off what should be a valuable discussion. Thanks in advance of commenting. – Don Causey, Editor/Publisher.
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