The adverse effects of mefloquine in deployed military personnel

INTRODUCTION

Mefloquine (Lariam®) is an effective anti-malarial prescribed to over 35 million travellers world-wide as chemoprophylaxis. However, it has been the subject of increased scrutiny and media attention due to its association with significant neuropsychiatric adverse events. Anecdotal evidence suggests that patient trust in the drug is waning.

METHODS

A prospective questionnaire-based cohort study of 150 deployed military personnel prescribed mefloquine as anti-malaria chemoprophylaxis. The primary study objective was to assess the rate of adverse reactions. In addition, an audit of mefloquine prescriptions and subsequent patient follow-up was conducted.

RESULTS

Among a cohort of 111 individuals taking mefloquine, 54% reported at least one adverse effect and 13% required a change in prescription to a second-line anti-malarial, due to significant side-effects. All females prescribed mefloquine reported at least one adverse reaction. There were two cases of clinically significant adverse reactions.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a higher rate of adverse events reported amongst deployed military personnel than has been reported among civilian patients. This may be partly due to the stressful environment in which deployed personnel operate.

The adverse skeletal effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a widely used group of antidepressants (ADs) with reported potential detrimental effects on bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk. Here, a comprehensive review of the in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies to date was carried out using the medical search engines MEDLINE (1950 to September 2010) and EMBASE (1980 to September 2010). Serotonin (5-HT) receptors have been identified on osteoclast, osteoblast and osteocyte cell lines. The effect of SSRIs on bone formation and resorption appears to be governed by the activation of a number of 5-HT receptors on osteoblasts and osteoclasts via endocrine, autocrine/paracrine and neuronal pathways. In vitro, in vivo and clinical collective data appears to indicate that SSRIs have a negative effect on bone at the therapeutic dose levels widely used for the treatment of depression in current clinical practice. Caution may therefore have to be employed with the use of SSRIs in patients at an increased risk of falls and osteoporosis. Further studies are needed in order to fully elicit the role of SSRIs in bone formation and their effects in the low oestrogen state.