What is Lariam?
Lariam tablets are used to prevent malaria, and contain the active ingredient mefloquine. They’re usually recommended to people travelling to certain locations in South America, central and sub-saharan Africa and south-east Asia that are considered high risk.
Lariam isn’t normally prescribed for travel to low or moderate-risk countries, but it could be advised if other antimalarial medicines - like Malarone or Doxycycline - aren’t suitable for you. Lariam is also recommended if you’re travelling to an area where there’s malaria that’s difficult to treat.
Lariam is taken before, during and after you travel to a high-risk area. It’s taken once a week, starting ten days before departure. You’ll then continue to take it once a week, on the same day, for the duration of your trip, and every week for another four weeks after you leave.
Like all medicines, Lariam can cause side effects. There’s a slightly higher chance of feeling side effects from Lariam compared to Malarone, so it’s usually only prescribed if Malarone isn’t suitable for you.
How does Lariam work?
In 2019 there were an estimated 229 million cases of malaria worldwide . Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by the plasmodium parasite, which is carried by mosquitoes. Malaria is passed to humans when a mosquito carrying the parasite bites and breaks the skin.
Symptoms of malaria include fever, vomiting and headaches. Symptoms usually appear between 7 to 18 days after you’re infected with malaria, but in some cases it can take up to a year for you to notice them.
Mefloquine, the active ingredient in Lariam, stops plasmodium parasites in the body from multiplying. It does this by preventing the creation of an enzyme the parasite needs in order to spread throughout your body. Once the parasite is weakened, your immune system can kill it off.
What doses of Lariam are there?
Lariam comes in a single dosage: 250mg. It’s suitable for adults and children weighing over 45kg.
One tablet is taken per week, starting ten days before you depart for a high risk area. Then one tablet is taken for each week that you’re in the high risk area. After you’ve left the high-risk area, you’ll take a tablet a week for a further four weeks. In certain cases, such as if you’re taking other medication, you might want to start taking Lariam two to three weeks before you travel. This will be to make sure that the combination of the drugs doesn’t give you any unpleasant effects.
It’s possible for small children to take Lariam, but the dose will need to be altered (depending on the child’s weight).
