On a general scale, the frequency and severity of Lariam® side effects tend to be much more unpredictable than those of other medications. Lariam® has a wide range of minor side effects, most prominently affecting the nervous systems and gastrointestinal and cardiovascular areas of the body. More serious Lariam® side effects are not only sporadic in their occurrence, but can also become almost fatally severe in some cases. This can include seizures as well as drastic psychological distress, often involving depression, anxiety and, in some cases, psychotic behavior. These side effects can occur with almost no correlation to a patient's personal health history, making Lariam® side effects extremely difficult to predict beforehand.
Side effects involving the nervous system most commonly include insomnia, dizziness and headache. Similar side effects may accompany these, such as vertigo, drowsiness or visual problems. Patients have also reported confusion, muscle twitching or loss of muscle coordination, but these are less common.
Gastrointestinal complications tend not to be extremely severe, but are some of the most widely reported side effects. Most commonly, patients may suffer from nausea, vomiting or mouth ulcers. Stomach pain, diarrhea and indigestion are also common Lariam® side effects, but they are less frequently reported.
Sinus bradycardia is defined as heart rhythm, originating from the sinoatrial node, that is under 60 beats per minute and is the most commonly reported cardiovascular side effect. While the condition is not necessarily harmful in and of itself, the slower heart rate may lead to many derivative side effects, such as dizziness, low blood pressure or a propensity for fainting. While sinus bradycardia is the most common of all Lariam® side effects involving the heart, patients have also reported chest pains and accelerated or irregular heart rate.
Seizures are one of Lariam's® more severe potential side effects. They have also occurred not only during traditional treatments of Lariam® to cure malaria, but also during preventative procedures involving the drug. Seizures have occurred in patients with no viable history of them, making it difficult to predict beforehand how a patient's nervous system will respond to Lariam®.
The most common psychiatric side effect resulting from Lariam® is an increase in bizarre or vivid dreams. A significant quantity of patients have reported more serious psychiatric disturbances, most commonly including depression and anxiety. There have, in addition, been a notable number of reports regarding psychotic behavior resulting from the drug, often times involving mania, hallucinations, paranoia and more. Some cases have also been violent, involving aggression towards others or suicidal behavior. Not only is it difficult to determine which patients are prone to psychiatric side effects, but many have reported that the disturbances continue even long after the medication has stopped.
