Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Lariam Dreams

We're a week away from departing for Senegal, and I've begun taking Lariam, a medicine used for the treatment of malaria and to help prevent catching malaria.  Lariam must not be used if you suffer from or have ever suffered from fits, mental complaints, or severe changes of mood.  Potential effects on the nervous system include psychiatric reactions, which may last for more than several weeks.  These include unusual changes in mood or behavior, feelings of worry or anxiety, depression, feelings of persecution, crying, aggression, restlessness, forgetfulness, agitation, confusion, panic, and hallucination.

The good news is that only one one in fifteen men experience side effects.  However, dizziness, feeling out of it (spatial disorientation), and vivid dreams occur frequently.

I will leave it to those who know me well to comment on my mental stability.  While I am subject to the occasional hallucination and psychiatric reaction, I take them with a spirit of good cheer, and a sense of adventure.

The vivid dreams:  This is interesting, an unexpected windfall for this long-time collector of dreams.  And it is to this aspect of Lariam that I dedicate this blog.