Mefloquine is an orally administered antimalarial drug used as a prophylaxis to malaria. It also goes by the names Lariam and mefloquine hydrochloride.
It is the recommended antimalarial in west Africa, where the local malaria strains are very virulent and increasingly resistant to older drugs.
Like other anti-malarial drugs, it has side effects. It had been known to cause severe depression if taken for long periods, particularly by people with a history of psychological problems
