MAJOR NIDAL HASAN vs SSG ROBERT BALES

[Smuckatelli]

OMG, it can cross the blood brain barrier and in the brain it has anti-viral properties while there. This speaks to neural interactions both subtle and obvious .... halleucinations should have been the first clue.

Yeah.....it also gave some really vivid nightmares....

[Bison]

Interesting.  It's possible I guess if he were allergic perhaps to the doxcycline? 

[Smuckatelli]

Interesting.  It's possible I guess if he were allergic perhaps to the doxcycline?

The primary reason that we were given was that the malaria in CAR was resistant to the doxcycline treatment. The mef was a whole lot easier to take; once a week, one pill.

Here's soem US info:

"Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago," said Dr. Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. He believes the drop in prescriptions is a tacit acknowledgment of the drug's serious problems

http://www.usatoday.com/news/military/story/2011-11-19/military-malaria-drug/51311040/1

[Martok]

Honestly I'd be very surprised if that turned out to be true.  Doxycycline is the standard issue for malaria.

I've taken probably thousands pills of doxycycline. There was one year that I was taking mefloquine only for most of my time in Bangui. There is a lot of movement below the waves on this subject.

Here's an article, like I said, it is speculation until the Army gives S/A:

A senior Pentagon official ordered an emergency review of the military's use of an anti-malaria drug known to have severe psychiatric side effects - nine days after the Afghan massacre in which a U.S. solider allegedly shot dead 17 civilians including nine children, it has been alleged.

The notorious drug Mefloquine, also known as Lariam, has been implicated in a number of suicides and homicides in the military spanning back more than ten years, with side effects including paranoia,

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2120577/Was-Staff-Sgt-Robert-Bales-given-anti-malaria-drug-known-cause-psychotic-episodes-Afghan-massacre-Pentagon-ordered-emergency-review-drug-days-shooting.html#ixzz1qMjjx3fH

God in heaven.  That's some nasty-sounding stuff. 

I'm suddenly hoping against hope that Bales was, in fact, on Mefloquine -- at least for his sake.  It could explain much. 

[bayonetbrant]

There's a bunch of Mef-related stuff in the news right now, but some of the stories about problems with it go back to 2009.

http://www.armytimes.com/news/2009/03/army_lariam_032209w/

Schoomaker said mefloquine should be given only to troops who can't take doxycycline, and that it is "critically important" that mefloquine not be given to anyone with mental health issues or a recent history of traumatic brain injury.

Mefloquine has been found to cause side effects in as many as 25 percent of people who take it, including vomiting, convulsions, psychosis, nightmares, dizziness, confusion, insomnia, unusual dreams, lightheadedness, vertigo, visual disturbances, ringing in the ears, rash and irritability.

It also can cause anxiety, paranoia, depression, agitation, panic attacks, hallucinations, mood changes, aggression and psychotic behavior, according to the Deployment Health and Readiness Library.

2012:  http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2012/03/20/afghan-massacre-potentially-toxic-exposures/

2004:  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1209648/posts

[Smuckatelli]

There's a bunch of Mef-related stuff in the news right now, but some of the stories about problems with it go back to 2009.

The Canadians were issuing it to their missionaries back in the mid 90's. One of my FB friends has been having issues ever since she left Bangui. So far two of my Marines have reported back that they have been having issues also.....

Freakin WAWA.....it always wins.

[Windigo]

This could be a good drug in the long run. Just not for the purposes originaly intended and certainly not in the dosages currently prescribed.

[Gusington]

What about Bales serving 3 tours in Iraq and then being ordered to Afghanistan and his PTSD? This guy needed help even without the anti-malaria medicine.

[Martok]

Freakin WAWA.....it always wins.

WAWA? 

What about Bales serving 3 tours in Iraq and then being ordered to Afghanistan and his PTSD? This guy needed help even without the anti-malaria medicine.

A very good point.  His defense attorney will no doubt do his utmost to emphasize that. 

[LongBlade]

WAWA? 

I had to ask, too.

It's from his days in Africa: "West Africa Wins Again."

[Martok]

Aha.  Thanks Chief! 

[Smuckatelli]

Aha.  Thanks Chief!

No, we are not talking about Aha Okinawa

http://okinawahai.com/2012/02/tanaga-gumui-aha-falls.html

We are talking about Africa.....Here are some WAWA examples:

For whites, it's "wa-wa." The few whites who live and work in West Africa have a phrase that expresses their frustration. It is "wa-wa." It means, roughly, "West Africa wins again--the white man just can't win."

A housewife sighs and says "wa-wa" when she has told her native cook again and again to wash the salad greens in a disinfectant solution and finds that he has done so--and then has washed them again at the water tap in the yard.

A businessman says "wa-wa" after he has waited an hour or more for a West African clerk to cash his check at a bank.

A traveler says "wa-wa" when he has been charged anywhere from 28 cents the first time to $2 the second for the same 10-minute taxi ride.

http://www.nathanielturner.com/wherewhitemancantwin.htm