Was Fort Hood Shooter Taking Army-Administered Medication?

At a time when no official details have been released about the possible motives of the Fort Hood shooter, Nidal Malik Hasan, some are speculating that the Army Major might have been taking a drug with documented psychotic effects.

In a December 2002 article for Vanity Fair, Maureen Orth wrote about the deadly summer of 2002 at Fort Bragg, when three soldiers stationed at the North Carolina base murdered their wives. Back then, many people blamed an Army-administered anti-malarial drug mefloquine, also known as Lariam, which is often given to soldiers headed to Afghanistan. Orth pointed out that the drug's manufacturer, Hoffmann-La Roche, was forced to put labels that warned the drug "May cause psychiatric symptoms in a number of patients ranging from anxiety, paranoia and depression to hallucinations and psychotic behavior" as well as rare cases of suicide, "though no relationship to drug administration has been confirmed."

In light of Thursday's shooting rampage, Vanity Fair's Michael Hogan writes:

Given that Major Hasan was reportedly set to deploy to Afghanistan or Iraq, it would be useful to know whether he had begun anti-malarial treatments, and whether there's any possibility that those treatments could have helped trigger his horrific act of mass homicide.

According to Orth, "the World Health Organization claims that only one in from 6,000 to 10,000 people is adversely affected by the drug." However, a number of former Peace Corps volunteers claim that they suffered psychiatric effects from taking Lariam, "and Canadian troops refer to the 'Psycho Tuesdays' and 'Nightmare Wednesdays' they have had after using it," writes Orth.

Comments

[zull2]

Everyone wants to find an easy scapegoat, something to pin it on. Meds, religion, whatever.

The bottom line is that the reason behind it is too difficult for most people to accept. You have a guy who probably was pushed further and further away from the mainstream by a culture that treated him like a second class citizen. When you're stuck in that and there's no way for you to get out, you start getting angry, that turns into hate, and then you're probably full-blown crazy. At that point, you start looking for any way to get out...suicide, murder, whatever. You may turn to drugs, religion, or some sort of escape, but the bottom line is that doesn't solve the problem.

To prevent this stuff, you've got to accomplish the impossible. You've got to make people treat others, regardless of their differences, with dignity and respect. People have to learn to stop taking pleasure by causing others pain. And you've got to at least be able to see when someone is being singled out and do something about it, try and resolve the problem through whatever channels you can find. That won't make you a hero, but you'll at least maybe have prevented something like this.

[realitytrumpsbull]

That's an interesting angle. Can a group of people deliberately by collective action, drive one person, away, even drive them insane? Maybe it's a new tactic? Actually, it's an old one, schoolkids do it to some of their peers, sometimes. The other way of viewing a loner is as a social outcast. And, in religious communities, if you're not of The Faith, you can end up on the receiving end of that kind of hostility, and treatment. And, if you're not 'that' which is commonly accepted, then you're an outcast. Period. But, if you're different, you kind of need to be made of sterner stuff than that, be able to stand up to that kind of thing, as an outsider, whether it's cause you're young, old, gay, religious, atheist, whatever, you need to be able to stand on your own two feet in life, and be civil with others, be an adult above all, and maybe someday, you'll find your own little 'niche' in society, or finally earn acceptance in the larger group, or evolve personally to the point where you just don't need em, take em or leave em kind of thing, but with the focus being on peaceful coexistence, and mutual respect etc. Life isn't fair, and it isn't fun, sometimes, but blazing away at people because you feel you're a victim? That's going to get you put in prison for life, or the cemetery.

[Star2000dancer]

Even the dyes in drugs cause chronic problems. Check this out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAWBGL54UAk

[lorrietyre]

take a look at a web site called SSRI stories, click on the 3400 incidents that are reported in main stream media, see what is happening to your returning poor soliders, plus many others, school shootings etc, suicides, hommicides, people from all walks of life, doing things that are so out of character and shocking, all on or coming off some sort of prescribed medication, i myself have been on seroxat ( PAXIL) in USA. These ssri's are a crime against humanity, believe me, ive been withdrawing for 4 years very slowly, and i am still suffering. Please Please look at SSRI stories, Human Tragedy,

[dlo2]

There should be civilian forensic oversight because this tragedy affected so many lives. He appears to be a physician psychiatrist who was reportedly under the care of another military psychiatrist in some reports. Toxicology labs might show some substances but not all. A search of his residence and pharmacy prescriptions from local pharmacies and the military hospital pharmacy should reveal some information. If he was on an antidepressant or anxiolytic and placed on additional drugs like mefloquine, some very serious psychiatric side effects may have occurred. In any case there needs to be a thorough investigation separately from both the military and civilian.

[mesioul]

I've been wondering if he had himself on a psychiatric drug which nobody would have to know about, since he could get it himself. Many psychiatric drugs seem to have worse statistics in terms of causing violence than this anti-malarial drug. Maybe the combination of both would cause one's brain to explode.

[realitytrumpsbull]

Are you saying maybe he was raiding the Big Medicine Cabinet? How many doctors, military or civilian, can't keep their hands out of the 'candy jar'? Further, and more largely, how prevalent is drug use in the military? The pharmaceutical industry is worth billions, and the military is as good a drug lab as you'd want, with lots of trial volunteers, maybe in addition to shutting down some religious facilities, they can put a chain around the doors on the pharmacy, for a while, too. Get everyone completely sober (drug testing), and talk about what's happened, here.

In Vietnam, drug use was rampant, and people went on bloody rampages too.

[f0rTyLeGz]

As a psychiatrist... a doctor, I would assume that he was able to prescribe medications for his patients. Many doctors abuse this privilege and write prescriptions for themselves.

A "loner" psychiatrist living in a $300 a month apartment doesn't sound quite right to me.

[Palemoon]

Alot of things don't sound right, like whether he was a psychiatrist or a psychologist. One can prescribe, one cannot. One can counsel, the other cannot.

[aspiecelia]

Several sources have said he is a psychiatrist and both do counsel.

[Zeroes]

I had a drugged out doctor sign a contract one time and he acutally bled on the paperwork...he cut himself shaving while on drugs. Heck...it was 2yrs later he finally lost his position...go figure...regulate the drug companies.

[aspiecelia]

As a psychiatrist you would know that no pharmacist will fill a prescription a doctor writes for himself.

[OxamsRazor]

"the World Health Organization claims that only one in from 6,000 to 10,000 people is adversely affected by the drug."

What?! That's a crazy high percentage.

[rector]

The Army currently prefers doxycycline for malaria prophylaxis. It is very unlikely that he would be taking mefloquine as a result. This was set as policy earlier this year, and mefloquine is very rarely prescribed for deploying soldiers.

http://www.pdhealth.mil/downloads/DASG_Memorandum.pdf

[Palemoon]

I don't know why they don't just use the one malaria antibiotic? I have taken the antibiotic before and had no problems with it aside from the fact it possibly cause skin sensitivity with long term usage.

And I did look it up, matter of fact since someone mentioned mefloquine, the DoD was supposed to be switching over to using doxycycline in place of mefloquine, but that program didn't start until February 2009. No doubt, because the new administration apparently cares about the troops. Doxycycline it turns out, is the preferred anti-malaria agent to be given to soldiers with any kind of traumatic brain injury and such since it apparently is bringing out psychotic episode in a large percentage of them.

You know, the general guideline for taking ANY medication, even aspirin, is that the benefits of taking it are supposed to outweigh the risks of taking it. While I understand the possibility of soldiers contracting malaria while overseas, what I don't understand is giving them a medication in which the side effects carry a greater risk than any benefit it provides.

[Palemoon]

The military has been creating a monster through substance abuse and untested chemicals since the 1980's when I first entered the service. Giving soldiers various drugs to perk them up during war to the point some are borderline nervous breakdown. Remember, it was one of these jacked-up pilots that deliberately bombed and killed Canadian forces in the early years of the Afghan conflict. Same thing happened in Kosovo when jacked-up pilots deliberately bombed a convoy of refugees. Same thing happened when I was participating in the Gulf War, the maniacal laughs and cheering of the helicopter pilots as they deliberately destroyed their own APC's and then gleefully mowed down the survivors with the gatling guns as the wounded soldiers tried to escape and run away.

[taxman92571]

You have no clue what you are talking about. i served in the military, worked many hours, day after day, and the military never gave me anything to pep me up. If you were caught taking anything the military would punish you for it. I was given the regular round of shots, then boosters depending on where I was deployed, and never once did I go insane.

This officer was a coward who was terrified of going into combat. Well so was I and I never went off on my brothers.

And the military does NOT target innocent civilians. We never have, never will, no how, no way. It hurts our heart so dramically when we learned we have accidently harmed civilians. You will never know the pain we feel. How dare you.

[aspiecelia]

You don't think it takes courage to do something that you know will cause you to be shot full of bullets and most likely killed?

[RogerOThornhill]

Perhaps you weren't in a position to be offered the varied "pick-me-ups", but it does happen, I assure you.

However with respect to the military targeting civilians...Amen.
I've never known a single person serving in the US military that didn't place protecting civilian life right up there with protecting their fellow brothers and sisters in arms.
I've seen the pain unintentional civilian death causes -- I *know* what you're saying is true.
Most US service people are cautious, professional and considerate to the extreme, and give me great hope for our future.

((side rant: if any employer has the opportunity to hire a returning vet, I urge them to do so. They are the best of our future.))

[S1m0n]

Major William Umbach and Major Harry Schmidt, the F16 pilots responsible for killing four Canadian soldiers in a friendly fire incident in 2002 had been given amphetimines to keep them going on the raid. Testimony at trial confirmed that both amphetimines and sedatives were routinely given to air force personnel during or after similar combat missions.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarnak_Farm_incident

[XzibitX]

The military's dirty little secret. If true, this is no surprise. Guinea pigs and our troops have a lot in common, truth be told. Also, there are a lot of military employees of all races and religions that are critical of the military, its policies, and the racism and sexism that runs rampant within.

[Dixieboy]

Impossible. Totally illogical. The government heathcare system is foolproof. This cannot be happening.

[Palemoon]

Foolproof implies that it's not subject to error or mistakes. What this article is about is not an error or mistake. This is deliberate use of known harmful agents or often untested agents. It's like the anthrax vaccine. It killed a small % of the soldiers it was given to. But the military felt that was acceptable so long as the % was below a certain level. Now, knowing that a drug was known to kill a certain % that took it, how would YOU feel in taking it? In my opinion, it's no different than someone playing Russian Roulette with a revolver.

[sarabono]

He is a Medical Doctor. He could take any drug / medication that he wished. It doesn't have to be "Army Administered".

[aspiecelia]

Medical doctors can not take any drug they want. They don't have drugs. The drugs come from pharmacies either in the hospital or outpatient. The doctors write orders for drugs and the nurses give the drugs, in the hospital. Outpatient pharmacies are the other place they come from. Sometimes doctors might have samples of medications in their offices, but it would not be controlled substancs.

[cplKlyde]

I wonder what medication the pregnant 21 year old Soldier he murdered was taking? Or the former Eagle Scout or maybe the newly wed.

[drolleen]

Hmmm.

You don't see the deadly mix, do you?

Relative to other people that went off the deep end he was normal, but combine his growing isolation and the fact that 70% of Palestinian Muslims accept suicide bombers (http://pewglobal.org/reports/display.php?ReportID=257).

We have three out of 100 Americans prescribed with Ritalin and about 3 times as many get some sort of psychiatric medication once per year. How many of them carefully prepare their death, donating their furniture, and selling religious books in the street days before they go on a rampage?

[Palemoon]

What deadly mix? The fact that a young kid taking an SSRI medication methodically plotted and killed his girlfriends family after the family rejected him and wouldn't allow them to date? The fact that the one middle aged man not long ago killed around 9 women at a fitness center because he was on SSRI type medications for his stress and mental problems and his lack of getting laid?

What does his religion have to do with it? Why didn't he do it within the first year of his joining the military? Why wait 17 years? Also, what does Palestianians, some of which are Christian and even agnostic, have to do with this? He was of Jordanian ancestry, but had been born in the USA to longtime immigrants. It's no different than a John Smith having European ancestry and being born in the USA.

[drolleen]

Comments:
1. I said Palestinian Muslims (not Christian Muslims, a minority that's being persecuted by their own countrymen and leaving in droves). Also, he is from Al-Bira. Check it out. 10 miles from Jerusalem. You don't get any more Palestinian than that. I am not saying anything against Palestinian muslims here, except for the fact that there should be some minimal profiling inside the army for the benefit of us all. Did we have any Japanese in our Army units in the Pacific in WWII? German-born in Europe? Actually we did, and they were scrutinized! They helped us win the war! We MUST have Arabs in our army if we want to win Afghanistan, but they should be scrutinized.
2. The examples you gave above are excellent. The deadly mix doesn't mean he killed because he was a palestinian, but that a mix of an overly prescribed drug with a member of a group that's already on edge is a deadly mix. That's all. Read today's news. The FBI actually looked at this guy but forgot to tell the army what it found.

[taxman92571]

That's right, he prepared to kill his fellow comrades. He is a coward who would rather die at his own hands then serve in Afgan or Iraq. He never went into combat, so don't tell me he suffered from PTDS either. This was a cold blooded act, nothing else. He planned it. Well if he survives his injuries the military will put him on trail and punish him.

[Star2000dancer]

This guy was begging for help & was ignored. I've been going through this myself since 1994.