Posting this here for reference. It seems this drug, Mefloquine, aka Lariam, was discovered at Walter Reed. IOW, this is the Army's creation. It's use is coming to an end.
Army Doctor Sees Victory, and a Dangerous Drug Bites the Dust—Almost. An interview with the man who blew the whistle on the neurotoxic malaria drug in the U.S. Army’s kit bag.
"A dangerous malaria drug invented by the Army and commonly used by soldiers and civilians alike causes everything from episodes of psychotic violence to nightmares more real than reality, and is finally being withdrawn as the first-line treatment for troops in malarial zones. ".........................
Sounds like this drug was to be discontinued in December as first-line choice to prevent malaria. The review of the Army' use/dispension of it was ordered on Jan. 17, this year. It was put on an urgent review on March 20. This sounds like a nasty drug that was never properly clinically tested. Memory loss, dissasociative hallucogen, impulsive acts of violence, interference with context fear response are listed as possible side effects. Permanent neurotoxicity possible? Bad news.
and anothe for reference. Even if this drug was taken by Bales, there may be no record! ......"A UPI investigation in 2004 found that many soldiers back from Iraq reported having taken the drug, even though their medical records omitted all mention of the treatment.".......
The Fix
VA Warns Doctors About Lariam United Press International 25 June 2004
Other references made the point - alcohol made things worse when taking this drug.