Delusions after mistaking one drug for another with a similar name

[kdorian]

Setting: Mars, mid to late 2030s (for a The Martian fanfic)

If possible, I need my character to mistake one drug he needs to take (and is not familiar with) with another drug with a similar name that ends up giving him delusions for a short time. (He's going to think he's a cat. Don't ask.)

Caveats:

• He's trying to be careful, so the drugs need to

Comments

[yiskah]

You'd have to change a few details for this to work, but there's a fairly common drug used to prevent and treat malaria - usually marketed under the name Lariam, but its proper name is mefloquine - that causes serious delusions in many people who take it. I'm not sure how likely it would be that antimalarials would be needed on Mars in 2030, but...? Lariam's also marketed under Mephaquin and Mefliam (and, I'm sure, other names as well, but those are the ones that wiki mentions), and I'm fairly sure you can find some names of drugs here that are similar enough to be mistakeable.

[ningloreth]

Given it's set in the 2030s, do they have to be real drugs? Medical science will have advanced by then. So all you would have to do is decide on two conditions (one of which he has) and make up two names using contemporary drug naming conventions. (Or you could just have one condition, one drug, and give him a very rare but listed side effect?)

[jamoche]

I was thinking side effect too - I had a friend who would get hyper and delusional from Tylenol with codeine.

[lilacsigil]

+1 for side effects - lots of very common drugs can cause rare but severe reactions including hallucinations and delusions. Morphine is a classic, though it wears off pretty fast.

[mayanas]

Or maybe mess with the dosage? Like have the same size capsule but have one for regular use and a stronger one for emergencies.

[tigerbright]

Well, I take clonidine for mental health issues, and when I tell people about it, I have to clarify that it's not Klonopin. I do very badly when I run out of it

[bork]

Lamictal - treats bipolar, depression, and/or epileptic seizures. If it works, is usually taken for long term.

Lamisil - treats toe and/or fingernail fungus. Usually taken short term, for 90 days or so.

They are mixed up at times, and are wildly different medications.

If they're supposed to take Lamisil, and get Lamictal instead, that could cause issues. It actually *gave* me seizures.