Madagascar - Alana Cutland, 19, Jumps to Death from Airplane. Malaria Drug Psychosis. 25 July 2019

[PastTense]

"Alana Cutland was a student at Cambridge University from England who died when she fell from a small plane over the African island of Madagascar. The 19-year-old woman opened the door to the light aircraft herself, authorities say. Her body has not been located and it is not known why she opened the exit to the plane while mid-air...

Alana Cutland opened the door of the small plane while 3,500 feet above the island of Madagascar, according to The Sun newspaper. Another passenger in the Cessna light aircraft, identified by The Sun as British tourist Ruth Johnson, grabbed her and battled with Cutland for several minutes. Johnson was the only other passenger in the propellor plane and she grabbed onto Cutland’s leg. The pilot also tried to pull her back into the plane. But Johnson told The Sun that Cutland was able to get free from her “exhausted” grasp and jumped or fell out of the airplane to her death.

The anti-malaria drug Lariam, also known as mefloquine, can cause psychosis, depression and anxiety in rare cases, according to researchers. Authorities said she suffered from five paranoia attacks while in Madagascar, according to The Sun, and her last call to her family was broken and slurred, as she said, “Me, plane, home,” a friend told the newspaper."
Alana Cutland: Student Falls to Death From Plane in Madagascar | Heavy.com

Alana Cutland: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know | Heavy.com

 

[insearchoflight]

Oh gosh how horribly tragic and devastating

 

[Kubirai]

The pilot and Ruth Johnson, another researcher at same facility, grabbed her leg for five minutes. But she struggled with them and jumped.

Mefloquin shouldn't be taken by anyone with mental health issues, including depression or generalized anxiety disorder.

Mosquito nets and mosquito repellent for such prople.

 

[Curious Me]

This is so sad that a beautiful, smart young woman is gone. I imagine she's on the anti-malaria medication because it has something to do with being in Africa or Madagascar? It wasn't for the last two years though as I initially thought? I would like to know more about the anxiety attacks or any mood swings she might have been experiencing. How long was she on the medication?

The anti-malarial medication is probably similar to Plaquenil used often for lupus and RA. I'm aware that it can cause chloroquine psychosis as well as eye problems and color blindness. It usually doesn't present problems in low doses. There's a limited number of these psychosis occurrences apparently. Did she have another condition before starting the Mefloquin? I'm sure her loved ones need to understand and get answers as to why they lost her.

From our cases, two types of presentation of chloroquine psychosis could be seen: (1) psychic with clear sensorium, mood changes, alteration in motor activity, delusions, and hallucinations; and (2) psycho-organic with clouded sensorium, disorientation, and fleeting hallucinations. The precise nature of the mechanism of the psychosis is not clear because of the limited number of reported cases.

Chloroquine Psychosis: A Chemical Psychosis?

 

[Curious Me]

Wondering how long she was on the medication???

"...She was in a remote area of Madagascar on an internship researching a rare species of crabs. She was planning to be there for six weeks, but decided to take the flight out with the British tourist, Johnson, because she had been suffering paranoia and struggling in her research work, The Sun reports."

Alana Cutland: Student Falls to Death From Plane in Madagascar | Heavy.com

"Cutland’s uncle, Lester Riley, told The Sun that his niece was stable before she went to Madagascar and had not previously suffered from mental illness or psychotic episodes."

“She was very stable. It was totally out of character. She was a really lovely girl with her whole life ahead of her. She must have fallen ill out there,” Riley told the newspaper. ”

BBM

 

[beatrixpotter]

So sad. Her poor family. What an awful thing to live with losing someone that age so tragically.

 

[PastTense]

Curious Me: Loot at traveler information sites, for example:
"Most travelers to Madagascar will need vaccinations for hepatitis A, typhoid fever, influenza, and polio, as well as medications for malaria prophylaxis and travelers' diarrhea. Other immunizations may be necessary depending upon the circumstances of the trip and the medical history of the traveler, as discussed below. Insect repellents are recommended, in conjunction with other measures to prevent mosquito bites. All travelers should visit either a travel health clinic or their personal physician 4-8 weeks before departure.

Malariarophylaxis with Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil), or doxycycline is recommended for all areas."
MD Travel Health - Madagascar - vaccinations, malaria, safety, and other medical advice

 

[Curious Me]

Curious Me: Loot at traveler information sites, for example:
"Most travelers to Madagascar will need vaccinations for hepatitis A, typhoid fever, influenza, and polio, as well as medications for malaria prophylaxis and travelers' diarrhea. Other immunizations may be necessary depending upon the circumstances of the trip and the medical history of the traveler, as discussed below. Insect repellents are recommended, in conjunction with other measures to prevent mosquito bites. All travelers should visit either a travel health clinic or their personal physician 4-8 weeks before departure.

Malariarophylaxis with Lariam (mefloquine), Malarone (atovaquone/proguanil), or doxycycline is recommended for all areas."
MD Travel Health - Madagascar - vaccinations, malaria, safety, and other medical advice

Thank You for the info and link. I'm shocked that she might have had a reaction from this. It's not really a high dose or a long duration. Scary. They held on to her leg for a full five minutes and still she struggled and jumped.

"...Mefloquine is taken once weekly in a dosage of 250 mg, starting one-to-two weeks before arrival and continuing through the trip and for four weeks after departure. Mefloquine may cause mild neuropsychiatric symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, dizziness, insomnia, and nightmares. Rarely, severe reactions occur, including depression, anxiety, psychosis, hallucinations, and seizures. Mefloquine should not be given to anyone with a history of seizures, psychiatric illness, cardiac conduction disorders, or allergy to quinine or quinidine."
MD Travel Health - Madagascar - vaccinations, malaria, safety, and other medical advice

BBM

 

[LadyL]

how terrible for her and her family
I'm sure the other passenger and pilot will also struggle with PTSD from this

 

[kaen]

I have traveled to areas that recommend Larium to prevent malaria. I will say that it really wrecked havoc with me twice. On subsequent trips, I went with the doxycycline because it had fewer concerning side effects. Sleeping after taking Larium was always a wild ride for me---- lots of extremely vivid dreams with tons of dizziness and an odd wake cycle that was emotional and, at times, unhinged.

This poor young woman must have been terrified even though most doctors warn of the side effects.

Also, that fellow traveler and pilot must be devastated that they could not save her.

 

[otto]

I have traveled to areas that recommend Larium to prevent malaria. I will say that it really wrecked havoc with me twice. On subsequent trips, I went with the doxycycline because it had fewer concerning side effects. Sleeping after taking Larium was always a wild ride for me---- lots of extremely vivid dreams with tons of dizziness and an odd wake cycle that was emotional and, at times, unhinged.

This poor young woman must have been terrified even though most doctors warn of the side effects.

Also, that fellow traveler and pilot must be devastated that they could not save her.

My father was exposed to malaria in travels through Indonesia and Africa. He had reoccurrence flashbacks through his life. He stayed in a dark room for days, hallucinating, fever, thirsty. As children, we were not allowed in the room until the fever broke.

Did she have malaria or was she taking pills to strengthen her immune system?

 

[Sarahlou]

Did she have malaria or was she taking pills to strengthen her immune system?

She was taking them because it's advised to as prevention

 

[PastTense]

As mentioned in post #8 she was supposed to start taking then 1 or 2 weeks before arrival. One wonders if 1. she failed to do this and started taking them when she arrived in Madagascar. 2. She started taking them 1 or 2 weeks ahead of time, got the adverse reactions but shrugged them off because the trip was so important to her or 3. started taking them 1 or 2 weeks ahead of time but the adverse reactions didn't show up until she had been in the country a while.

 

[Laughing]

Wow, a nephew did contract malaria while in the Peace Corps in Africa. Just wow.

We have the same person back with us now.

RIP, Ms. Cutland, peace & comfort for your loved ones.

 

[Teche]

So sad. I hope the family gets answers. One of the above linked articles, she was struggling with her research. I wonder if the supervisor recommended medical intervention. Apparently the anti malaria medication has serious side effects.

 

[PastTense]

"Her uncle, a retired electrician, has now revealed to Mail Online: 'She had taken ill after being there for a few days and when she spoke to her mother on the phone two days before the accident she was mumbling and sounded pretty incoherent.

'We think she had suffered a severe reaction to some drugs but not anti-malaria ones because she had taken those on her trip last year to China without any side effects.'

Police have said the Biological Natural Sciences student had suffered a flurry of five 'paranoia' attacks and was 'stressed' before her death on the morning of Thursday July 25.

Mr Riley added: 'What happened, the family believe, was a tragic accident not a suicide and we are utterly heartbroken. Alana had everything to live for, nothing to die for, and we don't think for a moment she deliberately took her own life. She was hallucinating, she was unwell, something had made her ill, it must have been a reaction to medication.' Mr Riley said his niece, who he last saw seven months ago, had never suffered from mental illness."
Alana Cutland was hallucinating on prescription drugs when she plunged to her death in Madagascar | Daily Mail Online

 

[Cortne]

How horrible!!

 

[beatrixpotter]

So it sounds like her coworkers and whoever she was working with knew she was ill. It was decided (for her or by her?) that she should return home. But she was put on a small plane with only one other passenger and the pilot with the assumption that nothing would happen to her despite what sound like frequent episodes of paranoia?

I mean I don't like to unnecessarily blame others. But 5 episodes of paranoia sounds like they knew she was not in her right mind before she got on the plane. But no real precautions were taken for that flight. I wonder what kind of paranoia was involved before this. It sounds like she was not even coherent enough even to really speak to her family on the phone before the flight. So multiple people there HAD to have known she was in a pretty bad way.

 

[beatrixpotter]

I mean she was so out of it she wasn't even speaking while on the plane. So how did she get her bags packed and manage to even get on the plane? It's hard to believe she was totally lucid before being put on a plane and only minutes within take off she was so out of it she didn't speak and was trying to throw herself off.

 

[PastTense]

Beatrixpotter: No, to me this is a good example of "Hindsight is 20/20": "It's easy to know the right thing to do after something has happened, but it's hard to predict the future."