[Brain patch]

The neurologist I saw is recommending a titration of amantadine up to 400mg for me to my pain (regular) doctor. This sounds scary to me as I have had problems with medication. I am sensitive. Has anyone taken or does take this? Is it helping? What is it helping with? What are the side effects? Thanks for any guidance. Also, I have liver dysfunction. Is this hard on liver? Happy valentines day everyone. Hope you are all having a good day. Love to you all.

[Morgan Herritage]

amantadine is an anti viral used for the flu so I am curious how it would pertain to pain?

[mrsD]

Amantidine is a NMDA receptor antagonist. NMDA receptor is a pain trigger.

Here is an article on the various drugs tried to block this function:

http://www.uspharmacist.com/content/.../1500/c/28282/

Memantine is Namenda, and some posters on RSD have used it or are using it now.

[Brain patch]

Sorry, I was not clear on my post. The amantadine is supposed to improve cognitive function after traumatic brain injury. Has anyone tried it for this? What were the results?
Thanks,
Brain

[Morgan Herritage]

Sounds interesting. Learn something new every day. I'll be following this post.

[Edcase]

I have been taking 100 mg Amantadine every morning for the last six months.
You are lucky to have found a doctor who understands what living with a brain injury incurs.

It has increased my alertness, spacial awareness and cognitive functions better than any other drug I have taken over the last eighteen years.

My advice is, try it at a low dose, 100mg is the lowest, and you will know within five days if it works for you.

After eighteen years of avoiding noisy stimulating environments, I can now sit back in a relaxed state taking it all in with no indications of confusion and fatigue. It works for a few hours of exposure and if necessary I would take another 100mg. I find I would rather leave than to take anymore tablets if it is possible, because of the perceived long term side effects.

After six months, I have no side effects and 100mg is just as effective as when I started but the thought of doing more, by taking more, is tempting but I have avoided the challenge.

It does not do much for your memory, you are not going to be back to you once were, it will not repair damage, it just allows you to live a better life in the present.

[makethepaingoaway]

My son was given this several years ago to address his adhd and impulsiveness from Aspergers syndrome.
If I remember correctly I was to give him one per day, and it did seem to help calm him down it was a bit hard to estimate his intellectual functioning while taking it, but it did the job for which it was intended.

In the couple of years he was on it we had NO issues or side effects. the only reason we "went on" to another med was because in my boys case, he always seemed to get to the point where a med just couldn't do anymore.
Hope this helps...good luck

[aspera]

Hello, can you please tell me how long after you introduced amantidine, you noticed the improvement and was it in mobility or cognitive or both..
My 80 year old mom started Amantidine about 3 weeks ago and she still did not feel any change.She was diagnosed with PD about year ago after suffering small stroke closed by clot in her brain,
Now we are thinking to put her on Levodopa small dose but I am a little resistant due to dyskinesia as a side effect.
I wonder if anyone knows like after how many years or months of using Levodopa - the symptoms of dyskinesia will appear and are they reversible by stopping Levodopa and switching on some other type of PD medication. thank you !

I heard from a concussion advocate that amantandine has really helped him and he said
"the drug that turned out to be my salvation was Amantadine. It's an anti-viral drug that is also used on Parkinson's patients. It works to speed up the healing process. I was on it for a maximum of 6 months. It really worked wonders and was responsible for the most dramatic increase in my overall health"

I'm interested in the part that about working to speed up the healing process.

Thank you..

Originally Posted by aspera

Hello, can you please tell me how long after you introduced amantidine, you noticed the improvement and was it in mobility or cognitive or both..
My 80 year old mom started Amantidine about 3 weeks ago and she still did not feel any change.She was diagnosed with PD about year ago after suffering small stroke closed by clot in her brain,
Now we are thinking to put her on Levodopa small dose but I am a little resistant due to dyskinesia as a side effect.
I wonder if anyone knows like after how many years or months of using Levodopa - the symptoms of dyskinesia will appear and are they reversible by stopping Levodopa and switching on some other type of PD medication. thank you !

[froggatt55]

Originally Posted by aspera

Hello, can you please tell me how long after you introduced amantidine, you noticed the improvement and was it in mobility or cognitive or both..
My 80 year old mom started Amantidine about 3 weeks ago and she still did not feel any change.She was diagnosed with PD about year ago after suffering small stroke closed by clot in her brain,
Now we are thinking to put her on Levodopa small dose but I am a little resistant due to dyskinesia as a side effect.
I wonder if anyone knows like after how many years or months of using Levodopa - the symptoms of dyskinesia will appear and are they reversible by stopping Levodopa and switching on some other type of PD medication. thank you !

Hello, I am a new boy on this site so this may not get through. I have Parkinson's and have used Amantadine (2X100MG) for about 6 years. I tried it irstly to tackle my tremor - which it didn't - but it felt good having it. I now use it with Rasageline, Simemet and Requip. I have had no dyskinesia since starting Sinemet about 5 years ago and believe the amantadine helps in this regard - I must state I am a layman in this field but also believe in the power of the mind and if I believe something, it is real to me