Like AnnT, I too have had similar response to Amantadine.

Each of my Trial evaluations as been off meds for 12-hours. When I take my first meds that day...mid to late morning...I take 100mg Amatadine, 1-1/2 C/L 25/100 and .5mg Mirapex and see a maked change in my tremor.

Tremor was driving me into DBS until CERE-120 Phase II came available.

http://tinyurl.com/28xd7x

huge list!

Would it work with just Requip and could you use it on a ad hoc bases on the basis of the fewer drugs the better.My husband tolerates the quite bad tremor but is a Caller in a band.This involves standing on a stage in front of 100+ people:it would be lovely on those occasions to be tremor free.He needs a sharp memory as the dances are called from memory.Obviously I will ask the neurologists these questions but personal experieces are always useful even though everyone is different.Reqip does nothing for the tremor

It is, of course, possible that Amantadine will work even if it is taken only 'when needed', but my gut feeling is that you will have to either take it regularly - or not take it.
Requip alone worked well for me for about four years, but I found that if I took more than 8.5 mg per day, I felt worse in many ways. Too much Requip made my tremor worse, affected my feet adversely, and made me faint at times.
I added Amantadine before I added c/l 25/100, and it helped somewhat. I have just now read ol.cs's explanation, in another thread, of the combined effect of c/l and Amantadine, and I can see why I feel well on my regimen of three half pills of c/l 25/100, 8.5 mg Requip and 100 mg Amantadine per day.
I also try to take as little of as few medicines as I can, and the Amantadine makes all the difference in my daily 'cocktail'. It tames my tremor, keeps dystonia away and gives me back my balance.
It does make your head feel 'fuzzy' at times, eyes feel blurry, ears buzz slightly, but with enough rest and enough sleep, this is not a constant side effect.

Thanks to this group, I decided to give Amantadine a whirl. Tremor is is my most annoying symptom, especially when it interfers with typing. I'm cautious in my optomism but from day 1 of trying Amantadine my tremors are much much less. I had to give up Comtan as I had an allergic reaction to it - rash, hives, swollen tongue. My current medication list:

Zantac 150mg 08:00 23:00 stomach acidity

Requip .50mg 08:00 12:00 17:00 agonist

Alertec 100mg 08:00 12:00 stimulant b/c Requip so sedating

Sinemet 100/25mg 08:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 17:00 20:00
- plus 1-2 doses PRN

Amantadine 100mg
- may increase to 2 doses = 200mg 08:00 tremor

Flonase 2 inhallations per nostral 08:00 sinus

Trazodone 50mg 23:00 sleep

Multivitamin

This is the best I've felt in some months. Thanks again to all the contributors for your personal input. Regards, Guy

to know that it was I who started the thread, "Specifically Amantadine" because you seem to have benefitted from many good responses to my thread. I just want to say, too, that hopefully, my pwp will benefit from what you wrote a few days ago in response to my post about Cogentin wherein your thoughts about this medication were so much "in sync" with mine that it gave me the impetus to pursue this with my pwp's (Doreen's) neurologist who, today, began titrating her off the Cogentin. You may or may not recall that I had noted behavioral/cognitive impairment...that Doreen had had Comtan eliminated and seemed to fare better..but, not exactly clear-headed. The only other medication that she was taking in addition to the Sinemet was the Cogentin which, from all that I read...and your affirmation of what I read...can have the same cognitive side effects as Comtan so that by process of elimination, I (and you) felt that, logically, it HAD to be related to the Cogentin. You'll remember, too, that the Cogentin had really eliminated her tremor so that you and I both felt that perhaps a reduction of the Cogentin (without eliminating it completely) MIGHT still help with the tremor while helping to eliminate the cognitive difficulties. I had told you that your affirmation of my thoughts about all this helped me to pursue this with Doreen's neurologist...and, just today, he agreed that she should reduce the Cogentin to 2 pills daily instead of 4 pills with the knowledge, of course, that the tremor could return but perhaps not as enhanced. At this point, it had become more important to try to "repair" the cognitive impairment...this has just impacted so negatively on her everyday ability to do her job as a medical assistant...so, needless to say, we are hoping...and praying...that we're on the "right track" with all this. Thank you again, Guy, for your assessment of this and for encouraging me as you did.

Therese

Therese
I can’t thank you enough for having started this thread and I look forward to hearing how Doreen gets along. I’ve been shopping, writing, housecleaning and here I am writing again and not a tremor in sight. I’m always cautious about making suggestions because I never want to undermine the doctor’s efforts. You have a luxury that the doctor doesn’t have and that is the time you spend with Doreen. A doctor can ask the most insightful questions; a really good diagnostician is hands on and knows how to poke and prod you in all the right ways, but those gifts won’t bring forward the subtleties that occur over hours, days, weeks. Suggestions from folks like me come, because you are the one who is making the good assessments. I’ve read a lot of positives on this board related to tweaking until you get your personal cocktail just right. In this type of venue, where we have many of the details in common, we may just help one another get that better cocktail more quickly.
Warmest regards, Guy

...not a tremor in sight. You know, Guy, it's always very important for me to know that, in some way, I just may have helped another...gives my life purpose, etc...and your post, today, "made my day"!!! It is so true...it takes a lot of tweaking (and patience) to get the personal PD medication "cocktails" right. I have literally spent hours researching the medications that Doreen has been taking precisely because I knew that it had to be one...or both...of the medications that she's been taking along with the Sinemet...one or both of these had to be "culprits". Along with the research, I had help from those here at the forum...plus, a "tad" of logic that brought me to where we are right now...as of today..with the change in her medication regimen. At least I feel hopeful that by eliminating the medication(s) that certainly can have the cognitive side effects that Doreen has been experiencing, we'll at least resolve that issue which has impacted so adversely on her life (our lives) at this time. You are SO right...I am the one who actually sees what is happening with Doreen...I am in a position to keep a very close watch whereas her neurologist necessarily has to focus on so many so that no matter how good a neurologist he is (and we feel that he is excellent)...no matter how many certificates line his office walls...still, I am the one who is best able to observe Doreen...and without seeming arrogant...I am in a position, perhaps, to make suggestions to her neurologist that he might very easily overlook. I will keep you updated, Guy, on the outcome of the latest change in Doreen's medication regimen which is based, not only on my recommendation, but also yours...thank you so much for your interest and caring...and I hope that the Amantadine continues to work well for you...would like to be kept updated on that, too....

Therese