I should have added "in my experience". It would seem to me that you are sensitive to PD drugs! We should do a poll asking who was sensitive to what, and perhaps people can get a better idea of what their chances of having a "less than desireable" reaction to a specific drug.
Although I still think the only way to know for sure is to try it.

Charlie

Terese, Amantadine targets tremor, dystonia and balance for me, not one of them but all three.
Lee, Amantadine comes in two colors (different manufacurers) one is red, the other is yellow.
My carb/lev pills are also yellow.

I have been taking 200mg of Amantadine for the last two years with no obvious side effects. However each time I tried to increase to 300mg I got a very strange feeling in my head (probably what Birte called a woolly head).

Recently i have been suffering badly with migraines so with my Neuro's approval I started to reduce my Amantadine to see if it was responsible. Two days after cutting down to 100mg my balance became very poor and my neck practically siezed up and my headaches continued. So having brutally discovered how essential the Amantadine was to me I thought I would give the increase to 300mg another go. So one week after increasing back to
200mg I then upped it to 300mg. This time I have had no strange heads and most of my PD symptoms improved significantly. My symptoms had deteriorated to the point where additional medication was desirable and as I already take 500mg of Madopar (similar Sinemet) I was not keen to increase my Levodopa intake for obvious reasons. My Neuro has prescribed a low dose of Mirapex to add to my existing drugs but after a very bad previous experience with Cabergoline I was not at all keen to try another Agonist.
Like Chasmo I cannot identify any side effects from taking Amantadine now that the strange head sensation has abated, at 300mg, and I am notoriously drug sensitive.

I have read that Amantadine often does not work as effectively for long periods but it is certainly working wonders for me at the moment and with no obvious side effects. But PD is a very complex illness and we all seem to take different drug cocktails even when we are at the same stage of our illness.
So I guess it's a case of careful trial and error for us all.

For the record I later tried reducing my Levodopa intake by one pill a day and my neck siezed up again.

My Neuro has said that I can go up to 400mg of Amantadine a day which I may try as a trade off for reducing my Levodopa intake as I would like to keep dyskinesia at bay for as long as possible.

Sorry that is so long but I hope it helps in some way.

Chris

Thank you...Adelle, Chasmo, Ol'cs, Birte, Suffolkchris, English Country Dancer and Tena (I hope that I haven't inadvertenly omitted anyone). From all your responses, I have been able to determine and conclude:

(1) Most have had success with Amantadine (to a
greater or lesser degree

(2) The "less is best" guideline seems to apply

(3) Very little cognitive impairment, i.e., if taken
as best "suits" each individual

(4) Listen to your own body

From all that I have gleaned from your responses, we have decided that Doreen will continue the "middle road" with Amantadine, i.e., 200 mg. daily in 2 doses since, at present, it seemingly is controlling (has actually eliminated the dyskinesia(s). She is titrating up slowly with the Sinemet to 4 1/2 - 5 tabs 25/100 daily taken in 3 doses to try to bring about more control of her tremor so that it seems logical, for now, to continue with the Amantadine for this reason alone. IF the dyskinesia(s) return, then, it MIGHT be time to increase the Amantadine to 300 mg. daily...but, until/unless this occurs, she will continue with the lesser dose. Of course, she will discuss this with her "neuro" tomorrow telling him that Dr. Therese has made a change in his dosing recommendations!!!lol He is usually very amiable about these things...and always believes in "less is best" if it brings about the desired results. We'll see just how he feels about my "logic"!!!

All of you have helped me so much...and Doreen, too, to arrive at what we consider to be a good decision.
...and English Country Dancer...I definitely would be interested to know exactly the reason that the neurologist and the PD nurse "frowned on" the use of Amantadine.

Thank you all, again, for so much support...and Doreen thanks you, too.

Therese

Sorry to be weighing in so slowly on this Therese -

I've been taking 300 mg of amantadine for one year now; it was the dosage that I started out on.

I take it for my tremor (I am not dyskinetic; I also take 3 25/100 sinemet a day and one 2 mg requip at bedtime).

When I started, my doctor told me that it was an experiment - that amantadine is great for some, but not tolerated well by many, with significant negative side effects.

It has worked extremely well for me; my tremor is controlled, and I have not experienced the common side effects of leg swelling, skin blotching, and foggy head (in fact, it makes me feel more sharp!). I have learned to take my last dose several hours before going to bed because it is a stimulant and was interferring with sleep; that is no longer a problem.

I really think you have already hit the nail on the head - Doreen's body will have the answers. If she has tolerated amantadine well on 200 mg, and it has proved effective, then going to 300 mg should not be a problem. If it proves troublesome, then retreat!

Amantadine is so weird - I wonder what it is about it, or about us, that produces such a black and white difference?

I have a genetic, vascular dementia and have taken amantadine over the years without noticing any additional brain fog. Good luck.

..."better late than never", Carey!!! Thank you so much for your response. It has given us more "food for thought" and certainly, it gives Amantadine a "plus".
My question now is whether it is controlling both the tremor AND the dyskinesia(s)...certainly, it must be the Amantadine that has so controlled the dyskinesia(s). As for the tremor, it's not certain. It was originally prescribed by Doreen's "neuro" for the tremor but it SEEMS to have been more effective in treating the dyskinesia(s). Based on this, then, I wonder if a reduction in her Sinemet dosage could be brought about by the additional 3rd dose of Amantadine thus lessening the possibiity(probability) of Sinemet-induced dyskinesia(s). It seems like a "catch 22" situation...and we MAY be looking for too much, here, i.e., control of both the tremor AND the dyskinesia(s) which almost seems like we're looking for a "miracle"...and before I go any further, I think I should conclude this because, as I re-read what I've written, I think only I could understand what it is I've attempted to say!!! IF, by chance, anyone IS able to make any sense of what I've said, I would appreciate your thoughts. I certainly appreciate, so much, all your responses...and so does Doreen. Please keep them coming if there is anything else that occurs to you that you feel could be helpful. Right now, a psychiatrist might come to mind!!!

Thank you...
Therese

Therese -

wondering also what you (and all of us) mean by "controlling" a symptom.

I've always opted for less medicine with less than "complete" control. My tremor does not impede my life in any way - but I'm sure it is still noticable, and will still break through if I am under any sort of stress.

Next time we see the P.D nurse I will ask about the shake of the head and frown.Will then report back.This neurologists seems to think Sinemet is the answer to everything as I have asked about other avenues to follow before.

Thank you, Michael...your words were encouraging.

...and again, Carey...interesting that you would speak about what we mean by "complete" control. Just today, Doreen and I were discussing this, i.e., "complete" control vs. better control. From the time of her x. 10+ years ago, tremor has been her only symptom (other than the "secondary" symptoms related to the PD "meds". Her neurologist said at the time that until/unless the tremor interfered with her work (medical assistant to an ENT cancer specialist), he would not prescribe anything more than the Sinemet (25/100 mg. ...3 times daily). However, just recently, when we went for her regularly scheduled visit with him, she made it clear that she felt that the tremor was not interfering with her work, but this was in complete contrast to what her doctor at work said, i.e., he had absolutely NO problem with her tremor. In an effort to address this concern of Doreen's, her neurologist prescribed the Cogentin which certainly DID absolutely control the tremor, but caused the severe cognitive impairment. It was then that he prescribed the Amantadine. Doreen keeps trying to think of it as "only a tremor", but she, herself, has yet to be able to live by the "mantra". She is so cognizant of the fact that so many people suffer so much more than she whether it be PD or any other malady so that she often feels ashamed of not being able to cope better than she does. I've told her many times that we're all better able to cope with adversities in our lives better sometimes than others. She will speak with her neurologist tomorrow to try to come to some decision about whether or not it would be advantageous for her to continue with the Amantadine...to continue at her present dosage or increase to the 300 mg. as he has already prescribed. She will be very honest with him about her fears (and mine, too) about any medication that could possibly cause the horrendous difficulties that she (and I) recently encountered with the Cogentin.

Again...thank you all for helping us so much. I will keep you updated on what transpires between her and her neurologist.

Therese