I have posted in the past re: Amantadine, but that was prior to my pwp having had it prescribed approximately 10 days ago. She started with 2 tabs daily...now, it's been increased to 3 tabs daily. On the 2 tabs, her dyskinesias were completely eliminated. Now, her "neuro"is hoping that the 3 tabs daily MIGHT help with extending the Sinemet dosage, and Doreen will "report" to him at the end of next week. In view of Doreen's recent terrible experience with Cogentin (severe cognitive impairment) we are leery about yet another medication and its possible side effects (have noted that confusion is a possibility) which, I know, is a POSSIBLE adverse side effect of so many medications...most especially with PD medications. I guess my specific questions are directed to those who take Amantadine, i.e.....dosage and any adverse cognitive side effects...and of course, any positives for Amantadine. I realize that some of you did respond to my prior post related to Amantadine and, if I recall correctly, most of the responses were positive. I really just need specific answers to dosage and any adverse cognitive side effects. Thank you so much for any information that you're able to provide. At this very moment, Doreen is debating whether or not to take her third dose of Amantadine today...that's how fearful we are.

Therese

You have good questions, and you will not have an answer until you try it a few days. My husband took one (100mg) upon awaking and the other at 2 PM. Please let us know how it helps, or not. Adelle

It is amazing to me that it has not dawned on the doctors yet, that starting out with so much of a new medicine is a really bad idea. Of course that is only my own, homegrown and entirely unprofessional opinion as a patient.
Amantadine is wonderful, I love Amantadine.
I was prescribed 200 mg per day, but I began to see patterns on white surfaces, and to feel as if my head had been wrapped in wool and put in a bucket - i.e. not quite myself, and not quite there. I can only imagine how I would feel on 300 mg per day. I think I would be 'out of it', I think it would make me feel completely unreal.
I cut it down to 100mg per day, and it is helping my symptoms just as much as it did on 100 mg. For me at least, taking more than 100 mg Amantadine per day is unnecessary and counter productive.
If you start at 200 mg and never try just 100 mg, you will never know if 100 mg is enough.
If you start at 200 mg and add another 100 mg so soon after, you have not given the 200 mg time enough to see if it is too little or too much.
So I would not take that third pill.

All the best,
birte

from 1995 to 2002 with NO side-effects what-so-ever.
Doreen's experience will undoubtedly be unique to her, but amantadine is a relatively innocuous drug, and I would not be too concerned about trying the 3rd dose.

Charlie

I have to say chasmo, it's not really an "innocuous drug". My own experience with it matches much of what Birte has said. You can get a feeling of "brain fog", much like the anticholinergics can do. I still "must have" amantadine in my "anti-PD drug cocktail" and I swear that 100mg/day is not as good (for me anyway) as 200mg/day is. I have been lucky enough to be able to say that I have "stabilized" on 200mg/day without much in the way of side effects except for minor blurred vision. The blue and red "spider veins on my lower extremities (livedo reticularis), i had for many years ,but now have mysteriously gone away. I have been on 200mg/day for 10 years. At one point i tried 300mg/day and my body told me "NO,TOO MUCH". I attribute the dissappearance of the spider veins to possibly one ingredient of my daily vitamin. mineral and/or antioxidant regime. I take a lot of supplements and they do not tell me much, other than when i discontinue them, my PD is worse. Listen to your body. Don't obscess, about it , but listen gently. Be your own "outside observer" to what your body is telling you, that is, don't read up on a drug's monograph and "expect" known (or unknown) side-effects to appear. Your body will let you know. cs

Thank you for your responses. It seems, then, that Doreen is taking somewhere "in between" the dosage of Amantadine that all of you are taking, i.e., 100mg. - 300 mg. daily. She was to have started on 300 mg. today after having been on 200 mg. for only 5 days (started at the 200 mg.)...but, as I mentioned in the previous post, we both are extremely fearful about the 300 mg. in light of our most recent horrendous experience with the Cogentin. What I neglected to ask in my post is the REASON that each of you takes Amantadine...tremor...dyskinesia(s)...both...as an adjunct to Sinemet...other PD medications? I think your responses to this question could give us a better insight as to the benefit of Amantadine. Does anyone think that the starting dose for Doreen (2 mg.) was too high and also, does anyone feel that titrating to 3 mg. within 5 days of having started the Amantadine is too much too soon? Thank you for any input you may be able to provide. If it hadn't been for our very recent horrendous experience with Cogentin (not the same class of medications) but a medication that was clearly NOT a good one for Doreen, I don't believe that we would be as apprehensive as we are about this "new" medication being added to her regimen. This experience really made very clear what a tiny pill can do...good or bad...we're just attempting to avoid another terrible experience. Thank you for any input you may be able to provide, especially as to the reason(s) that you take Amantadine.

Therese

I learned on our recent little trip what happens when I don't take Amantadine:
My tremor gets worse, my foot turns in from dystonia, I have 'offs', I get frightened when confronted with door steps, my balance falls right off and I bang into everything.
One little pill each morning eliminates all of the above - I still have tremor, but not as much.
By the way, I think it must be my imagination, but I find the red Amantadine pills more effective than the yellow.......I admit to liking red better than yellow - so maybe if my carb/lev pills were red, they would also have more effect than the yellow ones I take? Anyone else here found a difference, or am I totally daft?

birte.

Thanks for asking this question,Therese. I hope the following statement/question is not hijacking your thread.
As I have mentioned before my husbands main symptom is a tremor in his right hand/arm with some drooling......from his mouth not his arm! He has been diagnosed over two years and is on 13mg of Requip with a very small amount of beta blocker to help the tremor.When we saw the neurologist last I asked about Symmetrel which I believe is the brand name of Amantadine.There was a great sucking in of teeth and then a "Not at all suitable."The P.D nurse (We have specialist nurses in the U.K who do the day to day work and are very knowledgeable)also shook her head and mouthed "No" and shook her head.On reflection I should have asked why. Can somebody throw some light on this?

In reading the responses to my post thus far, it seems that there are "mixed reviews" about Amantadine. I am still not clear as to the particular symptom(s) that all (or most) of you are trying to "target" with Amantadine. If anyone can shed some light on this, I would be most grateful.

As always, thank you....

Therese

Hi Girls,
First up English Country Dancer, I (like Birte) think Amantadine is a wonderful drug.
How about giving the neuro a miss and asking your G.P. to prescribe it and you can titrate it up slowly?
By all means try the neuro again but ask him why he doesn't want to prescribe it. Personally I find the foot in the door approach works when you don't get a reasonable answer!
Birte, when you say yellow tab do you mean Sinemet or is there another dosage of Amantadine in U.S. apart from the 100mg capsule?
Therese, in the past I've had some pretty awful side effects form other anti parkinson drugs.
I've had visual and auditory hallucinations, paranoia and hypomania but like Charlie, I too find Amantadine to be a fairly benign sort off drug.
I think personally titrating it by 1 tab a week a gentler introduction to the drug.
I don't have tremor but have heard it helps it for others.
Supposedly helps dyskinesia too but I no longer get that as I don't really take Sinemet regularly or need to rely on it much these days.
Since DBS my gait and balance have worsened though and I find the Amantadine on its own to be a fantastic help.
My neuro has found it as well to be a big help to many of his patients for a myriad of different symptoms.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Lee