# amantadine instead of memantine



## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

i started 100mg/day amantadine today.
amantadine is a weaker NMDA antagonist than memantine however is commonly used in parkinsonism and seems to be more potent dopaminergic than memantine.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Good luck with it. In a ratmodel it was superior for OCD compared to memantine.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

This is some research i gathered on memantine a while ago.

*Amantadine*

Amantadine has a few promosing animal studies, however it isnt investigated as much as memantine, it may be a good option for those that cannot afford memantine or cannot get it prescribed.

*Amantadine is structurally and functionally related to memantine and has recently been shown to inhibit marble burying in mice [152]. The overall effectiveness of amantadine in this model was more favorable than memantine and riluzole. *This result led the authors to propose the use of amantadine in the treatment of OCD. Amantadine has not been tested in OCD but has been approved by the FDA as an antiviral medication and is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD). Curiously, an in vitro study comparing amantadine and memantine action in neurons from different brain regions suggested that at therapeutically relevant doses amantadine is more active in the striatum, whereas memantine is more active in other brain structures [153]. *The basis for this functional dichotomy is unknown, but nonetheless may hint at greater potential for amantadine over memantine in treating OCD.*
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2746669/

Effects of amantadine and budipine on antidepressant drug-evoked changes in extracellular 5-HT in the frontal cortex of freely moving rats
Acute administration of amantadine (40 mg kg-1), budipine (10 mg kg-1), REB (10 mg kg-1), PAROX (10 mg kg-1) or CLOM (10 mg kg-1) all failed to significantly alter extracellular 5-HT in the cortex. However, when either amantadine or budipine was administered 30 min prior to any of the three antidepressants, a significant rise in 5-HT was observed. 4 For chronic studies, the effects of the drugs were studied at 4, 7, 14 and 21 days. Amantadine and budipine did not significantly alter extracellular 5-HT at any time point. The three antidepressant drugs all elicited a gradual increase in 5-HT, which became significant after 14 days and tended to plateau thereafter. When either amantadine (20 mg kg-1) or budipine (5 mg kg-1) was coadministered with any of the three antidepressants, two differences were seen compared with the effects of the antidepressants alone. Firstly, the time required for significant increases in cortical 5-HT was reduced with elevated levels now being observed by 7 days. Secondly, the absolute magnitude of the increase in extracellular 5-HT was markedly greater in these rats from day 7 until the end of the experiment. 5 If, as is widely considered, an increase in extracellular 5-HT represents a critical step in the mechanism of action of antidepressants, these data suggest that combined treatment with clinically tolerated NMDA antagonists such as amantadine could reduce the delay in therapeutic onset of antidepressants as well as possibly enhance their efficacy.

Effects of amantadine and budipine on antidepressant drug-evoked changes in extracellular dopamine in the frontal cortex of freely moving rats
When amantadine or budipine was administered 30 min before the antidepressants, DA increases were markedly greater than following the antidepressants alone. Chronically drug effects were studied at 4, 7, 14 and 21 days. Amantadine and budipine did not significantly alter extracellular DA at any time. The three antidepressants elicited a gradual increase in DA which became significant after 7 days and tended to plateau thereafter. When amantadine (20 mg/kg) or budipine (5 mg/kg) was co-administered with the three antidepressants, two differences were seen compared with the antidepressants alone. Firstly, the time required for significant increases in cortical DA was reduced with elevated levels now being observed by 4 days. Secondly, the increase in extracellular DA was greater in these rats throughout the experiment. If increased extracellular DA represents a step in the mechanism of action of antidepressants, these data suggest that combined treatment with clinically tolerated NMDA antagonists such as amantadine could reduce the delay in therapeutic onset of antidepressants and possibly enhance their efficacy.

Effect of repeated co-treatment with fluoxetine and amantadine on the behavioral reactivity of the central dopamine and serotonin system in rats.
The obtained results support the hypothesis that repeated co-treatment with fluoxetine and amantadine may evoke more effective antidepressant activity than treatment with fluoxetine alone.

Repeated co-treatment with fluoxetine and amantadine induces brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene expression in rats.
The obtained results suggest that the enhancement of BDNF gene expression may be essential for the therapeutic effect of the co-administration of FLU and AMA in drug-resistant depressed patients, and that among other mechanisms, 5-HT(1A) and 5-HT(2) receptors may play some role in this effect.

Amantadine as an additive treatment in patients suffering from drug-resistant unipolar depression
The obtained results indicate that joint therapy with an antidepressant and amantadine may be effective in treatment-resistant unipolar depression.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

thanks,
it has limited use for ADHD too.
i will report my experiences ASAP.


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## karoloydi (Feb 18, 2010)

Maybe small memantine dose combined with a small amantadine dose could have a synergistic effect.
What about the antiviral action of the drug? Wont taking it every day interfere with your immune system somehow?


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

ok, it's also an antiviral antibiotic that is used in type A influenza.
amantadine is used in parkinson and child's ADHD without problem so taking it everyday isn't a problem i think.
however it isn't as effective as other dopaminergics.


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

From the links crayzymed posted, it seems that it would best to take it with an antidepressant.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

bowlingpins said:


> From the links crayzymed posted, it seems that it would best to take it with an antidepressant.


i added amantadine to my current regime:
anfranil, propranolol, topamax, cyproheptadine, melatonin and milk thistle (liver protection herbal tablets).


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

Yeah i also think that 5HT2A antagonism is a bad thing for social anxiety.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

i know that it's very soon to speak about amantadine but i think it has been very better than what i expected.
i haven't tried any dopaminergic other than selegiline,l-dopa and memantine but amantadine is better than them i think.
i know that amantadine isn't comparable with amphetamines, ritalin ,... or potent dopamine agonists(ropinirole, pramipexole, ...) but at the time is the only choice for me.

i read somewhere that amantadine has few effectiveness in parkinsonism but its positive feature is its low side effecs however i will search for side effects again.
you should not quit amantadine abruptly.


5-HT2A increases anxiety.
cyproheptadine increases appetite eliminates SSRI induced sexual dysfunction and is used in serotonin syndrome.


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## crayzyMed (Nov 2, 2006)

5HT2A plays a crucial role in mesolimbic dopamine release antagonism will cause more negative then positive effects.

It works better then LDOPA for you? Interesting.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

Guide 4 Dummies said:


> Amantadine can cause spontaneous renal insufficiency in healthy individuals, I can't find the study right now. Unrelated, but I once had hiccup and vomiting for 3 days which was relieved instantly when I stopped taking Amantadine, it was not simply a bad reaction since I was on Amantadine for a long time before that incidence.


i found something. ok you are true


> *Laboratory Test elevated:* CPK, BUN, serum creatinine, alkaline phosphatase, LDH, bilirubin, GGT, SGOT, and SGPT.
> *OVERDOSAGE* Deaths have been reported from overdose with SYMMETREL. The lowest reported acute lethal dose was 1 gram. Because some patients have attempted suicide by overdosing with amantadine, prescriptions should be written for the smallest quantity consistent with good patient management. Acute toxicity may be attributable to the anticholinergic effects of amantadine. Drug overdose has resulted in cardiac, respiratory, renal or central nervous system toxicity. Cardiac dysfunction includes arrhythmia, tachycardia and hypertension. Pulmonary edema and respiratory distress (including adult respiratory distress syndrome - ARDS) have been reported; renal dysfunction including increased BUN, decreased creatinine clearance and renal insufficiency can occur. Central nervous system effects that have been reported include insomnia, anxiety, agitation, aggressive behavior, hypertonia, hyperkinesia, ataxia, gait abnormality, tremor, confusion, disorientation, depersonalization, fear, delirium, hallucinations, psychotic reactions, lethargy, somnolence and coma. Seizures may be exacerbated in patients with prior history of seizure disorders. Hyperthermia has also been observed in cases where a drug overdose has occurred.


i will remain on 100 mg. thanks for warning.



crayzyMed said:


> 5HT2A plays a crucial role in mesolimbic dopamine release antagonism will cause more negative then positive effects.


didn't know.
i will think to a selective 5-HT2C antagonist like agomelatine, tramadol, fluoxetine,...



crayzyMed said:


> It works better then LDOPA for you? Interesting.


it's very soon to say anything but i think it work very well.
i read somewhere that it will stop working after 2-3 months.
l-dopa has a very little half life.


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## Ehsan (Mar 21, 2009)

*fifth day on amantadine*
after five days on amantadine(100mg/day) i think it's a weak dopaminergic and is not as good as it seemed at first.
not so bad but nothing special at 100mg however i don't want to try higher doses

warning:
amantadine has not many side effects but the ratio of its therapeutic dose(100-300mg) to its lethal dose(1000mg) is very low and so the overdose is very dangerous.
also in those with renal insufficiency the half life of amantadine is very very higher than normal so even therapeutic dose could be dangerous in those with renal insufficiency.


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