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Alternative Names: 1-aminoadamantane, sold as Symmetrel®.
Amantadine is an antiviral drug that was approved by the FDA in 1976 for the treatment of Influenzavirus A in adults.
Influenza A virus causes "avian influenza" (also known as bird flu, avian flu, Influenzavirus A flu, type A flu, or genus A flu).
Early in the 2005/2006 flu season, the CDC found rates of amantadine resistance to be much higher than in previous seasons: A resistance rate of 92.3% for the major flu strain was called "alarmingly high". The CDC issued an alert to doctors not to prescribe amantadine any more for the season.
Reasons For Use
The drug has also been demonstrated to help reduce symptoms of Parkinson's disease.
Amantadine has been shown to relieve SSRI-induced Anorgasmia in some people, though not in all people. There have been anecdotal reports that low-dose amantadine has been successfully used to treat ADHD.
Side-Effects
Amantadine has been associated with several CNS side-effects, including nervousness, anxiety, agitation, insomnia, difficulty in concentrating, and exacerbations of pre-existing seizure disorders and psychiatric symptoms in patients with Schizophrenia or Parkinson's disease. Another possible side-effect of amantadine is livedo reticularis, the dermatological reaction that results in skin mottling and purpurish mesh network of blood vessels.
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Amantadine can help with the following: | | | | | Organ Health |  Hepatitis | A study with Amantadine was performed at the Department of Medicine at the Milton S Hershey Medical Center by JP Smith on patients who had previously failed interferon-alpha 2b therapy. It found that in 22 patients with chronic hepatitis C given 100mg twice daily for an average of 32 months[Dig Dis Sci 1997 Aug;42(8): pp.1681-7], 64% of the patients had decreases in ALT values with 27% having normalization of ALT values and a loss of HCV RNA as measured by PCR. No side effects were reported. |
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KEY | | Likely to help |
GLOSSARY
Amantadine Hydrochloride (Amantadine)
An antiviral agent used to prevent or treat influenza; also used to treat Parkinson's disease.
Antiviral
Any of a number of herbs, drugs or agents capable of destroying viruses or inhibiting their growth or multiplication until the body is capable of destroying the virus itself. Most antiviral agents are members of the antimetabolite family.
Anxiety
Apprehension of danger, or dread, accompanied by nervous restlessness, tension, increased heart rate, and shortness of breath unrelated to a clearly identifiable stimulus.
CDC
United States' Center for Disease Control.
Central Nervous System (CNS)
A collective term for the brain, spinal cord, their nerves, and the sensory end organs. More broadly, this can even include the
neurotransmitting hormones instigated by the CNS that control the chemical nervous system, the endocrine glands.
Chronic (Chronicity)
Usually referring to chronic illness: Illness extending over a long period of time.
FDA
The (American) Food and Drug Administration. It is the official government agency that is responsible for ensuring that what we put into our bodies - particularly food and drugs - is safe and effective.
Hepatitis C
Caused by an RNA flavivirus. Transmission is predominantly through broken skin on contact with infected blood or blood products, especially through needle sharing. Sexual transmission is relatively rare. Symptoms are almost always present, and very similar to those for Hepatitis B: initially flu-like, with malaise, fatigue, muscle pain and chest pain on the right side. This is followed by jaundice (slight skin yellowing), anorexia, nausea, fatigue, pale stools, dark urine and tender liver enlargement, but usually no fever.
Milligram (mg, Milligrams)
0.001 or a thousandth of a gram.
Parkinson's Disease (Parkinson's)
A chronic, slowly-progressing disease of the nervous system characterized clinically by the combination of tremor, rigidity, extreme slowness of movement, and stooped posture. It is characterized pathologically by loss of dopamine in the substantia nigra.
RNA
A ribonucleic acid found in plant and animal cells; a complex protein chemical. Important in the coding of genetic information with DNA carrying information from the nucleus of the cell into the cytoplasm.
Schizophrenia
Any of a group of psychotic disorders usually characterized by withdrawal from reality, illogical patterns of thinking, delusions, and hallucinations, and accompanied in varying degrees by other emotional, behavioral, or intellectual disturbances. Schizophrenia is associated with dopamine imbalances in the brain and defects of the frontal lobe and is caused by genetic, other biological, and psychosocial factors.
Seizure (Seizures)
While there are over 40 types of seizure, most are classed as either partial seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain is limited to one area or generalized seizures which occur when the excessive electrical activity in the brain encompasses the entire organ. Although there is a wide range of signs, they mainly include such things as falling to the ground; muscle stiffening; jerking and twitching; loss of consciousness; an empty stare; rapid chewing/blinking/breathing. Usually lasting from between a couple of seconds and several minutes, recovery may be immediate or take up to several days.
Virus (Viri, Viruses)
Any of a vast group of minute structures composed of a protein coat and a core of DNA and/or RNA that reproduces in the cells of the infected host. Capable of infecting all animals and plants, causing devastating disease in immunocompromised individuals. Viruses are not affected by antibiotics, and are completely dependent upon the cells of the infected host for the ability to reproduce.
Last updated: May 26, 2008
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