How long does it take for amantadine to start working?

Amantadine starts working to reduce involuntary body movements (dyskinesia) associated with Parkinson’s disease, extrapyramidal symptoms and chorea within 48 hours.

Gocovri brand of amantadine is an extended release formulation that takes 4 days to reach a steady level in the body.

What is amantadine used for?

Amantadine is used to treat involuntary body movements associated with

• Parkinson’s disease - involuntary tremors and dyskinesia while on levodopa based medicines
• extrapyramidal symptoms (EPSE) which are side effects from medication that block dopamine receptors including muscle spasm, tremor and irregular, jerky movements (labeled indication of Osmolex ER brand)
• Chorea (uncoordinated, jerky body movements ) due to Huntington disease (off-label use of amantadine)

Amantadine brand names available in the US are Gocovri and Osmolex. They do not have the same labeled indications and are not interchangeable.