Why should you not discontinue amantadine suddenly?
Amantadine should NOT be stopped abruptly if you have been taking it for more than four weeks. What can happen if you stop amantadine abruptly or even reduce your dose rapidly, is that you are at risk of developing serious symptoms that resemble neuroleptic malignant syndrome.
What are the symptoms of rapid withdrawal of amantadine?
Symptoms of rapid withdrawal can include:
- agitation
- anxiety
- delirium
- delusions
- depression
- hallucinations
- paranoia
- parkinsonian crisis
- slurred speech
- very low level of consciousness.
Discontinuation of amantadine therapy dosing:
If amantadine treatment is to be discontinued the dose reduction should be done at a slow taper. Gocovri: when discontinuing Gocovri the dose should be reduced by half for the last week of therapy.
Osmolex ER: when discontinuing Osmolex ER the dose should gradually be reduced down from a higher dose to 129mg daily. You should remain on 129 mg daily for 1 to 2 weeks before stopping Osmolex ER.
What do you do if you have missed a dose of amantadine:
If a dose of amantadine is missed, the next dose should be taken as scheduled.
What is amantadine used for?
Amantadine is used to treat symptoms of involuntary body movements, shaking or dyskinesia (uncontrollable, erratic, writhing movements of the face, arms, legs and/or trunk). These involuntary movements may be due Parkinson’s disease (involuntary tremors and dyskinesia while on levodopa based medicines), extrapyramidal side effects from medicines affecting dopamine, and chorea symptoms of Huntington disease.
Bottom Line:
- Amantadine should NOT be stopped abruptly if you have been taking it for more than four weeks.
- If amantadine treatment is to be discontinued the dose reduction should be done at a slow taper.