This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Hello All-

Has anyone taken Amantadine for fatigue? It was originally used to treat the flu, but it's supposed to be efficacious with fighting fatigue as a side effect of the drug. My neurologist prescribed it for me, but it seems to make it worse! It makes me dizzy and "loopy" when I've taken it. I figured I can be like that all by myself sans drug! I'd greatly appreciate your experiences, good or bad.

Christine

Hi Froggie,

I started Amantadine in March of this year for fatigue and yes, it made me dizzy & loopy too, but it also made me less stiff and less fatigued.

However, I was noticing most of the time my heart was racing & I was freezing...I spent alot of time wearing fleece in the summer & socks to bed. I was also on Copaxone at the same time, so that may have been part of the problem too.

My neuro took me off both drugs 2 weeks ago & I am stiffer than I was before I started & dizzier to boot:( I also went through a battery of heart tests /monitoring & my gp believes it was the Amantadine/Copaxone that was causing my issues. No more tachycardia, although I still get the chills sometimes. Fatigue is still there, but I feel that Amantadine did not really help that issue for me for very long, hindsight being 20/20.

With every drug, docs weigh the pros & cons and if you can live with the side effects, stay on it, if not, don't compromise your health. I realized the benefit was not as great as I thought it would be, I guess I just have to stretch more
I hope this has helped & good luck.

Froggie,

I haven't taken Amantadine before. I looked it up and I could not find any thing that would indicate that it was efective for fatigue. Fatigue was never mentioned.

I took Provigil for fatigue until insurance co stopped covering it, it was excellant for fatigue. They stopped covering it so I changed to Nuvigil which works pretty well, not as good as Provigil, and the insurance co covers it. Both of these drugs are expensive but they are effective for fatigue and no side effects. I also take Copaxone.

Jim

Thank you for your input!

MsJae, I hope you are feeling better. I'm taking Rebif and did not have any negative interactions with the Amantadine. It just wasn't helping me, so I stopped taking it.

Jim, I will keep Provigil in mind. I'm seeing a new neurologist in November and will discuss that with her. Overall, however, I'm feeling really good these days. I moved about six weeks ago to Cincinnati from Western North Carolina, which has made a huge difference in my overall health and well being. I try to walk my dog twice a day, which seems to be helping with my stamina. I even went to Oktoberfest yesterday and was able to walk quite a bit without feeling like I was going to keel over. Now that's progress!

Christine

The dogs do need a walk or two and taking the kibbler along is a good job. I only started the provivigil when the fatigue was so bad that I would doze off driving.

It sounds like you don't need that.
I have found a dietary supplement "B-12 Energy Now!" , which is packets of B-12 that can be mixed in a drink or just taken. They do work well, my better half uses them. They are cheeap, box of 75 is $ 8-9 at whole foods.

Jim

The time fatigue usually hits me is the warmer months, as I do not tolerate the heat very well. I tried the Amantadine to help ameliorate it, but feeling loopy and overheated didn't mix well. I tend to have more energy with the cooler weather. Lucky for me, it's very comfortable here right now and I'm loving it. The B-12 Energy sounds like a good supplement and since we have Whole Foods in the neighborhood, I'll give it a try. I used to take a B-Complex vitamin, and it did seem to help. I don't know why I stopped taking it.

Christine

hi. i've been on and off of amantadine for fatigue over the years with very different experiences. The first couple times i had no noticeable effects at all. then a few years ago i tried it again, but this time i wasn't taking any other medication other than the pill. that time it made a huge positive difference and i couldn't imagine ever not being on it. was it because i wasn't mixing it with other drugs that it worked so well?? i can only guess. but then after a relapse in 2010 my neuro put me on gabbapentin and i had TERRIBLE side effects from it and was considering not seeing it through and just stopping. but instead of throwing in the towel with gabbapentin, i just tried stopping the amantadine, just in case the two were interacting. i immediately stopped having the terrible side effects. co-incidence? i don't know. i looked for any info about an interaction between the two but found nothing. as the gabbapentin is actually working for me to help control my fatigue (it wasn't prescribed for that, but it was a nice surprise effect) as well as improving my eyesight, i've stuck with the gabbapentin and not the amantadine.