Amantadine
/api/v1/drug/amantadineMechanism of action
Sourced from openFDAMechanism-of-action classes: Dopamine Receptor Interactions; Ion Channel Interactions; M2 Protein Inhibitors.
Indications
Sourced from openFDA- Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of signs and symptoms of infection caused by various strains of influenza A virus. Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are also indicated in the treatment of parkinsonism and drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions.ICD-10: J11.1
Contraindications
Sourced from openFDA- Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to amantadine hydrochloride or to any of the other ingredients in amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP.contraindicated
Dosage & administration
Sourced from openFDAThe dose of amantadine hydrochloride capsules may need reduction in patients with congestive heart failure, peripheral edema, orthostatic hypotension, or impaired renal function (see Dosage for Impaired Renal Function ).
Warnings & precautions
Sourced from openFDADeaths Deaths have been reported from overdose with amantadine. The lowest reported acute lethal dose was 1 gram. 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 (see OVERDOSAGE ). Deaths due to drug accumulation (overdosage) have been reported in patients with renal impairment, who were prescribed higher than recommended doses of amantadine hydrochloride for their level of renal function [see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: Dosage of Impaired Renal Function and OVERDOSAGE ]. Suicide Attempts Suicide attempts, some of which have been fatal, have been reported in patients treated with amantadine, many of whom received short courses for influenza treatment or prophylaxis. The incidence of suicide attempts is not known and the pathophysiologic mechanism is not understood. Suicide attempts and suicidal ideation have been reported in patients with and without prior history of psychiatric illness. Amantadine can exacerbate mental problems in patients with a history of psychiatric disorders or substance abuse. Patients who attempt suicide may exhibit abnormal mental states which include disorientation, confusion, depression, personality changes, agitation, aggressive behavior, hallucinations, paranoia, other psychotic reactions, and somnolence or insomnia.
Adverse reactions
Sourced from openFDAThe adverse reactions reported most frequently at the recommended dose of amantadine (5 to 10%) are: nausea, dizziness (lightheadedness), and insomnia. Less frequently (1 to 5%) reported adverse reactions are: depression, anxiety and irritability, hallucinations, confusion, anorexia, dry mouth, constipation, ataxia, livedo reticularis, peripheral edema, orthostatic hypotension, headache, somnolence, nervousness, dream abnormality, agitation, dry nose, diarrhea and fatigue. Infrequently (0.1 to 1%) occurring adverse reactions are: congestive heart failure, psychosis, urinary retention, dyspnea, skin rash, vomiting, weakness, slurred speech, euphoria, thinking abnormality, amnesia, hyperkinesia, hypertension, decreased libido, and visual disturbance, including punctate subepithelial or other corneal opacity, corneal edema, decreased visual acuity, sensitivity to light, and optic nerve palsy. Rare (less than 0.1%) occurring adverse reactions are: instances of convulsion, leukopenia, neutropenia, eczematoid dermatitis, oculogyric episodes, suicidal attempt, suicide, and suicidal ideation (see WARNINGS ). Other adverse reactions reported during postmarketing experience with amantadine usage include: Nervous System/Psychiatric coma, stupor, delirium, hypokinesia, hypertonia, delusions, aggressive behavior, paranoid reaction, manic reaction, involuntary muscle contractions, gait abnormalities, paresthesia, EEG changes, and tremor.
Use in specific populations
Sourced from openFDAUse in the Elderly Because amantadine is primarily excreted in the urine, it accumulates in the plasma and in the body when renal function declines. Thus, the dose of amantadine should be reduced in patients with renal impairment and in individuals who are 65 years of age or older. The dose of amantadine hydrochloride capsules may need reduction in patients with congestive heart failure, peripheral edema, or orthostatic hypotension (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ).
Pharmacokinetics
Sourced from openFDA- Metabolism
- Amantadine is well absorbed orally. Maximum plasma concentrations are directly related to dose for doses up to 200 mg/day.
Overdosage
Sourced from openFDADeaths have been reported from overdose with amantadine. 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.
Approval history
Sourced from openFDA- Jan 7, 1987ANDAANDA070589Upsher Smith Labs
- Jun 28, 1993ANDAANDA074028Chartwell Rx
- Jul 17, 1995ANDAANDA074509Pharm Assoc
- Dec 24, 1998ANDAANDA075060Pharmobedient
- Sep 11, 2002ANDAANDA075819Adaptis
- Dec 16, 2002ANDAANDA076186Upsher Smith Labs
- May 29, 2008ANDAANDA078720Bionpharma
- Aug 24, 2017NDANDA208944Supernus Pharms
FAERS reports
- 1Fall2,10811%
- 2Hallucination1,5087.6%
- 3Drug Ineffective1,4977.6%
- 4Fatigue1,3887.0%
- 5Dyskinesia1,2506.3%
- 6Gait Disturbance1,1565.8%
- 7Dizziness1,1185.6%
- 8Tremor1,0065.1%
- 9Death9825.0%
- 10Nausea8414.2%
- 11Asthenia8384.2%
- 12Balance Disorder7753.9%
- 13Condition Aggravated7753.9%
- 14Urinary Tract Infection7673.9%
- 15Confusional State7533.8%
Literature
Recent PubMed references pinned to Amantadine as a MeSH major topic. Citations link to pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- A Conjugate of Aminoadamantane and Tetrahydro-γ-Carboline Inhibits Accumulation of Mutant α-Synuclein A53T in the Cellular Model of Proteinopathy.Biochemistry. Biokhimiia · 2026 · Burak MV, Pukaeva NE, Kryshkova VS, et al.PMID 42219390DOI 10.1134/S0006297926600079
- State-specific inhibition of NMDA receptors by memantine provides insight into NMDAR channel blocker tolerability.Science advances · 2026 · Phillips MB, Povysheva NV, Neureiter EG, et al.PMID 42201999DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aec3154
- UV-Driven Degradation of Amantadine over a Photodeposited Pt/TiO(2) Porous Ceramic Composite and Transformation Pathways.Journal of agricultural and food chemistry · 2026 · Xu Y, Zhang D, Ma Z, et al.PMID 42186820DOI 10.1021/acs.jafc.6c01913
- Memantine as an Adjunctive Treatment for Residual Anxiety and Agitation in Early Parkinson's Disease With Depression: A Case Report.Neuropsychopharmacology reports · 2026 · Haga T, Mori Y, Matsuda N, et al.PMID 42130257DOI 10.1002/npr2.70129
- HOXD11-NMDAR signaling drives neuroendocrine prostate cancer and enables potential therapeutic intervention as a target of memantine.Cell reports · 2026 · Wu T, Tan S, Mao L, et al.PMID 42126948DOI 10.1016/j.celrep.2026.117330
- Smartphone based colorimetric method for determination of memantine via schiff's base reaction with ascorbic acid.Scientific reports · 2026 · Elagamy SH, Barseem APMID 42120452DOI 10.1038/s41598-026-51216-4
- Old drugs, new indications: Effectiveness of amantadine for epileptic encephalopathy in paediatric patients with spike-wave activation in sleep or refractory absence seizures.Neurologia · 2026 · Soto-Insuga V, González-Alguacil E, Cantarín Extremera V, et al.PMID 42044942DOI 10.1016/j.nrleng.2026.501936
- Corneal edema: an underrecognized safety risk of amantadine.Journal of neurology · 2026 · Croteau D, Tobenkin A, Chan V, et al.PMID 42000941DOI 10.1007/s00415-026-13797-y
Clinical trials
The 10 most recently updated of 337 ClinicalTrials.gov registrations naming Amantadine as an intervention. Registration is not evidence of efficacy or safety — reference crosswalk only.
- Behavioral Treatment and Memantine in Body Focused Repetitive BehaviorsActive not recruiting · Phase 2 · Phase 3 · Interventional · 26 enrolled · University of ChicagoNCT05796752updated 2026-06-11
- Stereotactic Radiosurgery Compared With Hippocampal-Avoidant Whole Brain Radiotherapy (HA-WBRT) Plus Memantine for 5 or More Brain MetastasesRecruiting · Phase 3 · Interventional · 206 enrolled · Canadian Cancer Trials GroupNCT03550391updated 2026-06-09
- Memory Avoidance Whole Brain Radiotherapy vs Hippocampal Avoidance Whole Brain Radiotherapy (Athena 2 Trial)Not yet recruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 90 enrolled · Case Comprehensive Cancer CenterNCT07248228updated 2026-05-29
- Intestinal Levodopa + Entacapone Therapy (Lecigon®) to Counteract Dopaminergic Desensitization and Neuropsychiatric Complications in Parkinson's DiseaseRecruiting · Phase 3 · Interventional · 150 enrolled · University Hospital TuebingenNCT07151378updated 2026-05-22
- Comparing Whole Brain Radiotherapy Using a Technique That Avoids the Hippocampus to Stereotactic Radiosurgery in Patients With Cancer That Has Spread to the Brain and Come Back in Other Areas of the Brain After Earlier Stereotactic RadiosurgeryTerminated · Phase 3 · Interventional · 19 enrolled · NRG OncologyNCT04588246updated 2026-05-20
- Memantine Augmentation of Targeted Cognitive Training in SchizophreniaCompleted · Phase 2 · Phase 3 · Interventional · 62 enrolled · University of California, San DiegoNCT04857983updated 2026-05-18
- Study of Memantine for Gait Disorders And Attention Deficit In Parkinson's DiseaseCompleted · Phase 4 · Interventional · 28 enrolled · University Hospital, LilleNCT01108029updated 2026-05-14
- Synaptic Mechanisms of Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation in DepressionRecruiting · Early phase 1 · Interventional · 80 enrolled · Mclean HospitalNCT07560878updated 2026-05-13
- Escalating Doses of Memantine in Down Syndrome (MEDS-123)Not yet recruiting · Phase 1 · Interventional · 25 enrolled · University Hospitals Cleveland Medical CenterNCT07531940updated 2026-05-11
- Memantine and Exercise to Improve Cognitive Function and Modulate Biological Pathways of Cognitive Decline During Chemotherapy in Breast CancerRecruiting · Phase 2 · Interventional · 90 enrolled · UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer CenterNCT06727773updated 2026-05-06
Structural analogs
Ranked by 2D fingerprint (Tanimoto) similarity over PubChem structures. Structural proximity only — not a claim of therapeutic equivalence.
Frequently asked questions
- How does Amantadine work?
- Mechanism-of-action classes: Dopamine Receptor Interactions; Ion Channel Interactions; M2 Protein Inhibitors.
- What is Amantadine used for?
- According to FDA labeling, Amantadine carries indications including: Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are indicated for the prophylaxis and treatment of signs and symptoms of infection caused by various strains of influenza A virus. Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are also indicated in the treatment of parkinsonism and drug-induced extrapyramidal reactions.. This is a reference summary of labeled uses, not medical advice or a treatment recommendation.
- What class of drug is Amantadine?
- Amantadine is classified as Adamantane derivatives, Influenza A M2 Protein Inhibitor, Dopamine Receptor Interactions, Ion Channel Interactions, M2 Protein Inhibitors, Decreased RNA Replication, Increased Central Nervous System Dopamine Activity.
- What are the brand names for Amantadine?
- Amantadine is marketed under brand names including Gocovri, Osmolex.
- What are the contraindications for Amantadine?
- Amantadine labeling lists contraindications including: Amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP are contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to amantadine hydrochloride or to any of the other ingredients in amantadine hydrochloride capsules, USP.. Always consult the full prescribing information and a clinician.
amantadine is illustrative MVP content compiled from public sources. pharmacopeia is for educational and informational use only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.