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.
References
- Amantadine Medication Information https://www.drugclasses.com/ppa/amantadine.html
- Gocovri Medication Information https://www.drugclasses.com/pro/gocovri.html
- Osmolex Medication Information https://www.drugclasses.com/mtm/osmolex-er.html
- Extrapyramidal Symptoms (EPS) :
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534115/
Read next
What is the difference between Osmolex ER and Gocovri?
The main differences between Gocovri and Osmolex ER center around their approved uses, dosage forms, strength and study designs for FDA approval. Approval of Gocovri was based on placebo-controlled clinical studies in patients with Parkinson's disease with levodopa-induced dyskinesias, whereas the effectiveness of Osmolex ER was based upon bioavailability studies that compared Osmolex ER to immediate-release amantadine. Gocovri and Osmolex ER are not interchangeable with other amantadine immediate- or extended-release products. Continue reading
What is Gocovri used to treat?
Gocovri (amantadine) is used for the treatment of dyskinesia in patients with Parkinson's disease receiving levodopa-based therapy, with or without concomitant dopaminergic medication. It is also used as an add-on therapy in Parkinson's patients who are being treated with levodopa/carbidopa and who are experiencing "off" episodes. Continue reading
Does Nuplazid treat Parkinson's disease?
Nuplazid was approved by the FDA for the treatment of psychosis (hallucinations and delusions) associated with Parkinson’s disease, which can occur in up to half of patients. Nuplazid does not treat the typical motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease, such as tremors or shuffling gait. Continue reading
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