This emedtv resource explains how the medication works, offers dosing information, and lists side effects that may occur. What is the most important information i should know about memantine namenda, namenda xr. Dec 12, 2005 my mom tried aricept for only a couple of weeks and when the diarrhea became unbearable she went off it cold turkey, nothing happened except the side effects gradually stopped. Namenda xr was evaluated in a doubleblind placebocontrolled trial in which a total of 676 patients with moderate to severe dementia of the alzheimers type 341 patients on namenda xr 28 mgday and 335 patients on placebo were treated for up to 24 weeks because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse. However a small percentage of demented patients may have varying symptoms including aggressiveness, apathy, depression. This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. You may report side effects to the fda at 1800fda1088. In general, calcium channel blockers do not cause sleep disturbances, but. A couple of months ago i decided to take her off aricept because her alzheimers was getting worse and the side effects were also getting worse. Because these side effects are so uncommon, it is difficult to tell whether they are actually caused by namenda or something else. The liver metabolizes namenda, and the kidneys remove it from the body. Learn about the potential side effects of namenda memantine. Questionanswer session at 2016 solano education conference dr.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. These are not all the possible side effects of namzaric. Will you have drug withdrawal syndrome with namenda. From my exeperience, i think it is very likely that namenda can cause agitation in the elderly. Side effects of namenda memantine hcl, warnings, uses rxlist. Check with your healthcare provider before taking the drug if you have liver or kidney disease. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional. If side effects do occur, in most cases, they are minor and either require no treatment or can easily be treated by you or your healthcare provider. You may report side effects to health canada at 18662342345.
Namenda side effects with 3 alternative treatments. Jun 05, 2019 it is important to take namenda precisely as instructed by your physician. Common side effects of namenda may include constipation, fatigue, and drowsiness. Common side effects include headache, constipation, sleepiness, and dizziness. Donepezil, sold as the trade name aricept among others, is a medication used to treat. This page on the emedtv site lists other common side effects of the drug and also describes potentially serious side effects that may require prompt medical attention. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Im hoping the side effects calm down as i get used to the medication. I say keep taking namenda if side effects are not bothering you and your t is improving. Memantine is a prescription drug that is approved for treating dementia caused by alzheimers disease. Hypersexuality is reported only by a few people who take namenda. This medication comes in tablet and oral by mouth solution forms and is usually taken once or twice daily, with or without food. Experience with a loved one stopping namenda and aricept.
If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly remember that your doctor has. Side effects of namenda xr memantine hydrochloride. It was approved in november 1996, and was ranked the most effective in a recent study. Namenda memantine side effects, dosage, interactions. Memantine brand name namenda carries the same risks as most other psychotropics in that a physical dependence can develop during use. My grandma takes aricept and namenda and vivid nightmares are one of the side effects. Namenda, as an example, causes vivid dreams, sleep disturbances and hallucinations. The effects of memantine on ad are reported to be beneficial for people with moderate to severe ad in the general population, however, people with ds tend to present with ad at a much younger age than the general population as well as being physically different in terms of size, metabolism and heart rate. Namenda solution side effects by likelihood and severity webmd. Namenda is a prescription drug that is used for treating dementia caused by alzheimers disease. Namenda, namenda xr memantine uses, side effects, dosage.
What are the side effects of stopping aricept and namenda. Nightmares in patients with alzheimers disease caused by donepezil. A comprehensive guide to side effects including common and rare side effects when taking namenda memantine hcl includes uses, warnings, and drug. What do namenda side effects have to do with aspartame. Memantine is thought to improve cognitive function and slow the decline of ad over time. Rare namenda side effects occurred in less than 2 percent of people taking the drug.
Namenda oral solution drug information, side effects, faqs. Side effects of namenda memantine hcl, warnings, uses. Search results namenda national library of medicine. Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet. See below for a comprehensive list of adverse effects. Namenda, also called memantine, is an alzheimers drug. Hallucinations sensations that appear real but are created by your mind. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention. They also did a short trial with namenda and again it had no effect on her long term dementia, it seems to be better for beginning stages and they took her off it. If experienced, these tend to have a less severe expression. My doctor recently prescribed namenda to see if it would break the cycle.
But i had side effects that i cannot 100 percent attribute to namenda because i was on other meds and also drinking pomegranate juice which interferes with some medications, side effects were many and are in a different namenda topic if you want to read them all. Namenda works by binding to the nmda receptor and preventing excessive excitation by. Throughout most of that time, she suffered horrible side effects. There is a good chance that these side effects could be completely unrelated to the drug.
Memantine oral namenda side effects, medical uses, and. Prazosin can be used in the treatment of nightmares and in sleep disorders related to. Potential side effects of memantine include back pain, constipation, and drowsiness. Withdrawal effects of namenda answers on healthtap. Behavioral changes happen within the first few weeks as a rule but are reversible. It is important to take namenda precisely as instructed by your physician. Can the drugs namenda and aricept help after brain injury. Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet blurred vision dizziness headache nervousness pounding in the ears rapid weight gain slow or fast heartbeat tingling of the hands or feet unusual weight gain or loss. Some of the dosage forms listed on this page may not apply to the brand name namenda.
As this emedtv segment explains, while most side effects are mild, some may require immediate medical attention, such as hallucinations or difficulty breathing. Namenda is approved for the treatment of alzheimers disease. However, it was also ranked as the drug with the most side effects, like vomiting and nausea. It appears to have no significant effect when administered to individuals diagnosed with milder cases of alzheimers. My dad rushed my mom and my brother and i,once we new what was wrong with mom,we were never able to communicate,but you would think with this disease we could. The most common side effects of memantine hcl include. Im just starting to feel the side effects nausea, numbness, dizziness, vertigo. We study 11,864 people who have side effects while taking namenda from the food and drug administration fda. Namenda memantine hcl side effects, images, uses, dosage. When her dementia was less severe, it helped to show her the package insert that indicated that nightmares, vivid. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. These are usually symptoms i have with my migraines, but the medication makes them stronger. Namzaric is a prescription medicine approved to treat moderate to severe alzheimers. Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur.
Jul 03, 2019 side effects not requiring immediate medical attention. Namenda side effects, uses, dosage, overdose, pregnancy. It is thought that some of the symptoms of alzheimers may be related to changes in nmda receptors that allow for abnormal, excessive excitation of the receptors by glutamate a neurotransmitter brain chemical. See what others have said about namenda, including the effectiveness, ease of use and side effects. Find medication information including related drug classes, side effects, patient statistics and answers to frequently asked questions. While you are using namenda, your physician may alter the dose to provide more effective treatment or reduce side effects. Namenda memantine doesnt stop or reverse the symptoms of alzheimers disease. This page is much more than a discussion of namenda side effects, but will provide interesting information about the relationship and the science behind namenda and how it relates to problems from aspartame and other artificial sweeteners.
There are two sets of side effects a transient phase, of a few weeks. Namenda xr side effects, dosage, interactions drugs. Several studies have evaluated aricept for memory problems after traumatic brain injury and have found it effective. My husband had a severe reaction to both aricept and namenda, and therefore i will not allow any more drugs to be prescribed for dementia since they do not do anything to halt this disorder and only have terrible side effects at least in my husbands case. I tapered up to 20 mg, was on it for about two months, it didnt seem to help and had some substantial side effects so i went off it. Donepezil, like other cholinesterase inhibitors, can cause nightmares due to enhanced activation of the visual association cortex during rem sleep. Nightmares in patients with alzheimers disease caused by.
Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need. Before taking memantine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if. You should refer to the prescription label on the bottle for dosing instructions. Side effects not requiring immediate medical attention. We get up and i get her some tea and cookies, we watch tv for awhile and she forgets about her bad dreams, at least most of the time. Visual hallucinations and agitation in alzheimers disease due to. Namenda is the brand name of the prescription drug memantine, which is used to treat symptoms of alzheimers disease and severe dementia the medicine works by decreasing abnormal activity in the. Aug 04, 2017 stopping namenda abruptly can result in a withdrawal syndrome.
Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur while taking memantine. The studies talked about its relationship to glutamate and sounded promising in efficacy namenda made sense in terms of what i know about migraine physiology. Common side effects of namenda include tiredness, dizziness, headache, and confusion. Memantine is a medication used to treat moderate to severe alzheimers disease. Research suggests that namenda has a small effect in reducing symptoms among those diagnosed with moderate or severe cases of alzheimers. Memantine is used to treat moderate to severe alzheimers disease. The related drug information index provides comprehensive access to all drug information related to a specific drug types of content include full prescribing information, drug summaries, full prescribing information continuing medication education full pi cme, medication guides, risk evaluation and mitigation strategies rems summaries, rems continuing medication education rems cme, and. It is less preferred than acetylcholinesterase inhibitors such as donepezil. This page is much more than a discussion of namenda side effects, but will provide interesting information about the relationship and the science behind namenda and how it relates to problems from aspartame and other artificial. We study 11,864 people who have side effects when taking namenda. What are the consequences of stopping namenda abruptly.
Those with severe urinary tract infections certain medications, health conditions, and the types of food you eat can raise the levels of namenda memantine in the body and your risk. Namenda memantine can slow the progression of symptoms in moderate and severe alzheimers disease, but cannot cure it. Since i took her off the drug, she doesnt have the horrible uncontrollable diarrhea, nightmares and leg cramps. Body aches, dizziness, constipation, and headache may occur. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. To learn more about drug development for the treatment of dementia you may wish to listen to our recent onehour interview avoiding alzheimers disease with one of the countrys leading experts in this field. Namenda was evaluated in eight doubleblind placebocontrolled trials involving a total of 1862 dementia alzheimers disease, vascular dementia patients 940 patients treated with namenda and 922 patients treated with placebo for a treatment period up to 28 weeks. The most common side effects of donepezil hcl include. Turmeric has been used traditionally for a very long time as a food coloring and spice, and for a number of disorders, it us used medicinally and preventatively in some cultures. Medicine, the rate of side effects for offlabel drugs was 44% higher than onlabel ones. Namenda blocks a chemical in the brain called glutamate. This document contains side effect information about memantine.
Individually, these little strokes do not cause major symptoms, but. More serious side effects are rare but include shortness of breath and hallucination. Donepezil, galantamine, rivastigmine and memantine for the treatment. Mason, md, tpmg kaiser permanente vallejo medical center. Namenda was evaluated in eight doubleblind placebocontrolled trials involving a total of 1862 dementia alzheimers disease, vascular dementia patients 940 patients treated with namenda and 922 patients treated with placebo for a treatment period up to 28 weeks because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse. Check with your doctor immediately if any of the following side effects occur. Pharmacotherapy update namenda memantine for moderate. Higher risk of side effects from namenda memantineskip to selected menu item description seizuresskip to selected menu item description higher risk if. It works by decreasing abnormal activity in the brain.
Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. This study is created by ehealthme based on reports of 11,864 people who have side effects when taking namenda from the food and drug administration fda, and is updated regularly. Namenda memantine side effects, dosage, interactions drugs. Doctors give trusted answers on uses, effects, sideeffects, and cautions. Includes common and rare side effects information for consumers and. Namenda memantine is a drug that was approved by the fda in 2003 for the treatment of alzheimers disease. Namenda oral tablet drug information, side effects, faqs. Treatment should only be continued if beneficial effects are seen. Some side effects of memantine may occur that usually do not need medical attention. In canada call your doctor for medical advice about side effects.
Namenda is in a class of medications called nmda receptor antagonists. Memantine is structurally similar to amantadine, an influenza drug used for the treatment of parkinsons disease, which has been reported to cause visual. Namenda only works for severe alzheimers disease and. Namenda xr side effects get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction. Ive heard anecdotal evidence that namenda causes agitation in the elderly, but because it is primarily used for dementia, it is likely hard to disentangle side effects from the symptoms of the disease.
You should tell your doctor if any of the following side effects become severe or dont go away. Doctors give trusted answers on uses, effects, side effects, and cautions. Please share your own experience with namenda and namenda side effects below in the comment section. Memantine is a medication used to treat moderatetosevere alzheimers disease. Forest pharmaceuticals, inc has been used clinically in europe for many years for the treatment of various forms and stages of dementia, and it is now fdaapproved for the treatment of moderatetosevere dementia of the alzheimers type. Jul 28, 2016 namenda is a drug for dementia and moderate to severe alzheimers. Mar 18, 2019 side effects clinical trials experience. Check out these bestsellers and special offers on books and. Before taking memantine, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are allergic to it. Namenda memantine hydrochloride is an orally active nmda receptor antagonist used to treat moderate to severe alzheimers type dementia. Granted, they are more rare side effects, but if your mom is.
Namenda is classified as an nmda receptor antagonist. The nursing home doc put mom on namenda about a month before they sent her mom. Discontinue drug or discontinue breastfeeding adverse reactionsside effects. Aricept was the second drug approved for alzheimers, after cognex, a similar drug, but one with more side effects. The transient phase starts with feeling like a space cadet. Namenda has fewer studies but there is also some evidence it may give help. The main sideeffect 3% compared to placebo in fda trials was dizziness. Namenda solution side effects by likelihood and severity common side effects. Most common side effects people have besides nightmares. Like nikki, neuro and i decided to take dh off namenda back in jan to see if some of the side effects we were having was from the drug. This emedtv resource explores the effects of namenda, describes how it works, and explains what you should know before using this medication.
1127 1164 958 1044 79 1092 653 176 303 1243 102 592 523 1188 1368 662 1003 425 1383 143 850 1298 939 73 1388 305 945 13 1479 237 1215 1393 73