4 replies to this topic

[JoeMiskavi]

So for a whole week, I acquired pharmaceutical memantine pills, and took 10-20mgs daily for the entirety of seven days. I looked through every possible thing in medical litrerature and there was nothing on withdrawal/discontinuation from memantine or NMDA antagonists for that matter. I was too bothered by the side effects, and decided to stop memantine. Upon doing that, I experienced:

 

- Anxiety

- Tremors/spasms/jerks (although a bit minor)

- High sensitivity to sound (I get startled/anxious)

- Tension

- Tinnitus

- Pins and needles feeling

- Hand pains

 

 

These get better when I reintroduce memantine. For reference, I also take 50mg amitriptyline daily (prescribed), and I vape nicotine. 

 

Would someone please explain this to me?

 

I reached out to almost 50 people who used memantine for a long or short time (much higher doses than me), and none of them had similar symptoms. 

 

I contacted 6 professors who are psychopharmacologists, and all of them said memantine does not produce that!! I spoke to two doctors, and both also confirmed memantine does not cause such symptoms. I am losing my mind, and I know I can feel something going wrong. 

 

So what is it?

 

- Memantine blocked my nAch receptors and caused a mini nicotine withdrawal??

- Memantine interacted with amitriptyline?? (both are anticholinergics but one is nAch and the other is mAch)

- Sigma receptor agonism involved??

- Dopamine agonism withdrawal??

- NMDA receptor upregulation/glutamatergic rebound?

 

 

[Turnbuckle]

Caregivers’ perspectives and experiences of withdrawing acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in advanced dementia: a qualitative analysis of an online discussion forum

[JoeMiskavi]

Caregivers’ perspectives and experiences of withdrawing acetylcholinesterase inhibitors and memantine in advanced dementia: a qualitative analysis of an online discussion forum

Thank you for responding! I did see this study along with another one that dealt with actual case studies. There are all for AD/dementia patients who are of older age. Their withdrawal symptoms seem to be related directly to how their condition is progressing. My symptoms are of a different calibre and no one is helping me out to find an answer. I am really suffering with this. All the doctors said that memantine has no withdrawals.

[ibtisam_midlet]

return to memantine and see if your problem got solved that mean this symptomps is linked to memantine usage

i don't think it's a withdrawal, it's mostly a rare negative interaction with your body, then memantine is not for you, try other NMDA antagonist.

[JoeMiskavi]

return to memantine and see if your problem got solved that mean this symptomps is linked to memantine usage

i don't think it's a withdrawal, it's mostly a rare negative interaction with your body, then memantine is not for you, try other NMDA antagonist.

 

They do partially get solved when I return, especially the anxiety and sensetivity to sound but no tinnitus. This is my third day without memantine. It improved slightly. I took hexamine and vitamin c to acidify my urine pH as it increases excretion of memantine. But I also think amitriptyline had something to do with this (interaction of some sort)