Brain fog - ask your doctor about amantadine

@ericy210, I was wondering how you were doing. The last time you posted things weren't sounding so good. I see you've posted several helpful and encouraging comments today. It's great to get some good news from long haulers.

Here's some info about amantadine from Mayo Clinic:
- Amantadine (Oral Route) https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/amantadine-oral-route/description/drg-20061695

Except:
"Amantadine is an antidyskinetic medicine. It is used to treat Parkinson's disease and its symptoms, including dyskinesia (sudden uncontrolled movements). [...] Amantadine is also an antiviral medicine. It is used to prevent or treat certain influenza (flu) infections (type A). It may be given alone or together with flu shots. Amantadine will not work for colds, other types of flu, or other virus infections."

This seems to be a promising off-label use of the drug.
- The use of amantadine in the prevention of progression and treatment of COVID-19 symptoms in patients infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COV-PREVENT): Study rationale and design https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1551714422000817

Eric, how long will you have to take it? Enjoy the guitar playing.

Thank you. I got invoked in two university hospital long Covid programs. Tons of tests and doctors appointments. Five day hospitalization to do a visual EEG to assess if I was having seizures that were causing memory issues. Lots of vacation days spent on all of this. I got obsessed with googling long Covid news everyday, searching for research. I was desperate but my let Covid consume my entire life, well beyond the disease itself. So I had to take a step back from spending ALL my free time on Covid and shift some focus to things I can still enjoy within my limitations. At this very moment, I’m feeling pretty good. I know it could be bad tomorrow. So I’ll choose to do something fun with my family tonight.
FYI. I’ve checked in on some at work who have had Covid. A surprising amount say they are still having issues. When I confidentially share my experience, they say, “I thought I was the only one!” and we then chat about it. As bad as it is, I take comfort in knowing incan be of support to another long-hauler, it only to listen without dismissing their symptoms.

@colleenyoung

Update- New research from Sweden on how Covid causes neuro issues by causing the brain’s microglia attack and destroy synapses. They use lab-created brain cells for the first view of Covid interacting live with brain cells. My neurologist tried amantadine on me with success, thinking it may help rebuild my synapses. There is some work being done in Poland to study amantadine and new Covid patients. However, if you Google amantadine Covid brain fog, this post is what comes up first.

A different neurologist from mine at Northwestern, but in a different building and department commented on the importance of this study in an article. I’m seeing my guy next month and emailed the info. I have seen minimal in my research on amantadine and Covid and nothing on amantadine and long Covid.

I’m providing this as something you may talk to your doctor about.

I still suffer from brain fog, and as the study says, it’s early in the research process to know if damage is reversible or not.

Below is an overview article
https://theconversation.com/long-covid-how-lost-connections-between-nerve-cells-in-the-brain-may-explain-cognitive-symptoms-192702
Below is the study
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41380-022-01786-2.pdf

I’m new to this site. I was interested in your comment about the amantadine being helpful for brain fog. I had covid starting about October 20th. I ran a fever and was sick in bed for ten days before starting to improve. After having periods of feeling somewhat normal mixed with days of feeling sick, I’m now at the point of trying to do normal household activities. I start to sweat and then get fatigued and brain fog. Did you experience any of these symptoms? Do you think the amantadine would help?

Brain fog and fatigue- absolutely. I still have moments at the end of the week where I’ll park my car on the other side of the driveway then have a few seconds trying to find it.
The FDA monograph doesn’t state its use for brain fog.
https://www.drugs.com/monograph/amantadine.html
It made a huge difference to me from 75% of my day being forgotten or memories not being recorded to being back to 90% of my usual self in 10 days it it- people spontaneously noticed.
I spoke with a researcher in Europe doing a clinical study on the drug who told me he’s seeing positive initial results.
But I’m no doctor. Give the links or print out the studies I posted above and ask your doctor if they may help understand your situation.

Thank you so much! I will talk to my doctor about that medicine. Good luck to you on your journey back to health. I read somewhere that a person should keep happy and pleasant thoughts, and try to avoid stress as much as possible.

I know this was from a while ago, but I hope you're doing well! I just saw a neurologist in the long COVID clinic at Northwestern, and he also suggested amantadine, so of course I went Googling, and I landed here.

If you're still checking this, do you mind sharing how you're doing now, if you're still taking the medication, and if you experienced side effects?

I have co-occuring conditions that got worse with COVID; those conditions make it difficult for me to tolerate medication, so I'm nervous about it.

Also...anyone else following this conversation, there's new research from an open-label study about amantadine for post-COVID fatigue: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-51904-z

Hi, I know this is an older post, but wondering if you’re still doing well? I’m considering trying amantadine or guanfacine also for brain fog, but I’m worried about side effects because I also have POTS, so trying to connect with others who have tried this meds.

Did you experience side effects or have trouble adjusting to the medication?

I missed this conversation. I have somewhat different neurological issues affecting my hearing and eyesight. I suppose I have some “brain fog” as well. It’s hard for me to say. I have been focused on my health problems for the last couple years, and not really doing anything normal.
I’m curious if you are still on this therapy and how you have (hopefully) continued to recover.

I'm really curious too, as @ericy210 is the only person I've seen in this forum who's mentioned trying amantadine. But maybe those who get better no longer have need of the forum >_< .

I can tell you that it's worth asking your doctor about. The Long COVID Clinic at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago routinely prescribes it, and you can find published papers about it online.

I'm just really nervous about side effects because I'm very sensitive to medication, and I like to know what to expect so I can weigh pros/cons, but I can't find any others who've taken it for Long COVID or even for MS-related brain fog who've shared in more detail about their experience. My neurologist said it's something they use, but it might be more specialized since it's been used for MS-related brain fog.

I can and have asked my doctors of course, but they always say something to the effect of: "It's a low dose, and it's generally well-tolerated, or side effects are short-lived," but they always say that, and it hasn't been true in my situation in many cases, so I get frustrated. Then, "The only way to know is to try," true. But if I'm going to try, I want at lease some semblance of an idea of what to expect. Sigh.