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Brain fog - ask your doctor about amantadine

Posted by ericy210 @ericy210, Sep 1, 2022

4 months into long Covid and in clinical studies at University of Illinois Chicago and Northwestern U. Dozens of memory gaps throughout the day, like blackouts. I’d take a guitar lesson and be shown a riff. I’d have to write down each note and play it while reading. I couldn’t remember a handful of notes and I’ve been playing 20 years.
A Northwestern neurologist suggested we try amantadine. You can look it up. One thing it helps with is older people with cognitive issues. I’m 45 and healthy. After two weeks, I’m a new guy, and I had lost all hope. A had a lesson a couple days ago. He’d show me a riff and I’d play it right back and we would move on to the next part. I’m doing my job far better. I can remember my whole day. I recovered physically after three months but had been stuck on this memory issue until now.
I’m not a doctor, just a regular guy on this long journey. Just suggesting you ask your doctor. Best to all.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

janeaddams | @janeaddams | Mar 24 11:17am
In reply to @julescamp7 "Hi, I realize these posts were several months ago, but I just came across them today...." + (show)
@julescamp7

Hi, I realize these posts were several months ago, but I just came across them today. I find myself having so much in common with many of you. I see doctors (Dr Koralnik, Aasheeta Bawa) at Northwestern, I am in Shirley Ryan’s clinical trial for brain fog, I’ve tried Amantadine for fatigue and brain fog and I attend NM’s Long Covid support group too. Oh, I also see Dr Roth at SRAL.
Amantadine definitely helped my fatigue however it gave me a false sense of energy that caused me to crash (I have bad PEM). It also gave me a buzzing feeling in my head. I was so torn about it because what it did for fatigue was great. I tried to work with it by pacing but I had a hard time. They also wanted me to take it twice a day (morning and noon) and I take many medicines in the morning and night I was having a hard time remembering to take it at noon. That sounds silly but with my crashes and how bad my other health issues are I just couldn’t get it right. My headaches are bad too so I didn’t like that it was adding to them. So I stopped taking it. 🙁 I am now trying modafinil. I started it a couple weeks ago and I am having side effects so I have to decide what to do. I may talk to the doctors about the medicines to see if there’s a way to make one of them work better — do I need to go back and give Amantadine more time or give Modafinil more time?, Or. is there something to add to one of them to offset the side effects?
We’ll see. I’ve been on this Long Covid journey since 2020 so if I can answer any questions, feel free to ask. 😄

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Hi, @julescamp7
Also a patient at NWMH LC clinic.. plan to attend the group on Thursday. Appreciate your input on Amantadine, which Dr. K also prescribed for me and Asheeta is encouraging. I am a (very) senior citizen, quite healthy pre-LC,, taking no prescription meds and sensitive to them. Your experience with Amantadine is helpful to know, I don’t want to exchange fatigue and brain fog for more anxiety/sleeplessness and/or headaches. Also I Just “graduated” from SRAL cognitive therapy and about to start PT there. So far only minimal symptom improvement since 3/23; mostly attributable to acceptance, attitude adjustment, learning pacing and avoiding PEM crashes. Also a major reliance on the shared wisdom and support of others on Connect. After much obsessive research I have accepted the reality that I have a chronic illness and there isn’t any cure or treatment that I’m missing out on. Just glad we’re getting some press at the five year mark and good people are looking for a cure. Onward!

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