I am newly diagnosed and on amantadine 2x daily. I notice I feel much more tired on a daily basis than I used to. I take 1 -2 naps a day.

[faybo39495]

Is this a symptom of PD, the medication, both or neither?

[chartist]

Drowsiness is a known side effect of Amantadine and fatigue is a known symptom of PD. Here is a link to an incomplete list of the known side effects of Amantadine :

rxlist.com/consumer_amantad...

Art

[JohnPepper]

May I suggest that in addition to your medication, youm start to do some meaningful exercise.

Fast Walking has proved to be able to reverse the symptoms of Pd. No medication or suppliment is able to do that, so the sooner you start the walking the sooner ypou will start to reverse your symptoms. It will also help you with the lethargy,

If you want to learn more about the walking then contact me, [e-mail]. It costs nothing!

[gginto in reply to JohnPepper]

Agreed!

[JohnPepper in reply to gginto]

Does that mean you are going to start the fast walking?

[gginto in reply to JohnPepper]

I've been speed walking since I first read your posts-2 years ago! I notice if I miss a day or so I notice I don't feel right.. Thanks again for sharing your insight into speed walking.

[JohnPepper in reply to gginto]

Do you speed walk every day? If so, you should immediately stop doing that. Your bnody needs time to recover.

[gginto in reply to JohnPepper]

No I don't speed walk every day-I take day off..

[JohnPepper in reply to gginto]

Hi. When you said, "I miss a day", I took you litterally.

Sorry about that!

[WinnieThePoo in reply to JohnPepper]

I agree with and endorse John's advice to start vigorous regular exercise. Fast walking is one good type which John has seen good results for."Reverse" needs a context. Symptoms may improve significantly and progressively after commencing exercise, but no amount of exercise reverses them to the point they go away. It's not a cure, but nonetheless is something I would start as soon as possible.

[JohnPepper in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Thanks for the response. I might add that the moment patients stop the exercise the process of reversing stops immediately. It takes time to get back to where it was before you start exerciseing but it is not something you can afford to dtop doing.

At my current age of nearly 87 I am finding it more and more difficult to do the fast walking, my body is just not capable of being pushed for a whole hour, I am lucky to get to 40 minutes but more often only get to 30. But I am still coping!

[WinnieThePoo in reply to JohnPepper]

JohnThere was a recent post you might find interesting. GDNF is only one of the neurotropic factors our body produces naturally. Bdnf is another (there has been research showing its production is increased by exercise)

CDNF is yet another, and recent trials have shown promise for it to prevent and even reverse neuron damage.

The problem as with all neurotropic factors is getting it into the brain.

The current trial uses a tube system installed by brain surgery, similar to the system developed by Bristol University for their gdnf trials

But the latest news is it is possible to make micro particles which may mean it could be administered by a nasal spray

healthunlocked.com/cure-par...

[JohnPepper in reply to WinnieThePoo]

Because GROWTH FACTORS are natural and are produced by the body, then why not find a way to produce more of them by doing something that provokes the body into producing them?

There should be lots of research into this, but who would benefit from it, other than the patients? "There's the rub", as Shakespeare once wrote in Hamlet.

This is one of those conundrums: nobody does anything if they do not gain anything by doing it. There are people like Bill Gates who, I am sure, would fixe many of our problems if he were a Pd patient!

I see that even MJF is now at last realizing that nobody is LOOKING for CURES!

[gginto in reply to JohnPepper]

Are you still getting the positive results from your speed walking now that u are not doing the full hour?

[JohnPepper in reply to gginto]

I get positive results whenever I do the walking, but other health problems keep interfering and I get back to square one each time and have to start at i K per walk for the 1st 2 weeks eytc. I am now back to 3 Ks and my time is down to 10 minutes per K. I am hping to increase it to 4 Ks but am finding it harder and harder to do, at the age of nearly 87.

[Parkiewife]

My husband and I were just told that one side effects of Amantidine is memory loss! Why his doctors put him on this medicine is beyond us! The md is gradually weaning my husband off this medicine. Husband was diagnosed with young onset Pd at age 36. He is now going strong with his DBS implant and is now 58.

God bless!

[faybo39495 in reply to Parkiewife]

I did not know that. I will ask my dr. What does your husband take instead?

[ion_ion]

I took Amandatine for two months and stopped it as it was making me dizzy. B1 gave me energy.