Where can I buy Amantadine?
You can buy Amantadine online or if you prefer you can buy Amantadine from a pharmacy store. However, Amantadine is a prescription drug, and as such, you can't walk aimlessly into a pharmacy to buy Symmetrel or buy Amantadine.
First, you need to have a prescription from your health care provider, which you'd need when going to buy Symmetrel from your local pharmacy store.
However, if for some reasons you know just the right dosage of Symmetrel to take and don't have a prescription, you can easily buy Symmetrel online.
When you decide to buy Symmetrel online, it comes with a bunch of added advantages like affordable, you can buy in wholesale, don't need a prescription, don't need to face a pharmacist and a lot more.
Amantadine generic is cheap compared to branded Amantadine like Symmetrel both when buying Amantadine online and at a pharmacy store.
What is Symmetrel?
Symmetrel is an antiviral drug, also known as 1-Adamantylamine. Symmetrel is useful in preventing and treating infections affecting our respiratory system mostly the Influenza A virus. Amantadine works by stopping the virus from growing.
Symmetrel is the name of a brand while Amantadine is the generic version of symmetrel. Amantadine generic is a lot more cheap than the branded symmetrel. Amantadine is available in different brand names like Gocovri, Symadine, and others.
Amantadine is taken orally and comes in five forms - extended-release capsule, syrup, extended-release tablet, and oral immediate-release capsule, immediate-release tablet.
Amantadine was officially approved as a prophylactic agent by the United States Food and Drug Administration, as Amantadine works against Asian Influenza and was approved in October 1968. Amantadine is also used for treating influenza A as approved by the FDA in 1976. And as of 2017, according to a formulation by Adamas Pharm, and approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration Amantadine in an extended-release formulation developed helps in treating dyskinesia. Dyskinesia is an adverse effect of levodopa which affects people with Parkinson's disease.
Initially, during the flu season, doctors prescribe Symmetrel to prevent Influenza A, but later they found out that it is also beneficial to help ease the symptoms of people with Parkinson's disease. Based on a release by the CDC, doctors shouldn't make use of only Symmetrel to prevent or treat influenza A in Canada and the United States because in these regions one of influenza A strains is resistant to Amantadine.
What are the uses of Amantadine?
Symmetrel is mainly used in treating Parkinson's disease and Influenza. When using Amantadine to treat Parkinson's, Symmetrel works by causing a kind of increase in the effects of dopamine in the patient's brain. Basically, dopamine is a neurotransmitter located in the brain, which is mostly low in patients who have Parkinson's disease.
Symmetrel also helps reduce the side effects caused by other drugs in people going through Parkinson's, e.g., drug-induced extrapyramidal symptoms, as well as side effects caused by a medical condition or any other chemicals. In these cases, Amantadine works by restoring the balance of neurotransmitters in the brain.
If you're infected with a specific type of flu (influenza A), Symmetrel can help make the symptoms less severe and also shortens the time it would take for you to feel better. According to the U.S CDC, Amantadine should no longer be prescribed for prophylaxis or treatment of influenza B as it has no effect. The CDC further updated guidelines to recommend inhibitors like only neuraminidase which helps greatly to treating and preventing influenza.
Furthermore, an extended-release formulation of Symmetrel is used to treat dyskinesia, which is an adverse effect of levodopa that plagues people with Parkinson's disease. The WHO recommends Symmetrel as a combination therapy that helps reduce levodopa side effects. There are also off label uses of Amantadine like fatigue in multiple sclerosis, amongst others
Side effects of taking Amantadine
Unlike most oral antiviral capsules that cause drowsiness, however, Symmetrel doesn't, as there are other side effects associated with taking Amantadine. Common side effects of taking Amantadine include nausea, insomnia, and dizziness or lightheadedness. In most cases, these effects are mild. If you experience a mild case of these side effects, there's nothing to worry about as it may go away in no time. But if you experience a more severe side effect that wouldn't go away, talk to your health care provider.
Common serious side effects of taking Amantadine include hallucinations, coma, abnormal thoughts, and intense urges (such as the urge to gamble, to have sex, shopping). Some people may experience skin cancer (melanoma) as a side effect of taking Amantadine especially if you're using it to treat Parkinson's disease. Heart failure is also a common side effect with symptoms like irregular heartbeat, feeling out of breath, fluid buildup in your chest, and fluid buildup in the legs (edema), amongst others.
In some rare cases, people experience neuroleptic malignant syndrome after taking Amantadine. The neuroleptic malignant syndrome is a fatal reaction that occurs as a result of an increase in the dopamine level in certain parts of the brain. Symptoms of this include a fast pulse, high or low blood pressure, rigid muscles, fever, mental status changes, involuntary movement, amongst others.
Using Amantadine for Influenza
General information about Influenza and how Amantadine can help?
Influenza, commonly known as flu, is a viral infection that affects the respiratory system. They can easily spread through a tiny droplet of body fluid from talking, sneezing, or coughing.
There are four different types of this virus, namely influenza type A, type B, type C, and type D. They are all highly contagious with similar symptoms. Still, the most common is type A, followed by type B. Amantadine works best on influenza type A. There are cases where Amantadine wasn't as effective in treating influenza type B.
How does Amantadine work for Influenza?
Symmetrel inhibits the reproduction and growth of the virus by eliminating the virus in the body. It works well in reducing the severity of the symptoms of Influenza. However, Amantadine is not a substitute for your annual flu shot.
How to take Amantadine for Influenza?
Symmetrel is mainly an oral drug. It should be swallowed with plenty of water. Also, ensure you take it as instructed by your healthcare provider.
You shouldn't stop the medication because you don't feel the symptoms anymore, as that can increase the severity of the symptom. Ensure you don't skip a dose as it might reduce the effectiveness of the drug.
What dose of Amantadine to take for Influenza?
When using Amantadine to treat or prevent flu, adults and teens should use 200mg or four teaspoons of Amantadine as a single dose daily. And for older adults, use 100mg as a single dose daily.
Furthermore, children within the age of 9 to 12 should take 100mg or two teaspoons twice a day. Dosage for children within the age of 1 to 9 should be determined by a pediatrician which is often based on their weight.
The usual dose is within 4.4 to 8.8mg per kilogram of body weight daily. Divide the dose evenly and take it twice a day. Usually, the dose does not exceed more than 150mg per day. Ensure a pediatrician prescribes the right dose for children that are not up to 1 year of age.
Using Amantadine for Parkinson’s disease
General information about Parkinson’s disease and how Amantadine can help?
Parkinson’s disease is a type of disorder that affects the central nervous system of the body. It is characterized by the inactivity to slow movement, loss of balance, stiffness, amongst others. Parkinson’s disease often starts with a tremor in one hand.
How does Amantadine work for Parkinson’s disease?
When treating Parkinson's disease, with Amantadine, it is used as a part of combination therapy. Meaning you need to take it with other medications.
Because Amantadine belongs to a class of antiviral drugs, they all work in similar ways, and it helps in this case to increase the effect of dopamine in the brain.
Taking Amantadine for patients with Parkinson’s disease?
You can take Amantadine orally when using it to ease the pain of the symptoms of Parkinson's. Amantadine should be taken everyday with plenty of water to avoid missing a dose. If you miss a dose, take it immediately, you remember.
In case of a drug overdose, ensure to call for an emergency.
To get the most out of Amantadine when using it to treat Parkinson's disease, ensure you strictly follow the doctor's prescription.
What dose of Amantadine to take for Parkinson’s disease?
When using Symmetrel to treat or prevent Parkinson's disease, adults should use 100mg twice a day, but your doctor could adjust this dose.
Older adults should begin with 100mg once a say as a single dose, and your doctors could also adjust the dose as well.
Children use the dose as determined by the pediatrician. However, note that these dosages may not be appropriate for you. Factors like medical conditions, other drugs interaction, and so on could affect the dosage you're to use. So you should seek professional help and get a prescription.