Memantine experience so far....

[surferdude123]

Originally Posted by Molite

Hey Surferdude123 thanks for the very informative thread!

I was recently diagnosed with ADHD and started on Adderall XR (Generic - M. Ampeth Salts ER) 20mg once or twice daily. It's absolutley life changing for me as because it is benefitting me in a lot of areas. I am new to all of this and was wondering how I can prevent tolerance?

I don't think I will be able to get Memantine right now, at least for a couple of months. Is Magnesium another option? If so which one should I look for? I have read Chelated or Taurinate is the best, is that true?

What about using other supplements at night such as B6/B12, Melatonin, etc... Do you know which ones I should avoid and which ones I should take?

Will using Magnesium/Memantine in the beginning of one's usage of Adderall be beneficial?

EDIT: I now know Vitamin C = Bad for Adderall. I just drank a Cranberry juice with Vitamin C 190% DV 2 hours after I took Adderall, and it is now well over the time for the 2nd dose of the pill to kick in and it's not taking effect. I feel tired and lethargic like a usual Adderall crash. Is there anyway to reduce the effects of the crash?

Thanks!

You've just started on Adderall, and it's working. The down you experience is normal. It's an amphetamine. Tolerance shouldn't be the only reason why you want to take Memantine.

Come back in 6mos - 1 year if you're having troubles.

[surferdude123]

Originally Posted by khemix

Memantine antagonizes NDMA receptors which are CRUCIAL in memory consolidation via the long term potentiation mechanism. Memantine also antagonizes nicotinic ACh receptors which are important in cognitive recall and flexibility. A lot of you are also taking stimulants which activate the sympathetic nervous system and further decrease ACh release.

I mean sure, you can slow tolerance this way but at the cost of killing your memory. Seriously, do any of you not have problems remembering things? Are you not as flexible mentally as you were before? There is no way the NDMA and ACh receptors upregulate to 100% baseline. Maybe you have been in this drug induced stupor for too long and don't realize how slow you've become.

Well you got some of it right. You're right about NMDA being crucial to memory and learning.

Wrong about the rest of it.

Excessive Glutamate actually hinders memory and learning. Have you ever tried to teach an anxious child how to do math? Or tried to learn something under extreme stress? Ha well....

Anxiety, Depression and OCD combined with ADHD greatly hinder learning. Memantine when taken as prescribed by a board certified physician under proper guidance can mean HUGE leaps and bounds for some people in various areas of life, especially academic ones.

[reluctant_brain]

Day Four taking 10mg memantine qAM. I was impatient and decided to speed up my titration and went from 5mg up to 10mg instead only jumping up to 7.5mg (I realize 5mg to 10mg is the normal step so I have lost nothing by doing so.) On schedule titrating upwards every seven days.

I'm experiencing a little bit of mental fog right now on the 10mg dose, but nothing unmanageable. Mild headache and slight dizziness that never seems to leave, but this could be due to insufficient food calories the past couple days. I've noticed a small increase in what I think of as physical anxiety, but it seems like my ability to handle anxiety has outpaced that increase. Overall anxiety levels have gone down. It is slightly harder to fall asleep on my own, but conversely my Lunesta is more effective than ever on nights when I take it. Memantine seems to make my jaw muscles tight also, not quite to the level of bruxism but its still slightly uncomfortable. In all other respects the benefits are only becoming more apparent. I can see why in some cases this could be used as monotherapy; nonetheless I am looking forward to reintroducing my stimulant medication before the fall semester begins.

[ryndemers]

talked to my pdoc today about memantine, he said it sounded interesting. apparently he knows a doc at Yale university conducting studies about alternative-nonstim adhd medications. I showed him a study and this acticlehttp://www.longecity.org/forum/topic/22318-memantine-the-next-trend-in-academic-performance-enhancement/ about memantines ability to counteract the symptoms of adhd. I wonder if his friend ever heard of memantine being used for that purpose

[Verile]

Read through a number of pages but didn't see this mentioned yet.

The brain fog that you mention. Could you quantify its severity somehow? Obviously you wouldn't want it during exam time but how debilitating was it?

Could you safely drive?
Were you still able to go to work/school?
Was it any worse than a day without any medication or caffeine?

Thanks for this thread and your input. You being a guinea pig in this and sharing the experience is appreciated.

[surferdude123]

Originally Posted by Verile

Read through a number of pages but didn't see this mentioned yet.

The brain fog that you mention. Could you quantify its severity somehow? Obviously you wouldn't want it during exam time but how debilitating was it?

Could you safely drive?
Were you still able to go to work/school?
Was it any worse than a day without any medication or caffeine?

Thanks for this thread and your input. You being a guinea pig in this and sharing the experience is appreciated.

Very valid questions. Surprised I didn't address this before.

1) Wouldn't want it at or near exam time.
2) Driving is totally fine.
3) Work/School not a problem
4) Less severe without a stimulant (didn't try it with Caffeine)


That said, I'm still taking this medication, and it's been well over 2 years, currently at 15mg daily.

[Verile]

Thank for the quick response. Can you tell me why you're taking 15 mg now as opposed to the 20 mg you were taking? What differences are you noticing between the 2 dosages?

[surferdude123]

I am quicker responding to posts than personal messages as I get inundated with them.


1) Everyone's brain chemistry is different. During my psychiatry rotation, I was fortunate enough to meet a supervisor who encouraged me to do more neuroscience research into these varying differences.

Answer: 20mg was too much for me, I am very sensitive to medication, for example, I know within 3-5 days if an SSRI is working for me....1 cup of coffee makes it so I can't sleep at night....15mg happens to be my sweet spot, for others it may be 5mg, 10mg or 25mg or even 30mg.....

2) Consistent dosing is required to achieve stable plasma levels of this medication. Because little trials are being done on HEALTHY people, patients who experience the "brain fog" who have dementia, imagine trying to quantify that?

3) Memantine is a very potent (but very safe / low side effect profile) drug, it's been around since the 60s.

4) 20mg too much fog, 5mg was good, but effects diminished over a period of weeks. 10mg was good, but not good enough.

Ultimately...

Sometimes less is more.

[Verile]

Thanks again. I knew this to start but this reemphasizes that I'll have to pay very close attention to how I feel at each increment while titrating up.

[IrateIguana]

Originally Posted by surferdude123

I am quicker responding to posts than personal messages as I get inundated with them.

Oh well I'll just make things a little easier for you. I sent you a message pretty much just asking if you had any links to any studies or anything that I could take with me to the doctor when I talk to him about memantine. Thanks

[reluctant_brain]

At what point is it appropriate to reintroduce amphetamines? Tomorrow, (Sunday) will be the seventh day taking the 10mg dose of memantine.

Should I stabilize for a second week at 10mg memantine first? Or can I go ahead with the amphetamines beginning on Monday? (8th day at 10mg memantine)

[reluctant_brain]

I should add these details:

Its been three weeks since I started my titration, but I started at 2.5mg, then went to 5, then went to 10. I do intend to titrate all the way up to 20mg.

[gkum6089]

Hello,

I am currently taking Strattera ... I am ADHD -PI ( inattentive). I have also tried Dex and Ritalin before with Dex being the effective one.

My symptoms are concentration trouble, executive functions troubles with timing/organizing and noise sensitivity.

I did not like the speeded feeling of Dex. I am currently titrating the dose for Strattera very slowly. I am at 25 mg and I am wondering if I should add Mamentine to act on dopamine.

I know that Strattera only works on Norepharine levels but does not affect dopamine for motivation.

My SPECT scan in Perth, ( Australia) showed low blood flow to parietal lobe not unlike Alziemers.

I am wondering how effective Memantine would be a it works for both conditions.

[Verile]

Originally Posted by reluctant_brain

I should add these details:

Its been three weeks since I started my titration, but I started at 2.5mg, then went to 5, then went to 10. I do intend to titrate all the way up to 20mg.

In one of his earlier posts he suggests waiting a week before reintroducing the amps.

[reluctant_brain]

Originally Posted by Verile

In one of his earlier posts he suggests waiting a week before reintroducing the amps.

Thank you! I knew the information had already been posted, its just a lot of posts to wade through to find it. The search feature is... less useful than one would expect. This thread really needs a post summarizing key details.