Memantine can relieve certain symptoms in Parkinson disease. Improvement achieved in two out of three described cases with dyskinesia and cognitive failure
Lökk, J.
Lakartidningen 101(23): 2003-2006
2004
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-7205 PMID: 15232837 Document Number: 567857
Parkinson's disease is a chronic, progressive, neurodegenerative disease with a reduction of dopamine levels causing the typical symptoms tremor, hypokinesia, rigidity, and postural disturbance. After some years with Parkinson's disease patients tend to develop fluctuating symptoms and dyskinesia with involuntary movements--a state difficult to manage. Different pharmacological as well as non-pharmacological strategies are used and being tried. One of these is targeting the dysfunctioning glutamatergic neurotransmitter system through the NMDA-receptors. The NMDA-receptor antagonist amantadine has long been used as an anti-Parkinson drug but also as an anti-dyskinetic drug. Recently, another NMDA-receptor antagonist, memantine, was approved for moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia in Sweden. We describe the use of memantine on three cognitively impaired, dyskinetic Parkinsonian patients where two seemed to benefit from this medication regarding their dyskinesia.