Memantine and Anxiety: What Users Say

• Kit...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 26, 2013

Memantine for Alzheimer's Disease "My mother has been taking Namenda for Alzheimer's for over a year now. She was first prescribed Aricept which made her more anxious/hyperactive & no noticeable positive impact. After 2 weeks of Namenda, there was noticeable improvement in her cognitive abilities. In fact, the light bulb finally went off & she realized she had Alzheimer's. She spent the next several days on the phone breaking the news to family and friends, who had known for over 2 years by that time. My opinion: Namenda keeps her in 2013 - in the present. Her logic, reasoning, problem-solving skills, short-term memory, comprehension, and communication skills are impaired from the disease, but she recognizes this and acknowledges her feelings of confusion."

• Fra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 30, 2022

For Alzheimer's Disease "My mum had a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s with mixed dementia. First week on initial dose of 5 mg and started day one of 10 mg. My mum became more anxious than ever, looked horrendous, and was unable to sleep well. She felt sick, had severe nausea, and got quite emotional and upset on the drug. The drug didn’t work for her. After 8 days, we were advised to stop the drug. I worried that trying the drug actually made her worse. Who knows - it’s all just a hit or a miss really. A trial for each person, I feel."

• Tin...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 28, 2018

Memantine for Alzheimer's Disease "My mother was on this for several years when she lived alone. She had increasing anxiety over time to the point of not being suitable to go to a restaurant. I asked her to go off it for a while. The difference in her anxiety off this medication was astounding. She went back on this medication fearing her dementia was worsening off of it. The family physician prescribed Trazodone to counteract the anxiety. Over a two-month period, her decline was extremely marked. She did not have anxiety but had a huge decline in memory and personality. She is now off of both meds and has very low anxiety. However, it looks like the decline in memory is permanent. Her psychiatrist told us long ago that these medications do nothing and have some pretty severe side effects."

• nat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 20, 2023

"I started taking this medication, and the first night I had dreams that were vivid and disorienting, but not unpleasant. The next day I felt better than I have felt in years. My chronic fatigue seems to have nearly disappeared. My double vision is getting better. I have some slight anxiety (the difference between misery and normalcy is a bit jarring), but this is my miracle medication. Side effects so far have been minimal. Metabolism is up, so I cannot skip meals without consequences. Nothing negative, really."