ABSTRACT

DISCUSSION In 1969, Schwab et al described a serendipitous discovery that amantadine, taken for influenza A prophylaxis, abolished the rigidity, bradykinesia, and rest tremor of a patient with severe PD. 1 This observation was followed by a series of clinical trials in the early 1970s that evaluated the efficacy of amantadine compared to levodopa and anticholinergics, either as monotherapy or adjunctive therapy. 1 These trials confirmed that amantadine was effective in relieving symptoms in over 50% of PD patients. 2 Moreover, the side-effects, including nausea, anxiety, dizziness, livedo reticularis, leg edema, psychosis, and confusion (generally in patients with cognitive impairment) were infrequent and relatively mild. 2 These positive effects of amantadine, although satisfying, were considered modest 3 at best, and with the development of levodopa and dopamine agonists, interest in amantadine waned.