Before taking amantadine,
tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to amantadine, any other medications, or any of the ingredients in amantadine capsules, extended-release capsules, tablets, or liquid. Ask your pharmacist for a list of the ingredients.
tell your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking or plan to take. Be sure to mention any of the following: acetazolamide (Diamox); antihistamines; co-trimoxazole (Bactrim, Septra, Sulfatrim); dichlorphenamide (Daranide); hydrochlorothiazide with triamterene (Maxzide, Dyazide); ipratropium (Atrovent); medications for irritable bowel disease, mental illness, motion sickness, sleep, or urinary problems; other medications to treat Parkinson's disease; methazolamide (GlaucTabs, Neptazane); quinine (Qualaquin); quinidine; sedatives; sodium bicarbonate (Alka-Seltzer, in Zegerid); stimulants; or thioridazine (Mellaril). Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
tell your doctor if you have kidney disease. Your doctor may tell you not to take amantadine.
tell your doctor if you drink or have ever drunk large amounts of alcohol, use or have ever used street drugs, or have overused prescription medications, or if you have or have ever had epilepsy or any other type of seizures, a sleep disorder, urinary tract infections, mental illness, glaucoma (a condition in which increased pressure in the eye can lead to gradual loss of vision), eczema (atopic dermatitis; a skin disease that causes the skin to be dry and itchy and to sometimes develop red, scaly rashes), heart failure, swelling of the hands, feet, ankles, or lower legs, low blood pressure, or liver disease.
tell your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breastfeeding. If you become pregnant while taking amantadine, call your doctor immediately. Amantadine may cause harm to the fetus.
if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking amantadine.
you should know that amantadine may make you drowsy or cause blurred vision. Do not drive a car, operate machinery, or participate in potentially dangerous activities until you know how this medication affects you.
ask your doctor about the safe use of alcoholic beverages while you are taking amantadine. Alcohol can make the side effects from amantadine worse.
you should know that amantadine may cause dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting when you get up too quickly from a lying position. This is more common when you first start taking amantadine or if your dose has been increased. To avoid this problem, get out of bed slowly, resting your feet on the floor for a few minutes before standing up.
do not have any vaccinations without talking to your doctor.
you should know that some people taking amantadine and other similar medications used to treat Parkinson's disease, have developed gambling problems or had other intense urges or behaviors that were compulsive or unusual for them, such as increased sexual urges, binge eating, or uncontrolled spending. Call your doctor if you have an urge to gamble that is difficult to control, you have intense urges, or you are unable to control your behavior. Tell your family members about this risk so that they can call the doctor even if you do not realize that your gambling or any other intense urges or unusual behaviors have become a problem.