Namenda Fact Sheet
Medication Name (brand):
Namenda
Medication Name (clinical):
memantine
Manufacturer:
Forest Labs; market exclusivity expires 2008
Indications:
Moderate to severe Alzheimer’s dementia.
- Off-label use for mild to moderate dementia.
Mechanism:
NMDA antagonist, works by preventing too much glutamate from damaging neurons.
Dosing:
Supplied as:
- 5 mg tan and 10 mg gray tablets
- 2 mg/mL oral solution
- Start at 5 mg QD for 1 week, then 5 mg BID for 1 week, then 10 mg QAM and 5 mg QPM for 1 week, and finally 10 BID (target dose).
- No dose adjustment needed in hepatic impairment; decrease dose in severe renal impairment.
Side Effects:
Most common: dizziness, sedation, transient confusion.
- Pregnancy risk category B.
Drug-drug Interactions:
No significant interactions reported.
Pharmokinetics:
Metabolized partly by liver; half is excreted unchanged in the urine.
Pearls:
Namenda mildly augments the effects of Aricept in clinical trials (JAMA 2004;291:317-324).
- Probably less effective for mild dementia; this indication was rejected by the FDA in 2005.
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