Informational only — Not medical advice. Always consult a licensed healthcare provider.

Community data Updated 2 months ago

Indications

Dementa XR is used to treat all forms of dementia caused by Alzheimer's disease. It may also be prescribed for other types of dementia.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Persistent activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in Central Nervous System by the excitatory amino acid glutamate has been hypothesized to contribute to the symptomatology of Alzheimer's disease. Memantine is postulated to exert its therapeutic effect through its action as a low to moderate affinity as an uncompetitive (open-channel) NMDA receptor antagonist which binds preferentially to the NMDA receptor-operated cation channels.Memantine is well absorbed after oral administration and has linear pharmacokinetics over the therapeutic dose range. It is excreted predominantly unchanged in the urine and has a terminal elimination half-life of about 60-80 hours. Following oral administration, Memantine is highly absorbed with peak concentrtions reached in about 3-7 hours. Food has no effect on the absorption of Memantine. The mean volume of distribution of Memantine is 9-11 L/kg and the plasma protein binding is low (45%). emantine undergoes partial hepatic metabolism. About 48% of administered drug is excreted unchanged in urine; the remainder is converted primarily to three polar metabolites which possess minimal NMDA receptor antagonistic activity: the N-glucuronide conjugate, 6-hydroxy Memantine and 1-nitroso-deaminated Memantine. A total of 74% of the administered dose is excreted as the sum of the parent drug and the N-glucuronide conjugate. The hepatic microsomal CYP-450 enzyme system does not play a significant role in the metabolism of Memantine.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Pregnancy Category B. That said, there haven't been adequate, well-controlled studies of Memantine in pregnant women, so it should only be used during pregnancy if the potential benefit is thought to outweigh the potential risk to the unborn baby. Whether Memantine passes into human breast milk isn't known, but since many drugs do, it should be used with caution in breastfeeding mothers.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: For adults and older patients, the recommended maintenance dose of Memantine is 20 mg every day. To lower the risk of side effects, this dose should be reached through gradual upward titration, increasing by 5 mg per week over three weeks, so that the maintenance dose of 20 mg per day is reached from the start of week 4, following this dosage guideline. In week 1, the dose everyday is 5 mg (1 tablet) in the morning and no dose at night. In week 2, the dose everyday is 5 mg (1 tablet) in the morning and 5 mg (1 tablet) at night. In week 3, the dose everyday is 10 mg (2 tablets) in the morning and 5 mg (1 tablet) at night. From week 4 onwards, the dose everyday is 10 mg (2 tablets) in the morning and 10 mg (2 tablets) at night. If a dose is missed, simply wait and take the next dose at the usual time. Do not double the dose to make up for the missed one. In patients with moderate renal impairment, meaning a creatinine clearance of 30 to 49 ml per minute, the daily dose should be 10 mg, equivalent to 1 ml of solution or two downward strokes. If this is well tolerated after at least 7 days of treatment, the dose may be increased up to 20 mg per day according to the standard titration scheme described above. In patients with severe renal impairment, meaning a creatinine clearance of 5 to 29 ml per minute, the daily dose should be 10 mg, equivalent to 1 ml of solution or two downward strokes, per day. In patients with mild or moderate hepatic impairment, no dosage adjustment is needed. Memantine is not recommended for patients with severe hepatic impairment. Memantine is not recommended for children under 18 years of age, as there is not enough data on its safety and efficacy in this age group.

Side Effects & Interactions