Dear Ervin:
You asked about Symmetrel and received this posting:
>>> KF Etzold <[log in to unmask]> 01/23/98 04:28pm
>>>Yes, we do. My wife tried it and she liked it the way it
works. It really helped her legs and walking (she took two a
day).
But ........ After about two weeks first her ankles, then the
feet swelled terribly. She stopped taking them ... the swelling
went down. Pretty good cause & effect. The neuro says not
likely (the swelling from the pills). But then there is the
evidence. You could try them and they may very well work for
you.<<<
Ervin:
Symmetrel is the market-name for the drug
AMANTADINE. Amantadine has been found to mottle the
skin of the arms and the legs purple, which is caused by a
pooling of blood in the small veins.
This side effect of swelling of the feet ["edema"] is
reported widely, but will improve within two weeks of
discontinuing Amantadine.
A lack of physical activity by the patient contributes to
the edema, because the circulatory system depends upon
contractions of your muscles to move the blood back through
the veins to the heart.
This is not "news" and your neuro should be aware of this
side-effect.
Stephan 53/7
