Amantadine for the treatment of childhood and adolescent psychiatric symptoms

Kyle Morrow; Sun Choi; Keith Young; Makram Haidar; Cassandra Boduch; James A Bourgeois

doi:10.1080/08998280.2021.1925827

Amantadine for the treatment of childhood and adolescent psychiatric symptoms

Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2021 Jun 1;34(5):566-570. doi: 10.1080/08998280.2021.1925827. eCollection 2021 Sep.

Authors

Kyle Morrow^{1

2}, Sun Choi^{1

2}, Keith Young^{1

2}, Makram Haidar^{1

2}, Cassandra Boduch^{1

2}, James A Bourgeois^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychiatry, Baylor Scott & White Health, Temple, Texas.
² Texas A&M University College of Medicine, Temple, Texas.

Abstract

This retrospective study examined clinical parameters associated with amantadine treatment of psychiatric symptoms in children. A total of 297 pediatric patients were prescribed amantadine and met study criteria to assess clinical responses and medication outcomes. More than 62% of patients experienced clinically significant symptom control and 83% achieved at least maintenance symptom control, while 11% discontinued amantadine for nonresponse and 6% stopped amantadine because of side effects. Among patients previously receiving other psychotropic medication, 42% and 28% of patients fully discontinued second- or third-generation antipsychotics or antidepressants, respectively. Patients responsive to amantadine who discontinued or reduced antipsychotic dose experienced a significant reduction in body mass index. Amantadine appears be an efficacious and safe alternative for treatment of a broad set of psychiatric symptoms in children and adolescents. Specifically, it may serve as an effective adjunct to stimulants for attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder-related symptoms and appears to be a safer alternative to second- or third-generation antipsychotics.

Keywords: Amantadine; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; child and adolescent psychiatry; major depressive disorder; psychotropic medications.