The drug is also regularly prescribed to patients of Parkinson’s disease or those who show similar symptoms including stiffness and shakiness. There might be other uses of Symmetrel tablets that have not been listed here. For information about such uses, you can visit your local pharmacy or check out FAQs available in the product information leaflet.
Symmetrel works just like other antiviral medications by stopping the virus from multiplying and spreading. While the exact effect is not known, it is believed to stop replication of influenza virus at a very early stage. In Parkinson’s patients, Amantadine is believed to increase dopamine levels in the brain to bring symptoms under control.
Symmetrel should not be taken within 14 days of having received a nasal flu vaccine. The medicine is also known to increase sexual drive and an urge to gamble, so you should keep yourself in check. News reports indicate that Symmetrel may cause heart defects in newborns on rare occasions and so it should be used with extreme caution during pregnancy.
While the list of Symmetrel side effects contains many symptoms, not all patients taking this medicine experience all of them. Among the more common and less dangerous side effects are included headache, blurred vision, insomnia, depression, disturbed digestive system, nervousness and slurred speed. Dosage adjustments normally take care of such Symmetrel side effects. However, severe side effects such as palpitations, convulsions, drop in blood pressure, peripheral oedema, and hallucinations generally require a move to alternative medications.
Adult patients should stay away from consuming alcohol while taking Symmetrel as alcohol has a tendency to worsen symptoms. Similarly, an overdose of this drug is also a strict no-no as there could be severe Symmetrel side effects.
