Patient leaflet - Amantadine Hydrochloride Dawa 50 mg / 5 ml oral solution
1. What Amantadine Oral Solution is and what it is used for
Amantadine is a dopaminergic drug which means it can increase the levels of certain chemicals which transmit impulses in the nervous system, including the brain.
Amantadine Oral Solution is used:
- to treat Parkinson's disease by improving muscle control and reducing stiffness, shakiness and shuffling
- to prevent or treat certain flu infections (influenza A)
- in the treatment of shingles (herpes zoster), to reduce pain.
2. What you need to know before you take Amantadine Oral Solution
Do not take Amantadine Oral Solution
- if you are allergic to amantadine hydrochloride or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
- if you suffer from fits (convulsions), for example epilepsy
- if you have ever had an ulcer in your stomach or small intestine
- if you suffer from any serious kidney disease
- if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant (see section 2 Pregnancy and breast-feeding)
- if you are breast-feeding (see section 2 Pregnancy and breast-feeding).
If any of the above applies to you, or if you are not sure, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before you take Amantadine Oral Solution.
Warnings and precautions
Talk to your doctor before taking Amantadine Oral Solution if:
- you suffer from any liver or kidney disease
- you have a history of disease involving the heart and blood vessels
- you are currently suffering from heart problems or heart failure (heart problems which cause shortness of breath or ankle swelling)
- you have any mental illness for example, schizophrenia or dementia
- you have increased pressure in the eyes (glaucoma).
If any of the above applies to you, or if you are not sure, speak to your doctor or pharmacist before you take Amantadine Oral Solution.
Abnormally low body temperatures (below 35ºC) can occur particularly in children treated for influenza. In this case talk to your doctor straight away and stop taking Amantadine Oral Solution.
Tell your doctor if you or your family/carer notices that you are developing urges or cravings to behave in ways that are unusual for you, and you cannot resist the impulse, drive, or temptation to carry out certain activities that could harm yourself or others. These are called impulse control disorders and can include behaviours such as addictive gambling, excessive eating or spending, an abnormally high sex drive or an increase in sexual thoughts or feelings.
Your doctor may need to adjust or stop your dose of Amantadine hydrochloride.
If blurred vision or other visual problems occur, please contact an eye doctor immediately.
Cases of suicidal thoughts and actions have been reported during treatment with amantadine. If you have thoughts or attempts of harming or killing yourself, contact your doctor immediately.
Other medicines and Amantadine Oral Solution
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any of the following medicines as they may interfere with Amantadine Oral Solution:
- anticholinergics - (used to treat Parkinson's disease) such as procyclidine
- antispasmodics - (used to treat stomach spasms or cramps) such as hyoscine
- antihistamines - used to treat allergies
- levodopa - used to treat Parkinson's disease
- antipsychotics - (used to improve thoughts, feelings and behaviour when these are disturbed in certain medical conditions) such as chlorpromazine, haloperidol
diuretics (water tablets) - (used to relieve water retention and reduce high blood pressure) such as hydrochlorothiazide, amiloride or triamterene.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines, including those obtained without a prescription.
Amantadine Oral Solution with food and alcohol
Be careful when drinking alcohol whilst taking Amantadine Oral Solution, it may affect you more than usual.
Pregnancy and breastfeeding
Do not take Amantadine Oral Solution if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant.
Do not take Amantadine Oral Solution if you are breastfeeding because Amantadine passes into breast milk and could harm your baby. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking any medicine.
Driving and using machines
Taking Amantadine Oral Solution may make your vision blurred or make you feel dizzy. If you are affected you should not drive or use machines until the effect has worn off.
Amantadine Oral Solution contains Sorbitol (E420)
This medicine contains 1000 mg sorbitol in each 5 ml dose. Sorbitol is a source of fructose. If your doctor has told you that you (or your child) have an intolerance to some sugars or if you have been diagnosed with hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), a rare genetic disorder in which a person cannot break down fructose, talk to your doctor before you (or your child) take or receive this medicine.
Sorbitol may cause gastrointestinal discomfort and mild laxative effect.
Amantadine Oral Solution contains Propylene glycol (E1520)
This medicine contains 41.9 mg propylene glycol in each 5 ml dose. If this medicine has been prescribed for a baby that is less than 4 weeks old, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before giving them this medicine, in particular if the baby is given other medicines that contain propylene glycol or alcohol.
Amantadine Oral Solution contains sodium
This medicine contains less than 1 mmol sodium (23mg) per 5ml dose, that is to say essentially 'sodium-free'.
3. How to take Amantadine Oral Solution
Always take this medicine exactly as your doctor has told you. Check with your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure.
This medicine comes with a plastic measuring cup. The cup is marked in ml (millilitres) to help you measure out the correct amount. Shake the bottle before carefully measuring out your dose.
Take your medicine using the measuring cup and rinse it out with water after each use.
The usual dose is different in the following circumstances:
Flu
Adults: 10 ml (100 mg) a day.
Adults over 65 years: Lower doses may be used or time between doses may be increased.
Children over 10 years and adolescents: 10 ml (100 mg) a day. Children under 10 years: As directed by your doctor.
For the prevention of flu: Amantadine Oral Solution should be used for as long as protection is needed. Usually about 6 weeks.
For the treatment of flu: Amantadine Oral Solution should be taken for about 4 to 5 days.
Parkinson's disease
Adults: 10 ml (100 mg) a day for the first week. Your doctor will increase this to 10 ml twice a day. Higher doses, up to 10 ml four times a day may be given in some cases.
Adults over 65 years: 10 ml (100 mg) once a day.
Shingles (herpes zoster)
The dose is 10 ml twice a day for 14 days. If your pain remains your doctor may give you another 14 days treatment.
If you have kidney problems, your doctor may give you a lower dose.
If you are not sure how much Amantadine Oral Solution to take, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
If you take more Amantadine Oral Solution than you should
If you accidentally take too much Amantadine Oral Solution, or someone else takes any of your medicine, you should tell your doctor at once or contact the nearest accident and emergency department. Show any left-over medicines or the empty bottle to the doctor.
If you forget to take Amantadine Oral Solution
Do not worry. If you miss a dose, take another as soon as you remember, unless it is almost time for your next dose. Then go on as before. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.
If you stop taking Amantadine Oral Solution
Do not stop taking Amantadine Oral Solution suddenly as your symptoms may get worse.
If you want to stop taking Amantadine Oral Solution ask your doctor who will tell you how to reduce the dose gradually.
If you are taking antipsychotics (used to treat mental disturbances) and you suddenly stop taking Amantadine Oral Solution, you may develop a collection of symptoms including:
- fever
- sweating
- a rapid heartbeat
- muscle stiffness (difficulty in movement)
- loss of bladder control (you may have a sudden urge to pass water). If you develop any of these symptoms you should contact your doctor immediately.
Some patients may notice that this medicine loses its effect after they have taken it regularly for a few months. If you notice this, tell your doctor. If you have any further questions on the use of this product, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
4. Possible side effects
Like all medicines, this medicine can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them. These effects are often mild and may wear off after a few days treatment. If they are severe or last more than a few days, tell your doctor or pharmacist.
If any of the following symptoms occur you should tell your doctor or contact the nearest hospital straight away:
- convulsions (fits)
- fainting
- dizziness or light headedness
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you think you have any of these or other problems with Amantadine Oral Solution:
Very common side effects (may affect more than 1 person in 10):
- swollen ankles
- red blotchy spots on the skin
Common side effects (may affect less than 1 person in 10):
- depression
- confusion
- hallucinations
- anxiety
- feeling overexcited
- difficulty sleeping
- nightmares
- feeling nervous
- headache
- feeling tired
- difficulty in controlling movements
- difficulty concentrating
- slurred speech
- fast or irregular heartbeat
- low blood pressure when standing up. This may make you feel dizzy or faint
- muscle pain
- loss of appetite
- feeling or being sick
- constipation
- sweating
- dry mouth
Uncommon side effects (may affect less than 1 person in 100):
- blurred vision
Rare side effects (may affect less than 1 person in 1,000):
- Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS). You may feel hot and have muscle stiffness
- convulsions (fits)
- shakiness
- difficulty moving
- disorientation (not knowing where you are)
- disturbed thoughts or behaviour such as feeling paranoid
- loss of bladder control. You may have difficulty in passing water or have a sudden urge to pass water
- corneal lesion, corneal oedema, reduced visual acuity
- problems with your eyes such as itchiness or redness
- skin rash
- diarrhoea
Very rare side effects (may affect less than 1 person in 10,000):
- heart problems which cause shortness of breath or ankle swelling
- reduction in the number of white blood cells which makes infections more likely
- changes in blood tests which show how the liver is working
- sensitivity to sunlight
Not known (frequency cannot be estimated from the available data):
- urge to behave in an unusual way - strong impulse to gamble excessively, altered or increased sexual interest, uncontrollable excessive shopping or spending, binge eating (eating large amounts of food in a short time period) or compulsive eating (eating more food than normal and more than is needed to satisfy your hunger)
- quick, involuntary muscle jerk
- abnormally low body temperature (below 35°C) has been observed especially in children
If any of the side effects get worse, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor or pharmacist.
Reporting of side effects
If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme website:
www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.
5. How to store Amantadine Oral Solution
Keep this medicine out of the sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medicine after the expiry date which is stated on the packaging. The expiry date refers to the last day of that month.
No special storage conditions are required.
Any unused oral solution should be discarded one month after first opening the bottle.
If your doctor decides to stop your treatment, return any unused medicine to the pharmacist. Only keep it if your doctor tells you to. Do not throw away any medicines via wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to throw away medicines you no longer use. These measures will help protect the environment.
6. Contents of the pack and other information
What Amantadine Oral Solution contains
The active substance in this medicine is amantadine hydrochloride. The other ingredients are:
Sorbitol 70% (E420), methyl parahydroxybenzoate (E218), propyl parahydroxybenzoate (E216), propylene glycol (E1520), sodium citrate dihydrate (E331) and lemon flavour.
What Amantadine Oral Solution looks like and contents of the pack
Amantadine Oral Solution is clear colourless liquid with a slightly sweet taste and lemon flavour, available in glass bottles containing 150 ml of solution with a dosing cup.
Marketing Authorisation Holder
DAWA Limited,
5 Sandridge Close,
Harrow, Middlesex,
HA1 1XD, UK.
Manufacturer
Drugsrus Limited,
5 Sandridge Close,
Harrow, Middlesex,
HA1 1XD, UK.
This leaflet was last revised in February 2026.
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The Parkinson's Disease Society
The Parkinson's Disease Society is a voluntary organisation. It works to improve the quality of life of people who have Parkinson's (and their families and carers) by providing vital support and advice and funding of relevant research.
If you need independent information or advice, please contact The Parkinson's Disease Society.
Freephone helpline (9.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday): 0808 800 0303 Address: 215 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1EJ E-mail: hello@parkinsons.org.uk Website: www.parkinsons.org.uk