Why does amantadine reduce fatigue?

Hi, im new to the forum but have had an RRMS diagnosis for 3 years now.
After 2 relapses and also knowing that my sister was diagnosed with MS previously, myself and the doctors had a pretty strong idea what was going on.

So i started on tysabri infusions (now on to the much more handy sub-cut injections) and other than the use of vitamin D tablets, that was my only treatment and it seemed to be working fine.

Recently my fatigue built up to a level that made it impossible for me to keep working at the time.
I was recently prescribed amantadine for this and after a few weeks of use i feel a lot less heavy and tired.

(Ive seen studies and noticed a few people mention that amantadine is a placebo!! That is completly untrue and you would know that had you ever tried the medicine for yourself. Being a man who tried almost all illicit substances as a younger man, i know exactly what a change in demeanor looks and feels like.)

Other than mild constipation and a few ā€œout there/vividā€ dreams, there has been very little problem and the amantadine has done exactly what its supposed to do - but why?

Why is it so effective? It seems to make you more alert, less tired and generally need a lot less sleep.
I asked the Doctor if it was a stimulant and they said no, i checked the ingredients online and there appear to be no stimulants?

So i dont understand where the change is coming from!? I mean further investigation of the drug suggests that its also helpful for taking the edge off of ADHD …
Well the usual medical treatment for ADHD is usually rittalin/aderall wich is basically pharmaceutical grade amphetamines. (speed- a stimulant.)

I guess my whole point is, how is this medication able to ACT like a stimulant without actually being one??

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I have no idea and think there are quite a few medications that fall in the ā€˜some people find this helpful’ category in which it seems to work but why is poorly understood. If it works, it works, and I’m really glad that you are finding it beneficial.

Absolutely no idea! And I see that it’s not known why it’s effective in dealing with fatigue in some MS patients. I see that it was originally developed for use in influenza.

I haven’t seen anything at all about it being a ā€˜stimulant’ but there again - what do you mean by ā€˜stimulant’? There are probably thousands of drugs and foods that happen to have a mild stimulant effect but aren’t ’classed’ as stimulant.

As @alison100 says, if it works for you then that’s good.

all part of the wonderful mysteries of the human body and MS! No one knows for sure what causes MS ,why some develop it but others don’t, exactly how the various and quite different MS treatments work, and e.g why drugs developed for Diabetes might be helpful in stimulating myelin repair. We aren’t quite back in the world of witchcraft and spells but MS remains a bit of a mystery!

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