@4ecks 

Edited

4ecks

Amantadine AND Modafinil for fatigue?

Hi, I'm 54, male, diagnosed RRMS 4yr ago but probably had MS for decades & on Tysabri. I was on Amantadine (after a battle with my ex-GP) for a couple of years, well tolerated but the "brain fog" started getting worse so a few weeks ago I was switched to Modafinil (100mg @ 6:00AM), only available via hospital prescription, after my annual neuro appointment. I now have better cognition and alertness, but my walking capability has decreased by 50-90%. Although they have different biochemical pathways, and no adverse interactions listed, my Neurologist won't let me take both (no explanation why) so I now have the choice of being a zombie that can almost walk (EDSS 6), or being able to think but not move more than 50ft. Q1) Does anyone have any experience of taking both together? Q2) Does anyone have any ideas how to change my Neurologist's mind? I know that here in England they're both used "off label" but the NICE guidelines do cover them and like most pwMS I'm "willing to give it a go" to see if it helps before I lose my full time job. ** UPDATE** I've just seen my Neurologist. Success !! After I asked him to speak to the hospital Pharmacist to confirm that there are no serious interactions between the two drugs, he has now agreed that, as I am fully aware these are both off-label uses, I can take both. I'm only taking 50mg(half a tablet) of the 200mg prescription of Modafinil, as that keeps me awake from 6AM 'till 2AM, and will start with 100mg Amantadine for 2 weeks then increase to 200mg if everything seems ok. Hopefully this combination will help alleviate both the mental and physical fatigue. I will post a further update once I have been on them for a while. It may help others who also suffer with fatigue & brain-fog. ** UPDATE ** After only a few days of both I can already feel a marked improvement in stamina and a reduction in fatigue 😊 ** UPDATE 2 ** It's been a couple of months now of taking both, can now tolerate 100mg Modafinil in the morning. I haven't grown any extra arms or legs, or noticed any other side effects, so I'm calling this a minor success in the on going battle with MS.