Mental side effects of amantadine therapy: its spectrum and characteristics in a normal population.

A clinical survey of the mental side effects of prophylactic amantadine usage is reported. A total of 43 of 295 hospital employees taking the drug reported some mental side effects. While the majority of the side effects were alterations in mood (elevation or depression), there were also reports of delusions (7%), disturbances in memory and orientation (20%), and night terrors (33%). The author does not feel the findings warrant discontinuing the prophylactic usage of amantadine but do highlight the need for physician and patient education about its side effects.