Namenda (generic name: memantine) is a medication used to treat the dementia of Alzheimer's disease. According to the National Library of Medicine, your doctor can prescribe a 10mg dose, but other doses are available, depending on the severity of your symptoms. Take Namenda as your doctor prescribes to prevent any serious side effects.
Prevalent Side Effects
According to MedlinePlus, common symptoms of Namenda include headaches, vomiting, confusion, coughing and constipation. It can also cause extreme fatigue, drowsiness and back pain. Drugs.com states that it can cause weight loss, joint pain, anxiety, aggression and frequent urination. Other prevalent side effects include swelling of the hands and feet, weakness and easy bruising or bleeding. These symptoms are benign but can pose serious health threats. Call your doctor if these symptoms get worse.
Harmful Effects
According to Drugs.com, Namenda can cause such harmful side effects as chest tightness, fever and cough. It can also cause tachycardia (fast heartbeat), decreased urination, lack of coordination and pale skin. Other dangerous side effects include confusion, hallucinations, fainting and hypertension (high blood pressure). Symptoms of high blood pressure include blurry vision, numbness, seizure and severe headache. These symptoms can be lethal, so see your doctor for an evaluation.
Other Side Effects
The National Library of Medicine states that hypothermia (low body temperature), heart failure (inability of your heart to pump blood to your body), bradycardia (slow heartbeat), pulmonary embolism (blood clots in your lungs) and convulsions are some side effects of Namenda. The drug can also cause cerebrovascular accident (stroke), melena (black stools), anemia (low red blood cells) and leukopenia (low white blood cells). Namenda can affect your personality and cause nervousness, apathy and paranoia. Other side effects include pneumonia, cataracts and conjunctivitis (eye infection).
Additional Concerns
Avoid Namenda if you are allergic to its ingredients. You may develop difficulty breathing, swelling of your throat, face and lips or hives.
According to Drugs.com, you should tell your doctor whether you are taking such medication as cimetidine, ranitidine or diuretics such as hydrochlorothiazide. These medications may increase the levels of Namenda in your blood and cause such symptoms such as lightheadedness, drowsiness, vomiting or weakness.
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