Memantine misuse and social networks: A content analysis of Internet self‐reports

Abstract

Purpose Memantine is a N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist currently used for moderate‐to‐severe Alzheimer's disease. Although the risk of memantine abuse is very low, other NMDA receptor antagonists, such as phencyclidine and ketamine, are well known to drug users. The purpose of this study was to collect data on social networks in order to identify unexpected forms of memantine abuse. Method A Google Trends search was used to highlight http://reddit.com as a major source of social discussions about memantine. Self‐reported users experiences posted on http://reddit.com were recorded and sorted using representative keywords. Results From 2010 to November 2019, 307 topics citing memantine were identified on http://reddit.com and 136 users experiences extracted from the topics were recorded. The main use identified was “self‐medication” based on off‐label uses of memantine such as anxiety, depression, attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder, or obsessive‐compulsive disorder (n = 87 reports), followed by nootropic (42) and recreational (39) uses. The average reported doses for acute and chronic uses were 156 ± 110 mg and 23 ± 24 mg respectively. For chronic use, the average duration was 15 ± 29 weeks. Most chronic users (77 out of 100) reported at least one side effect. Conclusion Memantine misuse seems to be a growing phenomenon. Beyond expected use for recreational purpose; the main uses identified on http://reddit.com were not reported in the medical literature. Off‐label uses and nootropic purposes seemed to be key features of memantine misuse.

Internet search patterns for psychoactive substance use prevention and treatment in Mexico: A cross-sectional study

“…To provide evidence of the need for the complementary use of these approaches, authors 12 , 16 have prioritized obtaining preferences from the same user, given that users' decision-making processes cannot be fully known otherwise. 12 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 …”

“…Moreover, it does not indicate users’ preferences and motivations. 12 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 …”

Association between NMDAR antagonists, drug abuse and dependence: A disproportionality analysis from the WHO pharmacovigilance database

“…5 Moreover, visual hallucinations and agitation due to memantine in individuals with Alzheimer's disease have been reported, 6 as well as psychostimulant effects in healthy volunteers with previous stimulant use 7 and recreational use. 8 To our knowledge, there is no such report of diversion with amantadine, even though this drug is commonly used as a CNS stimulant for the treatment of fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis. 9 In order to identify a possible class effect, we performed a disproportionality analysis in VigiBase ® , the WHO pharmacovigilance database.…”

“…However, only limited knowledge is available concerning addictive disorders linked to amino‐adamantane derivatives (e.g., amantadine and memantine), even though their abuse potential has been suspected since the late 1980s 5 . Moreover, visual hallucinations and agitation due to memantine in individuals with Alzheimer's disease have been reported, 6 as well as psychostimulant effects in healthy volunteers with previous stimulant use 7 and recreational use 8 . To our knowledge, there is no such report of diversion with amantadine, even though this drug is commonly used as a CNS stimulant for the treatment of fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis 9 …”