This Article  • References  • Full text PDF  • Reply to article  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Ronald A. Cohen, PhD; Marc Fisher, MD

Arch Neurol. 1989;46(6):676-680.

Abstract
• Fatigue is a common symptom of multiple sclerosis (MS) that is without an effective treatment. A double-blind, controlled study of fatigue treatment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of amantadine hydrochloride in treating MS-associated fatigue. Since fatigue cannot be characterized by a single symptom or behavior, a variety of neuropsychological, behavioral, and self-report measures were used to monitor changes across different systems. According to patients' daily diary ratings, amantadine produced small but statistically significant improvements in fatigue across four of seven dimensions (overall energy level, concentration, problem solving, and sense of well-being). In addition, patients with MS who were taking amantadine performed slightly better on the Stroop Interference Test, an attentional measure of freedom from distracting information. Although retrospective reports by patients with MS did not confirm the degree of improvement recorded on a daily basis, the study's results suggested that amantadine may offer modest benefits in alleviating the day-to-day subjective experience of fatigue.

Author Affiliations
From the Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School and Worcester Memorial Hospital, Worcester, Mass.

Footnotes
Accepted for publication November 17, 1988.

Reprint requests to Department of Neurology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave N, Worcester, MA 01655 (Dr Cohen).

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Identification, causation, alleviation, and prevention of complications (ICAP): An approach to symptom and disability management in multiple sclerosis
Cohen
Neurology 2008;71:S14-S20.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Origin of Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: Review of the Literature
Kos et al.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2008;22:91-100.
ABSTRACT  

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis Fatigue
van Kessel et al.
Psychosom. Med. 2008;70:205-213.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ginkgo biloba for the improvement of cognitive performance in multiple sclerosis: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial
Lovera et al.
Mult Scler 2007;13:376-385.
ABSTRACT  

Amantadine for treatment of fatigue in Guillain-Barre syndrome: a randomised, double blind, placebo controlled, crossover trial
Garssen et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2006;77:61-65.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Treating fatigue in patients with MS: One step forward, one step back
Schwid and Murray
Neurology 2005;64:1111-1112.
FULL TEXT  

Modafinil for fatigue in MS: A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind study
Stankoff et al.
Neurology 2005;64:1139-1143.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Apathy: Why Care?
van Reekum et al.
J. Neuropsychiatry Clin. Neurosi. 2005;17:7-19.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Fatigue associated with multiple sclerosis: diagnosis, impact and management
Bakshi
Mult Scler 2003;9:219-227.
ABSTRACT  

The cognitive performance of patients with multiple sclerosis during periods of high and low fatigue
Parmenter et al.
Mult Scler 2003;9:111-118.
ABSTRACT  

Pharmacologic Options for the Management of Multiple Sclerosis Symptoms
Schapiro
Neurorehabil Neural Repair 2002;16:223-231.
ABSTRACT  

Changes in gait and fatigue from morning to afternoon in people with multiple sclerosis
Morris et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2002;72:361-365.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Efficacy and safety of modafinil (Provigil(R)) for the treatment of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: a two centre phase 2 study
Rammohan et al.
J. Neurol. Neurosurg. Psychiatry 2002;72:179-183.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Fatigue in multiple sclerosis and its relationship to depression and neurologic disability
Bakshi et al.
Mult Scler 2000;6:181-185.
ABSTRACT  

Use of Amantadine for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Bowman et al.
Arch Intern Med 1997;157:1264-1265.
ABSTRACT  

The Effects of Amantadine and Pemoline on Cognitive Functioning in Multiple Sclerosis
Geisler et al.
Arch Neurol 1996;53:185-188.
ABSTRACT  

Fatigue and Mobility
Copperman et al.
Neurorehabil Neural Repair 1994;8:131-136.
ABSTRACT