Nootropic profile
Memantine
An NMDA receptor antagonist approved for Alzheimer's disease treatment - used off-label at low doses for neuroprotection, glutamate regulation, and reducing excitotoxicity-related cognitive decline.
Best for
Educational only: this is not medical advice. Always check with a qualified healthcare professional before starting any supplement.
What is Memantine?
Memantine is an uncompetitive, voltage-dependent NMDA receptor antagonist approved by the FDA in 2003 for moderate-to-severe Alzheimer's disease under the brand name Namenda.
What it does for you
Community and editorial ratings, out of 5:
How to take it
- Clinical Alzheimer's dosage: 20 mg per day (titrated from 5 mg over 4 weeks), prescription only
- Off-label nootropic dosage: 5-10 mg per day, often started at 2.5-5 mg to assess individual response
- Titration important: Start at the lowest dose and increase gradually over 1-2 weeks. Rapid dose escalation may cause dizziness or confusion
- Half-life: 60-80 hours, allowing once-daily dosing. Steady state reached after approximately 2 weeks
- Timing: Take at the same time each day, with or without food. Evening dosing may cause insomnia in some individuals
Watch out for
- Prescription medication: Memantine is a prescription drug in all major markets. Off-label nootropic use should ideally be discussed with a physician
- Common side effects: Dizziness, headache, confusion, and constipation are the most frequently reported. Generally mild and transient
- Dissociative effects: At higher doses or in sensitive individuals, NMDA antagonism may cause mild dissociative-like effects, derealization, or cognitive dulling
- Renal excretion: Primarily excreted by the kidneys. Dose reduction required in individuals with impaired kidney function
- Drug interactions: Avoid combining with other NMDA antagonists (ketamine, dextromethorphan). May interact with amantadine, carbonic anhydrase inhibitors,...
The science, if you're curious.
- Sits in the NMDA receptor ion channel with moderate affinity, blocking pathological tonic glutamate activation (excitotoxicity) while allowing normal phasic...
- The block is voltage-dependent - memantine is expelled from the channel during strong depolarisation events (normal synaptic transmission), allowing LTP to...
- Mimics and enhances the physiological voltage-dependent Mg2+ block of NMDA receptors that is impaired in ageing and disease
- Promotes BDNF expression and signalling, supporting neuroplasticity and synaptic maintenance
Where to find it
- Prescription (Namenda): 5 mg and 10 mg tablets, and extended-release 7 mg, 14 mg, 21 mg, 28 mg capsules
- Generic memantine: Widely available as generic memantine hydrochloride tablets, significantly cheaper than brand name
- Oral solution: 2 mg/mL oral solution available for precise low-dose titration
Frequently asked
An NMDA receptor antagonist approved for Alzheimer's disease treatment - used off-label at low doses for neuroprotection, glutamate regulation, and reducing excitotoxicity-related cognitive decline.
The main benefits people report from Memantine are: Anxiety & Calm, Cognitive Enhancement, Focus, Longevity, Memory, Mood.
Clinical Alzheimer's dosage: 20 mg per day (titrated from 5 mg over 4 weeks), prescription onlyOff-label nootropic dosage: 5-10 mg per day, often started at 2.5-5 mg to assess individual responseTitration important: Start at the lowest dose and increase gradually over 1-2 weeks. Rapid dose esca...
Prescription medication: Memantine is a prescription drug in all major markets. Off-label nootropic use should ideally be discussed with a physicianCommon side effects: Dizziness, headache, confusion, and constipation are the most frequently reported. Generally mild and transientDissociative effects...
Sits in the NMDA receptor ion channel with moderate affinity, blocking pathological tonic glutamate activation (excitotoxicity) while allowing normal phasic...The block is voltage-dependent - memantine is expelled from the channel during strong depolarisation events (normal synaptic transmission), a...
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