Promoting Recovery After STroke With Amantadine
The investigators aim to examine whether amantadine can help patients recover from stroke. This will be a blinded randomized clinical trial (RCT). Patients will be randomized post-ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke either to the placebo arm or amantadine arm. Patients will be on study drug or placebo for 1 month but will be enrolled for 3 months total. At various time points patients will be examined and fill out questionnaires to determine level of stroke recovery.
• 18 to 85 years old, male and female
• Modified Rankin Score (mRS)\<=2 prior to stroke
• Ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke as diagnosed by vascular neurologist or as proven on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or non-contrast head computed tomography NCHCT)
• 24 hours to 3 weeks after stroke onset or time last known well prior to detection of symptoms
• National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)\>=3 and NIHSS\<=15
• Creatinine Clearance of greater than or equal to 60 mL/min using the Cockroft- Gault equation.
• Have passed a swallow evaluation prior to drug administration
• The patient is an acute rehabilitation candidate or candidate for the Homeward Stroke Program
• Able to participate in administered tests