ABSTRACT
Background
Despite its widespread use, the adverse effects (AEs) of memantine have not been well documented, and there is a need to find new ways to analyze the AEs of memantine.
Research design and methods
AEs in which the primary suspected drug was memantine were retrieved from the FAERS database. The proportional report ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratio (ROR), Bayesian confidence propagation neural network (BCPNN), and empirical Bayesian geometric mean (EBGM) were used to detect potential positive signals between memantine and AEs. SAS, MySQL, EXCEL, and R language software were used for data processing and statistical analysis.
Results
This study gathered a total of 5808 reports of AEs associated with memantine. Of these reports, a greater proportion of female patients (51.17%) than male patients (36.33%) had AEs. The AEs reported by FAERS were mainly in psychiatric category (n = 2157, IC025 = 2.69), various neurologic disorders (n = 1608, IC025 = 2.04), systemic disorders and various site reactions (n = 842, IC025 = 1.29). Unexpected ocular adverse events have been reported, ophthalmic vein thrombosis (n = 4, IC025 = 3.47) and scleral discolouration (n = 7, IC025 = 3.1), which may worsen glaucoma.
Conclusions
This study observed conceivable new AEs signals and may supply important assist for scientific monitoring and threat identification of memantine.
Declaration of interest
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Reviewer disclosures
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.
Acknowledgments
We are indebted to all the individuals who participated in, or helped with, our research.
Author contributions
Chun Yang, Yikuan Du, Weichui Zhang and Mianhai Chen participated in study conception and design. Xiaolin Cai, Mianda Hu and Mengting Zhang performed data analysis and interpretation. Weichui Zhang, Mianhai Chen, Xiaolin Cai, Mengting Zhang, Mianda Hu, Yanghui Hu and Yurong Yang participated in drafting and/or critical review of the manuscript. All authors gave final approval of the version to be published. All authors agree to be accountable for all aspects of this work.
Ethical consideration
Ethical approval was not required and patient data is anonymized.