Drug Mnemonic

Memantine

NMDA Antagonist • Alzheimer's
June 28, 2026

A story built from the name memantine itself - so the mechanism of action, key side effects, and the way Step 1 actually tests it stick on the first read.

RxMnemonic NMDA Antagonist
Memantine
NMDA Antagonist • Alzheimer's
MEM = memory + ANT = ant
Split memantine into MEM (memory) and ANT (an ant) from mem - ant - ine. Imagine a memory ant guarding its anthill. Someone pours glue (GLU for glutamate) over the hill to drown it. In Alzheimer's, excessive glutamate floods the NMDA receptor. The memory ant blocks the glue (GLU), so memantine blocks glutamate and protects the NMDA receptor.
Memantine pharmacology mnemonic illustration
Neuro MEM = memory | ANT = ant
HOW STEP TESTS IT
1
Memantine is an NMDA receptor antagonist. In Alzheimer's, excess glutamate overactivates NMDA receptors and floods neurons with calcium, causing excitotoxicity; memantine blocks this to protect neurons.
2
It acts on glutamate, not acetylcholine, so it works by a different mechanism than cholinesterase inhibitors like donepezil.
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Practice Question

A 78-year-old man with Alzheimer's disease is started on memantine alongside his donepezil. Which mechanism explains why memantine is added rather than a second cholinesterase inhibitor?

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