The treatment of neuropathic pain remains a challenge as it rarely leads to long-term relief of symptoms. We report three patients with chronic neuropathic pain, in whom acute administration of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist amantadine resulted in complete resolution of symptoms, presumably due to termination the central 'wind-up' phenomenon. (C) 1998 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier Science B.V.