My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. If you have medical concerns, please seek medical attention.

Mental health

Dr gave me amitripyline

29 replies

pinkyp · 08/01/2013 18:25

For both my anxiety and ibs. I've read the leaflet and now I daren't take them. Anyone had positive storeys please? Google has helped frighten me too.

OP posts:
Report
Wolfiefan · 08/01/2013 18:26

What dose? I'm on a low dose for back pain and it has been great.

Report
pinkyp · 08/01/2013 18:29

Starting at 10mg slowly increasing over 3 months to 30mg

OP posts:
Report
orangeandlemons · 08/01/2013 18:34

I was on 125mg at one point. 30 is very very low. They aren't at all scary to take, I had no side effects except lots of lovely sleep. And I am queen of side effects!

Report
Wolfiefan · 08/01/2013 18:53

I'm only on 10. Agree that side affects are lots of lovely deep sleep! FWIW I NEVER google health stuff except if I also put NHS.

Report
pinkyp · 08/01/2013 18:58

Lots of sleep sounds good, I have 2 young children so the word "sleep" doesn't get used unless its with "lack of"

OP posts:
Report
Arcadia · 08/01/2013 20:07

10mg is a really, really low dose, so don't worry. The depression dose is about 50 I think so there are people taking a lot more than you! I took it for sleep and 20mg was really good for me. I used it as and when needed and only side effect was sometimes a dry mouth. It is pleasantly and mildly sedating at that dose. I slept really well on it. Only thing was when I took it for a few weeks every night I did get a bit constipated but that might just have been me (TMI!)

Report
pinkyp · 09/01/2013 09:26

Well I took my first one last night, feel ok today just dizzy but that might be my vertigo I'm not sure. Keep getting hot sweats too but again that might just be something else, so far so good (touch wood)

OP posts:
Report
Smudging · 09/01/2013 09:59

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Smudging · 09/01/2013 10:00

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

pinkyp · 09/01/2013 11:08

Had to leave work I just felt too dizzy / sick & tired. Don't think I'll be taking another, I drive 30 mins each way to school / work everyday and don't think I'd be safe.

OP posts:
Report
Smudging · 09/01/2013 11:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Groovee · 09/01/2013 12:00

I'm on 10mg and have been for a while. I took abour 2 weeks to get used to them. I ensured dh was around to waken me and stay until I was up and home for me to take them but they knocked me out at first.

Report
ArbitraryUsername · 09/01/2013 12:04

What time did you take it at?

I take 50mg for pain (having started at 10mg). I take it at about 7pm because when I first started taking it, I couldn't get up in the morning after taking it an hour before bed (as I was advised to). Sadly, it no longer seems to have much effect on my sleep.

The annoying side effect I get is a dry mouth. I tried to up the dose recently but the dry mouth was just too much to put up with. I also get much more vivid dreams. Some people get horrible nightmares but mine aren't scary, just weird and vivid.

Give it some time and take it in the early evening.

Report
fanoftheinvisibleman · 09/01/2013 12:04

I was on the low dose for 4 months for migraine and I have to say I would never do it again.

I was like a zombie for the entire time. It was like my life was happening around me and I was observing what was happening without being there. I found it strange and my husband said afterwards it was pretty awful and I was very spaced and vacant at times.

Clearly on here not everyone has had the same experience so it may suit some people and not others.

Report
ArbitraryUsername · 09/01/2013 12:18

I think it's very hard to tell how it will affect anyone. It really doesn't have much effect on me any more, other than the dry mouth. Even taking 75mg, the only noticeable effect was an even drier mouth. But some people are absolutely floored by it.

There are plenty of other options though. You do need to give it a bit of time to tell though. Amitriptyline is really cheap, which is why the NHS are so keen on prescribing it in the first instance. But if it doesn't suit you, they can try something else. I'm hoping my consultant will have some ideas when i see her later this week, but many of the options for my condition are Very Expensive Indeed, so she has to exhaust the cheap things first. It's annoying but I can completely understand why it has to be that way.

Report
fuzzpig · 09/01/2013 12:23

The initial sedation from that low dose will wear off as you get used to it. I am on 40mg now which is still very low, and I do get deeper sleep at that dose - I take it at 5pm now to try and reduce the next day's 'hangover'. I take it for chronic fatigue syndrome.

Due to the way tricyclics work, you have to give them a good few weeks to let them take effect. It's worth persevering a little longer IMO.

I have heard that for the dry mouth (which doesn't affect me personally) it's good to suck mints to increase saliva.

Report
ArbitraryUsername · 09/01/2013 12:39

Yeah, but that only works during the day. It's the agony of peeling your tongue off the roof of your mouth in the morning that is beyond awful.

Report
lizzypuffs · 09/01/2013 12:46

I take 10mg. It took a couple of weeks to adjust to but now im fine with it. I take it for pain about 9pm and sleep really well.

Ive had no other problems with it.

Report
MimsyBorogroves · 09/01/2013 13:08

I'm on 30mg.

The spaced out feeling did last a couple of weeks, but I'm now fine driving first thing in the morning.

Agree that the very dry mouth is the worst bit.

Report
pinkyp · 09/01/2013 17:14

I took it about 10pm last night, felt dizzy etc gradually got worse but then I felt ok about 1pm. Really worried about taking another will it make me worse? Or is that as bad as it gets?

OP posts:
Report
fuzzpig · 09/01/2013 17:22

Take it much earlier in the evening. I just took mine. Are you able to just relax tonight (ie if it knocks you out early will it really matter)

I was told by the doctor who originally told me to take it that I should take it half an hour before bed but that is nowhere near enough IME.

Report
pinkyp · 09/01/2013 17:38

My partner doesn't get home til 7 so earliest is then. I've just felt knackered all day I'm ready for bed now

OP posts:
Report

Don’t want to miss threads like this?

Weekly

Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!

Log in to update your newsletter preferences.

You've subscribed!

5hounds · 09/01/2013 18:59

I was prescribed this yesterday, 20mg at night. Worse experience of my life.
Led in bed feeling dizzy, then got horrendous ibs cramps, ran to toilet in agony. Sorry for the tmi but was violently having ibs then went hot and felt urge to be sick. I was violently sick in bath on my left whilst having huge probs the other.
I have spent all day today numb with no bowel control.
There now in the bin

Report
pinkyp · 09/01/2013 22:20

Spoke to my partner and I've decided not to continue 1) I'm too scared & 2) mebrivine that I was on before did help ibs.
Might look into acupuncture to help anxiety.

Feel like a failure for only taking 1 Hmm

OP posts:
Report
Waferthinmint · 10/01/2013 20:01

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.