Advised by GP to try amitryptline for persistent headaches

Thanks so much for responding @maimeo !

Sorry it's not worked for you.
I have heard acupuncture can be helpful, so fingers crossed for you.

Been on amitryptiline for about 3 weeks now, so maybe too early to tell. Sleeping like a log though!

I'm prescribed for vestibular migraine, and attacks had been coming about every 2-3 weeks. They are very extreme! So it'll be interesting to see if it's kept at bay. May have to try going up in dosage if not as the next step.

Not experienced any of the nasty side affects other than a bit drowsy in the mornings so far.

I'm thinking with poor sleep being a trigger, just the improved sleep might help to some degree.

My friend who has (non-vestibular) migraines reported similar outcome to you on amitryptiline.
A blood pressure med (not propanalol) has helped hers.

I was in panic mode when I posted after reading on various threads of so many bad reactions. Interesting how our bodies respond so differently to different meds.
It's seems to all be so experimental/trial and error with migraines!

My husband went on amitrip for headaches at the front of his head, as did my son for Neuralgia.

It helped both.
Have you tried putting your feet in the hotest basin of water you can stand?
It is good for headaches.

Atlantic salt in water is good for hydration too.

Sorry. Know this is an old thread - but searching through relevent threads as just about to start on 10mg for same reasons and wondering how you got on?

I take Vydura (rimgepant) as a preventative and it costs £310 per month on a private prescription with a private consultation to review every three months.

In my Trust it is only approved as an acute medication for episodic migraine (up to 8 tablets per month). So as a chronic migraineur who needs it as a prophylactic I have no chance.

Can’t really afford it but it’s changed my life. It’s the only thing that’s stopped the pain in 30 years. I may even be able to return to a proper career.

Forgot to say I’ve tried and failed five different tripten across three delivery systems. They work 30% of the time at most.

I've been taking it for migraines for about 2yrs. I started on a high dose of 25mg which I increased over time to 75mg.
It took a few weeks to find the best time to take them in the evening as they did knock me out & make it hard to wake but that subsided & now don't cause any problems in the morning.

I do find if I forget to take them I have a disturbed sleep, so they really do help me sleep soundly (but not to the extent I wouldn't wake in the night to noises etc).

They've not prevented migraine but reduced the intensity so often over the counter pain relief is enough to keep on with my day.

The only side effect I have is a dry mouth in the morning - which is preferable to a migraine. Chewing gum (sugar free) helps this.

At 10mg it's definitely worth a go.

And having a night out / drink doesn't make a difference to me.

Yes they are not painkillers and where specifically designed to work on migraine (the first drug in fact to do so). They effect the serition 5HT inhibitors in the brain hand have been around since the 1990's. They are abortive medication only though not preventative.

There are a new class of CGRP'S (also effect serition) available which are preventative medication but you can only get them through neurologist and not all NHS trusts currently have funding for them as they are expensive medication. They actually aren't any more effective then most currently avaible preventative medication which is why you have to have tried everything else first before they will let you try them.

My husband took this for bad migraines. They started out of the blue, ended up with nearly six months off work. He had no issues as far as I can remember.

In a side note, he realised that oranges, tangerines and orange squash would trigger a headache for him.

I have for tension headaches, 10 mg every night, still get occasional headaches, but far fewer.

I didn’t notice an issue with drinking, and I had quite a few boozy night out in the early stages!

I take it for migraines, been on it almost 5 years. I found it made me really sleepy to start with but I now take 35mg and it doesn’t make me drowsy any more. It’s been effective at reducing the frequency and severity of my migraines (I was having 2 a week lasting 2-3 days at times!). I still have triptans if I need them. It doesn’t mix well with alcohol. don’t drink much. If I’m having a big night out I skip a dose.

Worked for my adult daughter. She stayed on it about 9 months. Did the trick.

@MigGril i had no idea that triptans only work on migraine! They are a lifesaver for me.
i tried the amitryp previously at 2.5mg and they wiped me out to the point of being non functional until about 9am. Starting at 10mg and even taking it early evening sounds daunting to me.

I take 2x10mg. Started at 10mg but was advised to increase as 10mg wasn't effective as hoped.

I do drink alcohol although very much in moderation, I have been known to wash down my medication with a GnT but probably not recommended!
I only have an alcoholic drink if already properly hydrated as this can certainly trigger symptoms for me.

I took it once for anxiety and insomnia, it helped me brilliantly and I don’t recall any memorable side effects. I hope it works for you too!

I'm impressed your GP managed to get you in for MRI and headache clinic so soon, mine refuses after years of exactly the same symptoms.

You can take Sumatriptan during attacks, but daily preventatives are usually propranalol beta blocker (also causing weight gain) or a natural alternative 400mg vitamin B2 (riboflavin) is being recommended by NICE - I'm trying this at the moment, and lots of magnesium, and HRT (age 40)

I take it for back pain and headaches

For persistent headaches also consider sinus and ear issues - take Sudafed. Have you considered MOH- medication overuse headaches? I'm sure you have.

I get very few headed and sleep like a baby. Back pain has improved

I've take various doses depends on how my back is. Right now I take 40mg I think I used to take 50mg

I drink alcohol as normal (which right now is a lots as I'm on a cruise!)

I do not get morning sleepiness that I am aware of

I would say try it for a month.

The only downside is I cannot sleep without it and I feel this is a bit of an issue (ie giving it up)

Try and avoid paracetamol and ibuprofen.

If it's one sided head pain and you have a history of migraine, then it's mostly likely migraine. Migraine can and does change over time and you can have different symptoms with it. Has your doctor tried you with a triptain, because if a triptain works then it's definitely migraine as these aren't painkillers and only work on migraine pain. Neurologist often use them to help diagnosis migraine.

If you fine the amitriptiline makes you to sleepy (I couldn't tolerate it) then again Neurologist often prescribe nortriptyline as an alternative as most people tend to have less side effects with it, but it works in a similar way.

I was prescribed it for stomach pain at night at the same time as a colleague was prescribed it for migraine.

It's worked well for both of us, and I sleep very well with it. It says on this NHS website that it may take up to 6 weeks to be effective.

I think it’s mirtazapine that causes hunger and weight gain.

a lot of people take amitryptiline. It’s quite well tolerated from what I can tell. It’s quite an old drug too.

And I'm on 10mg too

I take it at 8pm and I get up at 4am. I've had no issues with sleepiness with doing that.

I've just been out on this 2 weeks ago for what they've diagnosed as cluster headaches. Waking me when I'm sleeping and leaving a painful eye and low,level heaven all day.

It went in for 6 weeks.

4 days after starting I've had no headache at all and no waking during the night with my eye feeling like it's being stabbed with not needles!

My relative doesn't drink alcohol but she's on other medication as well so I don't know if that's the reason. Alcohol and migraines don't generally mix though.