Anyone taken amitriptyline?

[getupgonow]

I've been given this (10mg) to help me sleep, but I don't like the sound of the side effects (especially weight gain). Anyone else taken it? How have you found it?

I've taken it on and off over the last 2-3 years. 10 or 20mg, predominantly for insomnia and anxiety after my best friend died. I'm now off it for good. Coming off it was easy at this dose, just stopped it, no problems apart from one very sleepless night.

Give it at least a week, unless of course it is making you seriously ill. The blurb says it takes up to six weeks to work I think, but personally I noticed a difference before that. You will feel groggy for a few days, it will pass. Maybe it's best to start on a Friday evening so by Monday you'll be over the worst (assuming you work Monday to Friday).

I had some vivid dreams, but no hallucinations.

Time when you take the tablet carefully, you may need to experiment to find what works best for you.

If I wanted to go to sleep at 21:30 I would take my tablet at 19:00. I found if I took it at say 18:00, I'd be struggling to stay awake at 20:30! Equally if I took it too late, say 21:00 it would be VERY difficult to wake up in the morning.

Pros: slept better, felt more relaxed, no side effects (apart from slightly vivid dreams, nothing bad though)
Cons: difficult to wake up in the mornings sometimes, not feeling "sharp"

Hope this is helpful and your treatment is successful.

I took 30mg for 18 months a few years ago to cope with nerve pain. Worst 18 months of my life although that was mainly due to a horrible boss and a non-particularly sympathetic doctor.

The medication made we feel like a was wading through treacle every day and I really struggled at work - it was a very fast-paced environment and I wouldn't be able to keep up when people were talking at the same time from different directions. Even in 1:1 conversations, i felt I had to concentrate very carefully on what was being said and be able to form my own responses. A complaint was made about me from a senior member of staff and I tried to explain to my boss that I had been put on medication which was making me act this way - he just told me to stop taking the bloody pills and do my work. I went to the gp in tears, begging to try somethign esle but she was adamant that this was the best and only option for me and that my health was more important that work, which is true but when I asked for either a fit note to reassign certain duties or to be signed off, she refused as this would be a waste of her time and I had to learn to cope. I don;t know if the symptoms eventually wore off or if I just got used to them and people got used to me. I suspect the latter because when it finally occurred to me that I could see a different gp, who was horrified by my description of these effects and arranged for me to come off the amitriptyline, I felt like I was resurfacing from under water and I was suddenly me again.

It did definitely help with the pain though and I know of lots of people who have taken higher does then me with no problems at all.

I took it once for insomnia, never again. My head felt like it was going to explode and was extremely sick.