Does anyone take amitriptyline for pain relief?

[changeagainandagain]

Sorry no traffic on health boards, just wanted to hear from anyone who takes this?

I've been given it for pelvic pain to try and calm down endometriosis pains during lockdown.

I've never taken any antidepressants in my life and concerned about the effect and sleeping?

I'm up in pain unable to sleep, which is why I'm thinking shall I take the plunge and start the packets I've been give by the GP?

Has anyone had success with this as a pain relief option?

@lpchill so did you gain? Or were you trying to loose at the same time, assuming after c-section?

If you take it on and off, is that a month at a time? Or do you get a benefit straight away?

I gain unless I'm on very reduced calories. I had gained a lot from the tablets so was trying to lose. I'm finding it much easier to lose while I'm not taking them.

I get the benefit of taking it within a few hours which is great. My nerve damage is finally fading a bit so I have stretches of time (1 month so far) where I don't need it as I'm not in pain. If the pain starts again I will take it to control the pain.

@lpchill that's really helpful to know, I'm controlling my diet to reduce inflammatory food, which by default is pretty clean eating, so if I'm able to maintain my current weight I'll be happy.

Why is nothing easy!

Hi! I came off it very easily but my dose was very low.

It made no difference to my mood at all. I had no side effects but I can only speak for myself.

Hope this helps!

I tried a tiny dose for facial pain but I couldn't feel my lips or tongue. I'm very sensitive to prescription drugs, I think it's just as well I had a very quiet student life...

I use this for back pain. Don’t take it after 8pm as it makes you drowsy. I usually take mine at 7pm and it helps me to sleep which is a huge benefit as I have always had problems sleeping. I also have endometriosis and I had hoped it might help with my period pain but no such look so far. It is, however, really helpful for the back pain.

For the first few days after I started taking it, I felt like a zombie. I’ve never been so tired in all my life, and I’m on a very low dose. I’m used to it now, but I do wonder how people on large doses manage (I’m only on 10mg). It made me feel really spaced out to start with but it’s worth it now.

I took it for nerve pain and it was effective for that, but I couldn't cope with the side effects. I felt like I was on the go slow the whole time, just very foggy, and the headaches it gave me we're like nothing I'd ever experienced before. It was awful.

At the doses prescribed for pain it is a 'painkiller' rather than an antidepressant if you see what I mean, so don't let the AD label put you off

I have taken it for post shingles pain. I'm a poor sleeper and I loved the fact I slept really well, downside was I was a bit sluggish in the morning. I stopped taking it as soon as I could as I could imagine me getting hooked on it for sleeping. It was a great help with the pain and nothing else helped. As the pain was in my face and particularly my jaw I actually begged the dentist to pull teeth out but she assured me there was nothing wrong with my teeth.

It’s a pain modification drug, it changes the way your brain recognised pain, and the pain relief dose is smaller than the anti depressant dose.

It works and will help you sleep, through pain relief and because it makes you a bit more sleepy. Take it in the evening, not morning.

Also, no need to be so wary because it is used as an a-d. They are just medication to help the brain achieve it’s normal function so you feel better and get better. Just like many other forms of medication.

Good luck OP.

I was started on it by my GP for sciatica/ foot numbness a couple of weeks ago. I read up on the side effects and wasn’t happy about taking it although I appreciate many do and it’s an effective drug. GP changed me to pregabalin which I’ve just started to take.

I've taken it. It takes a week to kick in. I didn't experience any side effects, apart from so weird and vivid dreams, but everyone is different.

I take 10mg of nortriptyline at night for migraine. It took a few weeks to work. I had a dry mouth at the beginning, but haven't noticed that continuing. It might make you drink more liquids, but hasn't made me hungrier. I don't feel groggy in the mornings. The doctor told me it changes your body's response to pain and as it started to take effect, I could kind of feel I had the headache part of a migraine, but it was nowhere near as bad.

I take 25mg a night for nerve pain and it is great. I feel it if I run out and have to go without for a few days.

My DH takes 10mg a night for bowel issues. It's odd that it has so many uses but the doses for off label uses is far, far lower than would have been used for depression.

It is very rarely used as a depression medication now as there are better meds for that, but some people do still use it at doses of 50-200mg.

Like Stinkyjellycat has said take it early evening to stop the next day drowsy feeling. I used to take it for back pain. Also don’t stop taking it suddenly as you have to taper off.

I take 100mg at night. I've been on it for 14 years.(I've just worked that out so might have some conversations with the doctor about that after lockdown). I've got SPD and SIJD from when I had DS2 23+ years ago. I've, also, got nerve pain, hyper mobility and arthritis.

It doesn't always work for me. Very often I'm still writhing about the bed in the night. Take it early otherwise you won't wake up in the morning.

I had it in both prenancies for migraines. It did improve the migraines but it worked like a sleeping tablet on me. The first two weeks I was unable to function properly. It improved after a fortnight but even halving the lowest dose on the advice of my GP it still knocked me out and made me groggy in the mornings but no other side effects. However on lockdown op, it would defintely be worth trying as you could really give it a good go without any initial side effects being such an issue

I took it for a while when I was struggling to sleep (menopause related). The doctor said to me that it's an anti-anxiety med and is also used for pain relief. Not strictly an anti- depressant I don't think. I only take very occasionally now if I feel I need it. Wasn't addictive for me, but was only on a very low dose.

I started taking nortriptyline in January. I also started a gym and weight loss plan around the same time and have lost over a stone. I'm eating more than 1200 calories a day. It hasn't hindered weight loss or made me gain weight. The doses prescribed for pain relief are tiny.

@Stressedmummyof4 Bless her. Jesus that's so unfair 😞

Sreasedmumof4 your poor daughter, that sounds awful.

I took it for a year or so for pain relief and a pharmacist told me it takes 12 hours to metabolise so if you need to get up at 6:30am take it at 6:30pm and you won't feel so groggy.

For me the first two weeks of taking it always made me feel a bit spaced out but that feeling definitely lessened as time went on. My main problem was forgetting to take it (the reason I never trusted myself to be on the pill) so I get returning to the foggy phase.

Good luck getting your pain sorted. Living with long term pain is immensely difficult.

I take 20mg every evening for fibromyalgia pain. It does seem to help. I have to remember to take it earlier in the evening or I can be a but groggy in the morning. However, it does seem to reduce the amount of pain I'm in so a bit of grogginess is a good trade off.

Wow thank you all so so much for the updates, I think given we are in lockdown my sleep is awful and I'm sat here with wheatbag burns all over my stomach from trying to mange pain that I have nothing to loose.

I'll prepare for the groggy and I can manage that as i have older DC and no real deadlines that can't wait until 10am for me to feel human.

I'm actually excited to try it now thanks to everyone, it's sounds like it really does work.

The poor GP has been telling me to try and I should listen to her as she's been great.

To the poster who said she has bad period pains and back pain and endo I started the combined pill two months ago, I resisted that as well as I'm 44 but that's been such a break from cramps and monthly agony, I wish I'd of done it ages ago!!

Thank you again everyone

I checked my dose is 10mg but it says 1-2 in the evening.

I'm going for one!