Amitriptyline for sciatica?

[IHeartGeneHunt]

Can anyone who's been prescribed amitriptyline for sciatica tell me what it's like? Been given it today and the side effects look bloody awful but if it's worth it, I'll try it!

Can you please explain? I don’t really understand your point? I’m not sure you understand how drugs work?

It's somewhat helpful. I did have mental dreams for the first few weeks though.
And I give no fucks if it was used in higher doses as an antidepressant, because reducing pain enough to sleep and be able to function is more important.

Gabapentin was created for schizophrenia, Viagra for heart failure. I'm sure there are many more drugs that have evolved into helping with other health issues.

Don't knock it I say.

Why furious? It's also prescribed for insomnia. Many tablets are prescribed for multiple conditions.

You we’re not prescribed an anti depressant, the dose for it to be effective as an anti depressant would have been much higher than that prescribed for pain relief.

Lots of medication treat more
than one complaint.

Amitriptyline works as a nerve blocker which benefits nerve related pain.
As an anti depressant it is prescribed in a much higher dosage as this activates the release of serotonin.

Any added serotonin boost from amitriptyline is a plus!

I was on amitriptyline for 18
months for nerve damage, the
first week or so was awful
adjusting to the side effects but
the drowsiness and foggy
brain passed quick enough.
I found it extremely effective for pain relief.

I think I get the issue with it being an antidepressant.
When I was prescribed it for osteoarthritis, I felt my pain wasn't being taken seriously; that I was being told it was 'all in my head'.

Thanks for all your replies- I'm going to start it at the weekend so if I get the grogginess at least I haven't got to to to work!

Thalidomide was a shocking disaster for pregnancy sickness but is prescribed today for myeloma and leprosy.
Metformin has various uses.
I am on hydroxychloroquine for my arthritis. I could also take it to prevent malaria but I don't need it for that.
Plenty of drugs have more than one appropriate use.
Prescribing amitriptyline for nerve pain doesn't equal the prescriber assuming the patient is depressed (although chronic nerve pain does make one pretty miserable, the drug is not prescribed for that reason).
Lactulose is a commonly used stool softener, also used to treat liver failure.
There must be dozens of examples of drugs used for more than one purpose.

I was prescribed it years ago for depression and anxiety. It was hideous, I had all the side effects detailed here.

Last week my GP tried to prescribe it for a trapped nerve in my spine (not sciatica) and I refused it because the side effects for me are just too much. I was given diazepam & tramadol instead. This makes me hideously sick for the first 48 hours but am then fine.

There are far better muscle relaxants than amytriptaline

Amitriptyline isn't a muscle relaxant.

I've been on amitriptyline for about 5 years for chronic headaches. It worked brilliantly for that. Only side effect was terrible dry mouth, but that went away after a month or so.

Now for some reason I'm having a flare up of nerve pain, basically everywhere. I've increased the amitriptyline a few times, but it hasn't helped. GP is a bit useless so I'm going to ask to go back to the neurologist who prescribed me the amitriptyline. Hopefully he has some other ideas for me.

No benefits or side effects for me. I tried gabapentin instead, which was a bit better but I found nothing really touched the pain.

@Oblomov23 so what did you take for your back pain?

Aspirin, which is also a blood thinner?

Pregabalin, which was developed to treat seizures but is also effective for nerve pain?

Steroids (oral or injected) which can be used to build muscle but are also powerful anti-inflammatoires?

Well, I tried one last night, got a great sleep and feel fine this morning- pain much the same though!

It can take a couple of weeks to have an effect. Fingers crossed it helps.

Agreed, Gabapentin takes time to.

IT’s recently been linked to dementia so I’d be swerving it if I was you!

I took them for a year for recurrent kidney infections. They were wonderful. I found the sleepy side effects wore off quite quickly, though i tried not to take them too late in the evenings.

It takes 2-3 weeks to build up so you won't feel relief straight away. I found it does help nerve pain but made me horribly sweaty, night sweats and if I did a tiny bit of exercise like walking on the school run I'd arrive dripping in sweat. So I've come off it and switched to pregabalin instead.

Agreed, you need to give it a couple of weeks to build up before you feel any effect on the pain

@wandawaves, can I ask what dose you were on for head pain? Many thanks. Also did you have any weight gain?

25mg. I also went to the physio and got given nerve flossing exercises to do at home. The combination of both those things worked a treat.
Weight gain... hmmm well I have had some slow weight gain over the years but it's probably just related to being middle aged and lazy lol. I don't think it's from the amitriptyline, as I think I started gaining a little weight before I started on it.

Why were you furious? It's incredibly common for these types of drugs to be used for pain. I take duloxetine for pain and only recently learnt it's an anti depressant.

Oh never mind, I've read your... Perspective.