Anyone on Amitriptyline or Nortriptyline? Do/did you suffer many side effects?

[WearsblackLoveschocolateAvoidspeople]

I recently have been prescribed Nortriptyline (for visceral hypersensitivity due to decades of IBS-D and pain due to endometriosis).

I was offered Amitriptyline but decided on the Nortriptyline as it is supposed to have less side effects?

I have a medication phobia and as soon as I read the enclosed leaflets of any medication, I am put off. I know all reported side effects, regardless of how rare, have to be registered and recorded. However, this pack has 2 A4 printed sheets of side effects and has left me feeling unsettled.

I have only been prescribed 10mg so am hoping that will mean less side effects but not sure if that is the case with this medication?

The side effects which concern me the most are,

Weight gain - my sister was on Amitriptyline (25mg) for 20 years and put on a lot of weight during this time. I have suffered with an eating disorder in the past and have been slim all my life, being even a little overweight throws me into a deep depression

Confusion/memory loss/tiredness - my mum has dementia and the NHS website mentions that these drugs (anticholinergic) can cause dementia although more research needs to be done. Since caring for a parent with Alzheimer's this potential risk does worry me

Increased anxiety - as someone already suffering with anxiety/depression, any increased in this is something I most certainly do not need in my life

Constipation - as an IBS-d suffer this is something I am hoping as a side effect

This is kind of my last chance saloon when it comes to treating my issues as I have spent decades trying literally everything I can to help. These issues are completely controlling my life right now so I am really hoping they may help without too many issues.

How have you been on either of these drugs?

Hi, I'm on 30mg of Amitriptyline a day to help nerve pain due to cervical stenosis.

The only real side effects I've had are increased tiredness (they can often knock me into a deep sleep for around 11 hours) and weight gain (which to be honest I hadn't attributed to the Amitriptyline as I'm menopausal and my disability has forced me to be much more sedentary)

I was on it for about 8 years for stomach pain.

Thing is I still had stomach pain.

I came off it a few months ago and started sleeping worse but feeling better when I woke. Pain was the same.

I tried it this week again to see if my pain reduced or not and the pain got worse, I slept really well but woke up really groggy and feeling like shit. So I stopped it again. But it has buggered up this weeks sleep again.

It just makes me feel so sluggish and shite.

I was on Amitriptyline for three years - actually for severe IBS-C pain. The worst side effect that I could directly attribute to the drug, as it massively improved once I stopped, was dry mouth/eyes/skin.

Painkillers do normally make my constipation worse, but since my hospital consultant knew I was already bad in that regard I'd be surprised if Amitriptyline made things worse, it's a different kind of pain relief as I understand it.

I tried amitriptyline. Do t think I tried the other one but I may have.

The amitriptyline was awful for me. I felt totally spaced out and weird and had th most horrible dry mouth. I couldn't tolerate it. They say it gets better when you get used to it but I couldn't cope with it.

That would be a dream.
Twitchy and irritable just about sums up everything about me atm, I am under a tremendous amount of stress and it has had a terrible effect on my body. I get the morning rush awfully, to the point I dread getting up in the morning, if I could find anything to dampen that down it would be great.

Are you on an low dose?

30mg
I go up to 50 on holiday sometimes if I’m very active and need more sleep/pain relief.

Issue is I don’t sleep without it. I just doze. So if I’m awake at 10 I think bugger, forgot my tablets and will be awake gone midnight. While still being really tired.

Start small and see how you go.

Oh and weight wise, I was doing slimming world while on it, and lost almost 6 stone. I put a couple back on but I’m working on that!

Did you decide to take it @WearsblackLoveschocolateAvoidspeople ?

I've been prescribed Nortriptyline but am too scared to take it!

I take 20mg every night as I have insomnia. On amitriptyline I get 4 hours sleep without I get 2-3 hours. I wake up refreshed and with high energy.

I think dementia is much more a genetic problem. Unfortunately for me.

Perhaps next time don't read the information leaflet.

No, I've also been too scared but I'm almost at breaking point with my stomach issues and I keep getting the box out, I need to try them I really do.

If you decide to take them I really hope they help you.

That's my biggest problem, I Google all the pros and cons of any meds I am prescribed which is often a big mistake. Tbh, if my mum didn't have Alzheimer's I'd have probably have taken them and bit worried about it.

@WearsblackLoveschocolateAvoidspeople sorry we sound so similar! I also Google meds and then get too scared to take them. I wish I had the kind of mind that just trusted the meds!

Sending a hand hold. If I do get brave enough to try it I'll do it first at a weekend so I don't need to worry about work.

Oops a rogue 'sorry' got into my message accidentally!

How about taking a low dose, for a short time? Better than living longer and more miserably anyway.

Amitryptaline made me vomit and feel very dizzy and unwell. I was given it for nerve pain. I switched to gabapentin and this worked for me.

Amitriptyline made me extremely drowsy. I've been on Nortriptyline (40mg) for over 10 years and had no side effects.

10mg is a very low dose Id give it a go for a few days. If you don’t like it stop taking it. My grandad had Alzheimer’s but I don’t think we can stop that happening and if it’s a medicine that may potentially help you have a better life now, while you’re younger and healthy, I’d say the benefits outweigh the risks for trying it.

Let's hope we can both take the leap and get back onto the road to feeling better 🤞

That's really good to know, thanks.

I had no side effects from amitriptyline. I took it for low level pain control for over a year.

I slept really well with it. The only thing I noticed was that I felt the cold a lot less.

One of the other things which has put me off were reviews saying this drug interrupted people's sleep, I love my sleep and amy lack of sleep really affects me deeply so good to know you slept well.

I have no side effect ls whatsoever.

No tiredness or sleepiness whatsoever. I take it during the day for nerve pain.

Msmoonpie that's good to know, thanks. I really need to try the Nortriptyline again this weekend.

I was on Amitriptyline and got horrendous hyperpigmentation on my skin. When it first started happening, the GP etc were clueless as to what it was and what was causing it (as I think I'd been on it a few months by then). So I carried on taking it, not knowing it was making it worse and worse. Finally, having thoroughly researched it myself, I realised the Amitriptyline was the cause, so I stopped it. This was all around 15 years ago and while my skin has improved from what it was, it has taken years to get to a level where I no longer have to feel so self conscious about it.

Please do just give it a try - just once. If you don’t get on with it you can stop.