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Original poster

To want to know your experiences of amitriptyline?

120 replies

Amitriptyline · 09/05/2022 18:18

A bit nosy I know, I've been prescribed these tablets and pick them up tomorrow so looking for some first hand experiences from anyone who has had them.

10mg at night I believe the dosage is.

I'm a little bit apprehensive about starting them as I'm quite sensitive to meds and I can't really afford to put on any more weight which I know can be a side effect. Eeek.

They are for TMD pain but I'm hoping to get some benefit from them for my depression as I know its a multi use drug.

Thanks!

OP posts:
WhisperGold · 09/05/2022 18:24

Made me sleep really well.

Cheesewiz · 09/05/2022 18:26

Hi, I took amitriptyline for chronic pain relief. I did have some side effects to start but they subsided after 3 weeks. I felt groggy in the mornings, a bit light headed and sleepy during the day but I was also suffering insomnia and they did a great job helping sleep

girafferaffle · 09/05/2022 18:28

They do make you want carbs but do help with the pain. 10mg is a bit low for help with depression though. From what I remember it definitely wasn't the first drug they tried though. Is it your GP prescribing?

JennyMule · 09/05/2022 18:29

Took them for chronic pain. Had to stop as unable to wake up and function properly in the mornings.

Nospringchix · 09/05/2022 18:29

Really good for sleep and pain. Think they have helped my mood. Be prepared to feel a bit groggy in the mornings especially at first.

MinglingFlamingo · 09/05/2022 18:30

They took a few days to kick in but when they did the trick for my slip disc. I didn't have any real side effects

PragmaticWench · 09/05/2022 18:30

I found they didn't touch the pain but that was a herniated disc. They made me groggy first thing and made my mouth dry.

BellyDancer124 · 09/05/2022 18:31

JennyMule · 09/05/2022 18:29

Took them for chronic pain. Had to stop as unable to wake up and function properly in the mornings.

Same for me. I felt so groggy and awful in the mornings.

Bordernotboarder · 09/05/2022 18:32

Amazing for nerve related pain. Agree with mention of grogginess but it was worth it for the relief.

GlasswareisOverated · 09/05/2022 18:32

Good for sleeping, bad for waking and don't work painwise for me.

DoNotGetADog · 09/05/2022 18:32

When I took them for nerve pain they worked really well. I needed to up the dose to 20mg as they didn’t work initially, but then it was great.I didn’t have any bad side effects.

I’m a really shit sleeper, and I slept really well when I took those, so that was great too.

Paisleycountry1985 · 09/05/2022 18:33

I am taking amitriptyline for back pain and don't know how I would cope physically without them.

I was very groggy the morning after, if I took them before bed so I now take them at 5pm. Sleep like a baby and no groggy mornings.

I have been on 10mg a day since March 2019 and only upped to 2 x 10mg daily as moved home and doing a lot of physical work about the home, decorating etc.

Notanotherwindow · 09/05/2022 18:34

I've been on them years and honestly at 10mg you will barely know you're on them. They make you sleep really well and at a higher dose they've really helped my anxiety and depression. But yes they do give me the munchies. They don't cause weight gain themselves they just make me a bit hungrier. If I had a modicum of self control and didnt work next to McDonald's they would be fine.

What do you have them for? If it's for depression or anxiety you probably will have to work up to higher dose before you see much benefit as the minimum therapeutic dose is 50mg. If you do then you will probably notice the dry mouth and perhaps the odd light headed moment but they don't persevere beyond a couple of weeks.

I take 100mg and haven't had any long term side effects other than a slightly dry mouth.

One warning though since you are sensitive to meds. Do not be tempted to fuckarse about with them and cut them in half. They are coated to make them break down at a certain rate to release the dose and cutting them can make them break down too quickly and that's when you get bad side effects. I asked my Dr about whether to halve them when increasing dose and got well and truly told.

BunsyGirl · 09/05/2022 18:35

Was prescribed them for IBS. Doctor told me to double the dose if I was expecting a stressful situation - which can exacerbate my IBS although is not the main cause of it. I did this a couple of times on long haul flights (I have a fear of flying). Both times I ended up fainting. Mentioned this to a neighbour after the second time - he was on the same medication and he said that the same thing had happened to him. I never did it again!

Tinyleopard · 09/05/2022 18:37

I'm on it for the same reason. Absolutely no side effects whatsoever. Not groggy or tired or hungry.
Equally not sure it's doing anything for my TMJ but I'm persevering.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 09/05/2022 18:37

Dh takes them to help him sleep. He went from no sleep for days to now sleeping really well. He had 3 weeks of having a really dry mouth especially at night but that passed after 2 weeks. He is eating a lot more than he used to but sleep is more important at the moment. It has helped with anxiety too.He hasn't mentioned any other side effects. My mother also took them for pain and didn't put any weight on at all so you'll just have to try it OP. Hope it works.

Shabbysheeque · 09/05/2022 18:37

I think I was on the same dose as you. Side effects for me were irritability/being short tempered. And I felt sleepy which was fine for night but I'd feel groggy for half the day too. I wouldn't take them again.

ReadyToMoveIt · 09/05/2022 18:40

I love the stuff. I take 20mg a day for Herve pain. I sleep better, the pain is a million times better… miracle drug for me.

CoralBells · 09/05/2022 18:40

I found them excellent for sleep and mood. 10 mg but occasionally 20 if needed. They didn't make me groggy. I did put on weight. When I came off them for a year I stopped putting on weight. Then when I went back on them started putting on again.

ReadyToMoveIt · 09/05/2022 18:40

Nerve pain!

isthismylifenow · 09/05/2022 18:41

My dd also has tmd and been on a lose dose of 5mg for a good few years. She was upped to 10mg when she went through a bit of a tough time as they do help her sleep. They definitely help her jaw, as long as she doesn't go against the other advice (ie chewing for extended times etc). She has to take them no later than 7pm as she did feel a bit groggy the next morning when she first started.

Just as an aside, do you sleep with a bite plate? This has helped dd a lot.

isthismylifenow · 09/05/2022 18:43

No issue with weight gain. But she is a sporty teenager so that may make a difference.

girafferaffle · 09/05/2022 18:44

You are def allowed to split them but shouldn't be changing your own dose. I've not mentioned my dose as it's scary 😂

But for TMD I would hope it was a specialist prescribing (or you've at least seen one).

picklemewalnuts · 09/05/2022 18:45

Great. They'll have to pry them out of my cold dead fingers!

I take 30mg for chronic pain and sleep problems. If I forget to take them I basically doze all night without ever entering deeper sleep.

When I started a played with the dose a bit, I can get it down to 30mg and sometimes take an extra one if I've had a particularly hard day or pain.

I don't feel groggy in the morning, but it still does take me longer to get going than before I became ill.

Original poster
Amitriptyline · 09/05/2022 18:47

Thanks for all of the replies so far, they're very helpful.

So my GP has prescribed them at the request of the dentist I see at the oral surgery department of hospital. I've been under them for a few years and nothing has helped the TMD so far, not even botox really.

I've had a touch of anxiety/depression recently which I was hoping they'd help with too. Two birds one stone kinda thing.

I'm a bit 😯about them causing me to be short tempered, I'm already a bit like that ATM. Hopefully I miss that one!

OP posts: