Amitriptyline

[Podqkh]

I've been advised by my gp to stop taking my usual 4x daily codeine and start taking 2 Amitriptyline per night for pain relief of my spinal condition.

Can anyone that has tried this please advise , did it help you and what were the side effects etc. I'm worried about taking ADs as I was on them about 20 years ago and they just made me want to sleep all day.

Thanks.

I've been on this for pain for a few years. I was told the dose for pain is a lot lower than the dose used as an AD. It does make me very drowsy if I come off it and then go back on it. I take if alongside tramadol and still experience considerable night time pain. I would advise you to make sure you take it fairly early in the evening as it can have a hangover effect the next day.

@youdontnome thanks for your response. Was there an adjustment period when you started taking it?

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4454052-amitriptyline

this thread might be helpful

I have amytriptaline for pain alongside Tramadol (and pregabalin), and have also used it at night with dihydrocodeine & gabapentin. It’s at a much lower dose than I had standalone as an antidepressant years ago.

For me, it just helps me get drowsy & I can manage a 3-4hrs sleep on a good night (I was averaging 2hrs of broken sleep before). I have a high tolerance to my current pain relief (and not that much benefit, although good grief, if I miss a dose or the pain rushes back with a thump), and it gives me that little nudge to get even a little unbroken sleep!

Yes, it took me a while to get used to them. I think they do help a bit. In my case I think they give me a deeper sleep which means that minor niggles don't disturb my sleep so much.

I’ll admit, I am tired in the morning, but whether that’s due to 1) high levels of pain, 2) general crappy sleep or 3) the amytriptaline, I don’t know. I take the view a bit of sleep so I can function better outweighs the tiredness (probably not the most healthy outlook, but 20+ years of chronic pain does screw with your rational thinking).

Helps me hugely. It seems to be really relaxing. I take 30mg a night, with my evening meal. At first it had a big noticeable impact, I would be actively drowsy. Now though, the drowsiness has worn off and I wouldn't be concerned about driving having taken it.

I know it helps, because sometimes I find myself wide awake at 11pm and realise I've forgotten to take it.

Either the improved sleep or the amitriptyline has massively improved my pain, though.

Thank you so much for you for your responses. I'll definitely check out that thread.

My concerns are that I'm coming off of codeine and I know I'll get cold sweats etc , and that my gp has said to take ibuprofen only during the day and Amitriptyline at night. Also , my pain med review was a telephone consultation with a gp I don't know , it felt rushed. And with the amount of pain I'm in I find it hard to be assertive and push back.

I have spinal stenosis which has worsened recently and my codeine and paracetamol combo just doesn't do the job anymore.

Reduce the codeine very slowly , the slower the better .

@MrsPelligrinoPetrichor that was my insinct , but I was confused as the gp said I should stop taking it completely.

Thank you.

@endofthelinefinally I've read the thread , I appreciate the link.

I think I'm going to try the Amitriptyline and reduce the codeine slowly.

Amitryptiline is no longer used as an anti depressant

@MyrtlethePurpleTurtle that's interesting. Why is that?

@MyrtlethePurpleTurtle

Amitryptiline is no longer used as an anti depressant

It is.

@Podqkh

Thank you so much for you for your responses. I'll definitely check out that thread.

My concerns are that I'm coming off of codeine and I know I'll get cold sweats etc , and that my gp has said to take ibuprofen only during the day and Amitriptyline at night. Also , my pain med review was a telephone consultation with a gp I don't know , it felt rushed. And with the amount of pain I'm in I find it hard to be assertive and push back.

I have spinal stenosis which has worsened recently and my codeine and paracetamol combo just doesn't do the job anymore.

In that case you could cut down and come off the codeine gradually, and introduce and increase the amitriptyline gradually.

You could do this slowly and simultaneously. I have done this fairly recently, as codeine messes with my gut function. My Rheumatologist suggested it so I didn't just go 'off piste'.

I've taken it for 30 years for interstitial cystitis at bedtime. I use it because it means I only need to use the toilet once a night vs six or seven times-it makes me sleepy and helps with any bladder pain I have. The drawback is it did cause me to gain a little weight when I started but not any issue now

@EKGEMS thanks for your comments and I'm glad it helps you. I'm going to ask my husband to pick mine up from the pharmacy so that I can try it starting tonight.

It's worked brilliantly for me, though I find it hard to get out of bed in the morning, regardless of when I take it. But then I've never been a lark.

20mg knocked my sciatic pain on the head completely. Have now reduced to 10mg.

@LittlePearl that's great.

I'm really glad I started this thread as I have trouble with f2f conversations due to constant pain , it's really helpful to be able to read your replies and respond at my own pace.

I hated it, left my lying on my sofa crying at TV adverts, they messed with my mental health so badly that any pain relief was not worth it.

Sorry this night sound like a daft question, but do you not have a consultant/ see a particular hospital dept for your condition.

My GP understands bugger all about my condition so sets told to butt out of pain meds reviews. They are done by specialists in Rheumatology and other depts.

You could ask for referral to a Pain Clinic too if you're apprehensive.

For full disclosure, I take codeine daily and amitriptyline at night for my conditions.

@RainbowZebraWarrior no , at my surgery (a large one) you get who you get. I have just started seeing a new physio , he seems fantastic so far , he said he'd refer me to the pain clinic. Hopefully this goes somewhere.

I am aware that I have been neglected in the last two years due to covid limiting services everywhere. It's now got to a point where I've had to find the energy to make some noise about it all.

I found it transformative at relieving chronic pain. I take 20mg a night. Prior to taking Ami I had flu-like aches in my limbs and joints most days, this pretty much disappeared those.

I’ve been on ami for years for pain and depression.

I’ve noticed the higher the dose the better the pain. The difference between 50 and 100 is transforming.

I have used Amitriptylene as a sleeping med - I was on 20-30 a day for sleep for a decade at aleast. It made me very drowsy the next day but after some months it was ok.
I then tried it as an anti-depressant - but could not get up to a reasonable dose as the side effects were horrific and I was asleep all the time.
I agree with the PP about codeine and gut function - but to me amitriptylene is just as bad above 20mg.
I have a chronic condition and would absolutely use it again if it didn't interact with something else I'm on. I am stuck with codeine, tramadol and morphine, which I loathe