amitriptyline advice please?

[xMummyToOurPreciousLittleBoyx]

Hi,

I'm just wondering if anyone has any positive experiences with amitriptyline in regards to has it helped with your sleep and anxiety?

Also how long does it take for the side effects to go away and for the amitriptyline to kick in?

Just been prescribed this so any advice/info would be much appreciated :)

Hi, I was prescribed amitryiptiline as a sleeping pill, as part of a pain management programme last year. It kicked in immediately as a knock-out. I don't remember being particularly 'out of it' when I was awake, dp and teenage children have never said anything about me appearing drunk or anything like that during the six or so hours a day I was awake. My condition meant I couldn't drive anyway, so that wasn't an issue.

I only used it for about 10 days, which was the period it took for my body to heal enough to be able to sleep naturally again. I suffered no side-effects and no withdrawal symptoms.

Good luck OP.

Thanks for the quick reply :)

I take it long term. Like imperial, I found the sleep benefits kicked in pretty quickly. The mental "noise" produced by my anxiety starts to get quieter after about a week, but it probably takes a good month to fully turn the volume down.

I find the initial side effects a bit grim (for me, the big problem is early morning dizziness/nausea) but they tend to wear off after a couple of weeks. I do still have a dry mouth, but I get round that by drinking lots of water and having sugar free mints/gum.

In terms of avoiding drowsiness, I've found that if I take it at about 9 in the evening, rather than right at bedtime, so that particular side effect's worn off by the morning. So, if you are having problems with morning sleepiness, you might want to experiment a bit with when you take your dose.

Good luck!

Thanks so much for your replies :-)

I'm really hoping this one works for my sleep and anxiety as all other medication for these types of issues have failed to work for me :-( and I'm due back to work soon so need it sorting soon!