Amitriptyline Help Please!

[SleeplessInSanFrancisco]

I've suffered from insomnia for over 10 years, leading to anxiety leading to insomnia so vicious circle.

Finally saw GP in Sept this year who put me on 10mg Amitriptyline which worked like magic. Slept for 7-8 hours a night for first time in years. Initially prescribed 28 tablets and then got repeat of another 28 days.

I then returned to doctors and got another repeat of 56 tablets however they have now stopped working! The doctor had said I could go up to 20mg nightly so tried that for 2 nights but didn't help.

What I'm wondering is if I could have a bad batch? Or is Amitriptyline likely to stop working when tour body gets used to it?

I've made another doctors appointment but not until the first week of December.

Can anyone advise please? I'm gutted to be wide wake at 3am again and this had been past few nights

No advice but heartfelt sympathy; I am sitting here wide awake yet again. I actually have a GP appointment this morning for anxiety-induced insomnia, I’m hoping she’ll prescribe something. She gave me Diazapam last time which works pretty well, although not entirely consistently. Is Amitriptilyne an anti depressant?

Thanks for replying haverhill. Sorry you're in same position.

Yes, Amitriptyline is an antidepressant but an old fashioned one so less used for depression now. It is prescribed 'off label' for insomnia as it's one of the side effects. I think the dose when it's used as an antidepressant is much higher, from what I've read.

It was working really well for me and no side effects so I'm feeling disappointed!

I would persevere with it. You’ve got nothing to lose and it might just be a glitch. My Diazapam works very well most nights but poorly on others.

Yeah. DH has been prescribed Diazepam in the past. I took one once and it had no effect whatsoever. I was so disappointed (DH swears by them).

Hope your appointment goes well.

Yes, espresso, maybe stress is overriding the meds! I have been stressed at work although it's nothing new!

The doctor told me what I already knew, that I should avoid my phone in bed! Need to start leaving it in another room and reading instead.

I found it stopped working for me after a while too. I changed doctors at the same time and he switched me to another med (technically an anti-psychotic although I'm not psychotic at all) which did work.

The sedative effect does wear off after a while. On higher doses it persists but it's not one to piss about with so I wouldn't try doubling up or anything. It really is only a temporary solution.

I take it for depression and anxiety and it does still make me sleep but I have 50mg.

I took it for nerve pain for a short time, like you it worked really well with sleep initially then stopped working and I started to get bad dreams. No suggestions, but I don't think it's uncommon.

Thanks for the replies. That's a bit depressing that others have seen the same effect! I've had a taste of how it feels to sleep well now, which makes it worse when I don't.

@haverhill how was your GP appointment?

I also have had it 10mg for sleep since nov 2016. I take it on and off. For the first few months it was amazing and i took it every day. Then I had a blood test and was shocked at my liver function, so started to wean myself off it, taking it every other day instead. The off day was just as good as the on day, So you could maybe try that... taking it every other day. I know that seems a bit bonkers! Now I only take it when I'm sleepless, or like last week when I had a night flight and wanted guaranteed sleep. It totally pickles me now, like in the beginning, and I struggle to wake up so I guess that proves that the body gets used to its effects.

So, to sum up: try taking it every other day; try taking it earlier in the evening (6-7 pm maybe); try taking on an empty stomach; try taking with ibuprofen (this always works for me, as does alcohol - but like I said before, I only take when desperate... not every day as alcohol is contraindicated.)

That's interesting, Sweetness. I've actually not taken it tonight for the first time since I started as I was out and got back later than expected, and I'm drinking at 7.30 so can't take it too late. So maybe will try your every other day regime!

Hoping I still sleep OK tonight after lady night's sleep deprivation.

Do you mean that the drug affected your liver function?

Last night not lady night!

It gave me a bilirubin score that was a bit high. The doc didn't even mention it (I guess it's normal on amitriptyline) but I googled. It wasn't like an alcoholic's liver or anything but it was enough to make me want to cut down.

I'm on it for pain management. I was told it was not one you can get used to - nonsense! I'm on 50mg at the moment, will probably go up again soon.

I've found it does nothing for sleep but an occasional zopiclone (7mg) is good. Not allowed to have them daily though.

Well, I ended up crying through sheer bloody exhuastion and she was amazingly kind. I've got Sertraline for anxiety and more Diazapam. The Setraline is making me feel a bit queasy though, and I notice that one of its side effects is temporarily increased anxiety! Yippee...
I slept pretty well last night with the help of the Diazapam (maybe ask your GP about it, Sleepless..?)

I am taking amitriptyline for endo pain. The seditive effects seem to be wearing off two weeks in i was able to take a missed dose in the morning whereas i iitially couldnt get up in the morning. Do you find antihistamines sedating?

Yes, antihistamines do work for me, before I was given Amitriptyline I would take Nytol sometimes and it worked very well but I always had this feeling I shouldn't take more than one a week. Not sure why! And that wasn't enough. I have a packet by my bed still. Maybe I should alternate!

I took Amitriptyline last night after missing 2 nights and it worked well. But I was a mess yesterday after 2 sleepless nights so not ideal.

haverhill hope you're doing OK. How's the Sertaline?

Hi Sleepless. I slept OK last night with Diazapam although the neighbours' dog woke me at 12, annoyingly.

The Sertraline seems to make me MORE anxious and very sleepy which is JUST what you need after a rough night.... However, these side effects are meant to be short-lived so I'm sticking with it as it should hopefully reduce my overall anxiety which is the root of my insomnia. I'm also going to start taking them at night rather than the morning - maybe they will even help me sleep.

Like you, even a good night's sleep doesn't make much difference after a massive sleep deficit. We need a month of proper sleep!!

I've been on amitriptyline for years, mainly for depression but also because I have a sleep disorder. The dose you're on sounds too low to help much with sleep, from my personal experience. I'd recommend discussing dosage with your doc next time you see them.

I was prescribed Mirtazapine to help me sleep with the added benefit of it being an antidepressant to help with PTSD and depression. Could it be one to swap to?

Thanks for the replies!

The doctor prescribed 1 or 2 tablets per night so wondering if I should go to 2.

Yes might ask for Mirtazapine instead. My appointment isn't for another 3 weeks unfortunately.

Hope you're doing OK haverhill. Do you track your sleep on a fitbit or anything? I find it really useful but also very depressing sometimes when I know I've not slept well but it's even less than I was expecting!

All over the replace at the moment!

DH has been taking 25mg amitriptyline for headaches for a long time but they help him sleep, he was an insomniac before that. It took him a bit of time to work out the best time to take it for him, to ensure he is sleepy at the right time. He does occasionally get a batch that doesn't seem to work as well.

He is so used to them now that if he doesn't take one, he does not sleep.