Amytriptaline (sp)??

[Lupins71]

Can anyone answer this question pls?? I was prescribed fluoxetine for my pmt however it gave me migraines so have been changed to amytriptaline and the gp said it may make me very tired to the point of there needing to be two people around to cope with little ones especially at night, I have been getting wiped out on these I have no energy and am always tired even after 12 hrs sleep, question is is this just a settling in symptom or will this continue, if it is just going to be for a few more weeks then i can probably cope but the tiredness is making me short tempered so I am not really gaining anything, going to see gp next week but if anyone has some experiance i would be grateful to hear it

oh great thanks i will talk to gp, i have 8 month old and 5yr old so need reasonably high energy levels

What dosage of Amitriptyline did he give you?

It is generally only prescribed for nerve pain and sleeping help (in small amounts, between 50-250mg) these days as it is a nerve suppressant but it is not commonly used as an anti depressant so I am surprised you have been given it.

Would cipramil help at all? It is not as addictive and 'zombie making' as others.

Lupins, If I were you I would go back to the Dr and ask for something else as my mother has been on these pills since I was 9.... I am now 36, and I think they are evil, they are addictive (no matter what the gp says) and they zap all your energy.

Good luck.

I was prescribed them for Post Herpatic Neuralgia (pain after shingles) in a small dose though, so felt no more tired than usual on them. My friend who has suffered from depression and anxiety for years is on them (amongst other drugs) and doesn't really suffer any ill effects. She is on quite a high dose as well. She said the side effects lessened after a few months and it was worth sticking with it for her. Havings said that, there are so, so many different types of drugs it may be worth talking to your gp again.

I take a very low does of them (20mg) to help me sleep with my pain from Fibromyalgia - the pain can be worse when lack of sleep is involved, thus getting itnoa vicious circle - when i first started tkaing them I was on 50mg, and was really spaced out, not ideal as I have 2 DSes and was childminding at the time. Eventually it sorted itself out as the dose was lowered. However,w ehn I ran out a few weeks ago and had to wait to see the GP for more the side effects were awful, i was spaced out, felt sick etc.
Wisteria is correct, it does tend to be given out for pain management now, although if it's for migraines then I suppose it is pain managment. What does are you on?

sorry meant to put between 5mg and 50mg not 50-!!

It s excellent for any type of pain management, my condition is similar to saltire's fibro but I have recently come off all meds as they seem to bring added complications for me - go to a different doc and find out what is the most succesfull med for PMT - you might even get a better result from a homeopathic remedy like St Johns Wort.

I am on 10mg I also have chronic pancreatitis so am on 30/500 cocodamol or dihydracodiene I take 8 a day, Wisteria I tried st johns wort, i think the doc was also checking that it wasnt the codeine that was giving me the migraines and if so then it is suppossed to be good for rebound headaches - think thats what they are called

I must say i feel better tonight for not taking one, feel like i could actually do something after kids are in bed - which is nice

Hi Lupins, what time do you take the amitriptyline - the best piece of advice I had was at the pain clinic where a fellow patient told me to take them much earlier in the evening than the meds team had suggested; so for example if you wanted to fall asleep at 11 then take them at 7.30-8pm instead of the half hour before as it says on the pack.

I found that this enabled me to think far more clearly in the morning and be more awake for the dcs etc. A strong cup of coffee helped as well if I had it early on.

All I know about rebound headaches is that they tend to occur if you've repeatedly and regularly used pain relief such as paracetamol to combat a headache - the body tends to react by getting a headache as soon as you don't take them (basically a chemical dependency).

I hope you get something sorted soon; it took me years to get used to it all and now I've rebelled against it all and am much happier !

I was on 125mg, they made me sleep well, but didn't really steal my energy much, certainly not zombie-like at all. Would agree with taking them about 7.30. I also had no noticeable side effects when reducing dose slowly.

However on high dose they made me very bad tempered and paranoid. That's why I reduced the dose

I have been taking them early evening, I tried taking them later and was way too zonked in the morning to get it together for school run

I have been on the cocodamol for about 2 years before that it was coprox, have just started to dihydrocodiene - i used to be on it for my pancreas and am back on it as an alternative for a bit

thanks all, its good to hear how other people cope with thier meds, i feel so much better tonight