Amitriptyline 25mgs for pain relief - your experiences please?

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Changing from codeine to Amitriptyline, 25mg to start..

Any 'warnings' or reassurances about side effects, theraputic effects etc...

bit nervous about changing from codeien which has been fantastic but too higher dose to have long term.

Took me 2 weeks to get used to it. Be prepared to struggle to wake up. You may feel hungry and thirsty. I also have a habit of just Zonking out and unable to be roused.

I had to take this.

I had horrific dreams. Was tired all the time to the point of falling asleep every afternoon. Put weight on. Hated it. I will never take it again.

I've been prescribed this for pain relief (and to help me sleep better). Initially 10mg, which I took for a month to no great effect. So the GP has increased it to 20mg and I have to report back in 3 weeks.

I will say, that I forgot to take it last week and really hadn't realised how much it actually helped.

Yes to difficulty in waking up the next morning. If I take it any later than 9pm, I am rubbered the next day.

And yes to weird and wonderful dreams, but I find them more entertaining than frightening.

It makes me sleep the sleep of the dead though and definitely helps with my overall pain levels. Unfortunately I am now working late four evenings a week so can only take it on the nights I don't work so I'm not getting much benefit from it.

I use this its pretty damn good as pain relief, I take it as soon as my ds goes to sleep and then I find it a bit easier to wake in the morning.

If I get up in the night I feel very very woozy but its worth it.

See how you get on, give it a month to give your body chance to adjust to it, it wiped me out at first.

Hope it works for you op

I'm on 50mg now. Taken before bed. Find it v hard to wake in the morning (but still get up to ds2 in the night when he needs me, so it's not impossible just like wading thru custard.)

very dry mouth.

Crazy bonkers dreams (have always had v vivid dreams but have noticed the drugs affect them too.)

Am a bit more forgetful and spacey thru the day.

On 25mg the side effects weren't as bad.

Tbh I don't really like it as a drug BUT it has lessened the pain so I am not crippled with it everyday. Am just hoping I won't be on it for ever...

Nice one, would be amaaaazing.

I am naivly praying it will not only work but mean weight loss, higher sex drive and having more enegry. Thouh I reckon it will be the oppposite.

Will be on shit loads of codeine and the Amitriptyline for a while too while they change me over..... This may be the silver lining to not working cos of redundancy (teacher so pretty much nothing till September anyway...).

ave you found it works for pain?

It is an AD type drug used to modify perception of pain. My DS took it during difficult bone surgery, and it was v effective. I think if you experience strong side effects you should discuss the dose with your doctor as maybe it could be adjusted. DS took it at night, but alongside a rota of codeine, paracetamol and ibroprufen.

Be careful about the dose you take: our pharmacist made a mistake in labelling the bottle - had swapped mgs for mls in the way it was made up from the prescription - and I found to my terror that the therapeutic dose is v close to a toxic dose and our consultant whisked DS into hospital for an immediate ecg and observation.

But it was really effective in the longer term.

In adults there is quite a dosage leeway afaik!

My mother uses it for pain alongside co codamol. She thinks it's more effective than diazepam as relaxing and helpful with pain.
She also takes it early evening

I was prescribed this for migraines, but had to give it up when I fell pregnant. It was bloody marvellous

Thankfully I didn't suffer any side effects.

Since I've had Dd, the bad heads have returned and I'm desperate to go back on it. But I'm not sure you can take it and breast feed.

I took it for migraine -wonder drug, changed my life!

Mine too workshy

I take 50 mg for pain. They did put it up to 75 but I couldn't wake up in the morning, as it is now, I have to take them at 7.30pm if I have any chance of getting up!

I get a very, very dry mouth, very vivid dreams and constipation!

Didn't work. Awful dreams for me too and felt sedated all day. Hope it works for you. We all respond in different ways.

DS 13 yrs (small) on Amitriptyline 25mgs X 2 day since November. Zonked until 10.30 every morning (he is deafblind) but pain is so much better. Now trying to titrate him down by 1mg/week now on 20mg and 22.5mg a day so far no obvious pain.

I've been on it recently for shingles, - it worked very well for the pain. Made me feel very tired (especially in the morning - couldn't get up), I slept very well on it - no bad dreams, but my appetite increased enormously and I suspect I have put on weight. Dry mouth, constipation here too, and a weird feeling on urinating (not exactly pain, - just odd, hard to describe).

I've stopped it now - still got some pain, but prefer low level pain to feeling like a zombie, - but when the pain was bad I was very glad of it.

Hope it works for you OP.

I couldn't get on with it until someone passed on the info from their consultant.

Basically it takes your body 2 weeks to get used to it, when you start it makes you feel tired and dopey, it can make you feel absoloute crap, but stick with it and after two weeks you wake up without feeling groggy and you can function normally.

DS was attending school while on it, and doing well, so able to fucntion v well. But some people seem very dopey and fall over and walk into doors etc. In which case you wouldn't be safe to drive, would you?

I've had patients who had it prescribed by their GP's for burning neuropathy in the feet and legs due to diabetes.

They reported that it worked, but my patients are mainly OAPs who dont have to get up for work.

So there is at least some hope of it working......

Day 3 today - been difficult to wake up but had some nursery money owed to us so popped DD into 'holiday club;. Felt bit guilty but, as DH said, she had a brill day and I got some rest. And actuaslly I got lots of work calls done too.

Don;t feel anywhere near as horrible as I did first few days pf sertraline a few years back and not quite as zonked as codeiene.

My pain free dream: (don;t we all!!!)

To have less pain so I can: do some handwriting at work, drive without feeling horrible, life DD if she hurst herself, have sex in more positions than one...., load the dishwasher even after a long day and not hurt in the night. AM hoping the constant amitriptyline rather than doses of codene will mean i am in less pain first thing in the morning.

Without horrible side effects..

Positive thinking... positive thinking...

Thanks