ADs for chronic fatigue/ post viral syndrome? Experiences?

[MissBoPeep]

Has anyone any experiences? My sister has been offered these by a consultant neurologist. She has been unwell for 2 years following severe flu, and sinus abcesses, ( was operated on) which left her feeling pretty wrecked. She has not had any time off work, and keeps going, but energy levels fluctuate and she has some symptoms of PVFS.

She's not at all keen on taking ADs and wonders what the benefits could be- reading stuff online they seem to be aimed at people with severe ME to help pain and sleep- and she has neither.

She just wants some more info before going back to see the consultant.

I am on 40mg of amitriptyline. This is a tricyclic, which is an older type of AD.

At higher doses - say, 150mg - it is used as an AD, but it is very commonly used as a painkiller at lower doses like mine. Not just for ME-type symptoms, but migraines too.

It acts as a sedative as well so I sleep very deeply, and I have noticed some improvement in pain levels.

Just in case she is worried about this, I just want to clarify that nobody is saying it's all in her head (a lot of people worry that because they are given ADs, their doctor is saying that it's 'just depression'). It is just that the older type of AD works on the nervous system (as opposed to increasing seratonin etc like modern types) in a way that also happens to ease pain. Can't explain further as science is not my strong point!

It may well be worth a try but if she is going to try something like amitriptyline she must give it at least a month, as it takes a long time to build up to a useful level.

Just want to agree with what fuzzpig has said. I too am on amitriptyline to try to help with back pain, which we think is nerve damage caused by epidural/spinal during childbirth. I'm about 3 weeks in on my first course (starting at 20mg as I'm on citalopram too) and so far its going good. The first week was hard as the side-effects (drowsiness) was almost crippling but it passed fairly quick. I am trying this after months of physio which didn't help.

Slightly off topic but I also have a history of depression so am quite used to people judging when you say you are on anti-depressant's but I just told people they help me cope with day to day life for the moment while I deal with deeper issues. Also, no-one needs to know that she would take them but I found once I told people that I was on them, a lot also said they were too.