Amitriptyline

[CaptainCabinets]

Hi all!

I’ve just been prescribed amitriptyline for back pain and prevention of recurrent headaches. I have two questions for anyone who takes it for these reasons:

1. Does it work?
2. Does it make you feel shit?

TIA 🤗

Check side effects v carefully and people's reviews on other sites . i know it's worked for a lot of people, but my poor dads having a nightmare trying to come off it now and it's made him have big anxiety issues and can't sleep. (he did have some minor ones to start with so if you haven't then maybe not an issue for you).

It didn't help the person I knew who took it to try to prevent migraine.
It turned them into a bit of a zombie.
Things can work differently for different people though.

It really varies. I took it for a pain issue and it was a godsend once we got the right dose. I did find it made me sleep more, but no other side effects, and no problem coming off it. But my sister couldn't get on with it at all, and it didn't touch her pain either.

I take a very high dose for nerve pain. It took a little time to get used to it as I'd feel sleepy in the mornings-I recommend taking it at 8pm if it's a once a day dose. I have stopped taking it during pregnancy (I didn't want to take anything just in case) and it was no problem at all to stop and start again later.

It has been wonderful for me and I've been using it ten years.

It worked instantly for my headaches it was amazing. But I did feel zombified until about 10am every day. I did 3 months on 3 months off and yo-yo'd between headaches Vs side effects. But eventually on one of the 3 months off the headaches didn't come back.

My other main side effect is really vivid dreams! Have heard noritryptyline makes you less drowsy but haven't tried it myself.

It helps with my nerve pain but I have had a really tough time starting on it and on each dosage increase. It made me very depressed with suicidal thoughts which lasted about 10 days each time.

I'm on the lowest dose to prevent migraines and nerve pain and it has been a life changer. I take it at 8.00pm and get up at 6.30am without a problem. I went from sleeping for 4 hours maximum a night to sleeping for over 8. Just fabulous. Headaches are very minimal and the days of nerve pain following a headache rarely happen.

The side effects do worry me but I’m on a very low starting dose (10mg) so hopefully these will be minimal.

Is it safe to drive when on amitriptyline?

It helped a bit. It definitely helped me sleep. I ended up on 50mg a night for my migraines.

It did, however, make me absolutely crave food and sugar and in turn made me fat.

It gave me nightmares so I stopped taking it after a week

Yes it is safe to drive on as long as you absolutely feel safe to drive. You kind of have to police yourself. Hope it works out for you.

Hi I work in a pharmacy and dispense this medication regularly, it’s popular for arthritis and migraines but most of all it’s heavily prescribed as an antipsychotic. This is why people often feel a bit “zombiefied” on it. Coming off of it can cause trouble sleeping as a PP said, but that’s because it lowers your blood pressure to ease anxiety in mental health patients.
On the lower dose you should be absolutely fine, even on a higher dose the side affects may not have affected you. It wouldn’t be prescribed if they had any worries.
Hopefully that explains why some people feel a bit dozy on it.

I'm on the lowest side and it has helped a lot. It also has given me some strange dreams. Not working as well now but the next dose is 25mg and I worry about the side affects. I do feel tired but I don't know is this my condition or the tablets. Also I have heard it can make you put on a lot of weight the higher the dose.

The lowest dose!

I was prescribed it it in 2007 for migraine prevention, started on 10mg a night. By 2008 I was up to 150mg a night. I had to stop because I fell pregnant. After having my baby I went back on it.

I'd say they did help to an extent. Although I still suffer from frequent headaches & was sent to a headache clinic (was put on Topiramate) & then sent to see a professor at a hospital, who saw what I was on & asked how I got up in the mornings & if I drove (which I don't- well I was learning but it's a long story!) because he'd be very worried if I was!

Anyway, for the last 6 months or so I've been trying to refuse my dose to actually come off them as I don't think they're being of much benefit to me anymore. I'm on 80mg now, have been seeing a neurologist at the hospital over the last few years & he's agreed it's ok for me to try & come off them. To say when i first started taking them I'd have a decent nights sleep, I now don't get a full nights sleep and anyone who takes Amitriptyline knows how just how much of a sedative effect they have, so therefore I am 'groggy' & tired the next day. I can only guess I'm immune to them now!

Day 1!

I slept well last night (probably a coincidence) and didn’t feel any different this morning. I’ve got my usual 4pm killer headache which I’m bummed about. I just want it to be like a magic wand hahah

I have been prescribed it for it’s sleepy side effects. I often fall into bad sleep patterns and so, if I take one of these i’ll Have a good sleep but if I take it too late i’ll Feel groggy well into the mirning which isn’t ideal. I have been reminded to take around 8pm if I want it out of my system by 0800 the following morning.

Reading with with interest as I've been prescribed these today. Am a bit scared about taking them.

My dsis has been on them for years for headaches / facial pain , has no side effects and they work very well . My mum takes a higher dose for pain and they absolutely help her sleep with no after effects the next day .

@Floralnomad Thanks for that, makes me feel better.

It's part of a class of drugs (anticholinergics) that have just been shown to increase dementia risk by 30% if taken for a year.

I can take up to 50mg if I need. As far as I am aware I have no side effects and if I stop I get a migraine so yes it works. Also good for nerve pain which I also have.

max I read that today too - bit worried now. I have been off them for over a year (was on them for 1 year) but have been having headaches and dizziness again and was about to ask the GP to go back on them. My DM had early onset dementia so feeling a bit frightened to restart.

It helped my back pain. I've stayed on a tiny dose as, by a handy side effect, it got rid of my migraines as well.