For whatever reason has anyone taken either Nortriptyline or Amitriptyline?
I need to try Nortriptyline for my ongoing gut issues (IBS-d) as I have exhausted all other meds. I have suffered with an overactive gut for decades but due to various issues and stresses in my life everything is getting worse despite tests at the hospital all coming back as normal. I have loose stool every day and my life now is very much dictated by my bowel habits. I am desperate to try something to slow down my gut activity and firm everything up.
I have tried everything advised for IBS and have had mixed results but nothing lasts and I soon go back to loose stool with a whole host of miserable digestive issues throughout each day, even imodium only holds every thing back and as soon as I stop all hell breaks loose (literally 😢)
My gastroenterologist has often offered to prescribe me Amitriptyline or Nortriptyline as she says these meds can help those with IBS-d.
It would only be a low dose (10mg) but I’m scared to try them. My mum has Alzheimer’s, which I am now terrified of getting having witnessed the horrors of this disease and upon research I see that Amitriptyline/Nortriptyline are anticholinergic drugs which have been linked to dementia (Alzheimer’s U.K. advice dementia sufferers not to take these drugs).
I know that I have to weigh up the lack of quality of life I currently have to any potential long term issues from these meds but I need to somehow get over that fear as I’m going crazy struggling with these daily bowel issues and in all honesty they have become an obsession, I hardly go out these days for fear of my guts upsetting me.
So, if you take either of these drugs, have they had any impact on your bowels at all? Ideally, I, looking for something to make me a bit constipated as I can control that easier than unpredictable loose stool/diarrhoea.