amitriptyline and drowsy?

[spikeandbuffy24]

Started this fairly recently (2-3 weeks ago) and I feel like a zombie. Sleep like I've been knocked over the head and I'm waking up in tears at the thought of getting up
I do have conditions that cause fatigue but not like this, I'm struggling to cook let alone exercise

Is it something you get used to? I'm wondering whether to stop it or push through for a bit longer

You need to take it about 2-3 hours before you want to sleep. So if you’re wanting to sleep around 11 you need to take it around 8/9pm. Then the drowsiness should wear off a bit by the morning. To be honest one of the reasons I like to take it is because it helps me to sleep with the pain I have but the sleepiness does wear off the longer you’re on it for. I take 10mg for bladder issue pain.

I've been taking it early so around 7pm
Usually despite health conditions/fatigue etc I can cook, exercise a bit
Sat crying at the thought of having to leave the house today and I don't know if it's the meds or something else

Are you using it for pain? Why was it prescribed? Because many people have it at night as it can make you drowsy and they can sleep better despite their pain. The morning drowsy effect is something you adapt to.

UTI type symptoms, bladder pressure/pain

I was prescribed it a few years ago to help me sleep with acute (and now annoyingly chronic) pain instead of diazepam.
I know in larger dosages than I was taking that it’s used as an antidepressant - I was on 20mg and generally felt very woozy when I woke up but I put that down to the extreme cocktail of drugs I was taking.
Hope you’re alright and have someone to talk to, you sound at the end of your tether 💐

Oh I'm fine! This isn't totally abnormal, I usually get a day once a week or so where I need to just sleep rather than eat etc

But it's like the drowsiness isn't wearing off during the day, and my sort of enthusiasm for actually doing anything has vanished. Very flat

my consultant said to take it at 7pm so it wears off by the morning. I felt jet lagged for the first probably 6/8 weeks (as in I’d be fast asleep on the sofa at 9pm) but that went away. I used to be a morning person but now it takes me 30 mins to wake up properly but then generally are ok. Make sure you drink lots of water/keep hydrated with it too.

Does it solve your pain? Because it may be worth persevering with.

It's not really pain.. more like bladder pressure/urge to go
Hard to tell as I have constant pain from endo anyway! I think it's helping a bit but I would rather have the bladder issues than feel like this

How much are you on? And did you build up slowly? I've taken it for two different periods of time in my life, nearly 2 decades apart. The first time was after first getting ill and my fatigue symptoms were dominating at that stage. I used to sleep 15+ hours a day while on it, but at that stage that's what my body needed. Two decades later and I'm back on it again, this time because it's the only way I can sleep with extreme pain, and at a much higher doze, but not sleeping anywhere like enough and no day time drowsiness from it. I've had to stop taking several medications because the side effects were worse than the symptoms they were treating, but if you didn't titrate up slowly than reducing for a bit and going up slowly again might be worth a try first.

Only the min dose I think it is, 10mg and started it straight away as advised, every night

I mean work is busy yes and I have other health conditions... usually I can finish work and do a spin class even if sometimes reluctant! But this is finish work, sleep for 2hrs, eat a bowl of cereal, go back to bed

you kinda need to play around with the medication and figure out the best time for you to take it before bed - I take the newer version and sister drug of amtripyline called noratripyline and it took me a long time to figure out the best time to take it .

Also if you haven't already get the ball rolling on seeing urology and getting urodynamics sorted as it took them about 3 years to get me a diaphanous surgeon of what was wrong with me and to have a plan going forward.

I take it for overactive bladder - which sounds like what you've got. You do get used to it - I used to be woozy all the time but now I don't have any side effects. And it does help with the bladder. Good luck.

I gave up on it after about 6 weeks. I was way too drowsy in the mornings, and I took it after tea time and was out like a light once I got to be about 10. I felt heavy and exhausted. I was only on a small dose for migraine prevention. I'm back up to about 7 migraines a month now and taking cadesartan. I still feel better than I did on Amitriptaline.

i take it for nerve pain and migraine prevention... 20mg so not a massive dose, but i have to take it on a morning as if i take it on an evening it keeps me awake!

i dont think i have any other side effects and i do sometimes wonder why i am bothering with it at all and will stop, then the pain and the headaches come back and i think to myself 'thats why'

It's endometriosis which I'm waiting for excision for so not under urology

It'll stop after a few weeks usually. Most side effects from Amitriptyline go after 2 weeks but I found the drowsiness and dry mouth stuck around a bit longer. You're definitely taking it too early though. I take mine right before bed and am on 100mg, sadly the sleep-like-the-dead effect has long since worn off.

Yeah I was trying to take it early so I didn't feel as wrecked in the morning!

Think I've decided to stop it and I'll give the doctor a ring and see if there's another option

I was prescribed it for my Crohn's symptoms but I completely lost a weekend and my then boyfriend took them away as I had been awake for about 2 out of 48. I was told that some people do react more. As a teacher there was no way I could take them.

So I stopped it. Still tired but a normal level of tired and I feel like a fog has lifted already

Definitely causes dreadful tiredness and brain fog. I gave up driving for several years because I didn't feel safe when taking these and was in too much pain to drive if I did take them. I also put on a couple of stone.

All this from a very low dose.

I take 30mg.

Twelve hours before I want to wake up so for me it’s around 6pm.

Initially it knocked me out, now I don’t really notice it.

I’d stick with it- it’s helped me with so many things I didn’t realise.

But it’s taken me from chronic pain and being sofa bound to up and active so I started in a worse position than you. I may be a bit flatter, but that could be my condition. Hard to say.

And re driving, at first I was careful, but now I take it as usual at 6pm, then drive 3hours to visit family. No problem at all. I’m relaxed but not sleepy. No need to stop for a wee. No pain when I arrive.

Came back to say I've swapped onto norotriptyline and feel much better so far!

Oh that’s interesting! I’m seeing the GP at the end of the month so will see what he says.

What’s the difference for you, and how long did it take to adjust to the new one?