Anyone else felt horrendous on Amiltriptaline?

[brokenbiscuitsadness]

I have been taking meds for severe anxiety and depression about a year - Propranolol and Mirtazapine.

i went back to the GP as wasn’t sure Mirtazapine was doing anything and she suggested swapping over to Amiltriptaline. So the last week I have gone down from 30mg to 15mg of Mirtazapine and last night I took my first Amiltriptaline.

To say I had a bad night is an understatement, I fell asleep for about an hour and then jolted awake. Chest pounding, heart racing, overwhelming feeling of doom. Can’t stop crying. Anxiety on a level I’ve never felt before.

is this normal? I feel really scared and concerned about what may happen if I continue to take this medication. Even now my chest is pounding

I have taken it in the past for pain, it takes a few days to get into your system, I took it around 2 hours before I went to bed because it made quite groggy in the morning, you are going to feel some effects of any new medication give it a bit longer than 1 day see how you go, if you have anxiety any new thing you experience might make you anxious.

Tapering might be too fast - 30 to 22.5 then 15 is recommended. You might have to go even slower.

Amiltripyline gave me palpitations andmade me really sluggish in the morning until I got used to it. It took about a week iirc but it was horrible until it started working properly

DH was prescribed it for migraines and came off it swiftly because it made him feel suicidal. This is someone who had and has no mental health problems. It was very scary.

Everyone feels terrible on amitriptyline for a couple of weeks, or at least everyone I have met has.

After two weeks it does settle down so stick with it.

I came off it and tried something else, I took it for neurological symptoms and pain.

But give it more than one day. I know it really works for some.

Thank you. I feel very foggy headed today and chest feels tight like I’ve been crying hard. Not helping that I’m utterly exhausted.
wonder if some OTC sleeping tablets might be helpful to get me through early days. Been taking herbal Nytol but they’re not keeping me asleep

the Amiltriptaline is only 10mg , was previously on 30mg Mirtazapine

I take 10mg for nerve pain , it’s a low dose and my understanding is it takes a while to get into your system so I doubt taking it once would be the cause of your issues, could it be coming off the other one or the combination? Either way I’d ask your pharmacist or gp for advice, I’ve never had any issues or side affects and now been on it 3 months, it’s definitely helped my nerve pain though.

I wouldn't mix it with anything personally, try taking it maybe after your evening meal or a couple of hours before bed then you might be less groggy tomorrow but it will take a week or so for your body to get used to it.

I was prescribed it for my headache condition over 20 years ago. I took myself off it after a two weeks for exactly the same reason. I split up with my partner, didn’t go to uni, stayed in my room and essentially withdrew from life. A few days without it and I was back to my normal self (albeit with my crippling headaches that the amitriptyline hadn’t touched the sides of).

MIL was on it after surgery and was fine.

However, I always say that those side effects that I suffered could have had devastating consequences and therefore when people tell me they are on it, I warn them.

I definitely wouldn’t be taking it with anything else.

I just feel if I could at least get some sleep I would feel so much better. I’m lucky if I’m getting 3 hours atm.
I can’t carry on like this much longer; it’s also impacting work.
I have a permanent wall of fear since getting divorced and living solo for first time in adult life and feel an increasing rise of panic despite it being over a year.

i have never felt anxiety like it

Oh no it sounds horrendous, do you think you could keep taking it to say Friday then see how you are?

yes think I will persevere for a few more days, at least I will then know if it’s the drug, or the swapping over.
I have to give it a chance but if it gets worse I’ll have to stop.
i feel utterly horrendous and out of control with anxiety

I was prescribed it for CFS/ME. Only the lowest dose I think it was 10mg?

GP said take it at night it will make you sleep better - oh fuck it was awful, I was up all night sooo agitated and feeling absolutely crazy.

GP said keep taking it it will get better - Nope, it got worse and worse, I was agitated all night, with no sleep at all far worse than before, and felt completely out of it during the day. I felt like I was losing my mind on it.

So I stopped taking it.

GP now says I have "anxiety" and I am a "difficult patient" who refuses to take prescribed medication.

FFS.

This. It has been life changing for me. I take it for bladder issues and it’s meant I’ve been able to completely stop daily antibiotics I’ve taken for 30 years since I was 14. You just have to be consistent and persistent with it. The side effects wear off. It may even be the tapering down off the other medication too.

Uurgh very mixed experiences. I am almost scared to keep taking it.
Will take it much earlier this evening, maybe that will make a difference.

I actually just came off amitriptyline after 7 years on it and I had all those symptoms you describe with the withdrawal from it. So I think it’s more likely your problems were caused by the withdrawal from your previous medication. As an aside, my GP wanted me off it because ‘they don’t like people having it anymore now they know more about it’. I have to say, it was a great medication for me but I wasn’t generally anxious, just couldn’t stay asleep at night. I’m off it now due to having some odd health problems that no doctor can identify so part of the process of elimination was taking me off amitriptyline to see if that was causing the other issues. I would definitely look into why doctors are being told not to prescribe it anymore and then you can make a better informed decision.

The first night I took it I have never been more awake or agitated! I felt like my brain was on fast forward . It was awful!

Have been on it for 3 years since with no problems. It was just that one bizarre night.

I think I’m going to have to come off Amiltriptaline, I feel worse. Wake up every hour heart literally pounding out of chest. Chest feels tight, mood even lower, I’m also on 160mg slow release Propranolol which doesn’t seem to be helping either.

ive heard good things about Sertrakine once it settles. Am going to ask GP about it,

I can’t carry on like this, starting to get really intrusive thoughts I feel so exhausted and low

Like most meds your body needs a good 6 weeks or so to settle in with them.

Thanks for the prompt reply @HoppingPavlova at this hour!

i just feel so bad I’m worried. I’ve been on ADs before and not experienced anything so bad; however my MH has never been so poor.
am starting counselling next week which I am praying starts to sort me out,

I was on it for about 7 years, went up from 10mg to 30mg. It did help sleep and nerve pain but following the recent article in The Lancet I decided to withdraw. I did cold turkey and it was fine, had a bit of weird pins and needles type sensations that came and went but now feel great after a month. My sleep is less (averaging 6-7 hours) but the quality of my sleep is much better. Also, my appetite is so much more stable now although I’m just approaching the week before my period so we’ll see how that goes 😫