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[hellen]

Hi, anyone taking amitriptyline for vaginal pain... just wondering how did you feel and did it work. i have been given 10mg a day.. not brave enough to try it yet..  thanks in advance ...

[peegeetip]

Please remember that this is off label usage of a drug that's for Depression.

Funny that doc's are sooo awful at giving us HRT for symptoms that are peri/meno but are not fully recognised as part off the on label usage of HRT.
However they are sooo keen to use a powerful AD off label for what they deem fit.
Something is terribly wrong with that.

Its "thought" to be good for pain relief but it seems to be a bit of a sledge hammer when all you might need is full HRT and ease off on the topical route for a while?

 

have a read through this before you look to take this
http://mentalhealthdaily.com/2014/09/11/amitriptyline-elavil-withdrawal-symptoms-how-long-do-they-last/

[Limpy]

Hi, anyone taking amitriptyline for vaginal pain... just wondering how did you feel and did it work. i have been given 10mg a day.. not brave enough to try it yet..  thanks in advance ...

Hellen - I've been given Amitriptyline for MS neuropathic pain. The reason given was that it affects the way the pain receptors works, not because I was depressed. It did sort of help with my pain, but that might be because it knocked me out so I got a decent nights sleep. 

[Limpy]

Please remember that this is off label usage of a drug that's for Depression.

Drugs are often given "off label" to deal with pain and other symptoms. 

I have been prescribed ADs for MS neuropathic pain. Not, because I've been depressed, but because they alter the ways that pain receptors in the brain work. I stopped using them because I just felt zonked all the time - the pain went though 

Another example, Gabapentin, an anti convulsive drug used to treat Epilepsy, is often prescribed to reduce hot flushes. Not the original use, but if it works why not try it?

Doctors don't have many things in their tool box that they can prescribe. If they do cause more problems, then lets see what else can be done.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Actually Amitriptyline isn't often prescribed for depression anymore. GPs much prefer to use the newer SSRI anti depressants.

However, Amitriptyline is still routinely prescribed for nerve pain and sleep issues.

[marras]

I had it prescribed some years ago to try and stop me getting migraine. It made me feel like a zombie but I was on 25mg which I think was too high. It didn't stop the migraines either. GP put me on a lower dose, I didn't feel so awful but still got the migraines so stopped taking it in the end. However, they are wonderful for getting you to sleep so just take one on the odd occasion when I really need to sleep.

[Hattie]

Hellen

I have taken Amitriptyline for vulva pain - started at 25mg but i went down later to 10mg because of side effects - it gave me a dry mouth for a while and i did feel groggy in the mornings. Urine retention and constipation are other side effects at higher levels.

Chewing gum helps with the dry mouth.

I used to take it at about 7pm in the evening to avoid the groggy mornings.

I was changed to Nortriptyline after a while which is similar to Amitriptyline but has less side effects.

I think you can go up to 75mg of Amitriptyline for pain relief after which it is for depression.

Hattie X

[Maryjane]

Hellen.....what type of vagina pain do you have? Unfortunately I have/had everything wrong down there but I am on the mend now......have you been offered vagifem?

[hellen]

Hi, yes i have been told to use vagifem every night for 3 months... ... i had previously been on vagifem, for many years, and had managed to reduce usage to 6 or 7 a month, using moisturisers in between. thinking i was doing a good thing..  but suddenly had a really bad flare up of pain and swelling, presumed it was a thrush infection, so tried a canasten pessary, that really burned, then left everything off all together to get things to settle,as i was so sore, i couldn walk ...  used some mult gyne acitgel, that seemed to help.. the doctor advised gynest cream, 14 day reload, first few days ok, but by day 6, swelled so much i was in pain and the cream wasent coming back out.. left everything off again. now gyne advises vagifem every night for 3 months and amitriptyline.. i dont really want to take the amitriptyline, i feel if i take it steady, i would like to sort it out with vagifem. but i will never reduce my vagifem  again, i think my vagina is addicted to it..  thank you for your replies, i feel i will see how i get on before using the amitriptyline.. 

[Maryjane]

There is an infection we can get that only a few specilists know about it is called Ureaplasma may be worth looking into.......also cytolic vaginosis.....if you can afford to and not to far from London I know an amazing specilailist who will give your vagina the MOT of its life looking for the hidden bugs that get over looked......I have never seen such a thorough consultant.......amitriptyline as said is used for nerve pain and works well for some.....I took it for about four months but decided to wean myself off......if you are having trouble sleeping it will help with that.

Stopping the vagifem may have set the nerves off firing and caused "vulvudynia " which is an umbrella/catch all phrase for pain in the vulva......my SIL is having to use vagifem for four months every night as they couldn't even put a finger in to try and do a smear her vagina had shrunk so much.

There is an ointment called "Hydromol" that will give a barrier to stop p burning......I personally wash after every p......pat dry and put "YES" oil based oil on the area to keep it moisturised......you can also get 1% hydrocortisone ointment to reduce inflammation all these are suggested by consultants.......and for when it's really bad you can also buy 5%lidnocaine ointment over the counter again as suggested by specialists......ointments are always better than creams as creams contain more nastys which is why the HRT creams can burn......once the vulva gets angry it is hard to calm it down......what I was also told to do which works for me better than the ami is an anti-histamine a day......to calm those mast cells down, regards the histamine as its a type of antinflamatorie I take a citrizine every morning none drowsy again as advised by specilist.....all these things I have suggested will do no harm and are all readily available over the counter.

[hellen]

it doesnt seem to be the out side thats giving me the pain, its seems to be the inside. i have used the vagifem now for four days, and although i feel lubricated i feel sore, im not sure any of the creams you suggest could be put inside, i fear i will have to try the amitriptyline, does it kill the pain, or just make me sleep... i have been given 10mg at night, if i take them what should i expect, by that i mean what sort of side effects.. as after taking the vagifem for several days, now, i really feel that inside nerves are upset and that is whats causing the pain, its a sort of throbbing pain.. and heat ...

[Taz2]

I was given amitryp for fibromyalgia pain hellen at the same dose as you have been prescribed. For the first week or so I felt a bit hungover and had to leave a little later for work to make sure I was safe to drive but after that I had no side effects and the pain was so much better. I'd give it a try but allow yourself up to two weeks of possible side effects before you know whether it will be ok for you or not. http://www.vulvalpainsociety.org/vps/index.php/treatments/antidepressants-a-anticonvulsants

Taz x

[peegeetip]

Hi Hellen

found this page which seems to have useful advice if you wish to go down this route.
http://www.drsusanevans.com.au/amitriptyline-and-how-to-use-it/

I'm still at a loss as to what would stop you taking normal patch/gel or tablet HRT?
Tbh I'd be more worried about going onto this than the HRT I take but that is my own view and preference.

Also in your posts you mentioning reducing down your use of vagifem?
"i had previously been on vagifem, for many years, and had managed to reduce usage to 6 or 7 a month"
Just wondering why you had tried to reduce things down if this was working well for you?

I was considering seeing if adding this to my own HRT as some posts seem to mention ladies doing well on using both.
But I'm now curious now why your trying to cut back on this.

I wish you well whatever path you go down.

 

[Katy]

Hi Hellen

I have been using amitriptyline 30mg for some time now for vulval pain but it wasn't until I was given gabapentin for a frozen shoulder that the vulval pain receded!  The amitriptyline did help somewhat but not enough.  The only side effect I had was a dry mouth.  I do take it around 8.30pm so that I am not groggy in the mornings. 

So my advice is to try it, I am sure it will help - what have you got to lose.  I feel for you as I know how terrible vulval pain can be.  I also use 4 10mg vagifem a week.

Hope you start to feel better soon.

Katy x 

[hellen]

Hi, thank you everyone for you replies.... i had tried to reduce the vagifem, as i seem to be having a lot of palpitations, and i wondered if it was due to the vagifem, also i had a very bad negative gyne last year, who ranted on, her very words, why were other gynes trying to kill me, keeping me on vagifem, and it had niggled on the back of my mind..  i had felt really well on the reduced dose, and had felt i had achieved something.. then bang, acute pain... this is the worse i have ever had.. whether it was due to a moisturizer and vagifem, that didnt agree, or the canasten pessary, or a infection of some sort..  , maybe even my natural hrt had dropped even further, i notice even my skin on my calfs can hurt at times lol x  i did try during the whole period, multi gyn actigel, for a couple of days, as i had tried to use a vagifem and it had felt like hot gravel., and it was very soothing.. .  and although it didnt treat this  dry skin i could feel high inside of me, it did reduce the heat and the swelling,   it gave wonderful relief..  then the gynest originally felt ok, but then i swelled inside, so much so, that even  the bottom of my stomach hurt.  the swelling went down when i stopped using the gynest, and after two days i went back on the vagifem. it burned and i was careful not to put in the same place twice if i could move the pessary.. and im gradually getting better.. and im relieved..  i havent  used the amitriplyline, as i put up with the pain.. i found even ky eased, when i first used the vagifem.. i have lost half a stone in weight, but i feel on the mend now.. i have no idea what i had, or what went wrong. but i spent 5 weeks hardly walking, and when i did, sometimes like i had just got of my horse lol..  i would never wish it on anyone, and i would rather take vagifem every day, if thats what worked.. so i will never worry about the vagifem again.. not sure why i have never been offered a patch as wel, but its a good idea, i wil ask, if things dont settle all together.. the most annoying thing is.. i feel that i have been worried about taking hrt over the years, due to bad things said about hrt. . then my hubby goes to the docs, and they suggest progesterone injections for him, as he told them he is tired all.the time. what is that all about.. no suggestion as it could be bad for him lol xxx thank you ladies for your replies, it has been a huge comfort xxxx