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[Elliemay]

Been having an awful time with very wild mood swings, nerve pain, tingling etc. GP usually suggests prozac group of meds but im phobic about them after one tablet years ago sent me manic, & kicked off a whole cycle of anxiety. I've noticed that has happened to quite a few people on here. Im 6 years post meno and had a very rough 10 years of it.
 
I saw the nice GP today, as opposed to the passive-aggressive bloke I saw last time. She suggested Amitriptyline (She is limited because of my fears. her first choice was gabapentin but that sounds too full on for me, she also mentioned HRT but knows I have a hard time taking anything)

I get a lot of nerve tingling and numbness, very unpleasant, all since meno. I cant function ay all when it is bad, it's almost like having a stroke, speech slurred & drowsy. Went to A&E once, they thought it could be migraine auras. Im also hardly getting any sleep due to being awoken by violent panics so am exhausted too.

I see the sense in trying amitriptyline, but im still scared of it! Any info from those who have tried it would help. She also suggested HRT which i have never tried but i didnt want to exacerbate the anxiety if it was hit and miss.

The dose she suggested is very low. only 10mg but im still scared and also can it put weight on at this low dose/ more weight gain I do not need. 

Ta xxx

[Greyhoundgal]

Hi Elliemay
It sounds as if you're having a bad time right now....  I just wanted to put your mind at ease over amitriptyline - I take a low dose (10mg) at night to help with constant lower back pain.  I was quite sceptical to start with especially after reading the accompanying leaflet in the box.  In much higher doses (100mg upwards) it has been used as an anti-depressant and they also use it for children with bed-wetting syndrome.  For me the worst part of my pain was the lack of sleep, everytime I moved it hurt so my GP suggested I took it at night, about half an hour before bed.  It helps enormously and I think on such a low dose you should be fine.  It does seem to have a cumulative effect though so don't be surprised if it takes a few days to start working.  I was also warned of some side effects - first thing in the morning you can feel a little groggy but this soon wears off and nowhere as severe as if you'd taken a sleeping tablet.  It can also give you an extremely dry mouth but I found a few sips of water first thing or sucking on a boiled sweet soon sorted that out.  I can't say I noticed any weight gain from it either if that helps?  I would give this a go and try it for a good month, if there is still no real improvement then it might be time to start looking at HRT.

[GypsyRoseLee]

Like greyhoundgal I took Amitriptyline for back pain, but I was on 50mg a night. No side effects, other than slightly dry mouth. I slept like a baby, and just slight grogginess on waking, but that cleared after a cup of coffee.

Amitriptyline is an old, very well researched and tested drug, and I'm sure you'll be pleased with it.

I also suffered terribly with anxiety, and feelings of panic and I would have taken rat pee if it would have stopped those dreadful feelings.

[dahliagirl]

My husband had it for nerve pain - started on 10 and went up to 20.  No problems.

[Elliemay]

Aw thanks all, that is really helpful. After what that one seroxat tablet did to me I find it hard to take anything. I'd probably find rat pee easier!

[CLKD]

Seroxat made me angry  ....... how about taking the Amitriptyline at night so that you sleep through any side effects?  Will you let us know how you get on?

[dahliagirl]

6pm seems to be the recommended time

[Flossie]

Hi, I have Fibromyalgia and also take 10mg at night when I can - I don;t take it during the week as I am sleepy in the mornings and it doesn't go well with the early start school run. I have chronic leg pains and it just helps to relax the muscles. I've not had any side effects or problems.

[Elliemay]

I'm really grateful, thanks. The seroxat threw me into the worst anxiety state you could imagine, i couldnt go out of the house for a week and overnight developed the anxiety disorder that i still have 20 years later. ive done a lot of work on it, cbt etc but the meno has kicked it off bigtime. last week i was having the mood swings, so was extremely hyper in the mornings then crashed in afternoon. the side effects leaflet says dont take it if you have hypomania, so that has me a bit bothered! i may cut it in half or something just to get over the phobia part.

[Elliemay]

I have a feeling that some of the severe symptoms may be caused by sleep deprivation, so thinking if i get better quality sleep it may help. I know ive had untreated depression for years too but have been trying to cbt my way out of it! :-/

[CLKD]

CBT won't get rid of depression which is chemical!  CBT can help people confront how they react to various situations.  It never worked for me.

Do talk to your GP about a modern anti-depressant medication, some of which can ease anxiety.  I found out this by chance by upping my dose from 10mg daily to 15mg .......... although not gone completely the back-ground anxiety went away.  <phew>. 

When anxiety took over my Life it was 3 months B4 I could leave the house, even to walk my dog or go into the garden  .  It took until ADs kicked in along with a Beta-blocka until I could open the front door.  I am a work in progress  with improvement.

I have found relaxation therapy really useful and some ladies find Yoga helpful.  Cortisol rises in the mornings to get us out of bed, if we produce too much it can increase anxiety surges!

[Sarai]

Elliemay has your dr done blood tests to check everything else is ok?
A lot of what you describe are often the symptoms of low vitamin b12 and or folate.

[Elliemay]

Thanks so much everyone, I take b12 in spray form because I wondered about that. Nothing ever shows up in blood tests. I find it amazing that I can feel so ill and nothing shows. So I have to put it all down to anxiety and ride these horrendous feelings. Since meno they are out of control and ive done so much self help but still feel alone with it. I do need to tackle the depression but ive been offered escitalopram whih is an ssri like the seroxat that caused the bad reaction. I just darent risk it

[CLKD]

Not like seroxat at all.  Medication has moved on.  I have taken ADs in 1 form or another successfully - not a cure - since 1988.  Some gave me rotten side effects so I had to stop them, others have been good.  One I took for 9 years then it pooped out so I have had 2 others since.

I used to look at The Pill and wonder if it would make me ill  ........ and I did worry about side effects of ADs but now that my brain is used to them I am able to regulate my dose as necessary.  DH and I have a Life again.  Occasionally I feel hung over but that is far better than being bed-ridden.

My GP has given me a beta-blocka to ease anxiety surges and I have an emergency tablet for when anxiety floors me.  Other things I have used for anxiety are relaxation therapy as well as 'rescue remedy' but ADs have their place in mental health treatment. 

[Elliemay]

It sure would be nice to have a life again.I can only work part time, live alone in a cheap house & really can't afford to be here any more since the cuts. I have to work whilst feeling the some very distressing symptoms too. So that is a source of stress in itself! That Seroxat robbed me of the chance to have kids too, I was too anxious to go ahead with the one we had planned. we split up shortly after. But yes the depression has not fully lifted for some time, I thinkit's about time I had some fun instead of pretending, I'm just not sure whether to try hrt first. It's good to remind myself that not every AD is going to behave like seroxat but it would take a lot for me to actually try one, I'm terrified. Are there any that dont put weight on though? I have put a stone & a half at least on since meno & stopping smoking. it would depress me too much to put more on. Also i need to lose it because of reflux.