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[Eviepf]

Good morning Annie

I've just started taking amitriptyline for VA/bladder pain. Tried it before but couldn't continue because I felt so zonked in the morning - was working fulltime then and just couldn't manage it. This time I'm trying with half the initial suggested dose at night (5mg instead of 10 mg) and it's much better. I still feel rather disconnected, first thing, and this dosage is obviously not going to do the business, pain-wise, but thought I'd try increasing gradually as suggested by a v.helpful poster on MM. I'm currently on day 3.

I know of lots of people who've used it for VA/bladder pain, with good results, and they say the side effects do wear off after a week or two, so I'm hoping for the best.

[Annie0710]

I've got a feeling gp mentioned 20mg and called that low dose? I haven't picked it up yet so not sure.  Are they cuttable so I could reduce that way ?

[Eviepf]

Hi Annie

The tablets I have are 10 mg each and the GP has prescribed one or two at night. She did suggest that I start on the lower dose and see how it went, but my experience before was that even 10mg made me feel quite foggy the next day, which is why I thought I'd start even lower. They'll obviously affect people differently, but it might be worth you starting with 10 mg, at least for the first night, and see how you get on.

They don't cut very well, I've found.  I don't have a pill cutter, so have been using a sharp vegetable knife. I've been ending up with one usable 'half' and a load of fragments, which I've just discarded.

[CLKD]

Could you ring a Pharmacist to see whether it's delivered in smaller doses?  Once you have gained some relief from symptoms, if you want to avoid the hung-over effect, would alternate days int he week plus Fri/Sat/Sun be worth condsidering?

The Vets. have good pill cutters ;-)

[Annie0710]

I still haven't been yet to get them but I've got a pill cutter and decided I won't start til Tuesday night next week as I'm working and get up 5.45 mon and tues and have social events (with some alcohol) tonight and tomorrow

[Dancinggirl]

Unfortunately after a couple of weeks of taking 10mg each evening, the sedative effect wore off so my sleep was bad again. I also developed a very dry mouth that was most unpleasant. Tried products to help
with dry mouth but these had artificial sweeteners that then gave me diarrhoea. I Just seem to be so sensitive to any drugs these days. Such a shame - I got 2 weeks of great sleep. DG x

[CLKD]

Artificial sweeteners taste too, I recently tried Coke without sugar  ........ they are also known for weird bowel effects!

[Annie0710]

Dry mouth concerns me as I already have that, and nocturnal dry eye :-(

[Maryjane]

Problem is it can cause an already dry vagina to dry out more .....it dries your eyes , mouth , and does the same to the vagina. However Dow help many to calm the nerve pathways ....I no of a lady on 200mg 😳 how she functions I have no idea , and IMO this is nearing a very dangerous doss as amitriptyline can cause heart palpitations, so if you start getting odd heart feelings tell the GP.

Noratripaline is preferred by some as less side effects , amitriptyline can be got in a syrup regards tapering but is expensive.

[Annie0710]

Oh god these side effects are all things I already have and hate, my palps have calmed down again the last couple of weeks and it's been lovely not having them

[Eviepf]

I think your idea of trialling the amitriptyline from next Tuesday is a good one. Regarding side effects, you won't know unless you try - you might not get any at all and, if you don't get on with it, you could just stop.

Re nortriptyline - I did ask my GP whether I could have that instead of ami. The answer was no - it's a financial thing.....

[Bungo]

I'm picking up a prescription for this today after just coming off the phone with my gp

I struggle with codeine and so she said anything in that category may give the same spaced out feeling so suggested amitripyline, also I fessed up to my social phobia for the first time and she said it may help that too.  She said give it a week to see if side effects (dry mouth/eyes) settle.  I have been diagnosed with damaged or arthritic facet joint in lower back and any movement causes the nerve pain so she said this may help all round with my problems

Annie, came across this post by chance. Have had sciatica for  months now but MRI didn't show impingement of the nerve. I do have  lumbar facet joint
 hypertrophy  and only have leg pain when standing or walking etc. Did your nerve impingement show on MRI ?

[Lyncola]

I love amitriptyline, I’m on 100mg for facial pains and headaches. This time last year I was having 100 facial pain and headaches every day. I’m now having 4.
I started at 10mg per day then went up to 25mg and up 12.5mg every two weeks.
I have vagina atrophy it had not made me dryer, I also had dry eyes with menopause, I’ve had no eye troubles with Amitriptyline. Dry mouth but that got better as my body got use to the medication.
My sleep is wonderful, a bit sleepy in the morning for the first couple of weeks. Please DO NOT TAKE IT ONE HOUR BEFORE BED, that information is wrong. You take it 12 hours before you wake up.
As I wake up every morning at 5.30am I take amitriptyline at 5.30pm.
It’s dry up my nose, helps with over random pains in my body. Plus the antidepressant is amazing, last year I was depressed and not myself, I couldn’t be happy even when good things were happening.
I love Amitriptyline, it has saved me, my doctor won’t let me on HRT due to ovaries, thank god for Amitriptyline

[Mary G]

Lyncola, that's interesting, this thread caught my eye because I was just talking about amiltyptaline as a migraine preventative on another thread.

My migraine specialist suggested I try it at a low dose (5/10mg) but I was scared off when I read about side effects like excessive sweating and having to wean off it if it doesn't work out.   My migraines are stable at the moment but having read this I would be tempted to try it if they spark up again so thanks for that.

[Lyncola]

Hi Mary G,
Yes you do have to ween off if it doesn’t work. The ENT specialist started me on amitriptyline, I got up to 20mg and he refused to up the dose anymore. They ween me off and sent me to the neurologist, when I told him they only put me on 20mg and wouldn’t go any higher. He agreed with me they should of up the dose. I then got permission from him to go up to 12.5mg every fortnight, 100mg at the most.
With my next appointment with my neurologist I had to do a heart scan to make sure my heart is healthy. I’m not sure if this because I’m on 100mg or because he is looking at taken me on a higher dose again. If this is the case I will ask to remain on 100mg, yes I’m not 100% symptom free, but 0-6 short pains per day I’m happy with that.
But for me amitriptyline benefits me and helps me so much, I’m in the best mood and health wise since starting menopause (I’m on my 4th year of menopause)