Menopause Matters Forum
Menopause Discussion => Other Health Discussion => Topic started by: Dancinggirl on May 17, 2017, 09:01:07 PM
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Hi everyone
Is anyone taking amitriptyline for pain relief?
If so, are you finding it good and are side effects generally tolerable ?
Saw GP today regarding increase in lower back pain, headaches and poor sleep and Amitriptyline was mentioned. I've always been wary of ADs but feel I should be open minded about this option.
Feedback please. DG x
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My DH was prescribed it a couple of months ago when he pulled something in his back and was in a lot of pain. He said it helped enormously and he never appeared to have any side effects. Hope your pain eases soon.
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I know loads of people who take this for pain relief and beter sleep, some have been on it for alot of years. At the dosage used for pain relief there is no anti depressant effect its just altering your perception of pain.
I personally can't take any anti depr as they give me severe acid reflux but thats just me and I wish I could take it.
Def worth trying to see how you go on with it as it can help enormously.
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Didn't know that it was classed as an anti-depressant. I was prescribed it for trigenimal neuralgia years ago, did not do anything at all as I couldn't forecast when the pain would hit.
It can be used successfully for pain relief as can Valium.
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Valium is addictive whereas Amitryp is not addictive.
I've had it before for fibromyalgia pain and it worked really well. I found good results on 10mg a night. The first few nights it made me a bit sleepy in the morning but I was still able to function and get to work. Hope it works for you.
Taz x
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Dancinggirl, I'm sorry to hear you're having a tough time. Back pain is the absolute pits, I know!!
I haven't taken amitriptyline but it was one of the prophylactics suggested for migraine relief at COLMC though I think it was off licence for that treatment so was only prescribed by specialists. That was a while ago, it may well be licensed for general use now.
I have a pal who struggled terribly with HRT, it really made her quite ill. She stopped cold turkey and has taken this since. It seems to control quite a number of issues she was struggling with, and she now looks and feels like a new woman.
Give it a go, you can't know till you try.
I really wish you well x
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Thanks ladies - very helpful. I'm getting quite bad aching in my lower back and hips and I'm unable to take aspirin ibuprofen or codeine so may well need an alternative.
Good to hear that at low doses the side effects are minimal.
Anyone else could feed back? DG x
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Mr dr mentioned this one for my bad back. I'm waiting for my appt to come through from the specialist but dr said she'll help with pain management in the meantime. I can't tolerate codeine either x
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Hi Dancinggirl, as has been said by the other ladies, at low doses this is often prescribed as painkiller/sedative as opposed to as an anti-depressant when at higher doses. Have tried this at low dose several times over the years for chronic pain which disrupts my sleep & can vouch for it as a good sedative, so may well be very helpful for you. Was not strong enough to relieve my pain, though I know it IS a tried and tested pain relief medication that is so helpful to many people. Slight drawbacks are that it can be constipating & tends to dry eyes (so again, not that suitable for me, as already on meds for these two conditions), but I believe these side effects don't affect everyone & often pass after a while in those they do. I would think it well worth a try - I don't think you should have any withdrawal problems if you need to stop it, so feel you have nothing to lose and potentially much to gain. I hope you find some relief soon, pain can be so wearing.
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Its a drug that is used for lots of things including bed wetting in children I believe. Only used as an AD in larger doses. I've used it for quite a few years at 10mg for migraine prevention and back pain. Helps me to get a good night's sleep. Need to take it about an hour before you intend to go to bed otherwise can make you drowsy in the morning. Hope it improves things for you.
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I've used it for pain relief in the past and it does help.
I had to take it very early evening and then I wasn't groggy in the morning. I started with 5mg and then increased to 10mg after a couple of weeks. I had no side effects at all if I took it early evening. It's very commonly prescribed at pain relief at this dose, for anti depression relief it's given at a much larger dose.
X
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I also use it for back pain at 10mg dose. Dr recommended I took it in the evening an hour or so before bed as it can also help with sleep patterns. The first few days I woke feeling a little strange (bit like a mild hangover) and a dry mouth but the benefits outweighed the negatives so I would say, give it a go.
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Thanks ladies - very helpful. I'm getting quite bad aching in my lower back and hips and I'm unable to take aspirin ibuprofen or codeine so may well need an alternative.
Good to hear that at low doses the side effects are minimal.
Anyone else could feed back? DG x
This is a coincidence that you are asking about Amitryptyline as I have just asked for some from my GP for VA pain and discomfort!! I am trying everything else for that at the moment and still in discomfort and I read about this drug somewhere so I asked my GP for it...does anyone else know if it might help VA pain and discomfort???
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Linfit .....amitriptyline is drying mouths / eyes including vagina so you will need to bebisin loval oestrogen to compensate.
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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
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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.
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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 ?
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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.
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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 ;-)
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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
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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
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Artificial sweeteners taste too, I recently tried Coke without sugar :sick02: ........ they are also known for weird bowel effects!
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Dry mouth concerns me as I already have that, and nocturnal dry eye :-(
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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.
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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
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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..... :(
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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 ?
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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
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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.
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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)
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Lyncola, thanks so much for that. I have decided to go for it and so far so good! I have been reading reviews on the low dose (10mg) and it seems to be very effective for migraine prevention with minimal side effects.
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I hope you get the relief Mary G, it’s funny I got told by eight weeks amitriptyline will be at full affect? But I’ve been on the same dose since Christmas and my headaches and facial pains keep on improving. For the first time this month I’ve had two days with no pain and very month the average keeps on going down 😊
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I have been put on amitryptaline 10mg for diverticular pain. I take it about 8 at night. It seems to be helping and doesn't make me sleepy at all. I went up to 20ng but that knocks me sideways
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Hi all
I started this thread years ago. I took Amitripityline for only three weeks but found the dry mouth side effect unbearable - I also felt very agitated and almost drunk. After the first few nights on it, when I'd slept really well, this benefit subsided and I found it difficult to sleep. It took me 3-6 weeks to feel back to normal after I stopped taking it. Maybe I'm super sensitive but I won't be taking that again. DG xx
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I've been taking Amitriptyline for years for lower back pain, nerve related and it works a treat for me.
I lost 2 weeks though when I first started taking it as it said to take it a couple of hours before bed, that was a big mistake! The sedative affect to begin with was huge for me, however, I got used to it and the dry mouth and being zonked out subsided and I was soon able to take it in the evening without any problems.