Should I wait longer?

[Clazzy78]

Hello everyone,

I've been on my Amitriptyline for 4 weeks now and I don't feel like the depression is lifting at all.

It has helped my anxiety so much but depression - no!

Should I give it more time? I'm up to 50mg now. I know therapeutic dose is 75-100mg so not there yet but thought I'd start to feel something.

Any help very welcome.

Much love ❤️

[Quagmir]

I am on Amitriptyline (i hate trying to remember how to spell that with the I's and Y). In a therapeutic dose it dose much better than current SSRI for being from the 50's and a tricyclic for some people. 75 to 150mg is a common dose and can even be more. I would hope that you try double what your on(with doctors approval) before giving up on it. Beware, it will make you tired so take it an hour or 2 before abed and try to get more than 8 hours of sleep. And you will gain weight, it makes you hungry and slows down your system. Watch what you eat if you care about that but most SSRI's have that as well.

One of the reasons it helps so much with anxiety, head aches, IBS and many other uses for it is that it has a numbing agent sort of like a muscle relaxer that makes you not feel as much..of everything that goes on in your body and brain. I notice everything and that causes me anxiety and is why it helps me so much.

Know, at your dose you can stay on it for its anxiety help and still take another SSRI( at a minimum dose, at your doctors approval, i am not a doc) without the worry of Serotonin syndrome. I am on 60 MG of Ami and another SSRI since the Ami is not even half of a therapeutic dose.

Make sure to titrate off Ami slowly if you go off. Those numbing properties work in reverse if you come of it to fast and you will feel even more... i know because I did go off it once to try another SSRI and went off way to fast. Long story that didnt end well, so please trust me on that.

[Clazzy78 in reply to Quagmir]

Thankyou Quagmir,

I have been on it once before and got up to 75mg. But I feel I need to double the dose.

I have tried venlafaxine, sertraline and citalopram before and don't get on with those. Also, I take the Amitriptyline for sleep issues too.

I think I will have to go back to docs and up it and try for another 2 months before I try something's my else. I hope it helps, I'm sure it will, just the dose isn't correct at the moment.

Thanks again. Much love ❤️

[Quagmir in reply to Clazzy78]

Glad you have an answer and hope I helped a little. that 125-150 range is much different than 50mg which is used for IBS, headaches and sleep disorders.

Best of luck and let me know how it works out. I may have to go on it full time again and drop the SSRI that doesnt seem to be doing what the full dose of ami did.

[Clazzy78 in reply to Quagmir]

Thankyou. It's nice for someone else's perspective.

It just seems to be taking so long to get to a therapeutic dose and to feel better.

Thanks again.

[Clazzy78 in reply to Clazzy78]

Can I ask if you have ever had ringing/tinnitus in your ears with the Amitriptyline? I have it and it's weird. Annoying too. Hope it's not permanent either.

I did a little research and it is on a list of 'ototoxic' medications. If it continues I may have to change medication.