Amitriptyline any advice ???

[WAGS56]

anyone on this med

[Jeff1943]

Yes, I've been on it for 20 years and I know of other people who have been on it for long periods. When I first took it I found it completely cured my anxiety/depression but after about 18 months the anxiety symptoms returned but much milder. I have tried tapering myself off it three times in 1998, 2001 and 2005 and felt very anxious and depressed so I just continue taking a maintenance dose of two 25mg. tablets before going to bed. It's an older anti-depressant that's been around since the 1960s and it's prescribed for anxiety even though it's an anti-depressant. It started to go out of fashion when newer style anti-anxiety meds came along but it's come back into favour as it doesn't have the semi-serious side effects that the newer style meds can cause.

However, it does make you a but sleepy and you wake up with a dry mouth but that's a small price to pay - one day I will try to reduce my dosage, I've already started taking only one per day on one day a week.

It's also been discovered that it's very good for nerve pain and only small doses are needed like 10mg per day.

It works on anxiety abd depression by increasing the amount of serotonin in the brain, the 'happy hormone'. But it takes 3 to 4 weeks before it kicks in and gives its full benefit.

[WAGS56 in reply to Jeff1943]

Hi jeff, Thanks for the reply i have only been on it 18 months or so,In late 2012 i had my 1st spinal fusion operation on my c5 c6 which was an unsuccesful op as i still had the same sensations from nerve damage and my balance was all over the place with the added pleasure of severe nerve pain different from my last symptons upon investigating this early 2013 with an mri scan, it was decided to operate again by the posterior approach as the last op which was around 4 months prior to this did not work at all,The bone spurs on the back of my spine were creating a trapping point so it was decided to go in from the back of my neck and cut of the c5 c6 c7 bone spurs of my spine, which will so they said stop the pain from getting any worse thats an understatement for sure,upon having this done i was discharged,over the months that followed i was having all sorts of problems,with severe nerve pain all over to loss of sensations in my hands and feet,left leg cant tell if its hot or cold no sensations,hands and feet cramp up, trigger finger the docs say cant do anything its down to your spinal cord damage so every few months i have to have steroid injections to stop the pains,could not sleep with the pain and the feelings so was prescribed the amaitriptyline for both nerve pain and to help me sleep,Crikey i was ill for a few days with them as they was obviously making themselves at home, feeling nausea and hot sweats and throwing up or a few minutes in the mornings,This was obviously down to the strength of the pills and perhaps my other meds were clashing,I am 18 months in with them and they have helped me with the pains and my mindset, its only recent i have had these funny episodes of fearing am going to stop breathing,Could it be sometimes that i dont take my or some of my meds at times ? ,Tried coming of them but cant as the feelings and thoughts go awol.For me i have that many issues at 49 yr and take a fair whack of meds daily it took a while to work out that its the amil or lack off thats making me panic without knowing am in a panic if you no what i mean sort of thing,I had a heart attack in 2014 stents were fitted but now i have the added addition that i will be on more medication for the rest of my days,Currently take for my heart condition - ramiprill,bisoprolol,aspirin,statins,and my heart spray which i take with me where ever i go,My spinal meds consist off on a daily basis --

Gabapentin - 3600 mg daily

paracetomol - 4000 mg daily

permanent buprenorthine 35mcg pain patches which i change every 3 days

amitriptyline - 200mg at night

various laxatives daily like senna and laxido purely due to the meds, bungs you up,Suffer with loss of appetite as well as getting a bloated stomach upon completion of a meal,Sounds as though reading between the lines its best to stop on them as the feelings you get weening of them are terrible,been their with them not nice,Anyhow enough of my rambling on am going to look on this website as its very informative and ts nice to chat with folk that no what your going through.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ...

Regards Lou

[Jeff1943 in reply to WAGS56]

Hi Lou, Sorry to hear about your medical problems, I've never taken more than 100mg of amitriptyline a day but would think the panic feelings were due to anxiety rather than side effects of the ami. I'm going to make a suggestion that I believe could well prove helpful to you and if it doesn't can do no harm, something my family has resorted to successfully from time to time. I am referring to spiritual healing (there I've said it) as practiced by the Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary near Guildford in the U.K. They offer both contact and absent healing, the latter means they offer healing to people in any part of the world and communication these days is by the Internet. They are a respectable organisation founded in 1948 by the late Harry Edwards who used to fill the Royal Albert Hall for his demonstrations of healing. If you Google 'The Harry Edwards Spiritual Healing Sanctuary' you will find them and the facility for requesting healing, they leave it to people who are asking for help to decide on a small donation by Paypal but they make the point that people on small incomes need pay nothing at all.

Next April my wife and I will be attending the wedding of my 25 year old grandson who as a baby we nearly lost to asthma. In my opinion his life was saved by the absent healing I sought for him. There are of course no guarantees but as I said: What's to lose? It is of course your decision and may well not be your 'cup of tea' but either way I wish you better health in the years to come and a happy new 2017.