Anyone got a good alternative to Amitriptyline?

[Sarah-Jane]

I am heading for 19 stone and this is ridiculous. I need the Amitriptyline for the sleep aid and desensitising of my skin. On Lyrica and Tegretol too.

[mooo1967]

Been on amitryptline for 15 years but recently I was put on duloxetine so as they can interact gp advised me to stop taking amitryptline - problem is I can't sleep without the amitryptline do I too need a viable alternative x gentle hugs x

[Aisha in reply to mooo1967]

I was told that Lyrica is the same as Gapapantin and Pregabalin and its these medicines are the ones that are causing your weight gain and not the Amitryptline as I'm on this 50mg a night and haven't found any weight gain with it, I do agree it helps you sleep and its good for chronic pain so its wise not to stop it but to stop the Lyrica instead! Hugs Aisha x

[barb939 in reply to mooo1967]

I had to stop taking amitriptyline after 30 years and I had to get on something to help me sleep. I cannot take sleeping pills, especially Ambien, as I have terrible side effects when I'm on them. So I started taking melatonin and it works like a charm without the side effects. I take 2 10 mg pills in place of the 100 mg amitriptyline. I hope this helps you.

[ladymoth]

Several of us here take Dosulepin - it works pretty well. It helps me to sleep and there are no side effects to speak of.

[happycroc]

Hi ... i could not take amitryptiline .. was on duloxitine for a yr.. but it did not help.with pain.. I have been taki ng. SERTRALINE 100MG. for four months i take it a bout twe ty mins beforw bed.. and fingers X i am doing ok xx. Plus it is a cheaper alternative.. x

[Owenchris in reply to happycroc]

Hi i have really bad sholder pain are you medication very realiable for pain

[Hidden]

Yup as moffy says dosulepin. Works for me I sleep for 7 hours every night .. 4th antidepressant I tried and it suits me fine

VG

[mooo1967]

Does dosulepin interact with duloxetine? Or does if give the same serotonin syndrome? Does anyone know? If they can be taken together I will ask my gp to change - I have barely slept more than an hour at a time in the last 2 months, I really need to sleep the sleep problems and fatigue for me are the worst problems with this damn fibro x gentle hugs x

[ladymoth]

Dosulepin is one of the old-fashioned tricyclic antidepressants, so does not cause serotonin syndrome, however, I'm not sure if it can be taken together with duloxetine.

I think it would have to be one or the other, but your GP will know.

Moffy x

[Hidden]

If duloxetine is in the same family as fluoxetine then I am pretty sure it can't be as one of my rheumys put me on fluoxetine while I was on dosulepin and my GP took me straight off it ...

Vg x

[Jane64]

I took amitriptyline for years and had serious 'hang-over' effects for most of the day times. My pain consultant suggested I change to Nortriptyline. It's so much better and I feel okay in the daytime now.

[Owenchris in reply to Jane64]

Wouldl this work for shoulder pain you think thank you

[_Phoenix_]

Notriptyline is a good alternative if amitriptyline works well for you, but you need less side effects x

[pottyness]

yes as a lot have already said dosulepin is the alternative to amitriptyline however it doesnt stop migraines so that was a shock after 8 years on amitriptyline and never so much as a wiff or reminder that i used to have migraines.first one was a bit of a horror but i have really good meds for them now so that doesn't bother me so much but the amitriptyline had had me slowly piling on the stones... and we all know that fibro is hard enough to carry round with us with out trying to carry round a couple of sacks of sugar. [i used to measure my weight gain as bags of sugar... now they are sacks] it is slowly crawling down again. not anything dramatic but just a little bit each month.

AND this is important. under my proper doctor i went down to 25mg of amitriptyline and then the next day took the 25 mg dosulepin. i didnt have to go a week or two with out anything at all as some stupid locum made me do when i went through it once before about ten years ago.

[anbuma]

I came of amitriptyline almost as soon as I started taking it.Been on imipramine ever since

and it works for me if i forget to take it I dont sleep as well

[haribo36]

I changed from amitriptyline to dosulepin as I was sedated in the mornings and its worked great for me.The dosulepin helps me sleep and helps with pain and depression.I do have a dry mouth a lot of the time but that dosent bother me as much as not being able to sleep.I also take pregabalin and I've found that since I've been on that I've put on weight but I've lost a stone of it through going to slimming world x

[angib53]

Hi I couldnt take amtriptyline so I now take nortriptyline and lycria , I found nortriptyline had less side effects x

[RIBBONPINK]

hi i have to rely on natural things a peice of lettuce before bed time and a few drops of lavender oil on pillow pinkribbons

[Hidden]

Im on the same, but believe that the Lyrica is much more likely to be responsible for the weight gain than the Amitriptyline.

So it might be worth finding an alternative for that one.

I gained a lot of weight using lyrica too but just lost 2 stone with Slimmingworld . Weight loss while using those meds might be a bit slower but not impossible.

Good luck with what ever you like to do x

[1222]

Hi, I am on 50mg amitriptyline at night and the weight is piling on. I take it for chronic headaches. Is there something else that I can take as this weight gain is depressing me.

[Pips04]

I'm the same I was size 10 now size 20 and I've had enough, it's all down to amitripline and this has been proven. Thanks to reading comments here I'm going to insist on changing to another tricyclic drug in the new year. I've got peripheral and axonal neuropathy which is horrible. I'm scared to change but I'm also scared not to, I can't go on like this hiding from the world. Fingers crossed anybody else out there who's got the same condition? Mar x