New to Amitryptaline. Looking for (non-scary) advice please.

[Annita]

Hi everyone.

I started 10mg Amitryptaline 1 week ago.

It's helped me sleep much better but I can't say it's helping with the pain.

It's making me very drowsy and a bit sort of detached.

I'm aware that it's different strokes for different folks, we all have different reactions to different medications.

What I'd like to know is, are the pain-reducing effects cumulative as they would be in the case of treating depression? I'm only taking it for pain relief. 1 per night.

I hope the drowsiness wears off given time but at the moment I'm more fatigued and still as sore.

😃

Thanks x

[TheAuthor]

Hi Annita

Usually Amitriptyline should take a couple (2 to 4 weeks) of weeks to start having an effect on your pain, and then it will depend on what dosage that you are on? Also, please take into account that many medications work differently for different people, and what works for one may not work for another. There is a sister drug called Nortriptyline which does not contain a sedative and this could possibly help alleviate your drowsiness? It may be worth discussing this with your doctor?

Please give it a bit of time and see how it goes? If it does not have any pain relieving properties for you after a month it may be beneficial to discuss it worth your GP to see if your dosage can be increased or another drug prescribed for you?

I want to genuinely and sincerely wish you all the best of luck with your Fibro.

All my hopes and dreams for you

Ken

[Tina62 in reply to TheAuthor]

Hi piggysqeak I've been on amitriptyline for 12 months now 25mg x 3 . I agree with other comments takes a good month to start to work . I find them very helpful with my pain & sleep . Hope you feel the benefit of them soon 😊 tina

[Piggysqueak]

Hello Annita

Nice to meet you

I was told many years ago that the best ,well most effective dose for pain was 50mg .

I started on 10mg and felt like you

But I did get use to it and I thought as my dose was slowly increased to 20mg then 25 mg etc up to 50 mg very slowly the sleep at night was amazing I never woke with pain in the night but I did nt feel it helped with the pain like other medicines . I came off it and I think we are all so different and are Dr are so different you might find 10 mg is fine . I can only tell you my experience and out of date knowledge but was also told no medicine is perfect you get a pay back with each and every one it just wether you can cope with the pay back I guess . I hope I have nt been too scary 😳

sorry could nt answer your questions fully or any better but I'm sure you will have all the info you need and more once the lovely people here see you post

Take care

Love squeak xx🐷🐭

[Lorrainespad]

I take this for pain and some very helpful advice I was given on here was take the dose earlier in the evening I take mine now at 7 pm instead of about 11 pm it helps me not feel so drowsy in the morning hope it helps you give it time

[Lizzie57]

I'm on this and I find if I take it at least 2 hours before bed I'm not drowsy in the morning,does not help with pain but helps me sleep.hope this helps.

Granny crochet.

[Tuscany]

Hi

I have been on Amitriptyline for nearly 2weeks now. I do sometimes feel drowsy and it makes my mouth dry but it has helped considerably with the pain. It doesn't wake me up at night anymore. I sleep through. It is difficult to get used to but I was in so much more pain without it x

[craftymummy]

Hi, I'm on this too, I found at first it made me more lethargic but that wore off after a little while, my dose is now 20mg and a sleep much better, but can still hear the kids if they get up in the night. I take mine around 7 as I found the later I took it the more drousy I felt the next day. Hope you find a happy balance. I've found it doesn't really help with my pain other than I don't wake up too sore to move.

[Fonegirl]

Hi, like you I also felt a little concerned about Amitriptyline however over time the drowsiness and feeling of detachment disappear" I now take 75mg every evening around 8:00. Taking it at this time ensures daytime sleepiness won't happen as the effects will have worn off. As for pain, being able to sleep better certainly helped a bit however I can't say as I am pain free. I take various pain meds and try to just get on with living as best I can. With FM moderation is crucial! A balance of sleep, healthy diet, gentle exercise and being as stress free as possible. Remember, sometimes you just have to put yourself first!

[karran12]

Thank you for that information. My doctor at the hospital has recommended that I go on this. However, if it makes you drowsy the next morning that will not help as I have to drive to work. Karen xx

[Maisie1]

I take 100mgs at night and apart from helping me sleep I have no other side effects

[Hidden]

Hi Anita,

like you I only take it for pain relief and to help me sleep. Mine has been increased to 20mg but I need it to go up again. I find it dulls the pains a little bit but does not take them away, but it really helps me to sleep and I can handle things much better if I get some sleep. I hope you find what works for you

[babyowl]

Hi I too was given 10mg which I started taking 7 weeks ago now on a dose of 25mg no pain waking me at night. However still don't sleep without waking a couple of times. Don't want to up my dose as still feel groggy in the mornings have started taking my tablet at 7pm which does help (after reading posts on here.) This site is very helpful.

[MJD14]

I have been taking for over a year. It has really helped me sleep which has a lot of other benefits. Pain is reduced but not gone. I was very fuzzy for about month but then got used to it - it is the one med I can't go without. I am only in 10mg as any more us too much for me...

[lizashfield]

Hi, I'm on 75 mg Amitryptaline. It doesn't help with the pain but it does relax me and I need to take it or I don't sleep. Try and bear with it for a while, although the drowsiness doesn't go away completely it does improve.

A pharmacist advised me to experiment with the time that I took it as well. My GP had told me to take it at bedtime, but the Pharmacist suggested that if I took it earlier it would help me to get to sleep earlier and I'd have less of a hangover in the morning.

Hope it starts to help you soon.

[stiltzski]

I have been on amitriptyline for about 8 years. I have had fibromyalgia for 10 years. I try to stick to 10mg but up it to 20mg if I am worried I might not get to sleep. All the advice about taking it earlier in the evening is spot on. It definitely helps you relax and get restorative sleep and I do think it helps a little with pain, especially leg pain and cramps. It is certainly worth persevering. Apart from drowsiness for the first few weeks, I have had no other side effects. Good luck!

[frances8a]

Hi Anita

my GP prescribed Amitriptyline to reduce my pain and help me sleep. I took it every night for 2 months and it helped me sleep without any pain at all during the night. I started taking it around 6 pm and this prevented me feeling drowsy the next day. I now take it as and when and feel I need it less at the moment. Yes, I felt very drowsy at first and yes it gave me a dry mouth but I found it helpful . I still have pain every day but its not as bad as it was. However, the weather is now much nicer now as well.. I think it is a combination of the two that is making me feel less pain. I hope you do too.

[Genevieve]

I'm on 25mg of Nortriptyline for pain and sleeping problems. My rheumatologist told me to take it about 4 hours before I go to bed and it works fine for me. It definitely helps me to sleep - and my sleep was quite bad beforehand. I do have to take extra pain relief during the day, though, but at least I feel somewhat rested.

All the best.

[SquareD6]

Hi, I've been on 75mg amitriptyline for just over a year now. I take it with the evening meal around 5.30 - 6pm otherwise I feel woolly headed in the morning. I have to be up & out of home for work by 7.20am. I sometimes wake up with cramp in my legs or a dead arm, but I definitely sleep better if i've taken it.

I'm also taking other medications as well, I find the pregabalin helps with the muscle soreness & pain.

Good luck, it does take at least 3 weeks for the amitriptyline to build up in your system b4 it starts to work effectively.

[Annita]

Thanks everyone for your very kind replies.

That helps a lot. I shall take all your advice to heart and give it a chance to work and take it earlier in the evening.

It's certainly helping me sleep, it's staying awake the next day that's the challenge!

Thanks again everyone, it's a great site for newly diagnosed people like myself 😃

Next thing is an appointment with the neurologist, don't know what to expect there yet.

Hope you're all as well as you can be x 😃.

[mimiwen]

Hi Annita,

I didn't find Amitriptyline at all helpful, but I've been taking Nortriptyline at night for over a year now and I've found my sleeping has gradually improved. It's taken a long time to have an effect, but it's never made me groggy or drowsy during the day so it's been worth the wait!

If you still find amitriptyline makes you feel drugged during the day after 2 or 3 weeks, I recommend you ask your doctor to change you to nortriptyline.

Wishing you all the very best,

Mim x

[magnetta]

Hello there,

I took Amitrip. and at first thought it was a wonder drug! It is the only thing that really helped my pain. Unfortunately it made me too tired to carry on taking it. I was napping twice a day and sleeping all night!

My advice is make sure you take it at the right time of day. I found early evening, around 6pm to be the best.

Good luck with it xx

[Annita in reply to magnetta]

Thanks for your reply Magnetta,

I'm going about like a 'half shut knife' since I started it.

I had to go for a nap for two hours yesterday and I still had the cheek to sleep until 11am this morning. Thankfully my husband is off work this week to help with our boys.

If the sleepiness doesn't wear off I won't stick with it.

[magnetta in reply to Annita]

Oh no! Are you finding any pain relief from it?

[Annita in reply to magnetta]

Ehm, a wee bit better. Still getting pain, though I have been too tired to do a lot, I suppose it's a bit slightly more barable.