Amitriptlyne - is it efficient? - Fibromyalgia Acti...

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Amitriptlyne - is it efficient?

Nathalie70 profile image
24 Replies

Hello

My GP has offered me a treatment with this anti-depressant today to relieve global muscle pain. Anybody with any experience with it? Was it efficient? What were the side effects? Thanks a lot for your precious help as I didn’t get a lot of information from my GP. Take care.

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Nathalie70 profile image
Nathalie70
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24 Replies
Flamingbernie profile image
Flamingbernie

I’ve been on it for a couple of years now. The upsides are that i can have a full nights sleep free of pain. The big downside is i often feel a bit groggy for a couple of hours in the morning. I know it’s an individual thing, but amitriptyline has made a huge improvement to my overall experience.

Good luck with your GP

Nathalie70 profile image
Nathalie70 in reply toFlamingbernie

Thanks a lot for your answer. May I ask you if you gained weight? And how is your pain during the day? Are you able to live a complete normal life during the day? Again, many, many thanks.

Flamingbernie profile image
Flamingbernie in reply toNathalie70

Oh gosh, the weight gain! My appetite went really off track, & i packed on some extra pounds. I’ve managed to reign that in now.As for the pain in the day, everything still hurts like crazy. I do find though that i am able to rationalise and deal with the pain better when i have had a decent pain free nights sleep.

As for normal life? I still work, although part time, and with reduced responsibilities. Also i’m a parent, and find being a dad easier since being prescribed amitriptyline.

Nathalie70 profile image
Nathalie70 in reply toFlamingbernie

Thanks a lot for your help. Take care.

Acocoa profile image
Acocoa in reply toFlamingbernie

I concur with you. Amitripillin makes a massive difference with muscles relaxing at night and also anxieties due to pain.

Flamingbernie profile image
Flamingbernie

Good luck with everything

Blueoxo profile image
Blueoxo

Hi, I have taken Amitriptyline for about a year now and it has really helped with sleep. A low dose of 10 mg per day. I have found that taking it 3 hours before bed seems to prevent grogginess in the morning. I don’t think it has reduced the aches but a restful uninterrupted sleep has helped me tackle the day ahead and maintain a decent quality of life. I do still get periods of fatigue but it doesn’t seem as often or to last as long now. I’m guessing a good nights sleep has helped with that too. I reduced my hours at work and that has made a big difference as well. I hope you find this helpful and good luck

Farmerboy profile image
Farmerboy

Hello, Amitriptyline depending on your dosage it's best taken an hour before bed time, I take 20mg and after an hour I feel sleepy and ready for bed. I am not a fibro myalgia suffer but I have lower back pain, spinal sternous awaiting treatment. Amitriptyline takes several weeks for the body to get use to it and the effects to benefit.

Cat00 profile image
Cat00

I've been on between 50mg and 125mg for about 15 years. It doesn't help the pain and my sleep is appalling. On the plus I do get one patch of sleep when the pills kick in and without it I don't go to sleep at all. I don't have any weight gain but my memory isn't good which could be in part to Amitriptyline.

Sandra600 profile image
Sandra600

Be careful if you are prone to weight gain, I put about 2 stone on.

in reply toSandra600

Snap! My next mission is to get rid of it… sleep loads better though….

Midori profile image
Midori

It works, for relaxing muscles, but it can also make you very groggy during the day, so it is important you take it early in the evening rather than wait until bedtime.

Also there is a distinct possibility of weight gain.

I prefer Nortriptyline, still relaxes muscles, but not so sleep inducing. Still needs taking early though.

A note if you drive; these can affect your fitness to drive, so your Insurance might not pay out after an accident.

Cheers, Midori

caico profile image
caico

My gp didn't give me a lot of info about amitriptylene when I started taking it about 8-9 years ago and I wished I had researched it more. I took 10mg every evening about 6pm and initially it helped with the sleep but not the pain during the day. After a few years of taking it I got fed up with the diminished sleep, dry mouth, heart racing, zombie feeling in my head and eye problems (and yes, the weight gain)! So weaned myself off it much to the gp surgery disgust (they basically didn't want to deal with my fibro related problems if I wasn't taking drugs!). Coming off it even with a small dosage was 6 months of dreadful. So now I have totally changed my diet, take paracetamol at night, sleep is ok but could be better, weight slowing coming off and still deal with the pain. At least I feel like me now. I admit there are certain dark days when I wish I was taking the drugs but that rarely happens thank goodness. Anyway, remember each person reacts differently to fibro and drugs; so please don't get put off if you decide to take that route. It was personally not for me. Take care:)

Fificat50 profile image
Fificat50 in reply tocaico

Thank you for sharing your experience. I am weaning off of pregablin much to the GP disgust as well. These drugs do more harm than good in the long run.

Chance_chance profile image
Chance_chance

I've been on it for years now it does help with the pain I take 30-50mg depending on how I am. Once you get use to it ,it doesn't make me drowsy but it does some people. Interesting your replies I didn't realize it was connected to weigh gain however I have definitely gained weight since I've been on it. Hope it works well for you.

Acocoa profile image
Acocoa in reply toChance_chance

It has up my weight. I am pushing hard on managing my weight. Hoping to go back to the gym when I heal from sciatica pain. Hope we all feel ourselves some days. What don't kill you, makes you stronger🦋💪🏾😍

fabpup01 profile image
fabpup01

Hi, I have been on amitriptyline for a number of years now. I started on 10mg and I am now on 75mg taken about two hours before I go to bed. On the whole this does help with my sleep and I think without it I would feel much worse. Good luck

Arymretep profile image
Arymretep

I was on amitriptylene for a while, but you shouldn’t take with an irregular heartbeat so went off them, I now take duloxetine which help a lot with my anxiety

Delightedbyhares profile image
Delightedbyhares

Hi, I’ve been taking this for some time now. I hardly slept at all before being prescribed it. I only take 25mg but it does relax my muscles enough to get some sleep. It’s not good quality, but better than none at all! I was advised that it takes 12 hours to clear from the system so, as I have to get up at 6am for work, I take it at 6 pm. This stops me feeling quite so awful in the morning!

Yes, I’ve have gained weight, but I am also a lot less mobile than I used to be, and constantly exhausted, so that doesn’t help weight loss either🤷🏻‍♀️.

Good luck with it👍

ChocNana profile image
ChocNana

I had it but it made me see things that weren’t there so it was stopped. Hubby takes it for pain in his hip and too help him sleep he says it’s only thing he’s been prescribed that helps

MariLiz profile image
MariLiz

I found it took a few weeks of being on it to really feel the benefit at night. It does help me sleep. I do still get painful days, but they usually can be explained by me overdoing things. For example I cleaned a few windows and washed the net curtains ( by hand), last week, and for the next two days the pain was very bad. To be honest, I’m still feeling it this week too, but I’ve had two more busy days. What I really need is a houseful of servants!

Ani7 profile image
Ani7

Hi, I had that meds, it wasn’t good for me, I had pain in my chest whenever I take that. I call the doctor and let him know that and stop that meds straight away. However some people have satisfied with that.

0dd_0ne profile image
0dd_0ne

I was prescribed amitriptyline when I was first diagnosed 20+ years ago. I took it for 6 weeks and though it helped a little with sleep/pain, I put on over a stone in weight in that time (and as I was overweight and struggling to lose it anyway, that was a massive problem). So I asked for it to be changed to nortriptyline which works the same but doesn't have the weight-gain side effect, and was refused due to cost. So I was simply taken off it and that was that. Unless it's been significantly altered to remove the weight gain side effect, I wouldn't touch it again with a barge pole.

JayCeon profile image
JayCeon

Hi - it was the only med I could tolerate for a longer time than 1-2x (skin, GI, seizures), but after 4 months the sfx went up to 8, incl. 6kg weight altho I was not susceptible. It didn't do anything for the pain, and only zombified me at night, so other things helped better and I'd rather have a tired, clear head with pain than being a zombie. So like @caico. A the moment I'd say I have most success with passiflora.

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