Advice for Fibromyalgia

[Boo_051215]

Hello all,

Im Kelly and new to the site. Just looking for advise...

I am currently taking 10mg Amitriptyline one a day and looking to wean off, as I feel it is affecting my hormones and memory.

Any advise would be much appreciated

Thanks

[Hazel_Angelstar Administrator FMA UK Staff]

Hi and a warm welcome to the forums. You can find general information on fibromyalgia at our website fmauk.org and our patient information booklets at fmauk.org/publications

I don't take amitriptyline, so cannot comment directly on how it is affecting you, but a lot of people with fibromyalgia find they struggle with side effects. Perhaps your gp can prescribe something similar that you don't react as badly to, although it can be trial and error

[Sweetybump]

Hi every time I try to come off them my sleep suffers. So be prepared for thatx

[Murpy]

Hiya, sometimes it's trial and error to find the right drugs to help your symptoms. It takes time. Hopefully you have a GP who knows all about fibro and can help you. Take care and don't get disheartened x

[sunnysanie]

Hi there🌈I had been prescribed amitriptyline at the early stages after a diagnosis and I can sympathise as I was basically manic and all over the place and as it has been said it will take time to find what is right for you,it might not be a cure as such but it with hopefully bring you up in pain management and mood etc,trust your doctor and come off medication in the right way with a view to trying the next medication if you wish,keep a diary while starting new meds to pinpoint if side effects are typical of starting the new med or it's really not working for you and what it's affecting,personally my third medication seemed to help more rather than hinder,I will never be 100% but I grade myself on a percentage to others,as I say to my brother if I'm not great I'm working with 75% today etc,he gets that more than hearing the details of sore hips,shoulder,stiff joints etc where he would say he can't keep up as days change symptoms of fibro👍🌈last week I said to him in 90% but then fell to 60% in the afternoon and feel asleep for two hours on an uncomfortable couch!😝🤦Wishing you all the best 👍😎x

[BeccaBoo456]

Hi Kelly, I don’t take it personally so I can’t advise on side effects, but I remember when I started duloxetine the side effects for the first 6-8 wks weren’t nice, however the benefits I felt outweighed them so I persevered and it settled. Make sure you speak to your gp if you want to stop taking them though and they’ll advice how to and if there’s something you can take instead xx

[Boo_051215]

Thank you all so much for the advise 😊 x

[lynn_lunn]

I had the same problem with amitriptyline, I felt like I was in a fog all the time, I'm sure people thought I had been drinking all the time, weren't for me either, I couldn't function on them.

[rag276]

hello there, i have had the dubious honour of taking amitriptyline for many years. i have found the side effects of memory loss, dull consciousness (otherwise known as foggy brain), mood swings, attention deficit, and inability to function - do vary. i was prescribed to help sleep which they do! i was asleep most of every day in the beginning but it got better. the trouble is that after a few month (3 is average) they have little or no effect so the mgs are increased and the merry-go-round starts all over again. after a while they get a balance that works. i have been up and down the dosage many times and I have been given duloxetene as well. they do roughly the same job but in slightly different ways and so give different help . different levels if you like. all I can say is persevere unless they upset you or make you ill. i had 3 levels of pain relief, but it took many years it figure it out.

i wish you luck , do not give up hope.

regards r

[JayCeon]

Hi - nortriptyline is similar, newer, praps better, a little more expensive...

I took amitriptyline for 4 months fairly early on, between 2mg and 26mg and then (worse) stable 10mg then 25mg. Never got used to it, ended with 8 side effects. Weaning off was easy and I felt all the better from being less zombified night and day. For nights I'd been analyzing and preventing triggers. In the meantime I've found that (only) high dose passiflora and the amino acid GABA help my sleep above that. Acupuncture is trying to help it, but not stable.