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Do I need to taper off 10mg a day nortriptyline to move on to Duloxetine 30mg?

Ivyamanda profile image
11 Replies

after taking amtriptyline 10mg for 2 months with no benefit, I was prescribed notrtryptyline 10mg which I have been taking for 4 weeks with occasional 20mg doses - on benefit. I have now been prescribed Duloxetine 30mg, but with no advice on how to transfer. Can I stop nortriptyline one evening and start Duloxetine the next evening?

does anyone have advice on best time to take Duloxetine, morning or evening?

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Ivyamanda profile image
Ivyamanda
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11 Replies
denvajade profile image
denvajade

personally I would ask to go on low dose naltrexone! Wonderful for fibro and No addiction.

desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee in reply todenvajade

Works for some but not others and no idea what % of people

Challenging to get it sorted and prescribed and has a cost to it

still requires more studies into its effectiveness

Ivyamanda profile image
Ivyamanda in reply todesquinn

thank you - you have provided useful info that I could not get when I asked a pharmacist for their advice as surgery closed and no access to doctor till Tuesday!

desquinn profile image
desquinnPartnerVolunteerFMAUK Trustee

bets to ask your GP about what you should do as you are under their care. There are tapering guidance for a transfer from one to another but there are also people that will benefit from being on both medicines. Your GP will advise what is best for you.

This is one set of tapering guidance but again you should ask your GP or pharmacist: wiki.psychiatrienet.nl/wiki...

Ellenindigo profile image
Ellenindigo

I had exactly the same journey and stopped Nortryptiline one day started Duloxetine the next.

I was taken aback by the intense side effects initially - i had fixed pupils, was a bit dizzy and clumsy and could not sleep apart from fitfully for four days and not well for two weeks.

I was thinking it was not going to work and spoke to the GP they said it takes up to six weeks to kick in. And boy were they right.

three weeks and five days in I woke up and it was like a switch had flicked off a huge amount of the pain!

i am benefiting from this drug so much - it has got less effective after two months and this is normal but i take ibuprofen when i need it.

Really hope this works for you - Amytriptiline and Norotryptiline were both non starters for me too and i felt like i wasted 8 weeks on them!

Ivyamanda profile image
Ivyamanda in reply toEllenindigo

thank you for your experience - very useful.

griffonj profile image
griffonj

After years of different medications with no improvement I was given Duloxetine. Many side effects which you have to get used to but after 6 to 8 weeks it was very very effective, it will take time to get the dosage right but for me with Fibromyalgia it has worked wonders. Hoping the same for you.

Ivyamanda profile image
Ivyamanda in reply togriffonj

thank you for your information- useful

JayCeon profile image
JayCeon

As nortriptyline is similar to amitriptyline, not to duloxetine, switching will have been easier then than now. Generally recommendation is to wean off fairly slowly first, but I came off amitriptyline much faster than usual (just 10 days), because similar to you it wasn't doing me good anyway and I could judge my body well.

I'm wondering whether Ellenindigo 's experience was made worse by not weaning off first.

Ivyamanda profile image
Ivyamanda in reply toJayCeon

Thank you for the information- helpful

Ellenindigo profile image
Ellenindigo in reply toJayCeon

yes i do wonder if that’s why i was so spaced out and it took 3 weeks and 5 days to work!

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