Amitriptyline for neuralgia

[Heatheric]

I've developed trigeminal neuralgia which is (literally) a real pain - not sure if its part of the lupus or just a coincidence but ... I'm on hydroxychloroquine 200mg twice a day and vitamin D supplements. Anyone got any experience of this and did it help? Thanks

[misty14]

Hi Heatheric

I 'm sorry to read you've developed triginal neuralgia as it is extremely painful. I had it a few years ago after having wisdom teeth out so I think it can be triggered and doesn't have to be caused by Lupus. You'll be pleased to know it did settle after a few years but I had to take strong painkillers to cope with it so don't be surprised if Amitriptyline doesn't help much. What dose are you on?. There are other painkillers like Gabapentin that are good for nerve pain. Best of luck with it. X

[Heatheric in reply to misty14]

Thank you misty14 - I'm on a small dose, just 10mg a day but only took the first one last night so a bit early to judge if it's going to help.

[misty14 in reply to Heatheric]

Hi Heatheric

Don't be surprised if 10 mg Amitriptyline isn't enough for the pain, that is a very small dose but it's right to see how you get on. Acupuncture is a good pain reliever , helped me like your previous correspondent. Good luckX

[Hidden]

I was put on Amitriptyline before being diagnosed with RA because of a neuralgic ache in my hands. This was three and a half years ago now and I've been on and sometimes off it ever since. I went on to develop peripheral neuropathy of some sort and finally get to see the neurologist tomorrow.

I came off Amitriptline a few weeks ago as I'm extremely drug intolerant and wanted to establish what might be causing low level dizziness and heart palpitations. The dizziness has continued but to my surprise the heart palpitations have completely gone away. Could be coincidence but probably not. I'm relieved but also disappointed because

Amitriptyline has been the best drug for me until now.

It helped hugely with the pain that now keeps me awake all night often and it retrained my bladder and allowed me a good night's sleep. The downside was that my body acclimatised to it so I had to keep increasing the doses for effect. I ended up taking three a night which is still a relatively low dose but it did make me very sleepy the next day. I found the way round this was to take it early at about 8pm but obviously that wasnt always possible if I was going out or driving.

I do hope it gives you much relief - I miss it a lot (but not the heart palpitations!) and if they come back (quite possible) anyway then I would go back on Amitriptyline like a shot!

[Gill_35]

Ibrufen and paracetamol ...I know they're not that strong but they don't make you sleepy and in my experience do take the edge off X

[Heatheric in reply to Gill_35]

Thanks Gill_35 - I did try Ibuprofen and other anti inflammatories but they didn't seem to help and just gave me indigestion and flatulence! I guess we're all different in our responses to drugs.

[lnselou79]

I have it post shingles. I take a very high dose of gabapentin that works well. I also take Cymbalta for it too. That seems to keep most of the pain at bay. I'm so sorry you are having this pain. Not fun. Good luck to you.

[Heatheric in reply to lnselou79]

thank you

[FunkyMumma]

I also had trigeminal neuralgia after wisdom tooth extraction. It is the most horrid and distracting pain going up behind your ear and down your neck. This is a long shot, but have you thought about acupuncture? The only reason I say that, is because I had coccydynia for one and a half years (also very painful - you can't sit on your tail bone), and was told there was 'no cure' for it. I had three courses of electro-acupuncture and it went, never to re-turn again. Often when drugs don't work, acupuncture is a viable option. Has anyone else noticed the irritation on this site of typing in the correct spelling of a medical term, only to find it is highlighted in red as if it is not spelt correctly? How irritating for a medical site!

[Heatheric in reply to FunkyMumma]

thanks for the suggestion - I'll look into that.

[Heatheric]

thank you - sounds like you made the right decision there! I'll keep an eye out for any changes like that.