Amitriptyline (endep) reviews ?

[Curtis33]

Hey guys has anyone used amitriptyline for the treatment of headaches and had some good results ? I was prescribed it for lack of sleep but curious as to whether anyone has used it for migraines/tension headaches and how long did it take to come into effect 

I currently have been prescribed 10mg but I'm a little skeptical to use it at the moment 

Cheers! 

[Cally01]

Hi Curtis I have 10mg to help with lack of sleep, it does help but I'm quite groggy in the morning . I don't want any stronger, don't think I'd be able to get up 😟 .

I don't take it all the time, just when I'm shattered. I know some people take it to prevent / calm migraines but I'd rather try feverfew and other alternatives .

I'm currently waiting on 2nd Op on my Jaw which is causing most of my migraines so trying to stay away from meds.

Someone will let you know if it helps control them hopefully 😀

[MuddyPawS77 in reply to Cally01]

I was v sceptical that amitryptyline might help me when it was  initially prescribed  a few  years ago, particularly because I knew it to be an anti-depressant , which wasnt   what I wanted  to be on as I  was suffering from   migraines , not some form of " mild middle-class  misery" !! .Tabs prescribed  were 25mg , I took them  around 9pm nightly  but  had to   stop after couple of weeks   as I woke up everyday  v groggy , (similar feeling  to a  really  bad hangover altho I  wasn't drinking  alcohol )  and  "pre- migrainey",  which  actually BECAME  a full-blown   migraine most mornings . I  still HAD to get up to go into work  daily despite feeling  so ill  most of  day , so I gave up on   amitrytyline . 

 This January  my GP suggested  I try amitrytyline  again on a smaller dose , prescribed 10 mg tabs  and   advised  taking  the tabs much earlier in evening . I ( quite  sceptically) started taking the  10 mgs tab about 6.30pm  in evening  and  found myself becoming irresistibly sleepy about 9pm and  really  needing to go to bed   soon after .

 Although  all my life Ive been a bad sleeper, finding it difficult to go to sleep and frequently waking in the night,   I found  I was  getting to sleep much quicker and  having fewer  wakeful periods in the night  but  was still  v sleepy in the morning  for several hours ... but  definitely having far  fewer migraines !!! As  I retired a couple of years ago  the  morning  "over-sleeping "   wasnt a problem any more  , but  I resented "losing"  so many hours   in mornings, especially in spring  .. so   I  now  cut the  10 mgs tabs in half ,  taking  just 5 mgs  EARLY  in evenings .. and  Im really happy with result!  Far fewer migraines , far less groggy in mornings   . I get to sleep  more easily ,  sleep   far better  than I have done for most of my life and generally only wake once in night . 

 I think  for each of us  migraineurs  our  metabolism etc   is  so very  different , you just have to experiment to find what helps  , and also accept that as  body chemistry changes  over time what might work for you at one stage in life might cease  to work  at another time ... maybe   my metabolism is just v sensitive  to amitryptyline and only needs 5mgs   at this stage in my life,  but Im happy  with results for now .

[beckywebb04]

I took it for two weeks then stopped. Made me feel like a zombie and didn't help my migraines at all

[Hidden]

Hi Curtis33 

Yes I am on Amitriptyline 50 mgs taken daily 3 hours before I go to bed, as recommended by the  National Migraine Centre. I increased the dose gradually and my migraines have almost disappeared!  It makes me sleep very well but no other side effects.

Good luck! 

[Hidden]

It didn't help with the headaches but I was sleeping 10 hours a day. I'm taking topiramate now for the headaches and that works for the most part.

[JayBeeToo]

When I get a cluster of migraines, I take 10mg a day and it breaks the sequence.  I then stop taking it.  It makes me very sleepy so I take it at night.  It also makes my mouth dry.

[vwangel67]

Hi hun..I suffer from hypersensitivity migraines( I also have a an aneurysm which does not help )which on a bad day is like having a stroke. I have been on amitriptyline for 6 months .I take a daily dose of 50mg and also take naproxen which my dose is 500mg am and pm. These have helped a lot as I only suffer a severe case about every 6 weeks now. I also have to use a 10mg imagran injection when I have my attacks. I found at first that I was very sleepy with these meds and I started taking them straight after dinner (5pm) after a few weeks I became accustomed to the side effects.