New drug and other news...

[JacquiThomas999]

I have taken Amitriptyline for 3 nights, 10 mg a night. I am sleeping a bit better but still have difficulty getting off to the land of nod and staying there. So tonight I will be increasing to 2 tablets. This is only a short term measure. I cannot afford to be on them when I return to work. Bus driving and this drug is not compatible.

For the other news. I got called into the office for a welfare review. Took me two buses to get there. I was wary as my old boss used a review to increase me on the attendance procedure.

This time it was better. My boss listened to what had happened, my Dr appointments, my contact with the Rheummy team and my progression onto physio. He seemed to accept that I may not be back at the end of this fit note. He isn't going to call me in again, but will phone me on a weekly basis to find out how I am. I know that I will be going up a stage on attendance (but I was out of all the stages in the summer, so I am not concerned about this).

Now all I need are the following: a good night's sleep; get off Amitriptyline; physio to work it magic and to get fit enough for work.

Most of all we all need the cure for this horridious situation in which we find ourselves (very grammatical that sentence).

Jacqui

[popsmith1874]

It certainly is a horrible disease to get to grips with, I got medically pensioned off in July and am finding it a bit easier now as I don't need to worry about work as the last year was a worry when I didn't know what was going to happen

[Gigi71]

Hi Jacqui. I found Amitripyiline the drug from hell. Was only on it for 12 days. During this time I took it earlier and earlier in the evening, so it would help me sleep, still wide awake at 3am, but come morning and I was like a zombi and in a fog all day. I used to take voltarol R but they stopped making it and my Gp's would only give me naproxen, due age and bp. Had recently been Dx with osteoarthritis in my lower back, this has got better with exercises and mtx working, many other drugs for other conditions other than RA. I take 2 paracetamol at bedtime, also a herbal tea to help sleep. It amazes me it works, convinced my sister to try it, she doesn't have RA, but worn discs with bad bad pain at times. It works for her too. Not the herbal tea though !!! Good luck X

[DelicateInput]

Amitriptyline is an anti-depressant which takes two/three weeks to take effect. Sleep disturbance, ie early morning wakening, is a feature of depression. If it relieves this, then maybe you are suffering from depression. If so, there are far better drugs than Amitriptyline, which costs about £1/month, but they are more expensive.

It is quite a while since I had a full-time permanent job but I am surprised that your boss is able to call you every week - try to get some legal advice because it sounds like harassment to me.

[nomoreheels]

I found I had better sleep immediately from my first 10mg dose but it was only once I reached 25mg I had a full nights undisturbed sleep & it started to help. It did need increasing again to work for it's initial reason, painful neck muscles, the somnific effect was a bonus.