Amitriptyline for neuropathy

[Hannah54]

Hi, I’ve been prescribed Amitriptyline for Polyneuropathy in my legs, have any of you tried this and was it successful?. I always get nervous about trying new medicine.

[SuffolkJen]

Hi Hannah54

I was prescribed amitriptyline for neuropathy but it didn’t help me in fact the medication made me feel awful.

That might just be me though as I don’t take to medication at all well.

I have severe neuropathy in my hands and feet and have been taking pyridoxine (B6) for about 15 months. I don’t think it’s made much difference but as it doesn’t have an adverse affect on me I continue to take it.

I hope the amitriptyline works for you 🤞xx Jen

[Hannah54 in reply to SuffolkJen]

Thankyou for your reply, sorry to hear it didn’t help you with the neuropathy . I’m just worried about feeling tired with it, I’m taking Niraparib which already is tapping the energy. Guess I will give it a go tough. Best wishes xx

[ZenaJ]

Hi Hannah, I have been using Amitriptyline for ten years for neuropathy and there has been some improvement. Mine is mainly in my feet and fingers. I stopped taking it was a while and it got worse again so went back on it. It's a very small dose. it's worth giving it a try. xx

[Hannah54 in reply to ZenaJ]

Hi ZenaJ, Thankyou for your reply, wow that’s great to hear, I’ve only been prescribed 10mg so a low dose too. Mine is a burning, tender skin on my legs, it’s uncomfortable to dress and undress and it “burns” if I have to crouch down. Best wishes xx

[ZenaJ in reply to Hannah54]

That's not what mine is like. It's feels like mine toes are curling in on themselves even though they look perfect okay. It physically happens with my fingers sometimes. My does is 10mg also. Hope it all goes well. xx

[Lobster2 in reply to ZenaJ]

You are the first person to describe your foot neuropathy ecactly how mine feels. Like my toes are curled under tight but they are actually flat. I also have burning pain across my foor, at the ball of my foot.

[ZenaJ in reply to Lobster2]

Hi Lobster2. I've been on the same dosage for ten years and there is a small improvement. xx

[Hannah54]

I forgot to ask, have you had any side effects?

[ZenaJ in reply to Hannah54]

No side effects.xx

[grammeejill]

hi, Hannah. I am taking 10 mg of Amitriptyline each night to help calm down my neuropathy. I just had a visit with the Dr who prescribed it and we went over it’s pros and cons.

Pros: I sleep soo much better. It doesn’t put me to sleep but it aids in keeping me asleep.

Cons: it’s not doing squat with my neuropathy. Nada. My Dr explained that there were so many types of neuropathy and results with Amitriptyline are different with everyone. So she wanted to up the dosage.

So… she prescribed 20 mg a night. I slept till 3:30 pm. Lol I’ll try the 20 mg a day for a week and report back to her.

[Fahoona]

Hello - I have had neuropathy in my hands and feet since having Taxol/Carbo followed by Avastin for 6 months while living in Texas. My oncologist prescribed Gabapentin 300mg which while not taking it away completely, significantly reduces the severity. I was told Gabapentin can be titrated to the individual and has no unsafe dose. I tolerate it well with no side effects. I currently take 300mg in the morning and 600mg at night.

My GP here in the UK has continued to prescribe it and my oncologist here agreed with me being on it. I would definitely ask about Gabapentin.

[Mysticmeg123]

hi. I have issues with severe cramping and pain in my leg which only happens when lying down so my sleep is very disturbed. On Thursday I saw my GP who in addition to running blood tests for mineral deficiencies and poly myalgia recommended I take 10 mg Amitriptyline for a month. However after looking at the side effects and statistics of 1/10 people getting the side effects I didn’t feel comfortable taking it. It’s a personal choice but I really hope that this works for you x

[audhilly in reply to Mysticmeg123]

I recommend tring cymbalta (duloxetine) for pain. It completely removed pain for me.

[Alice77]

Hi. I have had neuropathy in three toes on each foot since 2021 and nothing I have tried has made much difference. My experience with Amitryptaline has been mixed. It was the only thing which stopped the pain spasms in my leg from Sciatica when the chemo started to damage my lower spine and it did send me to sleep when I was suffering severe insomnia from Niraparip. I found it also made me feel really drugged up and lethargic and in the first case reduced dosage to half a pill gradually which was better. In the second case I simply did not take any more pills because it was not worth losing the daytime and I did not feel my usual self at all when taking it. It was originally prescribed as an anti depressant and this is what it feels like at full dosage...a sort of zombie effect in my case. Obvious others may have different experience and views so I think you will just have to try it and see. With all this stuff it is about striking a balance and if it does help with your symptoms then you may decide it is worth taking whatever the side effects. Best wishes for a good outcome anyway.

[Jencs1983]

Hi Hannah,

I haven't tried Amitriptyline myself, but my dad used to take it and he said it made a huge difference to his quality of life.

But I remember that his GP wanted to reduce the amount he was taking for some reason, but my dad didn't respond well to that, and ended up having to go back to his normal dose. It was like his body needed it!

I've read that Nutritional Yeast is meant to help treat neuropathy, so if you aren't sure about Amitriptyline, maybe you could look in to that instead. It contains natural B vitamins apparently.

I hope this helps x

[Hannah54 in reply to Jencs1983]

Thankyou so much for all your replies, it’s really helpful to hear your different experiences. It sounds like Neuropathy doesn’t have a complete successful treatment. I’ve got osteoarthritis in my neck as well so will try a couple of Amitriptyline to see if it can help with that pain too, even though it sounds a bit scary, but if any side effects appears like you’ve all had I won’t take be taking them, will look into the alternative suggestions from you. ☺️Xx

[Pianoplayer731021]

Hi Hannah, I have been taking 25mgs. of amitriptyln for years before bedtime. I get better sleep and I don’t seem to suffer any side effects. I don’t think that my neuropathy improved while taking this though. Sending best wishes.