I decided to wean off my nortrypyiline a few weeks ago iv been taking 20mg per night for the last six months but it's not helping me with the pain so iv decided to wean off them iv been going down 2. 2.5 mg a week but it's getting tough I'm now on 10mg per night its the 2nd night at 10mg but tonight my heart is racing & I have stomach cramps with muscle pain.
Has anyone came off this medication before ? Iv taken valerian & hops with passion flower tablets but it hasn't really helped
How can I make the process go easier ???
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Ktchard
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you should not take valerian with your medicine as it does cause increased sleepiness. and maybe you should try cutting down a bit slower, are you doing this with your doctor. i dont think so, i can understand that as i came of my medication without their help as they did not want me to come of them but all i can say is i feel 100% better and am now free of that medication for 4 months, just slow it all down. what was the last dose you took that you felt well on? i would go back on that dose and stay on if for 2 weeks before cutting down again and stick with the next cut for 2 weeks, i know people might disagree and tell you to go to your doctor and i myself would tell you that but maybe there is a reason your not going i dont know. all i can say is take it very slowly. so that your body gets a good chance to adjust to the smaller doses. not everyones doctor wants them to come of their medications but they are , like myself going to come of them anyway.please dont try any herbal medicines without researching the first i was advised to take skull cap tea, forutnately i hated the taste and later found out that its bad for liver disease which i have. it is always best if you can find a doctor who can support you and help you to come of the medications safely. all the best.
Hi, I am in agreement with grace111. Do not take Valerian while still taking pain killers. They don't mix as is often the case with mixing alternative with prescription. I myself do understand how hard it is to come off a pain med having done this without doctors help. However, what I learnt was that every little bit of the usual dose I cut down on I needed to give ONE week for my body to adjust. Your body may be reacting because you are reducing too quickly and so small adjustments on a weekly basis may really help with the adjustment. I do understand how you want done with the med as soon as possible but it is a chemical and so takes time to leave your body in reverse to when you started and it probably took a week or two for you to get the benefit ...and your body to adjust. I would like to add, with the greatest of respect to you, having been there myself....anxiety can play a big part in how the body reacts and to insomnia which can cause panic. Its a case of telling yourself that all is well and nothing terrible is going to happen. Your usual sleep pattern may be disturbed but that will pass and your body find its own level balancing out activity with rest. Trust your body that it will get you through this and as Grace111 has said, you are going to feel so much better at the end of it and be glad you learnt to trust yourself rather than take another med to give instant cosh to uncomfortable symptoms. I hope this has been of some help. The mind/body connection is very strong so if you tell it all will be OK it will cause you to relax and that's half the problem sorted. Kym
I was taking 150 mg pregabalin and 10 mg amitriptyline every night for pudendal nerve pain. I've been taking these meds since having pudendal nerve entrapment for 7 years. A few months ago, like you, I decided to try to lower the dose. I found they made me feel a bit drunk. I know they take a while to get in your system, so I did this very, very slowly. I nipped about 20% off the tablets with scissors. I did this for about 3 weeks, then nipped a bit more off, until they were cut in half. Then I started to notice my pain levels were up, and because they take a good couple of weeks to get in your system, I went back to nipping just 20% off but I am now struggling with the pain, so I've now gone back to taking the full dose. It was so nice when I first started reducing the meds, the time when my head felt clearer, and the pain levels were manageable. I don't know what you were on the meds for, but do be careful that you don't end up like me. I hope reducing them works out for you, but do reduce them very slowly.
It makes sense to cut down slowly I do realise that taking valerian affects the norttrypyiline making it stronger but I was only taking 20mg per night & im also weaning off dihydrocodine too so needed something to ease my symptoms it does help a little.
I take pain meds because I have degerative disks in my neck and multiple disk damage and impingement of the nervesI also have upper body mild scoliosis iv been taking dihydrocodine on & off for a year but lately due to pain in my neck / back been taking them daily so I became addicted to them im trying to come off the lot to see how I feel. I do know that there will be days when Il need them & I find the painkillers most effective when I don't have a dependency, Il see how I feel. Thanks for your comments I didn't go to my gp because I fear they will talk me into staying on them. I wish I could get massage and acupuncture instead of all the med's but my gp stopped doing acupuncture because of funding😯 I m trying to use natural remedies to elevate pain such as herbs, massage, acupuncture and waiting to see pain clinic and neurologist for pain coping skills and phycologist sessions.
I have to see a neurologist for problems with my balance , fine motor skills & numbness and tingling I also get trouble with my eyes blurred vision & tinnitus.
I know Il never be free from pain & accept the fact that I do need pain meds in my life but am trying my upmost not to be dependant on them.
i myself am on dyhydrocodien, i once got addicted to them before, so now i tell the doctor to give them to me a little at a time i go to the pharmacy a couple of times a week, this is a good help to me as i only have a few at a time. im so sorry to hear of all your pain problems, it is awful to be in pain. i suffer from a lot of pain myself although its different from yours however pain is pain, there is a lot you can do for yourself with those problems that you mention, as because you are in so much pain you will probably be in the wrong posture which in itself cause more pain. there are many good videos on utube now. the alexander techinque is one which is great for posture amd people with scoliosis use the alexander technique.and also people with nerve pain, its quite surprising if you read some of the testaments of people with nerve pain and scoliosis who were going to have operations until they tried this technique and feel so much better now. i used to pay a lot of money to go and see a teacher of the alexander technique however its all online now and that is wonderful. also you can try the feldenkrais method, thats all about feeing up the joints and spine and vertebrae. as is the alexander techinque.sorry about spellilng.just go to google and type in alexander technique and go to vidoes and you will see so much that you can do to help yourself and its the same with the feldenkrais method.i hope that this will help you. also there are lots of pain management vidoes on utube also.. we can do so much for ourself with having to always take pain meds, good luck dear, let me know how you get on as i'd love to know that your feeling better,
Have you heard about Qutenza patches? They're a patch made out of chilli paste, so a natural product, and available on the NHS. There's been a lot of good feedback about them. I asked my GP but I couldn't get him to prescribe them. Aparently you can get them on Amazon for about £5 for 24. Might be worth a try as cheaper than a prescription.
The reason why its not helping you with the pain is because your not taking the right dose when I started to take it I went up by 10mg a week till I got up to 50mg a night the Doctor from the pain clinic put me on this medication
It does take a while to get used to them. They do make a difference as I found out when my x GP would not give me them by mistake the pain was so bad. I'm still in pain and I have spine blocks in day surgery at the hospital I'm over due one now and these really help
You should never self medicate. You should only do this in consultation with your doctor. The dose of Nortryptiline is very low with levels of up to 70-100mg being safely usef for pain control. Perhaps consultation with your doctor may have led to an increase to help with your pain?
Also. It takes a drug and new level of drug 2-3 weeks of regular dose to effectively get into your system. A proactive treatment with meds not aimed at break -through pain (such as diazepam which should only be used for fresh flare ups) can only work when taken regularly. Your doctor can also help monitor the use in case of addiction.
The way to make it go easier is to do it slower - stay on each dose until you no longer have any ill effects. You may have to stay at each level for two weeks before reducing another small amount. These meds to alter your brain chemistry, so you need to make sure your body stabilises by slowing down the decreases. I wouldn't come off any of that type of meds without taking at least three months to wean off (and I know that sounds a long time, but worth it in the end). If you had been on a higher dose or for longer, I would have said take 6 months or more to slowly come off.
You are going way to fast. Google your med and detox and u will see a plan to wean off them. It can take many many months.
And yes tell your doctor. I didn't tell mine and ended up almost having a stroke. I was lucky it was only a seizure.
The research can tell you how to do it yourself but it recommends you do it under supervision. In fact most want you to donut inpatient.
It's terrible doctors don't mention this so we are aware of it.
I have fusions in my neck and a rod as my clavicle and collar bone, so I was happy the pain clinic was helping me deal with the pain. But it turned into a double edge sword. I'm off them after almost 8 months and found other ways to deal with the pain.
Please really look into this before you go any further.
Sorry I sound frantic, I am. I don't want anyone to go they what I just did.
Good luck. And holler if you need help or a sounding board. 💙
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