Side effects of amitriptyline

[KatieERoberts]

Hello ive been diagnosed with fibro last year and since then have been on several medications to try and knock the pain but so far ive had no luck. Ive tried naproxen but that made me sick, paracetamol and ibrophoen mixed dont do anything for me anymore.

I was then put on arcoxia but again it made me feel a bit spaced out and my doctor wasnt happy as it has long term bad effects to the kidneys/liver. So i was put on amitriptyline, my worst one yet.

Although the pain was taken away slightly, the other side effects were way worse. I felt completely nu,b, not physically but mentally, i didnt get happy, sad, excited or anything anymore i was like a robot. I know its down to amitriptyline being a antidepressant and in a low dose a nerve blocker which is why i was taking it but it was absolutely awful. After a breakup with my boyfriend due to how much i changed as a person i decided to go back to the doctors and change to something else.

I am now on pregablin however it dosent seem to be doing much, its been over a week of taking it and i am in unbelievable pain. she said if after a month i was no better to double the dose but i hate taking so many medications in high doses.

Does anyone else have any theories of what ic ant ry for pain relief? Alot of people have told me to try tumeric tablets so thats next on my list but after that i have no idea where to go. I am only 21 and im scared that for the rest of my life this will be my struggle.

Thank you x

[NanaTisme]

Hi KatieERoberts,

I take tramadol, pregablin and ibrufen for my pain, it takes the edge off so I can get by each day, tried amitriptyline but it didn't help and it put my blood pressure up, it's best to go back to your gp and try different combinations until you find the one that helps and suits you, hope this helps, NanaT.

[johnsmith]

You need to see someone who can look at the affected area and see if muscles there have over contracted. Over contracted muscles cause pain until they are stretched out. Stretching out over contracted muscles can be a painful process.

Sports therapist may be able to help. Cannot comment more because I do not know the area of the body which has been affected.

[KatieERoberts in reply to johnsmith]

I have physio monthly by someone who is trained in sports therapy. However my pain is all over, every muscles can hurt one day or the next it may just be my hips or legs. It's more related to the nerves I believe x

[johnsmith in reply to KatieERoberts]

It may be more related to the brain rather than nerves. It is the brain which controls muscles. If the control is a little off muscles can hurt. You need to read two books. The sedated society edited by James Davies you will find it on Amazon. Another book to read is Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre. You can also find this book on amazon.

The reason I mention these books is because you are 21 and need to learn about the meditations you are likely to be presented with. And also you will need to be able to present arguments and evidence to doctors who will try and persuade you to take meditations that could do you a great deal of potential harm.

You are going to need tools to study and investigate yourself. One tool is meditation and another is mindfulness. Meditation – A Way of Awakening by Ajahn Sucitto is a free download. It is one of the best books on meditation and mindfulness I know. Can be obtained from:

amaravati.org/dhamma-books/...

ANother thing to do if you can afford it is to take lessons in Alexander Technique from an Alexander technique teacher. See alexandertechnique.co.uk/

for a list of teachers and explanation.

You may not find a cure for the problem you have. However, hopefully with investigation and development of management skills you will develop the means to have as best quality of life as possible.

Google "Anti-inflammatory effects of Erythromycin". Persuade your GP to try for a week and see what happens. Beware of the combination effects of the other drugs you taking.

Last of all investigate your sleep requirements. The average is about 8. You may however need 8 and half to nine. Lack of enough sleep interferes with the brain's ability to fine tune muscle control.

[KatieERoberts in reply to johnsmith]

I will look into that now, thank you so much!

[Poppy_Ann]

Hi Katie,

Like you I have to take several different medications due to very high pain levels (I broke my back) and over the years my doctor has tried just about everything and the one thing that has given me the best result is Dihydrocodeine Tartrate (DHC Continus) I take 120 mg twice a day along with several others that I change when the effects wear off which happens to just about all drugs as you get use to them the DHC continus seams to be the only one that has not stopped working also with most drugs it is the long term effect that helps not the short term.

I would advise you to take what ever you are given for at least a month to get the full benefit due to at the beginning of taking anything new your body will fight it which is when you tend to get all of the side effects and after having them in your system for some time the side effects tend to wear off.

One other piece of advise is do not look up the the side effects of what you are starting to take until you have been taking them for some time or you will convince yourself that you have the same effects wait until you have got use to them then look up what other people have said and and compare them to yourself and if you still have the symptoms then consider changing them.

Good luck with finding something that works for you.

Regards Poppy Ann.

[KatieERoberts in reply to Poppy_Ann]

Thank you I will continue taking what I am on for a while now and see what happens x

[Justtink]

Hi Katie,

I too have fibro. I take Citalopram 20mg every morning, naproxen 500mg twice daily and i'm supposed to take Nortriptyline 50mg at night to combat restless legs.

I take my Citalopram and Naproxen but i've told my DR that I would like to change to Pregabalin when these tablets run out as Naproxen doesn't work for me effectively enough! I'm awaiting the results of an MRI on my lower back for suspected Spondylitis.

I recently came across Magnesium Oil, I bought some because it stated effective pain relief, well it does work for me and especially on my Restless legs!

I was also told about Fenugreek seeds for arthritis pain as they are a natural anti-inflammatory. These work as well, I take 1 tsp in the morning and 1 tsp at night, the pain goes away or at least lessens alot on my worse days.

An added bonus of the Magnesium Oil is the quality of sleep I now get is alot better, I can now get 4-5 hours instead of waking every 2-3 hours.

I hope this helps you.

Take care x

[KatieERoberts in reply to Justtink]

Naproxen I found was horrible. Made me ever so sick. I will look into those products thank you so much! X

[Cb1963]

hi Katie,yes health problems can can cause untold relationship problems, sorry that you've had to separate from your partner,but at the end of the day it's you who's suffering with pain,so possibly you'll be visiting your GP several times untill you find a medication that's suitable for yourself,as a week is not long for the tablets to work and you'll probably be asked to increase the dose just to see if you get some relief somewhere along the line,and to see if you don't suffer any adverse side effects,and if they don't work,unfortunately you'll have to then try another medication so the doctor can then try you on something different it might seem a long process,but you don't want to have any other problems caused by taking a medication that's not suitable for you,so be patient take the tablets as prescribed and hopefully you'll be on the road to recovery,thanks