Weaning off of Amitryptiline

[ss017]

How would I wean off of Amitryptiline 25mg? I have been taking it for around 9 months.

Are there withdrawal effects that can occur even when weaning off?

[Bananas5]

If you've been feeling better for 6 months or more, your doctor may suggest coming off amitriptyline.

Your doctor will probably recommend reducing your dose gradually over several weeks - or longer, if you have been taking amitriptyline for a long time.

This is to help prevent any extra side effects you might get as a reaction to coming off the medicine. These include:

dizziness

feeling sick

numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

trouble sleeping

feeling agitated or anxious

headaches

shaking

Important

Do not stop taking amitriptyline suddenly, or without talking to your doctor first.

[foxglove in reply to Bananas5]

I just stopped and had no probs. but perhaps i was just lucky. Don't know but I know years ago there was none of this tapering if a med no longer ness. !!!

[ss017 in reply to foxglove]

How long were you on it and what mg?

[foxglove in reply to ss017]

About a year, 25 mg. Was taking it for shingles after pain - didn't really work. i am now on pregabalin ( for peripheral neuropathy) cant say at the moment how much it's helping the neuropathy but the shingles pain I've ha d for over 3 years much less!.... Good unexpected side effect.side effect

[Jaff1]

I took the same dose for 6 years. When it stopped working, I stopped taking it. I didn't notice any side effects. I would suggest talking to your doctor and see what he thinks. I don't think amitriptyline is addictive but, I could be wrong.

[Hidden]

25mg is a very low dose used to control nerve and tendon pain.

I take the drug now at 50mg, I used to take it at 75mg, reducing dowm from 75 to 50 was quite straight forward, I had no real side affects. So you could ask your GP to supply you with some 10mg tablets and you would reduce down to 10mg, then off the drug, although to be hones a drop of from 25mg may be the best way.

In the first instance from 10mg allowing about a week or two should work as long as you do not imagine or expect side affects.. If you were say on 75mg, then you may need to come off a little bit more tentative

This medication is an antidepressant, an old one, for that the dose given was that much higher than 75mg. The side affects were quite bad.

Your dose should not cause any problems. At the moment I am going through reducing medications because of my age, I take pain meds and ADs. My wife looks after my medications and she was asked to reduce my Citalopram from 20mg to 10mg, she did not tell me and the dose was reduced accordingly. I never knew until quite recently after over three months, the dose had been reduced, without any noticeable side effects. So that gives some example of not feeling withdrawal.

BOB

[ss017 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you! How did you reduce from 75mg to 50mg? By 5mg at a time? Or did you just go straight from 75 to 50?

[Hidden]

I did it in one jump, I have been on this drug for about thirty years or so. The medication was the last medication I had reduced under my own steam.

My medications are now reduced by my Wife under the direction of Aged Persons Service and my GP. i am sixty nine years old.

[ss017 in reply to Hidden]

Ok so my doc said to take half of the 25mg for a week then if i feel ok stop. I will start taking half tonight!

[Hidden]

In my case it was done as described, as your GP suggests withdraw as advised. In my case it was withdrawn without an explanation, so I did not know the drug was reduced. In your case you know, fair enough. All I show is what I did not know did not hurt me.

You need to be comfortable in your own skin, as long as withdrawal takes place great, that is all that matters. Your GP is allowing you to make decisions

Let us know how you get on

Keep a hold

BOB