Amitriptyline for pain

What are your experiences of using amitriptyline for pain? There seems to be a lack of information about using the drug for pain. We hope you'll share your experiences with the community here.

[colboy]

I had a lot of problems sleeping at night due to pain in lower spine and hips the doctor gave me Amitriptyline to assist my sleep and touch wood it works I get a good nights sleep now with the added tablets I take three at night with 100 mgs morphine slow release capsule and a simvastatine they work for me but I can only tell you my feelings it took a long painful time to get it right. Hope this helps .

[Hidden]

Thanks very much, from our website we know that a lot of people search for amitriptyline, so it's really useful to hear individual experiences on here, and hopefully other members find it useful too.

[Cazie50]

I found that Amitriptyline made me far to groggy the next day and as I experience regular brain fog as it is, this just made things worse. I know it works very well for some though.

[disney-girl]

I used to take 50mg at 7pm. I was asleep by 9pm and struggling to get up for work in the morning. Reduced pain well but could not put up with side effects, including the driest mouth - ever! Now take same dose of Nortriptyline which is less sedative, gives me a reasonable sleep pattern and good reduction in pain.

[Welshexile]

Hi All

I take 40mg every evening and manage a fine balance between less pain, better sleep and being able to go to work the following afternoon.

[auchterarder]

I start my 50mg tonight for back pain relief. Im up at 5am in the morning for work so Im hoping I wont feel any groggy side effects !

[Hidden]

Hope you weren't too tired auchterarder!

[tettridge]

Hi

When I was in Pain Management we were told by one of the drug professionals to take Amitriptyline 12 hours before the time you want to get up. When I first took it I would take half of a 10mg and it would wipe me out for the weekend (I did not dare take them when I had work for a couple of days) but after a while you do get used to them (or the pain gets through the forced sleep, never sure which) I am now taking 50 mg each night and am so scared to stop them and find out they have been working all along.

Regards

Terry

[efilwol]

Amitriptyline was the first "pain" drug my GP tried me on, but I could not tolerate it. 30mg at night made it impossible for me to get up in the morning and if I took it earlier (around dinner time), I would be asleep within a couple hours.

It also gave me horrible, gruesome nightmares and I woke up every morning feeling like I had a bad hangover - dehydrated, heady achey and tired.

It also did nothing for pain, but I could not tolerate it more than about 10 days, so maybe it had not taken effect yet. Bottom line for me was side effects were intolerable.

[mossycow]

Hi there,

I've been on codeine for about 18 months and am attempting to change to amitriptyline (never mind spell it!) due to long term problems anticipated with codeine.

First week i took amtriptyline I was so dozy in the morning (reason i agreed to change over was as i have been made redundant and its summer holidays I could have an easy morning). Second week was easier, last week I got myself up and dressed around 9 and started to take tablets earlier. I now aim to take them between lunch and dinner, so around 2 ish and find this makes mornings easier. i am a morning person so eves are al about relaxing in our house. We have been going up to bed early inc ase I zonk out....

So far so good.... best thing is that first thin in the morning is no longer agony as before I had wait an hour or so for codeine to kick in so was setting alarm hour ealier.... and trying to watch comedy on laptop in the dark to distract... any way... no longer need to do this.

More problems with reducing codeiene.....

[Londoner]

i have been taking 25mg at night for 4 weeks. no effect on my pain or depression, though my GP said it would take a few weeks to kick it. it does help me sleep, but i need to take it before 8pm to avoid the entire next morning being written off in bed. don't think i'd be able to take it if i was working a 9-5 job!

[mand82]

I took it for pain, migraines and sleep trouble but doesn't seem to have helped me in any way but then it probley affects people in different ways

[Hidden]

Lots of side effects, no benefit in pain levels

[charlie_red]

Hey!

I'm now taking 70mg of Amitriptyline, it use to work great, I take it around 8pm & I'm sleeping for just after 10pm but it's no longer as effective so back to the doctors this week!

C x

[lurcherlass]

take it only on days when I don't need to get up the next morning, it makes me so incredibly groggy but on a positive note, I wake with much reduced pain. Would like to take it more often but the side effects are just a wee bit too much for me. The dosage is only 10mg and my drugs of choice are Oxycontin 80-100mg and Gabapentin at 60-110mg

[Hidden]

I couldn't even tolerate 10mg at night for nueropathic pain. The first time I slept for 12 hours (thank goodness it was a weekend). The drowsiness decreased but even after two months each morning my brain was in a fog. Ironically, it decreased my pain symptons significantly. Gabapentin has more acceptable side effects for me, but doesn't reduce the symptons so much...

[magtogo]

Hi,

l take 150mg amitriptyline at night with 2 dihydrocodeine. The dihydrocodeine l take 3 times a day with the last 2 with the amitriptyline.

This is for pain management and depression.

After all these years on this medication the only side effect l notice is the dry mouth. l remember when first prescribed l noticed my eyesight was slightly blurry esp. in the mornings.

l find l can cope better with the chronic pain. l suffer with Osteomyalitis of the right femur which l have had since l was 10yr old and l am 63 now.

Numerous operations (several of them life and amputation risk surgery) later l welcome any pills with the power to ease pain.

The side effects of Amitriptyline far outweigh the benefits (for me anyway) but other people with a heavier body frame or carrying more or less weight the effect is different.

Return to your GP and explain how you feel, there are lots more medicines on the market these days.

[salbee]

I am currently taking 10mg at night (approx 9pm) for nerve pain after a head injury. It knocks me out at night and I sleep like a baby plus it is definitely helping with the pain.

I do feel a bit woozy in the morning (up at approx 06:30) but I soon get going. I have tried taking it earlier but this doesn't help. I am on a phased return to work and find I am falling asleep in the armchair when I get home at lunchtime, something I would never normally do! I also had a touch of diarrhoea on the first couple of days but that has gone.

All in all the benefits (pain relief and feeling of calm) far outweigh the side-effects for me.

[Hidden]

Due to blood clots in my brain, leaving me with hydrocephalus and horrible headaches, I have taken 30mg every night for the past 8 years so can't really remember what it was like at the start. They do work fine for me, but the main problem with them is the sweating. Oh boy is it bad, I pour when I start to do anything. So much so, as I'm Mother of the Groom next year, I am trying to change to Pregabalin. Hope this will work. So apart from the sweating, I think they work well for my neurological pain.

[Court]

I am stopping taking Gaberpentin and trying Amitriptyline 10mg tablets in the next couple of days for sciatic pain. I read the accompanying leaflet which does not appear to contain any reference to pain so I had intended to ask advice from my pharmacist. Luckily before doing this I referred to this site which always contains answers to any questions I may have. I now need to think about the side effects before starting the tablets.

[Garybe]

I think it is really a question of individual tolerance. I have found amitriptyline good for reducing pain symptoms but it can leave you groggy in the morning if the dose is to high. Experimenting with bringing the dose down can help. Of course, what works for one may not for another.

[Fluffynubby]

I take a variety of pain relief of which this is one it is a good drug for those who's sleep pattern is disrupted by pain. I find that if I take it about three hours before bed it helps get me to sleep. I find that if I take it any later I end up with a hangover effect. It is not advisable to drive once you have taken a dose tho. Driving can be impaired. For note I take 100mg a night although I started at 10mg. It can cause some bladder weakness. I am also on 600mg gabapentin 5x daily and oxynorm 5mg x4 daily and 1g paracetamol x4 daily. I have been on this for over 10 years.

[terryrat]

i started taking PKs a year ago for my frozen shoulder had many differing types ended up on Tramadol 50mg which seemed to work 3 operations before they decided last October to fit a new one i might add this has been a success, the downside is that whilst i was waiting for it the pain got to such a level i ended up on Tramadol slow release 100mg then 150mg now its 200mg twice a day the reason for this is that whilst waiting for new shoulder i am having hip problems the right one in fact same side as the shoulder They wanted to get the hip done but said shoulder was first as i will need 2 good arms for hip surgery. I am no been given Morphine but all this does is knocks me out still got the same level of pain too The real truth is that the Tramadol is a waste of time so i have decided to cut them back as well so now im on 150mg twice a day and every other day i take 150mg then 100mg for the evening i shall continue to cut back till im off them all The hip op should be 13th Dec provisional i know the pain will be there but the way i see it, it is already here and nothing thats nothing will alleviate it i also know that like the shoulder when it was fixed the pain was gone so the same will be with the hip. Im not sure if this helps anyone but thats the way i feel

[tobie]

I'm on Maxitram, co-codamol 30/500, Gabapentine and Amitriptyline 50mgs at night it had I believe been helping me get to sleep until last June when my sleep is very up and down can be awake till 4, 5 even 6am in the morning sometimes.

[fredbair]

I was using am amitriptyline for back pain and the GP said it would ease my symptoms of depression but I had side effects with pins and needles in my lips and it felt like somebody was tapping me on the eyeballs all the time so I had to come off them and go on duloxetine.