10mg Amitriptyline withdrawal symptoms

[Speedwayfan]

I have been on this medication for 2 years. I attempted to stop it in May 2023 due to the horrible weird vivid dreams every night. After 2 weeks of reducing to 5mg I reluctantly went back on it. It has ruined my life I can't sleep and have my GP advised me to increase the dose to 20mg last week. After 4 days I have had 3 anxiety attacks tingling and numbness in my head hands and feet and a weird pressure in my head. I ended up at the walk in centre on Saturday and the Dr I saw said I need to stop the medication. Saturday night I didn't take any. Last night I took 5mg as I have a pill cutter but today I feel really ill. No appetite really tired and exhausted as I can't remember the last time I slept through the night. How do I wean off this horrible drug.

[LFHell]

Magnesium Bigylicinate tablets or Better You Magnesium spray on your legs should help you sleep well. Or Montgomery cherry pills are good but they are also high fodmap i think.

Failing that chamomile tea or Sleepeasy tea?

[Liz1234ty]

Hi, I had the same problems trying to wean myself off it. Took many months but I very very gradually reduced the dose - just tiny amounts less every 2-4 weeks as otherwise the withdrawal was too bad. Once I was on the lowest does I got a pill cutter to further reduce it and then finally took it very other night, every 2 nights, every 3 nights etc until I could finally stop taking it.

[Orchard33]

Very slowly. It is very difficult to come off this drug and takes a long time to normalise after the acute withdrawal stage, which, as you're finding, is very unpleasant and un-nerving.

[edwangy]

DON'T just stop taking it, you will have horrible withdrawal symptoms.You need to do this very slowly. cut it by 20% for 1 week, then another 20% week 2 etc etc, until you are weaned off it. It'll take a while but this will reduce any withdrawal symptoms.Good luck

[pwllmawr2]

I still take 20mlg every night, I have left them off a few times with no ill effect, I still take now as they help me sleep, they really don't affect my IBS symptoms.

[1ChLoE in reply to pwllmawr2]

It doesn’t seem to affect me if I miss a dose either.

[Zantecat]

I suggest you ask doc for a bottle of amitriptyline in liquid form, this way you can cut down much more accurately and slowly than cutting pills, Some docs are reluctant to do this as it is a more expensive form of the drug but you will probably only need to have one bottle to be successful so it makes sense. This was the only way I could stop this drug. ( I stopped for a year but am now back on it as being off it was worse).

I

[Angie51B]

I struggled to come off this drug and went back on it twice because of awful withdrawal symptoms. I then managed it myself over about nine months reducing every few weeks by a very small amount, doing the reduction every other day for the first week then completely for the second week.

Finally I took a very small amount every other day, then every third day etc until I was completely weaned off it. This all took a long time but was worth it as I had no unpleasant symptoms. ( I kept a record every day of what I had taken, as it is very easy to become muddled with quantities etc!!)

Good luck, you will get there.