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        New Message Board Archives >> 2002 Posts >> Elavil???  Anyone tried it?
        
(Message started by: bartman on Nov 21^st, 2002, 1:20pm)

Title: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by bartman on Nov 21^st, 2002, 1:20pm

My doc is having me try the generic form of Elavil called Amitriptyline. Has anyone tried either?

Thanks for everyones help. This site and everyones help, advise and support has been a blessing!

The Bartman

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Slammy on Nov 21^st, 2002, 1:57pm

I was on Elavil for awhile. I would take it at night before bedtime. It did a good job allowing me to sleep through the night without the beast, but I felt like I was wrapped in cellophane in the morning... almost like a nyquil OD type of feeling.

Slammy 8)

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by BobG on Nov 21^st, 2002, 1:59pm

I've never tried it but this is what webMD says about it

Amitriptyline

Brand names: Elavil, Endep, Vanatrip. Amitriptyline is in a class of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants. Amitriptyline affects chemicals in your brain that may become unbalanced and cause depression.

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by echo on Nov 21^st, 2002, 2:03pm

Is it just me or is there conflicting information.

Used for anti-depression but may cause depression?

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by woobie on Nov 21^st, 2002, 2:08pm

SORRY in advance. I am not the one with clusters, but I had been on Elavil before .. for a long time, 300 mg a day at bedtime. I have Rheumatoid arthritis, and they gave it to me so that I could sleep. It's also supposed to be an antidepressant. But it didn't help with that. I sure did sleep tho. A lot.. many hours. Many MUCH hours.

And I didn't like it. It helped ya sleep, that's for sure.. but you do feel like sheeeeeit all day.. you feel drugged. I was taking a pretty high dose.. I dont know what kind of dose they would use for clusters...

The reason I didn't like it is because you cannot think straight. If you have a job where you have to think.. i wouldn't recommend it. I have to crunch numbers all the time, and I found myself not being able to do simple math... math that I have done a bagillion times.

I didn't think about it being the Elavil at all... and when I went to my doc.. i told him that I can't think straight, I can't concentrate, I cant remember anything. He said "Yep, that's the Elavil. Let's get you off of that." So, I stopped taking it.. and can remember things, and I can concentrate, and can do my work now. No one tells you of this "side effect" .. but if you do research on the internet.. you'll find that loss of concentration and short term memory is, in fact, a side effect. I didn't do that until after the fact.. stupid me.

Now, I don't know if I have a right to tell you all of this, not being a clusterhead myself.. (just a supporter).. but I remember my experience with Elavil.. and I just thought I would share.

Hope if works for you!!
Tina

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Drk^Angel on Nov 21^st, 2002, 2:14pm

Echo... The loss of your hair is affecting your brain... The article says it helps control the chemicals that while imbalanced may cause depression... Not that is causes depression.

PFDAN......................................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by echo on Nov 21^st, 2002, 2:19pm

Sorry about that. I was temporarily overcome with cranial rectal inversion. ;D

I'm better now. Must go wash my head.

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by kim on Nov 21^st, 2002, 2:25pm

Yup. Nope. Didn't woik for Kimmy. Doc kept insisting that it would, but - NOPE. It didn't. ;D

But that's just me. Good luck! :)

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Jackie on Nov 21^st, 2002, 3:32pm

Blake took Elavil for a short time. Like the others he did sleep. However, it took most of his waking ours to come out of the dazed state and then it was time to take another dose.....hard to function on that drug for him.

Jacks 8)

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by ChristineL on Nov 21^st, 2002, 3:33pm

I tried it years ago and it never did anything for me.

Chris L

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by domm on Nov 21^st, 2002, 3:57pm

my experience with Elavil is the same as Slammy's. Good for sleep, felt like a drug hangover in the AM.

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Drk^Angel on Nov 21^st, 2002, 4:13pm

My GP once prescribed this for me to help me sleep. Didn't work though.

PFDAN................................... Drk^Angel

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by nancyc on Nov 22^nd, 2002, 1:15am

I agree with Slammy...i used elavil about 16 years ago for chs..i was episodic then...it helped me sleep better at nite but made me feel like a zombie during the day..i was on 150mg....praying it will work for you...smiles, nancyc

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Lori on Nov 22^nd, 2002, 11:38pm

It was given to me years ago to try for my so called headaches (wasn't diagnosed ch at that time) Doc was convinced it would work, it didn't. It made me very tired all the time but didn't even touch the CH. Hope it works for you though.

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by forgetfulnot on Nov 23^rd, 2002, 1:44am

Wast of time and money for me anyhoo.

Lee

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by catlind on Nov 23^rd, 2002, 9:25am

I was on it, and Slammy's description of it is quite accurate, and nope it didn't work for me at all.

Cat

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by catlind on Nov 23^rd, 2002, 6:31pm

Noratryptaline didn't do squat for me either. I think the neuro's go straight for the tricyclic anti-depressants because they want to believe we have migraines. AT least that seems to be the case with the 3 different neuro's I've seen in upstate NY.

Also, the nor sent my resting heart rate into the 100's. 118 to be exact. These meds are old meds with nasty side effects, so be on your toes and make sure you research your meds .... most doctors don't bother to do that for you.

Cat

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by cerebus on Nov 25^th, 2002, 10:13pm

WOW!

I just got it prescribed today by my neuro, and after reading all of this begining to wonder if I should even take it. Nasty buch of side effects those.

but I suppose I should give it a try, can't be worse than the other stuff I'm takin' ::) I guess ::)

Says here its sometimes used for "chronic pain" which of course CH IS but from the rest of the posts here I can't imagine it works.

I'll let ya know real soon I have a feeling.

Cerebus

Title: Re: Elavil??? Anyone tried it?
Post by Riccardo on Nov 26^th, 2002, 10:23am

I think there is a little confusion about tricyclics antidepressants. (Anyway I ask UELI to make corrections, if any to my text)

The tricyclic antidepressants block primarily the uptake of norepinephrine and also, to varying degrees, the uptake of 5-HT.

This means that the neuro do not give them to made you sleep, but to normalize the flow of serotonin.

Generally, they are not so effective, but sometimes they are. And, on the other hand, a neuro gives them without problem.... if they do nothing to CH...at least let you sleep a bit more... ;D

I tried them, and in my case they "destroyed" the circadian rhythm: I got attacks at hours I never had before, and viceversa. Globally..... no benefits!

Other words about another antidepressant, the seroxat (paroxetine)

The paroxetine is the most potent inhibitor of 5-HT uptake, This can cause a SEROTONIN SHOCK (my definition) that can break the CH cycle. It was effective in some cases in Italy, and eeeerrr, I'm trying it now....

Don't cost so much, the trial lasts 7 days at 20mg/day ...and, if it functions..... the CH is gone!