Just wondering if anyone has had much experience with amitriptyline?

I have been on it since mid Feb this year, was put on by neurologist who said that I should give it a long term trial. Started at 25mg now up to 75mg to treat both depression and act as a preventer of CH.

Since being on it i have felt tired all the time, the first month was exhausting due to having uni assignments, a hospital placement and having to work in the evenings.

Now it is not so bad but since starting it my mood swings have been erractic and extreme, whereas before I would get very down for a few days, now its a sudden jump from being ok to wanted to lock myself away and never come out, then the next day be ok again.

the worst thing I have found is that it kinda does prevent the headaches but it has made them more of a permanant background headache, never so intense as they normally are but enough that they are disturbing to my day. Some days i will have occasional severe headaches, but like I said most of the time its a dull background headaches that makes me so moody because it distracts me so I am becoming very short tempered with everyone around me.

Does anyone have any experience with this drug? I am starting to get more depressed being on the drug than i was off it, I feel so bad for what I am putting the people around me through. I am thinking of speaking to my doctor and changing from amitriptyline to something else and trying to make things better.

Any advice would be greatly recieved.

Stuart

Amitriptyline is the generic for Elavil. It is an anti-depressant.
I personally never reaped any benefits from this drug; I did experience a rise in blood pressure while on it (I'd never had high blood pressure before taking it, nor do I have it now that I'm off of it).

I only use O2 these days - it aborts each and every hit!
Recently purchased the O2ptimask which shortened the abort time (7 min.).
Check out oxygen info on left side of page and discuss this with your Neuro. It has helped SO many of us (which is why we push it).
Wish you the very best,
Ted

I used it and after a week or two it worked to kill an episode, but the side effects (stumbling, forgetting everything, zoning out, drooling, zombiing, and disappointing the little woman) were so strong, that I never used it again.

good luck

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and see what Dr. Robbins says.

I've stopped taking it for a few months. It didn't do much for my CH, and I got the impression that it made me even more tired than I already did. I started at 25 mg and upped to 75 mg. What term did your doctor have in mind? Mine said that if it didn't work after 6 weeks, I could stop taking it.

Lottie

Neuro said to start on 25 then poss up to 75 in line with my gp for my depression. He said to be on it indefinitly as it takes such a long time to build in the body and that by being on it long term it would be treating the depression the rest of teh year and my cluster period.

I feel the same as you Lottie, I feel tired all the time and i spend almost all my effort and energy just trying to appear normal, happy and alert when out of the house. So much so that when I am at home I turn in to a zombie.

Neuro also said that if the ami doesnt work then the next drug is pizotifen, and then if that doesnt work then lithium. Also he said that I can order O2 from gp, of which I am in the process of attempting to get an appointment around my exams and work.

I am seriously considering just giving up on all preventative meds and trying O2 only, and then seeing what problems occur then on.

Stuart

I was put on 100mg of Amitriptyline about two years ago for depression.. On top of that I am on 100 mg of Topamax as a preventitive. Feels like I'm walking through water up to my neck carrying a bag of sand.

Decided on my next visit to my shrink I'm going off the Ami. Seems like your post was the voice that finally said enought of that crap!

Thanks Stuart.....Vibes when I needed them

Iddy

First of all....if this is causing you severe mood swings, you should let your doctor know how bad it is and tell them that you want something else.

As far as the headaches...it seemed to help my headaches a little. My headache specialist switched me to Nortryptaline to see if it'd do me any good...it seems to have done me a bit better than the Elavil.

There are a lot of other drugs to treat this condition with...and a LOT of different types of antidepressants that WON'T cause you problems like this. It just takes finding the right one...

Hope things get better for you
PFDAN
Mystina

xrayuk wrote on May 14^th, 2009 at 10:10am:

Neuro also said that if the ami doesnt work then the next drug is pizotifen, and then if that doesnt work then lithium. Also he said that I can order O2 from gp, of which I am in the process of attempting to get an appointment around my exams and work.

Hi Stuart

Have a look at the OUCH(UK) webiste (if you haven't already) especially this link ;

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It's a part completed copy of the Home Oxygen Order Form (HOOF) with the important bits for CH'ers pre filled in already.  If you can, print it off and take to your GP.

Good luck

Rod

Stuart - Back when I was first diagnosed (back in 1997) this was one of the meds my doctor put me on. If I remember right it did not help with the frequency or intensity of my headaches.

I do remember that I felt 'weird' when taking it though. Not even sure how to describe it really, but just sort of discombobulated or air headedness and I am not the air headed type person. I tend to get depressed when my clusters start so I can't say for sure that the meds enhanced that since it has been so long ago when I took it. Tell your doc for sure.