Amytriptiline

Lily_Mouse

Hi, please can anyone who takes Amytriptiline for pain relief advise me how long it is likely to take for the pain to ease? I have been taking 25mg for around 3 weeks now and haven't noticed any difference yet...I'm not sure whether to carry on with it....also has anyone who takes it experienced weight gain at all? Any advice would be very much appreciated. Thanks very much.

frogmorton

I didn't have any trouble with weight gain @Lily_Mouse

I took 50mg for some time, but stopped taking it during COVID-19 when I was trying to get to the bottom of something else.... I found this for you.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/drugs/amitriptyline/

Sounds like it can take a good while (up to 6 weeks) to make any difference. For me it was quite quick but I was started on 3 different medications at the same time by the rheumatologist so it could have been any of them I suppose.

What other pain relief are you taking I wonder like paracetamol, co-codamol or anti-inflammatory like ibuprofen or naproxen?

I'll be interested to see what others have to say.

Take care

Toni xx

AngelaB

Hello Lily

I take 150g per night and helps me with sleep but not for pain. What other pain relief do you take ?

Angela

Lily_Mouse

Thanks a lot for your responses Toni and Angela. It's good to hear other people's experiences....and thanks a lot for the link Toni. I've tried taking Naproxen, High Strength Codeine and other anti-inflammatory meds but they all made me very drowsy and nauseous. Also there was a contra-indication with my blood pressure tablets so I couldn't take very long...VersusArthritis have suggested Capsaican cream for me ...have you tried it? Apparently you can get it on prescription? Any knowledge/experience? Thanks a lot xx

frogmorton

I hear really good things about capsaicin @Lily_Mouse get your prescription asap because there has been a shortage of it in this country.

Codeine can make us drowsy, but you do get used to it. I preferred pain patches which are similar, but the does is consistent and made me feel less queasy as you don't get that 'boost' of the stuff! To be honest a lot of people underrate the effectiveness of things as simple as paracetamol and a warm microwavable wheatbag in my opinion.

Take care and let us know how you get on

toni x

Chocoholic71

Hello lily I've been on amitriptyline 25mg for a few years ,it worked quite quickly for me but it could be because I'm on other medication,if you aren't on anything else for pain ,maybe speak to gp again

Take care Elaine x

Lily_Mouse

Hi, thanks so much for your replies...I've decided to continue with the amytriptiline but up my dose to 50mg on recommendation of a GP (I might have to do this in small steps though)....I will definitely speak to my own GP about the capsaican cream as I like the idea of it (being natural etc)....I hope the GP doesn't just see it as a 'fad' treatment though which I fear😏! Will let you know....thanks again for all your responses, it's great to know I'm not alone with this xx

Jewels

Hi i take 45mg of amitriptyline but for my silent migraine but it has never worked for my hip pain and I've been taking them since 2019 like the others have advised go back to your gp

Lily_Mouse

HI Jewels, thanks for your message, and that's frustrating to hear, and sorry you're still suffering....I'm still waiting to see if the Amytriptiline has any effects for me...will give it a couple more weeks.

DebbieL

Hiya,

I have OA in my lower spine and am 55 years.

I tried amitriptyline, but it gave me diarrhoea. So I was offered nortriptyline which was fine for me. I started off with 2*30/500 cocodamol for pain at night. This was often enough for me to go to sleep but if I needed to turn over I was in agony. The nortriptyline seems to help with this. So in addition to the cocodamol I have 20-30mg of nortriptyline which is usually enough for me to sleep most nights. If it isn’t enough I have naproxen and use heat pads. The nortriptyline does make me sleepy so I wouldn’t take it during the day.

I do a stretch class and ballet and try to walk as much as possible. The exercise reduces pain and tires me so that I can sleep better. If you can find an exercise that you enjoy, you may find that this will also reduce your pain.

I think with pain relief it is trial and error to find a combination that suits you.

I hope you find something that suits you

Take care

Debbie

DebbieL

Hiya,

I have OA in my lower spine and am 55 years.

I tried amitriptyline, but it gave me diarrhoea. So I was offered nortriptyline which was fine for me. I started off with 2*30/500 cocodamol for pain at night. This was often enough for me to go to sleep but if I needed to turn over I was in agony. The nortriptyline seems to help with this. So in addition to the cocodamol I have 20-30mg of nortriptyline which is usually enough for me to sleep most nights. If it isn’t enough I have naproxen and use heat pads. The nortriptyline does make me sleepy so I wouldn’t take it during the day.

I do a stretch class and ballet and try to walk as much as possible. The exercise reduces pain and tires me so that I can sleep better. If you can find an exercise that you enjoy, you may find that this will also reduce your pain.

I think with pain relief it is trial and error to find a combination that suits you.

I hope you find something that suits you

Take care

Debbie

DebbieL

Hiya,

I have OA in my lower spine and am 55 years.

I tried amitriptyline, but it gave me diarrhoea. So I was offered nortriptyline which was fine for me. I started off with 2*30/500 cocodamol for pain at night. This was often enough for me to go to sleep but if I needed to turn over I was in agony. The nortriptyline seems to help with this. So in addition to the cocodamol I have 20-30mg of nortriptyline which is usually enough for me to sleep most nights. If it isn’t enough I have naproxen and use heat pads. The nortriptyline does make me sleepy so I wouldn’t take it during the day.

I do a stretch class and ballet and try to walk as much as possible. The exercise reduces pain and tires me so that I can sleep better. If you can find an exercise that you enjoy, you may find that this will also reduce your pain.

I think with pain relief it is trial and error to find a combination that suits you.

I hope you find something that suits you

Take care

Debbie

Lily_Mouse

Hi Debbie,

Thanks very much for your response, it's really helpful. So sorry I'm replying so late, I've not looked at the community site for some while.

I do hope you're managing to get some respite from your pain now. I'm starting to realise that osteoarthritis is a constantly fluctuating condition and there's no foretelling what one day will be like to the next. Which is really hard I'm finding in terms of planning your life. I really hope you managed to find more of an equilibrium.

Thanks again for your response and take care of yourself.

Paula x

DebbieL

Hi Paula,

You are absolutely right about the fluctuations in pain and it is very frustrating.

I get more good days than bad days. However I was having a really bad day, on painkillers and in bed when I first posted on the site. I was feeling really down and fed up. But I’m glad I did, as I don’t have many bad days now and hopefully I can help others with my experiences.

I remember being on a walk in Scotland on some uneven rocks that started causing me bad hip pain. My husband asked if I wanted to go back to the caravan site. I was in such a beautiful place, I didn’t want to go back. I took some cocodamol and enjoyed the day.

I lost a lot of confidence and stopped doing everything when I first started suffering the pain of OA, scared anything I did would make it worse. A good physio helped me understand I could do a lot of things, but maybe different things. I do ballet and not step class, I walk a lot but don’t run, I take my grandkids to the park but they have to walk as I can’t carry them but they manage.

I hope you get more good days than bad days.

Take care

Debbie

mellman01

I take Nortriptyline for my neck arthritis it works well but odd does nothing for my knee and hip arthritis I also have associated neuropathic pain which I can only describe as a monster nothing touches it except Prozac of all things I found this out by pure accident a few years ago ever since then it's been at least 95% effective I can feel a flare coming on as my lower legs and feet start to tingle and become cold and clammy if I do nothing I'll end up throwing up each time I try and stand or walk pain killers have absolutely no effect because its being triggered by damage done to my neuropathic nerve system which was done by day case surgery for kneecap arthritis way back in 2008