Amitriptyline

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  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hope you have a lovely time Ritwren :D

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • bubbadog
    bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi Lindalegs, I suffer from migraines, they are not as regular as they used to be but I do get them still. I had one last week and it lasted just over 24hrs. I can't take any migraine meds due to the meds I'm on so I just go to bed and shut the curtains and sleep it off. I can't eat when I have a migraine because I get sick. Glad yours has passed and you are back to your fun self! :)
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    bubbadog wrote:
    Hi Lindalegs, I suffer from migraines, they are not as regular as they used to be but I do get them still. I had one last week and it lasted just over 24hrs. I can't take any migraine meds due to the meds I'm on so I just go to bed and shut the curtains and sleep it off. I can't eat when I have a migraine because I get sick. Glad yours has passed and you are back to your fun self! :)

    Thanks Bubbadog, sorry you're migraines are such a bummer and untreatable to boot. That must be hard. :|

    Unfortunately my headaches haven't gone :( They've woken me for the last 6 days in succession although they aren't as bad as they used to be they seem to be more regular.

    I'm still on 10mg of Amitrip as I dropped the dose as many of you said they take a while to work and I want to give the 10mg chance to become effective instead of keep putting up the dose. I had a PM from a friend saying that it can take up to six weeks to work. If I'm still struggling after that I shall increase to 20mg and see what happens. :?

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • Frustrated
    Frustrated Member Posts: 13
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    This drug is a tri-cyclic antidepressant as your information leaflet should tell you and like most antidepressants they allege to take 6 weeks to work. Having said that and being treated for clinical depression I've found personally that most depressions lift a little after 6 weeks so how they can tell whether it's the drugs or not I don't know. They also don't tend to keep your mood up to "normal" (happy pills is serious over-marketing for the people who should be taking these drugs).

    Fluoxetine is another name for Prozac - a good drug but not if you get an upset stomach. But whether they should be prescribing anti-depressants at all is a question I'd like to ask. I got a script today from my rheumatologist who described them as pain relief but he doesn't know my other medical history and asked no questions which would have told him I shouldn't be taking them. Well I say he - he asked his junior doctor to write the prescription and she didn't get the spelling quite correct which was not too impressive, I must say. Luckily there aren't any other similar named drugs. If the drugs don't work then wean yourself off them slowly. I've done the sudden withdrawal and it's fine for a few days, then your mood suddenly drops and no amount of pill taking can get it back up again quickly. You know though I think alcohol in moderation without pills is the best controller for pain. And probably less harmful.
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi Frustrated and anyone else interested , :)

    I stopped taking them yesterday as my headaches seemed to be getting worse again. I only had a very mild one this morning.

    We're also going away in the middle of the month and I'd like to have a glass of wine with my evening meal without worrying about getting a migraine the following day. I also want to make sure the Amitriptyline is well out of my system before I even smell wine again :shock:

    I might then give them another go when we get home.

    Does anyone know how long it takes for a drug like this to come out of your system?

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • Frustrated
    Frustrated Member Posts: 13
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Haven't taken this specific drug - but with Prozac about the 6 weeks it took to really take hold to be completely clear - but after only a few days they'll be a real difference if you aren't on a high dose. I get headaches as a side effect of my current anti-depressant and simply missing one day's dose is usually enough to get rid of the headache side effect. Why not try with a little alcohol rather than a full glass to try? Wine can be bad for causing headaches anyway. Sambuca or vodka might be better (purer stuff - you'd be amazed at the difference).
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Surely it's worth bearing in mind that amitryp is one of the many drugs which can be used to treat a range of conditions, it is not just an anti-dep (although it may be your only encounter with it, Frustrated). Like all drugs it can suit one person better than it suits another and the dosage will vary according to what is the treatment target. Many on here take amytryp to help with sleep and get on fine.

    Legs, it would appear that you are one of the unlucky ones in that respect and it's causing more trouble than it's worth. I hope they can suggest another to help with the headaches. I doubt it will take that long to seep out of your system but your pharmacist may well know the answer. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi Frustrated, I was only on 10mg of Amitrip to treat chronic headaches, not depression. I note what you say about sambuca and vodka but I prefer to have a glass of wine as an accompaniment to food rather than spirits. :wink:

    Hi Dreamdaisy, the doc did say that I was to increase the dose if it didn't help but I shall probably try again at the end of April as I have a couple of invites to parties this month as well as a few days away. I think I'll give another go before I give up on it entirely. :D

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    As for getting it out of your system - I think my withdrawal lasted about a week. But I don't think that necessarily meant it was still there - just that my body wanted it to be there and it wasn't!

    I know it takes time to start working, but the advice I have seen elsewhere on info leaflets is to increase the dose weekly until you get the painkilling effect. In my case I only needed to go to 20mg and I didn't have the wine effect that you had!

    Enjoy your wine - life is so short, we have to decide which side effects to deal with. I am not sure I would be that happy with a side effect that meant I couldn't enjoy a nice glass of wine with my dinner. :D
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Thanks Frogmella :D

    With a chance of sounding like an alcoholic, I do miss having some wine at the weekends because I feel it's a treat and it's a very sociable thing to do. :D

    I have had no withdrawal symptoms but then I wasn't taking the Amitrip for very long.

    I'm sleeping the same but woke with a bit of a stonker this morning but it has gone now with the help of paracetamol. (Good job because my grandson's here and I'm going out this afternoon to see auntie.)

    I fully intend going back on the Amitrip after my month of socialising :D

    Thanks for taking the time to answer. :D

    Love,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    At the risk of sounding stupid (I know, I know, not for the first time and surely not for the last) could this be connected to your pillow? Or an old mattress not supporting your body sufficiently? Is it a side-effect of any other meds? Oh why does life have to be so damned confusing at times? :roll: I was told three different things by two different doctors (yup, one contradicted himself within the space of ten minutes). Classic. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    dreamdaisy wrote:
    At the risk of sounding stupid (I know, I know, not for the first time and surely not for the last) could this be connected to your pillow? Or an old mattress not supporting your body sufficiently? Is it a side-effect of any other meds? Oh why does life have to be so damned confusing at times? :roll: I was told three different things by two different doctors (yup, one contradicted himself within the space of ten minutes). Classic. DD


    Hi Dreamdaisy,

    I don't think I've left any stone unturned but thanks for your suggestions as anything is worth looking at when they've been interfering with my life so much.

    After I'd had these heads for about a year I, too, wondered whether it might be my pillow so I bought a memory foam one. They did 'seem' to improve for a while but I think psychology plays a wonderful part and the brain, can be very persuasive :roll: (We also bought a memory foam topper, which is really comfy.)

    I then decided to track them to see how regular they were occurring and see if there was any connection with diet/lifestyle/menopause .......there doesn't appear to be.

    It's not RA in my neck because the pain would be at the back of my head and not my forehead...........according to my GP.

    The doc and rheumy thought it might be the Mtx so that was stopped with little change to the heads.

    When I asked whether it was a side effect of the different meds I'm on this doc said that one common side effect of all meds is headaches.

    So at this juncture I don't think they know the cause so prevention isn't an option :( that's why he put me on Amitriptyline. :|

    Not had a good day with the headache because it kept coming back ....thankfully it seems to have abated now. :D

    I think it's a case of managing them when they happen.

    Thanks for your contribution anyway. :D

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • applerose
    applerose Member Posts: 3,621
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Sorry you're still getting the headaches. I hope you find a solution to them very soon.
    Christine
  • dreamdaisy
    dreamdaisy Member Posts: 31,520
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    I had dreadful headaches with leflunomide so stopped that tablet. I spent one entire Easter in bed with the blackout blind down. That wasn't fun.

    It's true that headaches are a common side effect of so many meds but I wonder if this is more a case of two meds interracting not too well? The fact that these are so persistent is odd and would seem to hint at the constant input of summat. Why does life have to be so damned complicated at times? :roll: I hope you can find an answer to this, it must be very wearing. DD
    Have you got the despatches? No, I always walk like this. Eddie Braben
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hello Applerose and Dreamdaisy,

    I can live with my headaches and feel I'm lucky in the fact that although it's hard when they force me out of my nice warm cosy pit, generally, they do go within a couple of hours of getting up. The pain isn't terrible it's just a nuisance. :|

    They do get me down a bit if they make me nauseous and I have to spend the day in bed vomiting but that doesn't happen often. :D

    I suppose I just hoped the Amitriptyline was going to be a miracle cure and so far it improved things a bit but not as I expected :roll:

    Thanks for replying. :D

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • bubbadog
    bubbadog Member Posts: 5,544
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    Hi Linda, I'm sorry you have been suffering with headaches, I really hate headaches! I can deal with everything else but headaches I really hate, I suffer bad headaches and migraines a lot due to my epilepsy. The reason I wasn't about yesterday was due to me having a migraine and was in bed the hole day. I hope you can find the reason for them soon and get them sorted. Take care ((((HUGS))))
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    I agree Bubba. I can function with arthur pain and any other but headaches/migraines just wipe me out, I can't think straight. :( I have resigned myself to the fact that I'm just a headachy person :roll:

    Sorry you were poorly with yours and glad to have you back again. :D

    I'm just going to put my Pollyanna hat on though and add that at least we appreciate it when we don't have them :D:D

    In saying that I had two glasses of white wine with my meal last night and, guess what, NO HEADACHE this morning .................what does that tell me?????? :lol::lol::lol:

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • frogmella
    frogmella Member Posts: 1,111
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    I knew it.....wine IS good for you! :lol:
  • ritwren
    ritwren Member Posts: 928
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    LL it's just a thought but have you tried Bisoprolol? I take 5mg every morning as a preventative against the migraines I take and it does seem to reduce the number of them that I get. It's a pretty mighty beta blocker but there is some research to support it acting to prevent migraines. It might work for your headaches.
    Regardless, I hope your headaches ease a little for you and you get some respite. Take good care. R
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    frogmella wrote:
    I knew it.....wine IS good for you! :lol:

    Just to test the theory I've had two glasses again tonight :wink: I'll report back tomorrow :D

    Love,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    ritwren wrote:
    LL it's just a thought but have you tried Bisoprolol? I take 5mg every morning as a preventative against the migraines I take and it does seem to reduce the number of them that I get. It's a pretty mighty beta blocker but there is some research to support it acting to prevent migraines. It might work for your headaches.
    Regardless, I hope your headaches ease a little for you and you get some respite. Take good care. R

    I've just googled Bisoprolol and amongst other things it says it lowers your blood pressure. It therefore wouldn't be suitable for me Ritwren as my blood pressure is generally lower than 'normal' :shock: . Thanks for the suggestion though. :D

    Love,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'
  • theresa4
    theresa4 Member Posts: 696
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    HI linda

    I found that I get quite a lot of headaches which my GP puts down to all the meds, I too get migraines. taking regular paracetamol doesn't help as I've nothing to take for the headache then

    I found peppermint oil is brilliant even with migraines. A drop on the finger rub into temples and nape of neck. Be careful not to get it in eyes as it stings :shock:

    As for Amitriptyline Im on 50 mg per night and find I get very groggy the next day if I take it later than 6-7pm but it doesn't help me sleep at all. I find I get a very dry mouth with it so take a bottle of water to bed with me.
    As for drinking Im a bit bad, Im not a heavy drinker but do have a few glasses of red wine despite being on MTX amitriptyline dihydrocodeine. It doesn't make much difference and my blood results are very good so Im not worried just yet. It kinda improves the pain relief :roll: If my bloods were showing issues I would have to reconsider though.
    good luck with yours and I hope you enjoyed entertaining I realise Im very late with this reply as Im not around much anymore

    Theresa x
    There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart...pursue those. --Michael Nolan



    Theresa xxx
  • lindalegs
    lindalegs Member Posts: 5,399
    edited 30. Nov -0001, 00:00
    I thought you weren't as regular visitor as you used to be Teresa, I too have taken a step back from the forum lately. It's good to see you popping in again and that you've not left us altogether :D

    I'll give the peppermint oil a go and see how I get on with it. Thanks for the tip. :)

    I only take paracetamol to get rid of headaches now and try not to use it too much as I know it can actually give you headaches :roll: (We're damned if we do and we're damned if we don't :shock: )

    As for drinking with meds, my rheumy, even when I was on Mtx, always said to me that if my bloods showed problems we'd have to have a little talk but until then carry on as I was doing. I only drink at weekends (unless a social event occurs midweek) and I always stop after a couple of glasses of wine so I believe I'm being sensible. I do feel we have enough to put up with arthur and if we enjoy having alcohol as part of our lifestyle then why shouldn't we. Like everything though it's better in moderation.

    No headache this morning even though I had two glasses of red last night. It'll be interesting tonight as I shan't be imbibing. :wink:

    Luv,
    Love, Legs x
    'Make a life out of what you have, not what you're missing'

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