Amitriptyline

Caro50
Caro50 Member Posts: 8
in Living with arthritis

Hi all.

I have been taking amitriptyline for around 12 years for nerve damage from arthritis in-between 2 of my neck vertebrae. I am very forgetful & can't keep much info in my brain so it goes in 1 ear & out the other. Can this be down to amitriptyline as someone suggested to me once.

Are there any other alternatives?

Comments

  • frogmorton
    frogmorton Member Posts: 30,026

    Someone else used to take Nortriptyline, but I suspect it's similar. The name makes me think it might be.

    I tried gabapentin for nerve damage for a while....

    erm hopefully others will tell you what they've tried.

    I'm also very forgetful maybe it's just 'us'. Brain fog is something plenty of us suffer from here.

    Toni x

  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 837
    edited 26. May 2022, 08:12

    Hi @Caro50

    Feeling confused is one of the possible side effects of amitriptyline listed by the NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/amitriptyline-for-pain/

    Just a cautionary note - I was put on 20mg amitriptyline in March 2021 to help me sleep. It was increased to 30mg in May 2021 and a week later I had an episode of atrial fibrillation and tachycardia - I'd never had heart issues before. I was also on an NSAID - Etodolac - at the time as well as 20mgs methotrexate. It turns out all 3 drugs have been reported to be a possible cause of AF. The cardiac consultant who saw me when I was admitted to hospital withdrew both the amitriptyline and etodolac. I had another episode of tachycardia in October and my methotrexate was reduced to 10mgs. I'v not had any AF or tachycardia episodes since.

  • Caro50
    Caro50 Member Posts: 8
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695474#Comment_695474

    Hi. Thanks for replying. I took Gabapentin for different pain but it didn't work on anything for me unfortunately.

    Carolne x

  • Caro50
    Caro50 Member Posts: 8
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695476#Comment_695476

    Hi jamieA

    Did the doctor say anything about the 3 meds combined may have caused it?

    I used to take Naproxen (NSAID) while already on amitriptyline. I was okay but eventually the naproxen made me ill.

    I take 80mg of amitriptyline but that's been uped over the 12 years because I was getting something like pins & needles (a bit worse than that) down my spine, legs & arms. I don't know if there's an alternative that works

    Caroline x

  • Locarno
    Locarno Member Posts: 10

    Thanks for the information I was diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis 6 month ago and have had brain fog since, I am on amitriptyline 4mg for night pain, I sleep really well now, I was beginning to wonder if it was something else going on in my brain, I am 73. you have put my mind at rest, when I can actually speak to a GP I will discuss it with them. thanks once again.

  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 837
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695715#Comment_695715

    Hi @Caro50

    I ended up having a fairly robust conversation with the cardiologist as he was only interested in the heart side of things and didn't really take notice of anything else. I think he actually said something like it might be a good idea to talk to rheumatology but 'that's not how the NHS works'. When I was admitted in October last year with a chest infection and tachycardia it was actually the rheumatologist that reduced the MTX by half - I didn't see a cardiologist. I haven't had a recurrence since. Having subsequently read up in various medical papers about possible heart problems with all 3 drugs I've made the assumption that it probably was all 3 together that caused the AF and possibly the MTX caused the tachycardia.

  • Caro50
    Caro50 Member Posts: 8
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695732#Comment_695732
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695732#Comment_695732
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695476#Comment_695476

    Hi jamieA

    Did the doctor say anything about the 3 meds combined may have caused it?

    I used to take Naproxen (NSAID) while already on amitriptyline. I was okay but eventually the naproxen made me ill.

    I take 80mg of amitriptyline but that's been uped over the 12 years because I was getting something like pins & needles (a bit worse than that) down my spine, legs & arms. I don't know if there's an alternative that works

    Caroline x

  • Caro50
    Caro50 Member Posts: 8
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/695732#Comment_695732

    Hi jamieA

    Sorry about the late reply, I forget a lot of things.

    It is worrying about the possible link between the meds & heat problems.

    I think I will have a chat with the rheumatology team when I get an appointment.

    I was told by someone that they thought amitriptyline caused her problems with her memory but she's not a medical person.

  • jamieA
    jamieA Member Posts: 837
    https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/698246#Comment_698246

    Hi @Caro50

    When I was admitted with AF and tachycardia the cardiac consultant stopped the amitriptyline immediately but didn't stop the NSAID - I was on Etodolac - but made a conficting comment on my discharge letter wherby my GP practice pharmacist stopped the Etodolac immediately. When I was admitted a 2nd time with tachycardia in October 2021I was seen by a rheumatologist who reduced my MTX to 10mgs and I've not had any further incidence of heart issues - though I've been on 3 heart drugs since the first incidence. I've since read quite a few medical papers online linking amitriptylene, NSAIDS and MTX individually to heart issues including both AF and tachycardia so I guess taking all 3 at the same time increases the risk further.

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