[QUOTE=Mister WU]I just got prescribed amytriptilyne (10mg; moving up to 20 after a week). Does anyone have an experience with this drug that they could share?

Thanks!

I lurk on this board just to see if anyone has migraines and what they take that being said did you mean Amitriptyline? If so that is a generic for Elavil which is an antidepressent but it does help with pain also. I have taken that for 12 years for RSD and my dose is 10mg a day. Caution that should be taken at night it will (might) make you sleepy.

Hey Mister,

Amitriptyline (Elavil) is a tricyclic anti-depressant. It is prescribed for the obvious (Depression) but also for nerve pain and sleep disorders.

Amitriptyline is a pretty old drug and has been around for some time. Your dose is rather small, however, if you've never taken it then it will probably work ok for you at first.

Amitriptyline has some pretty decent sedation qualities. Many people take this drug for sleeping. The problem is, many people report feeling drowsy the next day. It has a longer half-life than other sedative meds. Like Ambien which is in a different drug class all together, but it has a shorter half-life so the next day is usually ok for most people.

The only other thing that I can think about that is negative about this drug is weight gain. Many people report gaining weight while taking Amitriptyline.

You didn't mention what the med was prescribed for. Normal dosages are usually 25-50 mg for anti-d and sleep. I know some people that take 150 mg as well. The longer you take it, the more tolerance you will build to it.

Hope this answered some of your questions.
Take Care

Another use for "elavil" that I can add is for intestinal spasms, that's why the doc gave it to me. It's supposed to relax the smooth muslce of your intestine. It works fairly well for me, and does help me to sleep better, so that's a plus!!

Since you're just starting out on elavil, I would wait and take it at night before bed. You are on a low dose, however, all people respond differently to drugs. Elavil, I know at higher doses can make a person pretty drowsy. It is hard to say at 10 or 20 mg, but who knows. To be on the safe side you should wait until bedtime.

I've never really heard of anyone losing weight on Elavil; it is usually weight gain that is the problem.

Hope it works out for you.

Amytriptyline is helpfull for nerve pain.it does cause drowsiness but i found this lessened after a year.

it doesnt cause weight gain but it may increase your craving for sweets which may cause weight gain.

it does cause dry mouth which is why i stopped taking it after 2 years.
after a while you tend not to notice the dry mouth but it is still there and does cause gum/tooth decay.

i recently switched to Norytryptyline which is also a TCA anti-d.
i find it to help but not as well although my teeth are not as sensitive as with the Elavil.
Elavil is the most common prescribed TCA yet it also has the most side effects,mainly drowsiness and dry mouth.

Hi Bluestream,
You take Topamax? I do too. I'm going to my doctor this afternoon to talk about raising the dose today is a matter of fact. Just came online to check my email ;) but my server is down for my whole province & they don't know how long so I'm glad I can still talk to folks on the health boards!

Is your Topamax helping your pain today?
I tried Elavil, too but it made me gain 5lbs in 2 weeks & I was too sleepy. Had to go off.

Bye for now.
Jackie :wave: