Hey guys!
I just wanted to give you all an update. I’ve been on Amitriptyline and hydroxyzine now for about a month. It has finally kicked in and I almost feel back to normal after months of pain and agony. It eliminated pelvic pain almost immediately, and now my frequency and urges are minimal (unless I eat/drink a trigger food or beverage). Side note- I also switched to low acid- decaf coffee. I hope you all are having as much success as I have lately
Hi everyone I’ve had ibs for as long as I remember it literally made my life a hell, tried almost everything and with no success until I found this GI and he told me to get on Amitriptyline. I’m currently taking 20mg every night but honestly it’s been a week and it’s making it WORSE idk if I should keep on going or just give up. I just wanted to ask if anyone had a success story with it. Any kind of information would be so helpful and I’d appreciate it. Thanks y’all
Update: 50 mg of Traz last night. Never slept and had a headache all day. I'm hoping to find something to rotate in once or twice week, not nightly.
My Family Dr, and 2nd opinion from Psych NP, told me to pick one. NP even said try it for a month, even when I asked what if I don't sleep for 2 days.
Trazodone, Seroquel, Remeron, or Amitriptyline for sleep?
Last night, 50 mg of Traz didn't help me sleep. 5 hours later I took 300 mcg melatonin just to get a few hours.
Do I increase to 100 mg? I'm probably not going to try again tonight.
25 mg Amitriptyline? I tried it, took 2 hours to get to sleep, 7 hours and felt awful next day.
50 mg Seroquel, tried once 2 months ago. Weird dreams and thoughts until it wore off next afternoon.
Remeron, haven't tried it.
I could really use some professional guidance. I don't know how to choose or pros/cons. I've been left to make my own decision, but I'm not knowledgeable enough.
I just recently started this at 10 mg (I have unexplained chronic muscle tightness/tension so I’ve been try different medications as muscle relaxants)
I know that it causes dry mouth which I currently have lol but has anyone experience the dryness in their throat? I feel like my throat is so dry and my voice is hoarse.
Idk I live in NYC so I’m super paranoid right now about COVID but I keep testing negative so I think it may be the meds
As of right now it’s a suspected diagnosis, I’ll be doing a trial of amitriptyline, recheck in 3 months and then possible referral to the fibro clinic at the hospital I go to. (Shout out to teaching hospitals for being awesome)
I’ll be starting this medication as soon as it comes in at the pharmacy, naturally I’m a bit nervous as anyone would be. It was originally an antidepressant, then used for pain and eventually commonly used for fibromyalgia.
What are your experiences with it? Mostly looking for the good sides since I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but bad sides also welcomed. Also what are fibro clinics like? I didn’t know they existed before yesterday and I’m very intrigued.
I’m 22 and was diagnosed with IC after a cystoscopy w/ hydrodistention about 2 months ago after believing I had a horrible UTI.. I’ve tried uribel, trospium, myrbetriq & tramadol to no avail.. I recently was given amitriptyline 25mg. I’m on my 3rd day and so far I haven’t noticed much other than being able to enjoy a DEEP sleep. I get up around 1-2x max now vs 5-8 which is nice. However, I do find it keeps me sort of out of it and groggy most the day. I’m curious if anyone here who takes it for IC could tell me how long it took until they noticed pain relief/symptom relief and what mg you’re taking. Also did you increase the dosage over time? If so, how many weeks in between did you wait to increase the dosage? Thanks!!!
Hi! I started taking 10 mg of amitriptyline this past Monday as a preventative. When I take it, if any of the coating comes off before I swallow it, for the next few hours the front half of my tongue and roof of my mouth burn, go numb, and tingle (like I ate something way too hot). Has anybody else had this with this drug?
Finally agreed to give this a shot. 1 week in and drowsiness has worn off and my poop is finally normal looking after a full year. Back at work after a week off and will update sporadically over the next few months. No pain but not sure if that’s from the medicine or the being off work stress free time.
I’m at 1.5 weeks on amitriptyline, 20 MG at night. I’m tolerating it fine outside of feeling a lot more dehydrated in the morning, but I also feel a bit haunted and it’s something I just started noticing this week.
I’ve felt like this since my diagnosis but it’s worse right now.
I suffered from winter anxiety before IC, so it could also be that, but I’m wondering if it is amitriptyline when that effect kind of wears off? Thanks in advance.
I take sumatriptan and propranolol already. The propranolol daily, and then the sumatriptan when a migraine is surfacing. The problem is I also have other pains like intense neck pain so the dr recommended a nightly Amitriptyline. I was wondering if any of you have had success with it?
I have taken amitriptyline for the last couple of months to calm my nerves and didn’t really see a huge improvement (or so I thought)…. then I forgot to take it last night and woke up with the most intense burning sensation and my urethra feels like someone lit it on fire. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated, does it really leave our bodies THAT quickly?
Hello everyone! So I was diagnosed with vulvodynia today and I have a lot of thoughts about that but for now, one question:
My doctor and I decided I'm gonna try taking amitriptyline. He prescribed me 50mg as a starting dose (25mg in the morning and evening each) and also said I could keep upping it if it wasn't working before the next appointment etc and that's a little intimidating to me, especially since a lot of people in this sub seem to be starting with low doses and going up very slowly. I'll obviously think about the pace at which to potentially go up later but do any of you have experiences with 50mg as a starting dose?
Curious how you knew it was working. What symptoms went away/improved/got better? I’m on day 2, I know it takes ~6 weeks to kick in
Just had my neuro follow-up. She prescribed amitriptyline even though I said multiple times I didn't want to go on daily meds due to my negative experiences with medication + side effects in the past. She wouldn't prescribe me an abortive because she said that since I have stroke-like symptoms with my migraines (nystagmus) that it would increase my risk. I didn't even know I was at an increased risk of strokes and now I'm terrified...I already have health anxiety. :(
I also have an eating disorder and it would be so triggering to be on a med that can cause weight gain. I have been on antidepressants that were sedating before and I felt horrible on them. My vertigo is not frequent if I avoid my triggers (happened twice last month) but now I'm afraid I'll have a stroke if I don't stop them altogether. Also, she isn't even positive it is migraines. She said it sounds like it but that my nystagmus during the vertigo is "odd."
I don't even know how I'm going to tell her that I will not try the meds because I already was so anxious to tell her that and she just pushed back and told me to try them. I also feel like she was scaring me into agreeing with talk about strokes which she has never mentioned before :( I am seriously scared now.
In a couple weeks I’m visiting an acupuncturist who claims they can cure VCD. There’s also a great post from silent elevator on here who was treated and now doesn’t have symptoms of VCD. In the meantime, since my appointment is two weeks out, I’m trying amitriptyline as I believe my VCD was anxiety induced. I’m following the same treatment protocol in this study. I’ll let you know how this all pans out. My VCD episode has been going on for a month now 😭
Here’s the study:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3048598/
Update: I’ve been on amitriptyline for almost 2 weeks. I take 25 mg 3-4 hours before bed. I feel so much better. I can finally take deep breaths again without the constant sensation of throat tightness. I’m not 100% better but I’m getting close. I’ve had one acupuncture appointment and that seemed to relieve some of my issues as well. I definitely think the Amitriptyline works and it’s very cheap if you can get it prescribed. $4 a refill.
Hey Redditors,
I've had on and off IC for years. I also have endometriosis and a rare spinal condition.
I was hesitant to try amitriptyline given its reputation of terrible side effects, but I had exhausted all of the other options and was in dire need for relief. I honestly couldn't live anymore, I was in constant pain.
I'm 3 weeks into 10mg amitriptyline nightly, so maybe I'm tooting my own horn a bit early... but I feel SO MUCH BETTER. This medication is a literal godsend! For the first week or two I felt a bit groggy after taking it, but I've adjusted to the dosage. Haven't noticed any other side effects!!!
I also had pelvic floor botox done, because after months of PT it didn't even make a dent in my hypertonic pelvic floor. However, even when my pelvic floor had totally relaxed and wasn't problematic a month after the botox, I still had constant bladder pain (burning sensation like a UTI) that debilitated me (and my sex life -- sheesh).
Anyone fence-sitting on the amitriptyline... I highly recommend trying it.
I've been taking 5mg of amitriptyline a day for the past 3 days, and yesterday and today I've noticed far more hair loss than usual. Dozens of hairs coming out at once, not quite in clumps but almost.
I know this is a low dose and not for very long either, but is there any chance that this is exacerbating my hair loss? I'm also taking finasteride for hair loss and have gone through a few sheds (never this bad), the last one ending a few weeks ago.
any info would be appreciated.
I started Amitriptyline last month and I haven't got a day off without constant pain. I gained weight but I didn't know this causes to gain weight until I've read some reviews on this, and this even with me working out Monday through Thursday I did stop running though because the pain is too intense and I feel like I won't be able to make it to a restroom out there. I'm starting to think that I'm going to stop taking this because it hadn't helped at all, my pain is wors that when I started the pills and gaining weight is making me feel depressed. Is there someone here that has gotten good results with Amitriptyline or is just horrible reviews so far?
I have IBS-C. The bloating was so bad I was spending every night curled up in pain with a hot water bottle. I felt like my body was a prison. Every single thing I ate would inflate me, dietary changes didn't offer much relief but if I ate the wrong things I'd regret it for days... I'm sure you guys can relate.
GPs were useless so I got an appointment with a specialist. He was extremely condescending, dismissed all of my requests, amitriptyline included, because it 'might cause constipation', told me I should stop the low fodmap diet because 'its for IBS-D patients' and that my only options were either go back on citalopram (absolutely not) or take more laxatives. I'd requested amitriptyline specifically because SSRIs were so awful I'd sooner die than take them again. I told him this. He basically shrugged and told me i was screwed in that case.
Then he ordered tests that I'd already done. He hadn't even looked at my medical record!
Well, fuck him. I went back to my GP and basically ordered him to prescribe me amitriptyline on the basis thst if it didn't work after a month I'd stop. He agreed - his only reservations were potential tiredness; apparently constipation, if experienced, is mild then goes away...unlike what a certain 'specialist' had told me.
Well, it worked. Like a dream. The only bloating I get is when I'm due my period. I poop 3+ times a day. I can eat whatever I want except pulses and dairy. I still take laxatives, but a low management dose. The best part is I can fit into all my old clothes again because my stomach isn't as distended as if I were 6 months pregnant all day every day. And it never made me tired.
I still get flares, but they usually only last a day. My mental health and self esteem have skyrocketed. I'm so relieved, I can't tell you.
So, fuck the supposed experts. I did my research and advocated for my own health against the advice of people who were supposed to know better- and it worked.
I hope it can help some of you too.
how many mgs should i start with? i can’t get in to see an IC specialist till january so my psychiatrist is writing me a script. we’re starting at 25 mgs. is that too little?
Currently on 25 mg of hydroxyzine & 25 mg of Amitriptyline. I’ve been on hydroxyzine for less than a week & I’ve been on Amitriptyline for 2 weeks now. I’ve noticed improvement in pain but still suffer from nocturia & frequency..both of which were initially better the first week of Amitriptyline.. not sure if I should give it more time to work or go ahead and see if I can increase my dosage. For those of you taking both, what dosages are you on and how long did it take you to figure out the balance that worked best for you? Thanks
I’ve been reading about this drug and I read that it does something with mast cells and histamine. It said there’s an anti-inflammatory role that it plays.
I wonder if this is the component that helps a lot of people with IC?
Haven’t done MD in over a year now, and I’m thinking about rolling again only problem is I really hate the comedown, I’ve never abused it but still get really bad comedowns (feels like I’ve gone cold turkey on SSRI’s)
My room mate is prescribed amitriptyline and she gives me a lil bit here and there for sleep, I’ve done a bit of research and found out it helps to increase serotonin production, Was wondering if this could help an md comedown say a day or 2 after rolling ?
Just started this med, I’m on 20mg nightly. I get SUCH BAD DRY MOUTH on it! Does this ever go away or get better?
I hate waking up having to drink water and my mouth feels like paper :(
Has anyone had experience with both? Does the amount of drowsiness differ between the two?
I’ve tried amitriptyline before on very low dosage and it made me incredibly drowsy and zombie-like. I’ve recently been prescribed nortriptyline and was hoping it won’t be as bad!
Hi everyone,
Just looking for some advice. I have generalized , unprovoked burning. I have good and bad days, on bad days it's excruciating on good days it's still present but 'background noise'. I came off my pill in October and used estrogen cream , I had no improvements. Doctor is treating it like a nerve issue now, I've been prescribed amitriptyline. Problem is I'm only taking 10mg. I'm supposed to try this for 6 weeks, after which we'll increase the dose and/or refer me to a pain specialist.
Trouble is, 6 weeks seems an awful long time to wait at such a low dose. Should I ask the doctor to increase it more quickly? What were your experiences? Thanks everyone
It's been a long time since I've written in this group but wanted to check in and see if anyone has had experience with this issue.
About a year and a half ago I started taking amitriptyline for my vulvodynia (which I'd had for about 9 months at that point and had tested negative for everything // tried physical therapy for 2-3 months). It worked wonders and after about 6 weeks - 2 months of taking it I was pain free and able to get back to my normal life...
But about 6 months ago I made the decision to see if I might be able to taper off the amitriptyline and see where it left me. So I went down to 2 and eventually 1 over a 4-6 week period. but after 2 months I started having pain symptoms again and realized they weren't going away after taking my original dose at 3. So I tried four and it worked okay for a while, then 5 which had me back to being pain free (around October - November). But in the past few weeks I'm having a resurgence of symptoms. I'm a little worried because I've seen people post here who have said that once they went off of amitriptyline once, it didn't work for them again in the future. I feel like I'm not too worried because 50 mg is still a pretty minimal dose, but I'm wondering if anyone has experienced this before and what you did. The pain is not as close to as bad as it was before starting amitriptyline and is relatively tolerable but at the same time, not ideal either.
I’m six days into my switch. After the first dose I felt a bit groggy, felt fine days 2 3 4 but yesterday and today I’ve felt weird. I thought I was gonna get constipated, I didn’t for the first couple days to my surprise and I felt fine and thought it was mad I wasn’t affected by the switch. It also doesn’t make me tired which I thought was gonna happen. Yesterday and today I’ve had a constant headache, dehydrated, nausea but hungry and almost like constipation / indigestion but I can still go in small amounts. Did anyone else experience this during their switch? It’s nothing I can’t handle as long as this cures my pain and side effects subside at some point but I’m just curious to know if this is normal?
Hello guys, everything alright? I am brazilian and i take 25mg ami everyday, i am planning on moving to portugal next year, anyone knows if the pills are easy to get in Portugal? do i need a prescription?
Sorry if i made any spelling errors, i am a begginer studying english :)
Convinced my psychiatrist to start me on amitriptyline. She didn’t even really ask for proof of the vulvodynia but agrees to start me on it for the pain/depression it’s caused me. Any bad side effects? Has it helped at all?
I just went to a doc for bipolar, to stabilize my frequent mood swings as recommended by my therapist of 2 years. I've been on/off many meds: ssri's, wellbutrin, mirtazapine, seroquel. I hated ssri's for the sexual dysfunction so I asked for none of that.
We discussed lithium, lamictal, and seroquel.. I'm currently taking 0.5mg xanax a day for acute anxiety. Due to my OCD/obsessive thinking tendencies + high anxiety, he ultimately put me on a low dose 30mg tricyclic (amitriptyline) + 25mg seroquel at night, with intention of increasing dosage over time.
I just took the amitriptyline last night for the first time, without the seroquel (I forgot), and this morning I feel a little shakey, restless and restless legs, stimulated as if I drank coffee, a bit on edge. Not panicky though. Not unbearable but noticeable. Is this the start of hypomania and should I stop the meds immediately, or is this normal onset side effects of a new med? Thanks.
Long time lurker, first time poster. I’m currently being assessed for EDS by a rheumatologist and geneticist.
A short while ago I was prescribed a low dosage of amitriptyline by my rheumatologist for fatigue. I was sleeping A LOT, but still was always tired, brain fog etc. Never woke up feeling well rested.
Fast forward a month of being on amitriptyline and I had noticed a serious improvement. I was waking up refreshed, I wasn’t falling asleep every time I watched a movie, I didn’t feel like I was trying to walk uphill through jelly. Overall it was fantastic.
Then I got COVID within 10days. While it wasn’t horrendous (yay for vaccines) my first symptom was fatigue, which still hasn’t gone away. Granted it’s only been 5 days since I finished up isolating, but I’m still slightly concerned that I might be back to square 1 with the whole fatigue thing, even though I’m still on amitriptyline.
Has anyone had a similar situation and would be willing to share their experience? I’ve contacted my rheumatologist to give them a headsup, but I’d love to hear from people living through it.
Edit: punctuation
My doctor prescribed me both. I know ami needs to be taken constantly and I’m nervous to take it b/c of slow motility
Doctor has prescribed me amitriptyline to try to manage my Endo. Waiting for another gynae visit in Jan and have had a nightmare with pain since my lap. Any one have any experience
Also small rant for other UK based sufferers. Doctors not listening is so fucking ridiculous. I asked for my prescription to be sent to a specific pharmacy and it was so now I'm having to wait so much longer for my prescription just because the doctor wouldn't listen. Then a receptionist was gonna hang up on me because I was trying to explain and she kept talking over and I was like really? I'm audibly upset and that is your solution. The receptionist ended up apologising for the doctors fuck up but didn't bother to apologised for insinuating I was being rude on the phone. She would not stop talking over me at all. It's hard enough to advocate for yourself in the first place and this makes me want to give up on my doctor's completely
I've been on escitalopram 10mg for years and generally doing pretty well on it. Recently my gynecologist prescribed amitriptyline 20mg for some muscle tension and nerve pain I was having in that area. From my own research I have found that this combination increases the risk of serotonin syndrome and that escitalopram, which is a weak CYP2D6 inhibitor, may increase the blood levels of amitriptyline, which is metabolized by CYP2D6. That said--and this is the really weird part--I feel 200% better since starting the amitriptyline. A lot of chronic muscle tension I've had for years is markedly improved, and some of my OCD and depression symptoms are suddenly just gone. It feels like somebody physically went into my brain and plugged up the leak that was constantly spewing stress into my system. The only side effects I've noticed are that I'm maybe a little more tired (which for an insomniac like me is almost a desired effect) and that my mouth gets pretty dry when I'm sleeping, but that's it.
Both my psychiatrist and my gynecologist said that the combination should be fine as long as I'm tolerating it well. Still, given the potential interaction between the two drugs, I'm unreasonably nervous about continuing to take them in unison. Has anyone here ever used escitalopram, or any other SSRI, with amitriptyline and if so, what was your experience like? Does the dosage of each medication matter at all?
