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skinnyguy
02-05-11, 07:12
I am prescribed 15mg of Amitriptyline once per night for my anxiety and panic disorder,
I feel extremely sleepy for the whole day
are there any better alternative drug?
thank you

p.s.
I have ever tried fluoxetine (Prozac) which cause me extreme weight gain that I can't bear

oldtime
02-05-11, 10:11
The sedative effect wore off for me after 2 weeks. I went up to 30mg felt sleepy again for about a week then felt no different to I did before I started taking it.

skinnyguy
02-05-11, 12:17
The sedative effect wore off but just tiny
I went up to 15mg for several months
still very sleepy till now

midgey
19-05-11, 12:10
Hi, I started on 10mg, then to 25mg, then to 50mg, now on 75mg (started last night). I was told to take at 7pm so that the sleepy hungover effects have worn off by morning. I was also told that the dose for anxiety/depression is 50-75mg I found that 25mg didn't have any effect at all.....just my observations but may help to take earlier in the evening.

Earthworm
19-05-11, 12:41
Hi, I have been on 10mg for over a year, I felt very groggy in the first few weeks then after that they hardly seemed to affect me at all really. I have just been put up to 20mg (started Saturday) and I am back to feeling sluggish and tired like I did in the early days before, hopefully it will subside as my body becomes more tollerant again. On the up side it does seem to have sorted out the physical symptoms I was getting.

ciccone-hassell
20-06-11, 11:51
i'm back on them 10mg anight to start with and deffo agree feeling the effects of the sleepyness but i remembered after few weeks it does wear of so i'm gunna remain on them for now and see what happens , its like doc said they can cause palpations but just see how i feel with it ,,

cathycrumble
21-12-11, 23:35
i'm back on them 10mg anight to start with and deffo agree feeling the effects of the sleepyness but i remembered after few weeks it does wear of so i'm gunna remain on them for now and see what happens , its like doc said they can cause palpations but just see how i feel with it ,,
Hi Ciccone-hassell

Are you still taking amitriptyline and what you taking them for? I am on 50mg for axiety and depression and was wandering what you thought of them and what dose do you take. I originally took citalopram and they worked for me after 6 months but i stopped them and crashed so when I went back to them they just didnt work so I am on these now.

Cathy xx

belvederebabe
17-01-12, 20:03
I have been on 40mg citalopram for a few months, have had anxiety problems for years and have tried a lot of Anti-depressants. I was on Tradazone, but due to a lot of recent panic attacks, was put on Pregabalin and Citalopram and it really did seem to help However the downside was the constant clenching my Jaw as a side effect, as one of the main problems for my recent panic attacks was dental issues and TMJ I realised I had to stop them due to the pain I was getting in my head and jaw. My GP suggested reducing the citalopram to 20mg and prescribed 10mg of Amitriptyline. It did not help, so I stopped the Citalopram and am now on 20mg or Amitriptyline.


The problem now is the anxiety is coming back and I am getting flushes of panic,
I just don't know what do do next. I am sure my GPs are getting fed up with me, :shrug:

nomorepanic
17-01-12, 20:25
My doctor told me yesterday that they no longer prescribe Amitriptyline as an anti-anxiety medication and GP's should not be giving it to people for this.

It is now used for pain relief and conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome.

They are suggesting I have it (possibly) for carpal tunnel syndrome but I don't think I will try it as she said it will make me sleepy and feel hungover in the morning so I don't want that.

cathycrumble
17-01-12, 21:17
I had physio for my carpel tunnel and it did the trick.

Cathy xx

annette1
17-01-12, 21:35
I take amitriptyline 10mg to help me to sleep longer, i find the best time to take it is 7pm as it seems to work for about 8hrs. It does tend to make you feel like you've got a hangover but its only a side effect & usually wears off after a week or two.

I no longer take them every night but find i can take for a week which re-sets my sleep patterns, then I take them again when i need them.

Belvederebabe- I had the jaw clenching & headaches when i started taking Citalopram but was given a gum shield to wear at night which trained me to keep my teeth apart & not grind them. As you are only taking 20mg of Amitriptyline you could be experiencing anxiety & panic as that dose is not high enough to work as an anti depressant. It would be a good idea to go back to your GP & discuss this further, they will have heard all you tell them before so do be afraid to go back, they need to help you through this.

Stormsky
17-01-12, 21:47
hi
i took Amitripyline for 10yrs, varying doses over the years... i spent years trying to get off it too! been off 5 months now, and sooooo glad im off it... i was put on it for depression, and to be honest it gave me worsening side effects over the years, not a nice drug in my opinion... when i came off, the doc did say if i wanted to go on meds again it wouldnt be amitripyline now... my niece takes it for sleep disorders, but is coming off it too...
I felt drugged and sleepy for years, now im off im finally awake! always take at night, so morning effects arent so drastic.. it causes weight gain too... personnally id never take it again...but thats my opinion and experience of it.

belvederebabe
19-01-12, 16:03
I think I tend to agree with all of you, I feel hungry all the time, but that could also be the pregabalin...I am also having minor surgery tomorrow as a day care patient and am worried that it will stop me having surgery. However the nurse saw that I was taking it when I went for my pre-op appointment and did not mention anything about it so think it will be ok. as I am only on a very low dose I think it will be ok, but am not going to take it tonight otherwise there is no way I will be able to wake at 4.45am.:)

I am going to ring next week after the op and say I am not getting on with it as I can't wake up. I also have epilepsy so think it best not to take it. Annette I am waiting to have a night guard made, but I am being passed from pillow to post by dentists at the moment and I find the clenching goes on all through the day too.

GreenSky
05-04-12, 00:36
My doctor told me yesterday that they no longer prescribe Amitriptyline as an anti-anxiety medication and GP's should not be giving it to people for this.

It is now used for pain relief and conditions like chronic fatigue syndrome.

They are suggesting I have it (possibly) for carpal tunnel syndrome but I don't think I will try it as she said it will make me sleepy and feel hungover in the morning so I don't want that.

Do you know WHY its no longer being suggested for anxiety? I thought it might be the next thing for me to try!

dan1234
05-04-12, 23:35
Do you know WHY its no longer being suggested for anxiety? I thought it might be the next thing for me to try!

Imipramine might be a better suggestion?

Dan

Cathyt
23-05-12, 11:26
I just saw my GP and having had dreadful side effects from Citalopram she has now prescribed Amitriptyline 25mgs to start with an increase to 50mgs in a week to 10 days. I have been on Venlafaxine and Duloxitine before that with horrendous side effects so am hoping I get some results from this. I am so sleep deprived that the dopiness aspect doesn't bother me at all. I did initailly ask for Martazapine from my GP but she decided it wasn't for me and she's really trying to help me. She also booked me in with a psychologist as she feels I need the support so I guess it can't be all bad. I'll let you now how I fare with the new drug. Cathy x

Magic
23-05-12, 14:57
My husband takes 20mg of amitriptyline at night. The GP gave them to him for pain relief and to help him to sleep.He maybe a little depressed as well.
In my opinion it depends what your GP says is the best treatment for you.
Trial and error xx

BobbyDog
23-05-12, 15:16
I just saw my GP and having had dreadful side effects from Citalopram she has now prescribed Amitriptyline 25mgs to start with an increase to 50mgs in a week to 10 days. I have been on Venlafaxine and Duloxitine before that with horrendous side effects so am hoping I get some results from this. I am so sleep deprived that the dopiness aspect doesn't bother me at all. I did initailly ask for Martazapine from my GP but she decided it wasn't for me and she's really trying to help me. She also booked me in with a psychologist as she feels I need the support so I guess it can't be all bad. I'll let you now how I fare with the new drug. Cathy x

Hi Cathy,
My name is Sarah, I am taking 50mg Amitriptyline for anxiety/insomnia, have not had any bad side effects.

I took Amitriptyline years ago at a much higher dose and did not have any long term negative side effects and was able to stop taking them without any tapering off.

I take Mirtazapine aswell, I have been taking this for about 3 years.
I have suffered with insomnia most of my life and have to be practically battered around the head before I can get any sleep.

If you have any worries you can PM me.

---------- Post added at 15:16 ---------- Previous post was at 15:05 ----------

I think we all have our own personal experiences of drugs and the best person to advise is our GP. I have tried most antidepressants over the years and my body/mind are not very tollerant.
We are individual and our needs are all very different, so what works for one will not work for another, I know for me it has been trial and error.
I am now taking Mirtazapine/Amitriptyline, which would knock most people out, but I suffer from insomnia and get 3/4 hours good sleep. My mind does not switch off for long.
As for the weight gain, I think if you are aware that this is a side effect of Tricyclics/Tetracyclics, like Mirtazapine/Amitriptyline, you can compensate by watching your dies and exercise if you are able.:D

Cathyt
23-05-12, 16:17
Hi Sarah... wish my GP had put me on Mirtazapine but she said no so I guess have to live with it. Thanks for the reassurance about side effects. I'm not too bothered about weight gain as I've lost so much already on Citalporam. I also take Zopiclone at night to help me sleep now as my GP agreed I looked like a wet weekend. I'm still reeling from the the trip to the GP as I seem to be very agorophobic right now. Taking it easy for the rest of the day. Cathy x