Please stick with me on this - I feel I need to give some background so this may be a lengthy post.

Female aged 66. Diagnosed 4 years ago with anxiety/depression after an extremely stressful few years.

Initial prescriptions of Sertraline - which had me bouncing off the walls, and then Mirtazapine which did nothing to help my sleep and made me eat for England !

Having stopped both, I was given 50 mg of Amitryptiline at night and the drug's sedative properties helped me sleep and I managed the anxiety etc. Like so many people, if I get some decent amount of quality sleep life is so much easier, despite having anxiety/depression.

At the suggestion of the Counsellor I am seeing, I spoke to the GP who suggested I wean myself off Amitryptiline around a month ago, and begin 10 mg Citalopram.

Began 10 mg Citalopram at night and within a very short time my sleep has been shot to pieces - barely functioning on 2-3 hours. Saw the GP again who said I should take the Citalopram in the morning - not at bedtime, and he re-introduced 10 mg Amitryptiline at night to hopefully help improve my sleep.

At my request (and for the first time ever), he also gave me 10 days supply of 3.5 mg Zopiclone to help - especially as I am in the middle of a very complex and difficult house move and the stress is at a level never experienced before.

On the night's I have taken a Zopiclone, I do sleep better, - without them, the sleep is crap.

Now I do understand and realise that because of drug interactions we have to be very careful with dosages and mixing meds etc.

.... and here is the question

10 mg Citalopram in the morning and 10 mg Amitryptiline.

Any room for increasing the Amitryptiline at night to help with my sleep ?


I am 5.6" tall and weigh around 9 st 10lbs and as far as I am aware I have no health problems - other than very mild asthma. I also take a low dose Propanalol as and when required - and up to 3 times daily, to help with the palpitations.

Thanks

Sandie