Did i make a mistake?

[Eggy]

I was given 10mg of Amitriptyline recently and was told i could take it but didn't have to, I never did because i didn't want to feel sedated all the time and didn't want to feel sick more than i already do, The side effects worried me so much especially with me already being on Cipralex as well.

[JaneC]

10mg is a low dose so you might not have side effects Eggy. The only side effect worth mentioning that I've had with tricyclics was sedation for about a week.

[JaneC]

Oh and ami is supposed to be good at helping with pain

[Eggy]

10mg is a low dose so you might not have side effects Eggy. The only side effect worth mentioning that I've had with tricyclics was sedation for about a week.

What dose did you take?

[JaneC]

I've never taken it but I have had spells on two other tricyclics (at higher doses but they weren't in combination with another AD). 10mg Amitriptyline seems to be quite commonly prescribed for people with CFS/ME/Fibromyalgia. It is also prescribed for anxiety. Have you read through the amitriptyline section of the forum?

[Earthworm]

I don't have much experience when it comes to meds but I have been on Amitriptyline 10mg for most of this year (since February). I'll be honest I did have a week or so of side effects and felt quite groggy for a while. Main issues were blurred vission, head rushes when getting up too fast and headaches. I did used to get very tired just after taking them but i was advised to take them at night which I do and I did have some very restful sleeps in the ealry days.

Throughout the year I guess I have become more tollerant and I don't think they do much for me these days, I don't get drowsy much and even have a few beers or glasses of wine on them with no real effect.

What I will say is that after about 10 days I had a really long period of complete clam and respite from all my anxiety & panic symptoms - it was as if my life had been given back to me! The P&A has since come back a bit but not as bad as it was so I guess the meds did work for me.

[LyndaB]

I am glad the medication seemed to work for you Earthworm. I am so surprised to read of people being prescribed 10mg. I can't quite work out why I was prescribed 50mg nocte three or four weeks ago, it's a huge dose. Does nothing for me either so I am cutting down and then stopping. Have just taken half a pill. Funnily enough, when I saw my GP about ten days ago, she said it was a big dose, seemed surprised and cut down my sleeping tablets (Zolpiderm). The Amitriptyline keeps me awake, I haven't once felt drowsy.

Some of these psychiatrists strike me as being pill-happy. He was talking about adding something else in the new year, an anti-psychotic. He said, "I know you are not psychotic but it is a drug that is used for things other than psychosis". I am not happy about it. I want to be free of drugs, they do nothing for me. I worry about what they might be doing to my ageing brain chemistry. I am sharp witted at the moment and want to stay that way.

However, my experience is unique to me. Obviously others will benefit, as many do from Citalopram or Prozac. I know that the answer to my mental health problems lies in my hands.

My counsellor lent me a very good book today. It is: "Back to Life" by Pam Armstrong. Not the usual "self-help-this-worked-for-me-so-it-will-for-you" stuff, just informative. A short read, helpful and encouraging (in my opinion). (I know I've already said a lot of this on another thread).

To answer the question in the title of this thread, no, I don't think you made a mistake. We have to take some responsibility for our own health, you were probably quite wise though, as someone else pointed out, 10mg is a very small dose.

Take care.