Originally Posted by
SEANML
I am trying to get out of the ha worry of amitrip. I took it years ago on low doses and it was nice.
There is no reason it should be any different at the higher doses for anxiety.
Only reason I like imipramine is that there is no "ana" or "RF"
Why are antinuclear antibody and rheumatoid factor such a concern for you?
wich ever med I do choose it will be for my mental problems but also to help me sleep (it will be used to replace mirtazapine) which was an amazing drug but the eating is way out of hand lol.
Mirtazapine is more a very sedating antihistamine than antidepressant. It is a more potent antihistamine than most of the meds marketed as antihistamines. It is the inhibition of histamine receptors which mostly causes sedation. Amitriptyline blocks histamine receptors to a lesser degree so probably won't be as sedating, but that also means it is also less likely to trigger the powerful carbohydrate cravings that mirtazapine does. Imipramine is usually significantly less sedating that amitriptyline.
Thanks for talking with me and helping me decide. I am still not sure wich is best imipramine or ami. All I know if I hope they will be sedative like mirtazapine was. I need to loose the weight I gained from mirtazapine as well (also on olanzapine lol
Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing which will be the more effective med for you other than by trying them.
*Also I have memory issues (due to a head trauma) so I need to make sure the new meds do not alter my memory. Havent asked or looked into that.
You probably have memory issues because of the anxiety too. Anxiety and depression are the emotional symptoms of atrophy of the twin hippocampal regions of the brain caused by high brain stress hormone levels killing hippocampal cells and inhibiting the growth of new ones. ADs work by stimulating the growth of hippocampal neurons. It is the new cells and the connections they form which produce the therapeutic response. Btw - therapy works the same way. The hippocampi are critical to the conversion of short-term to long-term memory.
Just kinda started panic on the Rheumatoid and ana bit lol.
What have you been reading?
*Never knew it was prescribed for rheumatoid.
To be clear, amitriptyline isn't prescribed to treat rheumatroid arthritis, but to alleviate the pain it causes. It is prescribed for many other conditions which produce neuropathic (nerve) pain, including fibromyalgia, diabetes and some cancers.
And thankfully I havent seen any cancer risk for the 2 drugs.
There are cancer risks in just about everything. One of the leading causes is anxiety/stress. Indeed, anxiety/stress is the leading cause of premature death overall because it often sets in train the circumstances which produce the main diseases of humanity so doing nothing about HA is itself not risk free.
To be blunt, none of us get out of this alive. Imho, quality of life is far more important than longevity. To quote one of my inspirations, Hunter S. Thompson:
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"
Also what is this dementia risk I heard about for amitriptiline?
I assume what you've heard relates to meds that block acetylcholine receptors which according to a recent study increases the risk of dementia. It is always a good idea to treat a single study finding with scepticism as they don't always survive scrutiny and that may be even wiser for this study as there is considerable evidence pointing to TCAs either having no added risk, or significantly reducing dementia risk [1]. Anxiety/depression is itself a major risk factor for dementia.
Fwiw, I've been on very high doses of TCAs almost continually since early 1987. So far my brain hasn't turned to mush and most mornings I can still remember my name. On the days this alludes me it isn't because of dementia!!
Is imipramine the same for that risk? I already have memory issues lol
Amitriptyline is a more potent acetylcholine blocker than imipramine.
[1]
Bartels C, Belz M, Vogelgsang J, et al. (2020)
To Be Continued? Long-Term Treatment Effects of Antidepressant Drug Classes and Individual Antidepressants on the Risk of Developing Dementia: A German Case-Control Study.
J Clin Psychiatry. 2020 Aug 25;81(5):19m13205 [Abstract]
Leng Y, Diem SJ, Stone KL, Yaffe K. (2018)
Antidepressant Use and Cognitive Outcomes in Very Old Women.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2018 Sep 11;73(10):1390-1395 [Abstract]
Lee CW, Lin CL, Lin PY, et al. (2017)
Antidepressants and risk of dementia in migraine patients: A population-based case-control study.
Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2017 Jul 3;77:83-89 [Abstract]
Lee CW, Lin CL, Sung FC, et al. (2016)
Antidepressant treatment and risk of dementia: a population-based, retrospective case-control study.
J Clin Psychiatry. 2016 Jan;77(1):117-22 [Abstract]
Kessing LV, Forman JL, Andersen PK. (2007)
Do continued antidepressants protect against dementia in patients with severe depressive disorder?
Int Clin Psychopharmacol. 2011 Nov;26(6):316-22 [Abstract]