Amitriptyline stops working after 5 months? :((

rusty1

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Hi,

My pains started last April last year, doctors did all sorts of blood tests and even saw a pain specialist, they couldn't find anything. I was then told that it had to be Fibro :S
I was prescribed 20mg Amitriptyline, It really helped with the pain for 5 months but now I seem to be in pain again? its now a week and the medication does nothing :(

Does the medication wear off over time? what should I do? :'(
 
Hi - hadn't heard of this, but I've now read up that it often happens. Most commonly people described taking more and more, but then finding a dose which fits them, e.g. 35mg or 75mg, even tho they may have started with 10mg.
"Depends are the condition u r using it for as well as your dose. Options will include increasing the dose, adding another med, or switching meds." (a doc on healthtap).
"Medicines that interact with amitriptyline may either decrease its effect, affect how long it works for, increase side effects, or have less of an effect when taken with amitriptyline." (Amitriptyline: 7 things you should know on drugs.com)
When I tried it for 4 months last year I got a splitting headache from a 10mg pill, so started again with 2mg-drops, increasing to 13x2mg and down again, the one pain doc said play around till it feels right. Another pain doc put me back on the 10mg pills for 2 weeks then increased to 25mg pills. It never ever helped y pain, but zombified me so I could sleep 'better'. Made me drowsy all day too tho. My side effects - which most say wear off - got worse over time, until even my focal seizures started increasing, the 8th side effect and last straw. It took me more than 6 months to get the +6kg off again. I needed it to get a handle on my sleep by pinpointing "30 wakers", but stopping it was a blessing - I much prefer pain, "long" nights and a clear head to feeling zombified all the time.
 
I agree, I also haven't heard about any of this. I'm wondering about any solutions regarding this matter.
 
I was on this for depression and had to take higher and higher doses to get any relief. The side effects are horrible at higher doses, so I asked to quit taking it. And it never did anything for pain.
 
Amitriptyline is not a pain medication. It is an anti-depressant. It can have an indirect effect on pain by helping the person to manage their stress, but it has no direct impact on pain, and really shouldn't be expected to act like a pain medication. Often a doctor will prescribe it because they feel the patient is under stress, or has anxiety or depression which, if it is alleviated, that will help them to have less pain. If it has no effect on the pain then it's not the right medication for that person.
 
I tried it but had such an extreme dry mouth especially at night I couldn’t see whether it would do anything and came off it.

I think it’s a case of trying stuff out and finding what works - because of our different physiological make up what might work for you might make me ill.

I still haven’t got my pain at a workable level but I sleep soundly and that is golden. Probably due to as much exercise as I can manage and an anti depressant, an anti convulsant and a tiny dose of sedative plus cbd oil.

I’m thinking to try Salvella or Baclofen - has anyone been on that ?
 
Endep is prescribed for neuropathic pain ,stabbing burning pain, prescribed in a smaller dose. Amitriptyline (Endep) is a medicine that was first used to treat depression but is now commonly used at low doses to treat nerve pain. Can cause daytime drowsiness headaches.
 
Endep is prescribed for neuropathic pain ,stabbing burning pain, prescribed in a smaller dose. Amitriptyline (Endep) is a medicine that was first used to treat depression but is now commonly used at low doses to treat nerve pain. Can cause daytime drowsiness headaches.
Just to clarify, amitriptyline is no longer sold in the USA under the brand name of Endep, although Endep and Elavil were brand names that used to be used for this medication. I don't know about AU and it may still be sold under those names there.
Only mentioning that in case someone in the US wants to ask a doctor for it.
 
I tried it but had such an extreme dry mouth especially at night I couldn’t see whether it would do anything and came off it.

I think it’s a case of trying stuff out and finding what works - because of our different physiological make up what might work for you might make me ill.

I still haven’t got my pain at a workable level but I sleep soundly and that is golden. Probably due to as much exercise as I can manage and an anti depressant, an anti convulsant and a tiny dose of sedative plus cbd oil.

I’m thinking to try Salvella or Baclofen - has anyone been on that ?
I have experience with baclofen. I did not want to take another medication (I take one at night because I am a chronic insomniac) but a friend of mine who has fibro told me that it helped her a lot. she said it made it easier to manage stress, which of course in turn made the pain less severe and less constant.

So I decided to try it and it has made a big difference to me. I don't have any side effects from it myself. It doesn't help much with depression but it has helped with anxiety and that has helped a lot with the pain.

Of course I don't expect any medication to do the job I should be doing for myself. I do my best to eat enough and to heat only healthfully, and to get exercise, to do stuff that will help me to reduce stress and be occupied, have a good attitude and so on. But I will say that for me the baclofen has made it easier for me to do those things for myself.
 
Amitriptyline is not a pain medication. It is an anti-depressant. It can have an indirect effect on pain by helping the person to manage their stress, but it has no direct impact on pain, and really shouldn't be expected to act like a pain medication. Often a doctor will prescribe it because they feel the patient is under stress, or has anxiety or depression which, if it is alleviated, that will help them to have less pain. If it has no effect on the pain then it's not the right medication for that person.
I went thru so many 'medicines' the doctors gave me and had side effects. I finally tried some herbs, one worked and all others gave me more fog. I have other health issues also, my right leg won't function and I am going through physical therapy. Most drugs come from China and Northern India and have noticed they don't seem as good as the older drugs (I am 78 yrs old). I have noticed muscle pain in my upper leg and horrible pain (chronic) through out my body, especially legs and knees. Right leg prevents me from walking on my own. I also noticed my brain acts different now and this bout with the Fibro started again when a tragic upset happened. So, I just keep trying. To me, most doctors just have degrees and don't know anything about this or nutrition or herbs. Hope someone comes up with a good pill to help. I did hear Europe has something, but we don't have it here. Go figure.
 
I did hear Europe has something, but we don't have it here.
Tell me, tell me, tell me! ;-) : no magic pill here, whether Germany or the UK!
Also not sure why you think modern drugs come from Asia...
I do think modern docs are increasingly aware of FMS and similar complex diseases - but they remain a challenge for all of us.
Normal medicine is not made for the subtleties and personal differences of diseases, that's an additional challenge. They have enough to do as it is. For nutrition and herbs we need to look for specialized docs, like functional docs, or alternative practitioners & nutritionists. But they don't know it "better" yet either, they just have a different focus.
I was looking on pubmed for studies on fibromyalgia Jan-Apr 2021 - it came up with 400 interesting results (which I'm working thru) - the researchers are trying to help, and that will help the docs, but there are about 7-8 theories about the causes and it will probably never be possible to find a pill that fits all...
So - the glass may be half full... :cool:
 
Tell me, tell me, tell me! ;-) : no magic pill here, whether Germany or the UK!
The only "magic pill" I've read of which several people (around 2012/2013) said was used in Europe for FMS before the US was 'Savella' (Milnacipran). Looking at the facts reveals that's a factoid (thx @Jemima ;-) ), as it's sort of the other way round. It was allowed for FMS in the US in 2009 and isn't allowed for it in Europe, as there is not enough evidence that it helps. However it was developed (France 1996, Austria 1998) & (is) used in Europe for depression. "A systematic review in 2015 showed moderate relief for a minority of people with fibromyalgia." - "Magic pill" is the impression you could get from the way those that experience help from it evangelize about it that everybody needs to try it... (Not the only pill where that happens...) When you read how bad the side effects are in others, most people should be cured from this belief and will wonder how come others aren't... :cool:
 
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