Elavil/Amitriptyline

rider fan · Post by **rider fan** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:29 pm

I know this drug has been discussed many times, but I think my question is a unique one. I started taking 5mg of Elavil a few days ago to help with sleep maintenance. I've also read here that it has helped people with CPPS, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

It has worked pretty well, I feel a bit dopey during the day (I'll see if this subsides) but the sleep has improved and my nagging tingling sensation at the tip of my penis (the only symptom I seem to have these days (knock, knock), has almost completely gone away!

So last night I typed "amitriptyline withdrawal" into google and was shocked at how many stories there were of people who can't get off this drug! I do not need to go through another withdrawal as I have become dependent on Zopiclone once in the past (a non-benzo sedative also supposedly non-addicting, yeah right) and it is not fun (still use 1/2 pill zopicline one to two times a week only). What is the experience of people here who have gone off a dosage of 5-10 mg after taking it for a while (I don't want to take this for longer than 1-2 months in a row). I thought this drug was supposed to be non-addicting.....

thanks
Mike

londoner · Post by **londoner** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 6:20 pm

Hi -

I took either 10 or 25 mg per night for several months. It very much helped both my sleep and my pain.

However, I feel uncomfortable taking drugs for very long periods (I am mistrustful of all drugs!). With Elavil, I felt that if I stayed on it I would eventually have to increase the dosage beyond 25 mg and I didn't want to do that. So I stopped taking it.

In the past I have felt mild withdrawal after giving up certain drugs but with Elavil I felt no withdrawal whatever.

My sleep pattern disrupted a little but not to any great extent. Pain returned sometimes, but not to the degree it had been before I started taking the Elavil.

Everyone reacts differently to drugs but I honestly felt no withdrawal. For me, Elavil was a very useful drug and, so far as you can ever really know these things for certain, I feel it made a good contribution to my process of recovery.

You're on a very low dose so personally I shouldn't worry too much about it. But if you're like me, you'll want to test your dependency after a few weeks or months by quitting. That way you'll stay ahead of the game

. You can always start taking it again when you feel ready. (I now take it once a week or so, and would take it more often if I needed it.)

To avoid the day-time drowsiness, try taking the Elavil an hour before you go to bed.

It hardly needs saying, this is not medical advice..

GARYS · Post by **GARYS** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:34 am

It made me very drowsy for the first week or two. I took it for a few months but quit because I didn't feel like it was doing anything for me. I didn't have any withdrawls when I stopped.

HelpADude · Post by **HelpADude** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 3:57 am

2nd Hand Info here:

A friend had Amitriptyline for a while. He didn't "react" well with it and had to slowly back off it. But everyone is different.

I too, don't like drugs, natural or otherwise. Especially stuff that can play trick on my mind.

londoner · Post by **londoner** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 4:47 am

HelpADude wrote: I too, don't like drugs, natural or otherwise. Especially stuff that can play trick on my mind.

My feeling is that my mind is already playing tricks on me, bringing sensations of pain to consciousness which I have no need to experience.

The pain sets off a chain reaction, leading to more tensing and, in turn, more pain, and so forth etc. etc.

Tricking my mind into not feeling the pain quite so much can go some way to short-circuiting that chain reaction.

rider fan · Post by **rider fan** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 1:32 am

Thanks for the responses guys, I feel better about it now. I'll continue on it for a few weeks if I feel I need to.

lookouth · Post by **lookouth** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 2:22 pm

also 5mg, as my doctor once told me, is a pediatric dose, most times for adults it is prescribed for 20mg, or titrated up even higher.

freddyj · Post by **freddyj** » Thu Nov 23, 2006 10:45 pm

May I ask how long it took the Elavil to make a lasting difference? By lasting I mean your symptoms didn't flare up as much as usual (or at all, I hope). I'm going to talk to my GP about starting on like 5 or mg to "quiet" the nerves as webslave says. Just wanted to get an idea of what to expect.

MastCells · Post by **MastCells** » Fri Nov 24, 2006 2:40 am

As an earlier poster suggested, you might want to start off by taking it at bedtime. Amitriptyline can really make a person sleepy. In fact, it is helpful for some with insomnia. My GP would like to put me on it for that reason.