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#748449 - 08/17/08 10:09 AM
Re: Amitriptyline question
[Re: pillar]
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stevevi
Threadhead
Registered: 05/07/08
Posts: 901
Loc: epharmacywatch.com
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I've been on the Trazadone a long time (6-7 yrs), The amitriptyline is new. I've taken the whole 25 mg once, to a disastrous hangover, then tried a half pill, still with hangover, I tried a quarter last night, and while not as hungover, I am very sluggish and glad I didn't need to go to work this morning.
When I started the trazadone, Their were side effects, but after a few days the side effects wore off. I'm wondering if with the amitriptyline if I struggle through a few days if I can expect that hangover feeling to subside. They do solve the sleeping through the pain issue, but I also need to be alert for a 5AM job.
_________________________
Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please - M. Twain
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#748514 - 08/17/08 11:52 AM
Re: Amitriptyline question
[Re: stevevi]
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Stacy
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/15/02
Posts: 2010
Loc: USA
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I believe it was amitryptyline I took for HA prevention. If amitryptyline is generic Elavil, then I took that. Yes, the drugged, sleepy feeling does stop, but in my experience about the time it stopped, it was time to up the dose, so I never really got over it. The dosage depends on the reason they are giving it to you.
As far as helping with pain, I am only aware that it actually helps with nerve pain and it really does help. The problem is you have to build up to a very high dose for it to help with that.
I stopped taking it because it made me more drugged than narcotic pain meds and it also made me gain LOTS of weight. At the time I took it (years ago) I did some research and it had been used in a trial for anorexia patients. They weren't eating, yet they were gaining weight. I stopped smoking when I started the Elavil and so I was very, very watchful of what I was eating and I was very much counting calories. I was eating about 800 calories a day and still gaining weight. It did help with HA prevention, but the drugged, sleepy feelings (I HAD to take a nap everyday) and the weight gain made me stop it and try something else.
On a side note stevevi, why is your doc so against long acting meds?
edited to add: I also took Trazadone years later for HA prevention and while that made me sleepy, it wasn't the same drugged, not just sleepy but so physically tired it was hard to move my body parts, sleepy that Elavil caused. I got used to the Trazadone a lot quicker than the Elavil.
Edited by Stacy (08/17/08 11:57 AM)
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#748516 - 08/17/08 11:55 AM
Re: Amitriptyline question
[Re: stevevi]
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Stacy
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/15/02
Posts: 2010
Loc: USA
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I take the 10mg amitryptyline and the hangover effect lasted about a month. It does help damper the pain receptors. Well, thanks for that ray of hope. I guess, for now, I will have to restrict myself to the weekends, as I would be a disaster at work with the hangover that it causes at this point.
One more thing, as I said I am only aware of it helping with the nerve pain, but I haven't done a lot of research on this drug in quite some time; but it was not something to take "when needed" at all. It needs to consistantly be in your system to work to relieve the pain, prevent HA, help with depression, etc.
Is your pain nerve pain, if you don't mind me asking?
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#748565 - 08/17/08 01:33 PM
Re: Amitriptyline question
[Re: stevevi]
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Stacy
GRAND Pooh-Bah
Registered: 11/15/02
Posts: 2010
Loc: USA
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I'm not sure Stacy, if he "is so against" long lasting pain meds, or just wants to burn out every other option first.
To answer your other question, yes it is nerve pain. I've had 2 surgeries L5-S1 2 1/2 years ago, L4-L5 last year and am currently doing yet another round of epidural shots before we try to figure out what is next. I really don't want any more surgeries if I can help it. Both of mine were successful to a degree, but the damage to the nerves was done before they were willing to do my first surgery. I still have partial numbness in my left foot from my first surgery and my leg ALWAYS hurts.
Ah...then I really don't think taking them on the weekends is going to help. Granted, I'm not a doc or a pharm, but IIRC when my aunt took them for nerve pain her dosage ended up being in the hundreds of mgs, don't remember if it was the 1,2 or 3 hundreds.
Just did a quick search and found a site saying it would be between 75mg-150mg you would definately have to build up to even that lowest dose, you couldn't start with 75mg and function at all.
Here is some other info I found on it, I don't know how correct it is, but that article said two weeks was generally the quickest you would start to notice the pain releif benefit of it.
I did a google search with the terms: Amitriptyline for pain build up and there was a lot more info.
As far as a doc not prescribing long acting meds, you can't bet your bottom dollar if it was their pain, their wife, their son/daughter they would be on long acting pain meds. The long acting meds are better for a person, not all the APAP or Ibuprophen and the person feels much better. They sleep through the night most of the time, they don't have at least an hour several times a day where the short acting med gets to the end and the next pill kicks in.
Hope it all works out for you.
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