Hi Kim,

I take Nortriptyline (in addition to Cymbalta, Neurontin, Piroxicam, Norco, and MS Contin).

I think you have to give antidepressants several weeks to kick in before you start to see effects. Frequently one has to taper up to a dose that might have the desired effect. 10 mg is a low dose of Nortriptyline, but it sounds like you are very sensitive to many medications so your doc is probably trying to go conservatively.

You mentioned it might be helping a bit with your sharp, stabbing pains. My sharp RSD pains felt like electrical jolts; I call them zingers. My Neurontin helps tremendously with that type of pain, so that I only feel a zinger once or twice a month. My main RSD pain complaint is of severe, deep, burning pain just to the left of T1-T2. I call that my burning golfball. The Piroxicam, Norco, and MS Contin all help with that, of course it never goes away, but the combo makes it bearable. I can't say that I noticed any change/effect on either type of pain since the Nortriptyline was introduced, but the other meds were in place prior to the start of the Nortriptyline.

I was started on the Nortriptyline specifically because of my difficulty with sleep, both getting to sleep and staying asleep. It does help me fall asleep better IF I remember to take it an hour before I intend to try to sleep.

I can't say that I think the Nortriptyline makes me feel more groggy or confused. I think I was pretty foggy for years before the Nortriptyline came onboard.

I hope that you find something that works well for you that you can tolerate the side effects of.