so hard to be patient with the titration process (i assume your doc started you on a v e r y low dose and was titrating you up?).

but i have to say, i am not a fan of elavil, myself - that is another name for amitriptyline. it can cause "seratonin overload" in some people, and that is what happened in my case apparently. i was also taking one of the more modern SSRI's at the time (i think it was remeron) and my PCP should NEVER have given me elavil on top of that med. very dangerous, my neuro said.

lesson learned, and this is one of the reasons why i will not accept "pain meds" (very broad category) from any doc other than a certified pain management specialist today, if i can help it... and i still run everything through my pharmacist, at that. and that INCLUDES OTC meds and vitamin and mineral supplements as well. because i found out the hard way (leave it to me, kidz, seems i found out all this stuff the hard way... is there another way?) based on an innocent enough sounding "recommendation" from a clerk at the GNC to take a supplement called 5HTp or something, for my FMS, that THAT can interact with a med like elavil and/or any other SSRI, too and cause seratonin overload in the CNS (central nervous system). which can trigger very unpleasant episodes of unprovoked rage. it's horrible limbic crap, you don't wanna know, rachael.

trust your instincts, though... if this med does not seem to agree with ya, then i'm with you - i would stop taking it immediately, but do contact your doc first chance you get and perhaps even try to communicate with your pharmacist as well, over the weekend. let them know exactly the sx your having in the way of side effects from the med. very important. helps your tx team to find a better rx for you; it's a process of trial and error and everybody's body reacts differently.

and sometimes you do need to stay with a certain med for a period of time and the side effects will dwindle, though, so be aware of that. this one, personally, i don't feel is worth screwing around with but that is only my opinion, rachael. other people will tell you they swear by it, it helps them so much with sleep, etc. and sleep IS so important when you have a chronic pain disorder like TOS. helps to break that part of the vicious cycle.

hey, there was a great thread back in may you might want to take a look at on this very topic. the whole meds/no meds thang. it was started by 'withmore' and she called it "nomeds," i think. so all you have to do to call it up is go to the 'advanced search' function, located right underneath the search bar in the upper righthand portion of your screen... just click on it, rach, and enter her poster name. should pop right up for ya. no need to reinvent the wheel that way, and there was a lot of good stuff on that thread, as i recall...

including a thing from the mayo clinic i think ocgirl put up there called the pain quiz: do you believe the myths? (it's #20 if you enter "pain quiz" in the search engine on this site: www.mayoclinic.com/health/chronic-pain/PN00034).

read it and weep!

but steady wins the race with these things, rach. try not to get discouraged, OK? it can take some time but i know you will find the right med(s) to work for you to calm your sx. you hang in there; you're doing just fine!! enjoy your weekend with the family.

alison
"Be Brave"