Hi all,
I have decided that my foot problem is GREATLY related to something vascular...the cold I feel occurs after walking on my tile floors without shoes. If I wear two pairs of socks it happens less. If I have shoes on, even less. If I prevent the cold, I don't get the other pain. If the cold starts, pain and weakness are much greater.

I am so aware of my body right now, I've just noticed that the veins in my hand bulge. Put my hands up, they go down immediately. Lower my hands, and I can watch them bulge in 1-2 seconds.

If I go to my chiro and get ice during therapy, I will have this coldness/raynauds all night. If I skip the ice, that is much less likely.

But about the elavil and mood... SOMETHING has bettered my mood and it all started when I began my progesterone. One month later (after feeling worse again) I started the elavil. Unfortanately I also started a chinese herbal so I'm not sure if the elavil has done this, but I have not really had the BURNING since I started the elavil. I have coldness and weakness behind the knees, especially if I've been sitting with something pressing there, like my chair.

I have watched the bottoms of my feet turn white when they are cold and numb. If I rub my ankles they will feel better.

I believe the elavil has helped me with depression and seratonin levels. I don't think this chinese herbal is doing it, as I have used it before without feeling this much better. Progesterone could be helping too, at least at some times of the month.

But one thing I don't like about the elavil is the smell. It smells like poison. One night I chewed it because I only wanted to take half. After I bit down (and realized it is all or none) my tongue swelled up. This has never happened before or since.

I have also broken my allergy diet recently - as I'm just sick of it - and the following days my feet have gotten worse. Not sure if this is related.?

One more thing about the elavil. Since starting it I sleep until Noon. And I can't go to bed at my normal time (2am) anymore, I'm up until 3, then 4 - and it seems to be getting worse. I don't want to go to bed. At 4 I'll go to bed, take my 25mg elavil/amitryptline and then my half ambien/zolpidem. And I'll be asleep until 7 or 8, when I need to take my second half ambien.

So... elavil seems good for mood/depression, good for some symptoms of neuropathy, and good for sleep IF you aren't addicted to ambien. But it's scary too as it's the worse tasting/smelling medicine I've ever taken.