Hi
I have been on 10mg of amytriptaline for 4 yrs & 20 mgs for 2yrs. i have this for chronic pain at night, i also take 20mg of methadone also have "nerve blocks" approx 8/10 weeks.
i have been fine on the amytrip. but now just out of the blue "i sleep 20 hours out of 24" i am now cutting out the amytrip but it`s just sleeping all the time, my gp is helping me cut meds down, but the difficult thing is that i am on gabapentin, tegretol & lamororigne for seizures & i can`t come off these especially has i have many seizures, my gp thinks i`m having them during sleep which i`m not aware of & these are contributing to the sleepiness.
it`s just that there is no quality of life at all when i am "rip van winkle"
I`v got that off my chest so now i can get back to bed.
Thanks for reading
sophia

My Dr 1st put me on amitriptyline 25mg for sleep. That didnt help so when I went back he gave me 100mg of amitriptyline. Was that too much to add?
What happens if I want to stop taking it?

Pill Taker

The Nortriptyline made me an insomniac--We switched to 50 mgs of Amitriptyline--Worked ok--Went to 100 mgs--Its the magic bullet----But on some strange occurrences it makes me nervous---I take my generic ativan and I am ok and off to bed--------Still in pain--But sleeping--

Hello,
I have been on Ametryptaline for about 7 years now. I will give you a breakdown over time how and when "Ametryptaline/Eavil" was prescribe to me over the years.

Originally "elavil" was given to me for sleep. The circumstances were obvious I was doing a semi long stint in a federal pen in canada, addicting/habbit forming pills were not something often prescribed. Ametryptaline was known to us as a type of"Bug Juice" they used for a whole mess of problems.

First Time/ how,why & when
I was unable to sleep due to constant on and off drug use. (Ritalin, mdma{E}, Coke,Rock) among some favorites at the time. Ritalin being the heaviest used at that time say between 700 and 1200mg a day. That was depending to the supply i would take from my brother at home, and about 30 Students in my high school that were also prescribed.
Back to jail. Doctor at the jail prescribes me 25mg nightly to help me sleep does the trick Really well at first tp the point of having to drag myself to bed and sleep literally till supper on regular occasions. A couple years go by slight increase maybe to 75mg over a 2+ year span. Worked well would help me "Switch off my brain, as it was always going".

In the middle of jailing 19-20 y/o
In among the jail sentences i did get a few "free" moments. It was during this time 19 or so that i started Getting terrible migraine headaches. After many visits to my family doctor complaining of the never end headaches she pinned down to a stunted right trap" (Neck Muscle) when asked what meds i was on from other doctors i told her i was on elavil for sleep when i was in jail.
Family doctor re-prescribes at around 75mg. Migraines end amazingly :S


Same age on the outside
Middle ground, on the outside maybe a month or 2 at a time. Partying hard and not taking elavil daily. Drinking all the time. Migraines are back full tilt when im out, only sleeping comfortably when inebriated.

Back in jail back on the elavil.
Again migraines and sleep very easy thanks to elavil. 100mg. On the occasions when the jail would run out. My body body would go insane. No sleep right away with brutal headaches returning within 24 hrs. At that time i would pretty much loose control. Lack of sleep and constant pain make me extremely aggressive....getting put in the hole regularly everytime they ran dry.


Not sure when exactly but first large increase about 2.5 years into use
Somepoint the 100mg im on stops working. For what ever reason i am aware now of what is going to happen. Sure enough sleep stops and headaches back within 24hrs. Appointment with family doc eventually leads to her uping my dose to 150mg and telling me a need it everyday.

Out of jail age 22is
Out of jail now for 4 months or so. much longer than normal if compared to the previous 3-4 years. Taking 150mg nearly all the time. in red deer alberta very late 2002. Still drinking alot but free so to speak, tho still on parole & probation. Very aware of how i my body is on elavil, things looking good, about to start welding apprenticeship. Big house party at my house some **** goes down. I end up freaking and completely blacking out beating several of dozen natives that are partying in my house. Still blacked out hit with very thick wine bottle from the very first native dude that i head bunted.
BLANK, STOP, DEAD, OVER, DARK, NOTHING

I wake up 2 weeks later in the University of Alberta Teaching hospital in Edmonton. After induced coma i awake the end result of all the drama is a break in the back of my skull, both eye sockets shattered, both cheek bones crushed, upper jaw completely mangled and very broken lower jaw. This resulted in many months of hospitalization. Surgery was not able to be done right away, takes about 2 months of extreme pain before swelling is down enough for them to operate. Still confused about everything that was happening due to being on a very heavy narcotic pain regiment i go for surgery.(which im not told that they would need to re-break my entire face to piece it back together) 10hrs, 6 titanium plates, and around 60 screws later i emerge a very broken but alive man. not sure if i was taking elavil during all this time, as i really don;t remember allot.

After the "accident"
On elavil with really no post operative pain at this time. Drinking on a regular basis still, but not using "drugs".

Sometime shortly after this the pain comes. So sever im put back on a heavy narcotic pain killers (Oxycontin) I am other wise street drug free as my girlfriend of the time had "helped" me decide a brighter future. I'm in college now back in PEI. Sever pain still, consistent use of Elavil now for a couple years. during all this mess i am explained to that Elavil is also used for chronic/Nerve pain. All is good lots of good dope from the doctor......still very painful, but flying high all the time.

last few years
It's around 2007 now, I have been out of jail for at least 4 years and off street drugs all together for over 3 years. It's X-mas on 150mg still. It happens! tho not fully aware at first, i notice troubles sleeping soundly. Doctor is out for X-mas Vacation. Migraines back now about 24-48 hrs after realization of what was happening. My doctor is now giving me 3 months of Elavil at a time. that's 270 50mg pills in a Elavil Candy bowl. I decide my dose needs to be uped. Move myself to 200mg nightly, a few weeks late when i see my doc she officially puts my dose at 200mg nightly.

Present Day almost
Im 26 now and have been on elavil about 7 years total. I'm heavily addicted both mentally and physically to Oxycontin to the point of my doctor suggesting Detox and a non narcotic pain plan. During this time i go to our local Detox facility where they place me in 9 day Methadone maintenance program, used to relieve the physical sickness from opiate withdrawal.
I do the 9 days and come out relieved of the sickness but in extreme pain and still uncontrollably addicted. During this time my dose of elavil was still at 200mg a day. Over the next 6 weeks or so i use methadone i buy on the street regularly to deal with the pain and withdrawals. At 1 dollar/ fluid ml it is extremely expensive running up to 200$ a day. During this time i am unable to sleep. Waking up in extreme pain nightly 5-6 times, sometimes not sleeping at all. Go to my family doctor. She adds 7.5 mg of Co-zoplicone (imovane) a sedative to my pill collection that now consists of 200mg Elavil, 150 mg of lyrica (Nerve Pain Pill), 7.5 mg imovane and naproxen for IBU Plus what ever amount of methadone i buy from the street.

The now! 2009
I am currently taking the following meds:
200mg Elavil
90mg Methadone
15mg Imovane
naproxen and IBU as needed

I currently sleep relatively well, tho my body is now dependant on the sedative Imovane. I require 7.5 - 20mg of imovane to sleep and the same goes for my Elavil.

Overall Ametryptaline has been a huge benefactor in my life. I have no ailments that i or my doctors are aware due to taking Elavil for such a extended time at a high dose.

Hopefully this gives you some insight about the use of Elavil when mixed with other prescribed meds & years of alcohol and drug abuse.

Cheers
ckfisher

Use of 200mg of amitriptyline alone as a drug in this country is practically non-existant, due to risks to fatal heart side effects.

Combined with high dose Methadone? Well Methadone itself is risky in certain patients...so when used with high dose amitriptyline?

You can read more here:
http://www.drugs.com/drug-interactio...ne_d00146.html

I would not recommend 200mg of Elavil for anything.
There are other safer therapeutic choices today that do not have the cardiac warnings.

I was taking it for awhile - 50 mgs/night - and although it didn't do anything for my terrible nerve pain in my legs, it DID give me the best sleep I've had in many, many years. I had to quit because I have terrible dry eye and one of its side effects is dry eye - I really miss it! I am having treatment on my eyes and may have ducts plugged, so I want to go back on it.

Does anyone know what long term negative effects of amitrip. are? I have looked at several sites and it seems to be one of the safest drugs around. But does it have tylenol in it? I have a very sensitive liver and don't want to end up with liver crisis!

Thanks and love this website! Rosa

Thank you for your response!!

I have wondered for some time now if there would be long term adverse side effects from the high dose of Elavil i am on. Coming off it is almost frightening to think of, due to the onslaught of migraines and sleepless nights that will follow. Regardless i will definitely be bringing this up to my Doctors.

It's all most comical that over the years, when a situation came up where i had to see a ER doc or Walk-in Doc that they would argue with me why i was on such a high dose. It was always the same argument, you must be on it as a anti-depressant. This dose would never be prescribed for sleep.

Any suggestions for A replacement for the Elavil? Please take into consideration that my tolerance to just about any drug is through the roof. This is not something i'm trying to boast about, but it is a fact. I have no prescription coverage so "new" & expensive meds are not a option.

Thank you again, This is a great forum! I will post again after i see my doctor(s)

ckfisher

Just so you understand clearly.... Interaction with Elavil is seriously aggravated by Methadone.
This website explains it clearly...
http://www.azcert.org/medical-pros/d...drug-lists.cfm

If you should become dehydrated, low in potassium and magnesium, you could slip into a long QT event, even if you are not genetically primed for it.

You should have a screening EKG before starting the Methadone, and while on it combined with Elavil.

Unfortunately people on certain insurances or state aid, are often given the least expensive drug to treat illnesses. As time passes, new data are often ignored, and cost is the main criteria for many.

I have seen many people with migraine get by with much lower doses of Elavil. 200mg is way out there!
Other drugs used to help with migraine prophylaxis are
verapamil
or
beta blockers (like nadalol)

You'll just have to find a doctor willing to evaluate you safely.

Good luck, there!

Pamster--- Where is the pain in your neck and how did it start? Have you been checked for a Suprascapular Nerve Entrapment? I was misdiagnosed with a pinched nerve in my neck and it was actually SNE, which is unbelievably painful if left untreated. The nerve comes out of the C4/C5 area and can seem like it's in the neck, but it actually is trapped in the Suprascapular notch.

Fisher, please read that last post by Mrs D as often as needed. It does not matter what you can afford, you can NOT afford to make yourself worse with meds, if they are not done safely.

I took elavil because it was the only one I could in the class that did not give me a bad reaction - cannot do beta's, channel blockers, or SSRIs. One verapamil sent me over the edge, thought I was gonna die.

Took 50 mgs for pain - burning and shock pain (maybe ms, some kind of nerve thing).

Slept very well, not too much grogginess the next day, for a couple years. Then started bouts of insomnia. Very odd.
My docs thought I was lying, I think. I was also on topamax (migraines) Butalbital, and a couple other things, so I should have been darn tired all those meds at my size (110 lbs).

I too have a high tolerance for most meds. (can take 2 vicodin 1000 and you can't tell).

But could not sleep more than 2-3 hours, this went on for months. Docs had no advice, so I just tapered off ALL meds except topamax - had to deal with migraines.

I still have insomnia bouts, but not like those days. I think something got weird in my head, from being made to sleep so long, the brain learned to fight it. Learned a little too well.

Anyhoo, I have done just as well without those meds.

I've had that battle with meds though, that even if they work for the pain or whatever sx to start out, except for the topamax, eventually they have all stopped working or I developed some side effects could not live with.

That's gotta be one of the worst parts of health issues, never finding long term meds.