I am taking amitriptyline for sleep, and it seemed to be helping me, and then after increasing it by 10mg it seems that I am sleeping worse. Maybe the pain is worse and that is why I am not sleeping as well, or maybe it has something to do with increasing the amitriptyline??

Has anyone ever had it have the opposite effect when taking it for sleep?

Thanks.

I take amitriptylene for sleep too, and it really helps a lot. In fact, sometimes I sleep too much. But then some nights, like tonight, it doesn't do the trick.

What dosage are you taking? I've found the 50mg before bedtime does the best for me. I can't understand how increasing your dose by just 10mg could have the opposite effect though.

You do know that this med is an anti-depressant, don't you? It also makes most people put on weight, but that hasn't been a real problem with me. I sure hope you can get your dosage right, because from what I understand it is one of the more safer meds out there, and you need your sleep!

Idealist

Thanks for the reply.

Yes, I do know it is an anti-depressant. I am on it for sleep though, as I have a hard time sleeping through the RSD pain.

I actually slept well with it last night... and I figured out why I hadn't been sleeping well when I increased the dose- I had taken my B Complex at night! (that does keep some people awake at night)...

I haven't had the problems of being too sleepy and groggy with it, thankfully. Though I am just taking 50mg at night now, and I may be increasing it further.

Thanks again!

I take Amitriptline for headaches and sleep because I have chronic headaches due to hydrocephalus. I find that sometimes it helps me sleep and sometimes not. Because sometimes I am up late. I take 75mgs.

Ripplegirl99

I am taking 100mgs at bedtime to help with sleep and pain and I find it really does help. How are you sleeping now InHisHands?

Hi Inhishands. I used to take Nortriptyline for sleep which is in the same class of drugs. I LOVED it and felt better. I suddenly developed a terrible reaction to the med and now I cannot use it anymore. Maybe there is something else that is interrupting your sleep? Maybe a sleep journal would be helpful. It could be the medication. Sometimes we react strangely to certain things...I know I do at times. I hope you get back to resting again soon!!
Take care..
MissRain

Sleep is a good thing but watch out for weight gain and have your liver levels checked often . Amertirp can mess with your kidneys. As it did with me and I had to get off the med

Thanks for mentioning it Razzle, I do get regular bloodwork done and monitor the liver functions with my PCP so I am not worried yet.

Hey there... thanks for asking.

I am taking 80mg before bed and I am sleeping SO much better. I am only waking once or twice a night, and if I have a bad night just about 5 times. I was waking 20-30 times before and waking all the time... so this is really an improvement. Sleeping really helps me cope and tolerate my pain better, though I am still very exhausted from the pain.


I know why I wasn't sleeping, MissRain- I have severe pain from RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy).

I am so glad to hear it's helping you! That is wonderful, I understand about pain waking you up, I have a pinched nerve in my neck and other parts of my body ache all the time too, but the pain meds don't always relieve it all. The Amitriptyline really helps me sleep almost the night through. I usually wake a couple times and that's just from pain. A good night's rest really does matter in the management of pain.

So glad you are getting some good rest InHisHands, thanks for reporting in to us the good luck you're having on it.