As I noted in another post, I have been experiencing burining pain on the top of my head every day for about six weeks. I am currently taking neurontin for it (900 mg; three times per day), but it no longer seems to be working. It has been gradually increased over the past two years.

I just heard back from my neurologist and he wants me to wean off of the neurontin and then try elavil. Does anyone have any experience with it? I am going to be taking it at bedtime. I currently take ambien along with neutontin at that time and I am wondering if it is safe to continue taking the ambien. I guess I will ask the pharmacist.

I think Braingonebad takes that for burning pain and has had success.

There is new research out there that Elavil works on peripheral nerves to regenerate them. (it was previously thought it only worked in the CNS to moderate pain perception)

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/thread91085.html

If you do not use other drugs that interfere with it, I would try it.

I've been taking amitriptyline for about 5 months. My neuro prescribed it for depression AND pain...it hasn't done a lick for any pain (my chiropractor is better), but my overall mood and outlook on life is much improved! No bad side effects or problems. I started on 10mg at night for 2 weeks, and then dosed up to 20mg. On the bright side, too...it's inexpensive.

Best wishes!

I had a lot of side effects on it, and didn't find it helped my neuropathic pain.

My friend with MS has taken elavil at night to relax the pain so she can fall asleep easier. She likes it.

I just transitioned off neurontin and tried elavil. Made my heart race and did nothing to realy relieve much of the pain. But it was a low dose and I react to many meds. So I may not be the best expereience to judge from.

My doc rx'd neurontin for me, and it made me way too foggy so I had to get off it. didn't do a thing for the pain.

I tried elavil and it worked really well for burning and shock-like nerve pain. Muscle pain, spasms, it did not touch.

I started out at 50 mgs, which my neuro about fainted when he heard, lol. (My pcp rx'd).

Neuro would have started at 10 mgs and tapered up.

I took it at night and it did make me quite sleepy. I had no other side effects except gained a couple pounds - maybe 5? Nothing to freak about.

It did not help any mood/deppression issues I may have had along the way. I took it for a couple years.

Stopped when I had serious insomnia - tapered off all meds due to that, except topamax. Did not need to get back on it, as pain was not too bad. I would get right back on it if needed. It's the only AD I had no problem with.

Lyrica also helped some with pain - was better for spasms in back/shoulders though. Did not help the pain elavil worked for. funny...

Strange how we all have different experiences with certain meds. I am almost always opposite from everyone else with this type of med.

Still, try it. You never know.

Also, you might find the drug link at the top of page will tell if you can take the two meds together. There are meds you cannot take with elavil, but I did not think ambien was one of them. You may not need it, however, as sleepy as elavil should make you.

I was prescribed Amitriptyline nearly 2 years ago to try and help with the burning pain and also not sleeping. It's an anti-depressant but is also used for neuropathic pain.

My body couldn't cope with the Amitriptyline and I developed a side effect of blurred vision that caused me to fall and injury my arm. I went to the Opticians who said my pupils were extremely dilated and told me to get my mum to call my Doctor ASAP. My Doctor told me to wean off the Amitriptyline and thankfully, my vision went OK after a few days of me coming off it.

I wish you the best of luck with the Amitriptyline and hope it helps you. I know some people have had success with it - I guess like with everything, no two people are going to react the same!

Take care and I hope your pain settles down soon!

at the low doses used for peripheral pain, there are not much
antidepressant effects.

Antidepressant doses start around 100mg or more a day.

The peripheral neuropathy --diabetic neuropathy doses are 10-25mg at night, as a rule. Some doctors go to 50, but that is
still low for Elavil.

In the old days I recall doses of this (long before SSRIs came out) up to 450mg a day! TCAs were the only antidepressants for decades!