It was prescribed for me to help with sleep and relieve my stiff neck. It seems it's given for many ailments, depending on dosage.

Your experience?

Mike

This (Nortriptyline HCL - 10 mg caps) was prescribed for me for sleep. Haven't started it ... yet. I'm supposed to work up to 5 Caps a night! Do you know if it's the same med you're taking? Have you started it yet? Will be interested to here your experience.

i take nortriptyline - 10 mg capsule and it has helped me tremendously. it took away the feelings of weakness i got from the shins down. That weakness is not really there! peripheral neuropathy is doing it and nortriptyline is a nerve painkiller. it also works as an antidepressant and gives you an appetite. i feel much better now - can't say enough good about what it's done for me.

i just reread your post ibby. i only take one a day in the late afternoon. i'm kinda glad there's room to increase in case it stops working but i was already taking two xanax- about 4 hours apart to eventually get to sleep. along with the nortriptyline, i get a pretty good sleep at night and go to bed earlier.

paula

Both amitriptyline HCI and nortriptyline HCI are tricyclic antidepressants often prescribed for people with chronic pain and co-occurring or resultant sleeping difficulties. They are NOT the same drug but in the same family. Amitriptyline (marketed as Elavil) is a first generation tricyclic anti-d; nortriptyline is a second-generation anti-d with (for some people) fewer side-effects. I have gleaned from reading that taking either of these with MAOIs may be a really bad idea. Maybe Rick can help us understand why (I still struggle to understand neuropharmacology and then to remember what i learned.)

In any case, I tried amitriptyline a few years ago (2+ years prior to PD dx) for my then-unexplained depression, anxiety and chronic pain. I have to say that it did help with each of those as well as with sleeping. Unfortunately I also felt apathetic and spaced out...which decreased my effectiveness in my job. I don't think I took the drug for very long for that reason; perhaps that SE would have gone away (?). My doc tells me that I can take it as needed/occasionally on top of my fluoxetine (an SSRI) as amitripyline is immediately available to the body but I am not yet convinced that is a great idea. My psychiatrist is a very bright, educated, wonderful doctor but I am beginning to wonder whether I should consult with someone even more knowledgeable and/or experienced with treating Parkinson's. Any thoughts on this?

HI rose,

You are right about the MAOI inhibitors - no eldepryl or azilect [selegiline, rasagaline] with this drug. I stopped taking azilect to go on nortriptyline.

paula