Amitriptyline HCL - Anyone here take this?
 

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

Nortriptyline HCL?
 

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. :confused:

i love this drug
 

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

i've tried amitriptyline
 

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