Just started Amitriptyline, any thoughts?
 

Hey all ONers,

I just got the root-canalled tooth pulled and have started 10 mg of Amitriptyline at night. I had a lot more head pain while recovering from the tooth extraction, but then I had a great couple of days with lower or no head pain.

Ah, well, today I have more pain. I'm not up to the dose of Amitriptyline that is supposed to start helping with the ON, so no need to despair yet. Any stories about Amitriptyline that you think might be helpful, please share. I'm aware of possible weight gain.

I had a conversation with a friend who I am going to have to limit my time with. She kept giving me unwanted advice on what to do about my ON. I finally told her all of the doctors I've been to, procedures done, meds tried. I just got tired listening to myself, so next time I'll tell her I'm not willing to talk about my ON at the moment.

I just bought a massage unit that has heat and vibration. That seemed to help some, but then I seemed to have more pain later. Anybody else experience relief in the moment but more pain later with a massager?

Hi Head Pain,
I guess the doctor who prescribed my amitriptyline didn't beleive in tapering up. He started me on 50 mg and it was rough at first. All I wanted to do was eat and sleep. I was sleeping 15 hours a night on the weekends and had a fierce craving for chocolate milk shakes. I gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks and my cholesterol went up from all those milk shakes. It also made my heart race and I had to start taking a beta blocker. BUT....the amitriptyline worked better for my nerve pain than any other drug I had tried. I found that a good dose for me is 40 mg.

What dose are you up to now? Is your pain getting better? I sure hope so.
Cheryl

Hi Cheryl,

Thanks for replying. I'm up to 30 mg a day and haven't seen any problem with weight gain yet. Its not helping the pain much, though. I feel some difference on some days and have had a few pain-free moments, but other days it doesn't seem to help much.

I'll keep increasing and hope for the best.

I'm happy I feel pretty clear during the day and feel mostly like myself. So I can't complain about the side effects.

Also, i just had some sacro-cranio massage therapy that I had a pretty strong reaction to (MORE pain instead of less). I've postponed the next session.

I've found yoga and pilates to help, too.

I have been taking Endep 20mg for around 8 months. I am sill in severe daily pain so i don't think it is helping that much in terms of pain relief. I am pretty sure it is worsening my dry eye condition (MGD) so i may have to stop taking it. All these medications have so many nasty side effects. Has anyone tried a good vitamin b complex with benfotiamine and/or methylcobalamin b12 supplements with good results? If so what brand and dose? Also, all my upper neck, shoulder muscle are in complete spasm all the time. Anyone found a good muscle relaxant, magnesium supplements that has helped ease the tension and tightness?

Cheers

Does your mouth hurt as well? As far as the amitriptyline goes, it took getting up to between 50 and 100 mg before I really saw results and it took a couple weeks to really have an effect, so hang in there.

You also might consider running by your dentist's office. Any chance you have dry socket or a complication with the tooth extraction that's causing referred pain to your head?