[Russell]

I would like to hear if anyone has had any experience with Amitriptyline. I'm looking for an inexpensive alternative to Lyrica...

[joby7165]

Hello Russell,

I have been taking Amitriptylin since January of last year. I slipped on a driveway at work and slammed the back of my head very hard on ice and got a bad concussion. My neurologist started me at 10 mg at night ( it makes you drowsy ) . It was for pain and also as an anti-depressant. I had,and still do at times, bad mood-swings.He titrated it to 95 mg at nite which is what I take now.I have a strong constitution and rarely have side effects for any meds I've ever taken but this one gave me severe dry mouth so I would always have a water bottle with me. Eventually the dry mouth stopped but like I said I rarely experience side effects. Titration went from 10,20,50,75,85,95. I hope this helps,good luck !

[Russell]

Thanks for the respose joby.
I'm seeing my neurologist soon and I'm thinking of asking her about this and your feedback does help...

[~Sage~]

My primary care doc, an internist, started me on 10mg a few years ago when still complaining of so much pain but I was no longer getting the LESIs. He said it would help a bit with the pain and depression. I doubted it, but guess what? It did take the edge off the intensity of the pain.

[zookester]

Hi Russell,

I have been on Amitriptilyne along with Gabapentin which is similar to Lyrica. The Amitriptilyne was given to me to help with sleep and fight depression that often affects us. I've recently learned to take it several hours before going to bed instead of at bedtime like I was doing and that little adjustment seems to be helping a little more. I don't honestly know how much it helps for the pain really but it does help with sleep and moodiness that follows lack of sleep. I also take Gabapentin in the morning and then a double dose at night because of the side effects Gaba can cause during the day (mental cloudiness, dry mouth, nausea and sleepiness).

One thing I've learned from my doctors is that not all meds help with "all" the different types of pain that CRPS can throw at us. In fact I gave up on trying to medicate the lightning bolt type pain after several doctors said that was one symptom they haven't had much success in treating. Knowing this has helped me communicate more effectively with my doctors so that when we discuss meds, we first discuss the exact type of pain that seems to be the worst at the time and treat that specifically if we can. This is where keeping a journal and being as descriptive as possible can really help.

I hope you are able to find something less expensive that helps you!

[Brambledog]

I took amitriptyline for about four months at the start of my CRPS. It was the first med I was given. It was pretty effective at first, and relieved a lot of the pain, but the effects wore off after about three months, even when the amount was increased. I was very drowsy and spaced on it, and had a really bad dry mouth, including mouth ulcers. I too carried water everywhere!! I also got headaches. Even once I stopped taking it, I've never really lost those headaches and still get a few mouth ulcers - I never used to get them.

I also tried Gabapentin, but that never really did anything for me except wreck my stomach. I take Lyrica now on a low dose, and that seems to be the only thing I can tolerate. It sucks. Meds are a tricky thing for everyone, and finding the magic combination that actually works on the pain with minimal side effects is a dream for many it seems!

Good luck, most of these meds are worth a try - I hope you find one that works for you.

Bram.

[Allanira]

I was on it for a couple weeks and it caused mouth ulcers. They switched me to gabapentin after they healed.

[Russell]

UPDATE...
I talked over many possibles with my neurologist and she decided to have me try a timely increase to 1800 mgs Gabapentin and 50mgs Amitrptylene along with my Cymbalta. Let's see how it goes I quess...
Thanks for all your inputs...

[Brambledog]

Good luck Russell, I hope it works out for you! Will have my fingers crossed...

Bram.

[heatherg23]

I've been on it for well over a dozen years. I use it for something different. I can't stay asleep without it. It can be used for different things from what I've heard.

Heather