Tension headaches

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I am thinking about starting amiltryptyline  10 mg at night for tension headaches - does it help and are there many side effects - have tried acupuncture and had physio - grateful for any thoughts 

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • Posted

    Lots of people say it works fine. I found i was a zombie got rid of headaches and sleep improved but brain fog and being a zombie during the day did it in for me...interfered with daily functioning. Heaps say if you take it early in evening prevents day time fog and groggy feeling. It would be worth a try . It takes a while to work so if you decide to give it a go you need to give it a chance to work. Good luck...i am in process of weaning off it. Down to 5mg now...
  • Posted

    It can take a while for your body to adapt to taking them but generally after about 6 weeks that will have passed. For me, I fell into the deepest of sleeps every night & I couldn't snap myself awake if my son woke during the night, I'd have to send my husband in to him. I found mornings tough for those weeks, I was just exhausted but eventually passed. They didn't work for my headaches but do work for a friend so like everything else, it's trial & error. If they do work, it's worth the few weeks of feeling like a zombie.
    • Posted

      Yes i agree trial and error. I gave it 9 weeks before giving up as i just got worse and worse. But give it a go. I am super sensitive to mood meds. Everyone is different. I know people who live endep.... was just letting you know there is the chance of n mean side effects. Wishing you well.
  • Posted

    I too had physio and acupuncture for severe tension headaches neither worked. Started on amytripline 10mg took about three weeks to work. That was 18 months ago , I suffered a dry mouth in the mornings but no other side effects. Tried to reduce to 5 mg a while ago but felt the headaches returning . Hope this helps and you will soon be feeling better.
    • Posted

      Oh god, I'd forgotten about the dry mouth, I went through a lot of chewing gum in the early weeks!

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