Amitripiline Withdrawal symptoms

Hi Jackie

I just wanted to reply to your post and send you some support. I stopped taking amitriptyline 5 months ago after 18 years on 200mg. You're right the withdrawal side effects are horrendous. Insomnia, prickly heat, stomach cramps, anxiety etc. I've had it all too. Valerian and 5-htp help as supplements at bedtime. 5-htp increases serotonin and melatonin levels but takes a few weeks to work properly. Doctors are sceptical that my continuing symptoms are withdrawal but they began when I stopped taking amitriptyline and I know they are. It does gradually get better so please hang in there even though it can feel like it won't. You will get back to being yourself.

Take care

Diane

Hi

Can you please tell me your other withdrawal symptoms. I'm having a terrible, no horrific time it's 8 weeks since my last dose.

Hello Heather,

I stopped taking amitriptyline in April. I had been on 200mg per night for 18 years. Apart from insomnia I've had terrible digestive problems causing me to lose 14lbs in weight, I'm now intolerant to gluten, lactose, meat and soy. I've also had weird brain zaps, tingling itchy hands, feet and head and severe anxiety and depression. The insomnia will gradually improve, I'm using 5-htp, valerian and avena sativia, magnesium helps also. Once I gave up gluten, the stomach problems eased a bit. It takes a while but it does get better. Hang in there. Let me know your symptoms and if I have experienced them I will let you know if I found anything that helped.

Diane

Hi Diane

I stopped take no amitriptyline in Aug this year after 16yr.i feel dreadful, exhausted,so weak, depressed, a sense of doom.

Pain and muscle stiffness everywhere, tingly and odd feeling in my head, especially one side like a kind of pressure. I also have a kind of numbness / altered sensation in parts of my face. The head and face problem is there most of the time. Vomiting and tummy/ bowel problem.

Do you ha e any of these?

Cheers Heather

Diane I should also have said I can't concentrate, can't think properly.

Heather

Hi Heather

Yes! I experienced all of those things. The pain and stiffness took about 3 to 4 months to go away and whilst it was happening it was dreadful. No medication helped but it did stop eventually so take comfort from that. I'm still battling with the stomach issues. Try giving up gluten for a while, it helped me a bit.

I'm sorry you're having such a bad time. Try taking 5-htp supplements, they increase serotonin levels which will be hugely depleted after so long on amitriptyline, this helps with depression and sleep. Your digestive issues can lead to depression as well. After 6 months I'm beginning to feel a little better. Like you I haven't been able to work, or leave the house much for that matter but managed a walk on the heath yesterday. I still have tingling in my hands and head.

Your symptoms will improve but it takes time and I do understand what you're going through and how horrible it is.

Diane

Yes, I had that too. Couldn't even watch a tv programme properly because my mind flitted about. That settled down after a few months. I took avena sativa drops in water. They are very calming and stop the anxiety and sense of doom you mentioned.

Hope this helps.

Diane

Hello I thought it was just me but, after being on AMITRYPTALINE for 30+ yrs I thought it was me & my body changes that had given me a wheat intolerance ,  I am now also intolerant to meat & also suffer very bad stomach problems  ie   digestive problems. I am also now loosing weight naturally as my appetite has reduced dramatically.

I am off amitryptaline now & I am so very glad but, I am still suffering withdraawal symtoms.

Jackie

Hi, yes I've also become intolerant to meat. I feel dreadful if I eat it. Good to be off the amitriptyline but the problems caused by not taking it seem to be huge.

Diane

Hi Jackie I stopped amitriptyline in Aug I have no concentration, really depressed very weepy. Odd feeling in my head, numbness in my face, weak exhausted, muscle tension, pain, vomiting, bowel problem. Do you have any of these?

Hello Heather , I have had all of what you have had & more, I saw my GP & she has put me on PROZAC 20mg twice a day & I have improved greatly.

I am no longer depressed & feel more energetic but, I am still having the withdrawal symtoms of the AMITRYPTALINE which I came off in JUNE/JULY 2016 so, it has only been a few months since I came off them. I have been told many stories about the time it takes for the withdrawal symtioms to wear off as well, some say 6 months some say a lot longer, fingers crossed, it is a ong a terrible journey but, you must get some help with this as I did.

Kindest Regards Jackie   xx

Hi Jackie I'm sorry you are still suffering side effects. Amitriptyline is an awful drug and I wish I had never started taking it. I have started having reflexology and am taking gin seng. I'll let you know how I get on. Heather

Hi Jacqueline, do you have restless leg syndrome since coming off amitriptyline? It's driving me crazy!!

Heather

Hello Heather, I do have restless leg syndome the same as you, it is also driving me up the wall day & night , every minute of everyday.

It is just continuous & also drives me crazy I  do not know how long it takes to go but, I have been informed the longer that a patient is on AMITRYPTALINE the longer the side effects last.

Horrific Drug.

Jackie

Thanks Jacqueline, yes it's a horrendous drug. I wish someone had told me prior to my being prescribed it.

Heather

Hello Heather, I wish that I had known about this terrible drug as well, I would never have taken it, why GP,s prescribe this I do not know why when there are other much safer drugs out there.

AMITRptaline ruined mY Health for many Years 7 NOW i HAVE TO TRY TO repair my body.

Kidney  disease was the cause of me taking AMITRYPTALINE for years.

Now the water is actually coming through again naturally.

I pass urine now much more  frequently & swelling of my feet & lrgs have gone down alot.

Only after years have the Scientist now found out that long term 29yrs plus cause KIDNEY DISEASE.

jACKIE

I stopped taking it last November but GP suggested I take the odd one when need to. I have awful altered sensation in my hands and around my chin. My hair seems to fall out mire easily too. Just wonder if you have heard of this. Funny sensations driving me nuts!

hi heather i hope you managed to stay of ami, i have just had to go back upto 10mg for the second time as i have tried to taper twice. i too experienced horrendous withdrawl symptoms cramps, nausea,  headache from hell, belching, wind and anxiety boy was it bed im on day 5 of taking 10mg and still experiencing anxiety and tummy pains. 

Hi diane, i have just had to increase my amitriptyline to 10mg having got to 5mg for the second time. i have been doing a slow taper but started with horrendous withdrawal sypmtoms, massive headache painful eyes, cramps, bloated , belching, wind, diarrhoea,nausea and anxiety. i need to get off this drug. i only went on it for nerve pain but, i wish i had been warned about the withdrawal symptoms if i had and had done my research i would def not have started it.

Hi Amanda

Yes the withdrawal is horrendous. I am now nearly a year off them. The nausea passed and so did the aches and pains but not for about six months. I am still suffering from stomach cramps and an upset stomach. I take valerian and avena sativa for anxiety and a herbal sleeping aid. Magnesium also helps with anxiety. I can now say there is light at the end of the tunnel but it's been very hard. Take it as slowly as you need to. Like you I would never have taken it if I'd known how hard they were to stop. I know what you are going through and you have my sympathy..

Take care

Diane

Hi Diane , can i ask do you still have the stomach problems. I am currently taking  8mg of ami and have bloating and belching, my bowels  are bubbling and cramping too. x

Hi Amanda

Sorry, I've only just seen your post.I have had horrendous digestive problems since coming off amitriptyline. The only thing that helps me is to follow the FODMAP diet. I found out about it online and I also avoid any gluten and use lactose free milk and cheese. This finally stopped the cramps, bloating and upset stomach although I still have it very occasionally. My GP is useless and refuses to believe I'm still suffering a year after coming off the medication but I had no food intolerances before. My sleep is still occasionally messed up too, but no more weird headaches, dizziness, bizarre thoughts or anxiety thankfully. The medical profession still sell it as a "safe" drug but I don't think it feels that safe when they take you off it. They should read this forum before prescribing it.

Diane x

 

I agree Diane , ok the drug has a place but it has such bad withdrawal symptoms they should really make people fully aware of this before they are commenced on it, i would not have taken it if i had known it would be like this. thanks for getting back. just to let you know i am currently now on 5.5mg liquid amitriptyline i have been reducing by 0.5mls every 1 to 2 weeks and touch wood no withdrawl. when i get to 5mg i am going to stay at this level for a few weeks before the final withdrawal. i think the slowness and small amount of my reducing regime has prevented me having any withdrawal symptoms so far on this my 3rd attempt .

Hi heather

do you still have the restless leg syndrome? I'm currently battling with this 6 weeks after my last dose. 

Thanks

kelly

Hi Jacqueline,

Just wondering, do you still have the restless leg syndrome? I'm currently battling with this 6 weeks after my last dose and loosing my mind. 

Would love to hear from you how you've been, best of wishes 

Thanks

Kelly 

Hi Diane,

Thanks for sharing your experience with amitriptyline withdrawal.

Did your anxiety begin to lessen at any point? Did you ever have all day long panic attacks, or especially high morning anxiety with shaking and your heart pounding? If so, did it at least begin to lessen in severity or did it stay that way for a long time? This is extremely frightening.

I know it's been a year but I wanted to know how u feel now? They took me off amitriptyline 2 weeks ago and I can't slrep. Can't nap. I have these horrible adrenaline rushes that wake me up constantly. I didn't wan to come off the drug but they made me so here I am. The withdrawal is destroying my life. Never had a panic attack until this. Anyone else have problems?

Hi Sabrina, I am on 5mg amitriptyline, i went to 2.5 mg and experienced awful anxiety, i have never been an anxious person but OMG the feelings are awful. I have since gone back to 5mg and have been here for many weeks but  my tension  from the anxiety has not gone away. My neck shoulders and back muscles are constantly aching. I also feel dizzy and my ears feel like i am under water which is freaking me out.  I totally sympathise with you. panic and anxiety are withdrawal symptoms we have to endure be strong and keep us posted xxx  

Hi Diane can you please share your experience I have taken amitriptyline fro 17 years 70 mg for sleep insomnia I am going through bad withdrawal symptoms 4 weeks my lower body gets very hot did you take amitriptyline for sleep or anything else can you sleep now any tips any help thanks

I've found this board really helpful--but I have a question about the stomach/GI issues post-amitriptyline. I was on the stuff for 2 years at 50, 3 years at 75, and 2 years at 100. I've been winding down from 100 over a whole year and finally stopped about 6 weeks ago. The sleep has been awful--I'm currently averaging about 4-5 hours a night. I've had some depression at times too. However, what's really weird is the GI cramping and issues. I went on the stuff because I had some upper stomach cramping that it really helped. However, I never had any food intolerances or lower GI issues (like IBS) or aversions to foods. Now, suddenly, I have all those things. I'm trying the Fodmap stuff and it's helping, but I was wondering: will I never be able to eat some of my favorite foods again (I'm involved in food professionally, so this matters to me a lot)? Do the stomach and lower GI symptoms ease after a matter of months, or a year or so? Any information would be most appreciated, as I am desperate to understand where I'm heading! Thanks to all for their posts--it really makes a difference to know others have gone through this. 

What is 5htp going on 2nd week 75mg nightly for 15 years and help please. Thanks

im so glad iv seen this post,

i was only put on 5mg around 8 weeks ago but iv decided i dont want to be on any medication at all.

i was taking ondansetron 8mg twice daily

metroclopermide three times a day

lansoprazole 30mg twice daily

mirtazapine 45mg once daily

cerelle pill

diazapam, zopiclone and mabeverine as prn (as and when needed)

i have now stopped all apart from the prn mabeverine, got down to 30mg mirtazapine and 2.5 amitryptaline

i have very bad acid reflux from stopping the lansoprazole and looser bowels from stopping the ondansetron but iv noticed my ears feel like theyre under water all the time too! like theres pressure in my ears, i didnt realise that this would be from the amitryptaline!!

howellsxo......what you are feeling in your ears is definitely withdrawal from the amitryptaline. I have constant, painful pressure in my right ear that has not let up since weaning down from 15 mg of ami. My acid reflux has increased also. I am told that this will get less as time goes by, but currently the burning is hard to manage. I try to use a natural heartburn supplement that I get on Amazon. My ears also ring so loud at times. I am coming down .5 mg each month and just made it down to 2.5; the same dose you are currently on. I have to go very very slowly because I've been on Ami for 28 years...so my withdrawal symptoms have been terrible at each incremental decent. This forum is wonderful support though! Hang in there! I applaud you for starting the process to eliminate or reduce your meds....but go VERY slow is my advice.

is burning stomach a withdrawal symptom also?

I would suspect so, howellswo. Withdrawal looks different for each of us..... so symptoms you have, I might not have and visa versa. There are not cut and dry withdrawal symptoms that 100% of us experience. I know, for sure, that Ami is given to deal with stomach issues and when getting off of it, the stomach acts up.....I know mine has. I have burning 'everything'....burning mouth, acid reflux, burning stomach, constipation, etc...lots of digestive issues.

Diane, how long did it take for your insomnia to go away. 3 months later ans im still experiencing horrendous insomnia with no improvements yet! The anxiety around it of course isnt helping matters. Thank you!

n007 are you sleeping better now? I hope so! If so, has anything helped? Thank you!!

any better?

ho chrisnuff. i hope you are feeling better at this poinf! so sorry for all your suffering. could you tell me if your sleep returned to normal? i'm havinf a terrible time 3.5 months off amitriptyline with insomnia. would love to hear from you. thank you!

Hi Heather,

i see it was 3 years ago that you posted this, but you sound like you have exactly the same withdrawal symptoms as me! So had to reply. I have this weird pressure feeling and almost a kind of tingly sensation with the odd random throb pain in the left side of my head ... and sometimes i just get a pressure pain in my eye and cheek. Its really freaking me out as i suffer with health anxiety and of course, my anxious brain thinks its something awful. I has to stop taking Amitriptyline suddenly last week as went into hospital. I have now gone back on it again 2 days ago, I feel like i'm going mad. I keep sating to my husband that i want to go to A&E but he says i'm over reacting ... which i probably am :0( How are things with you now?

Hi Diane I'm new to this and wonder if you can help me I have been on amitriptyline for 7 years 75mg then 59mg for about 2 months I have been on and off it cause I couldn't stand the withdrawals I'm also on mirtazipine 12 days ago I quit both cold turkey but after 8 days restarted my mirtazipine 30mg again then the next day started my 50ng amitriptyline because I suffered a panic attack and couldn't cope with the dizziness I was only on the amitriptyline 2 days because I woke up with a really heavy feeling on my chest and my upper back I'm still taking the mirtazapine for sleep but haven't took anymore amitriptyline since Friday are these heavy chest pains normal of a withdrawal and my dizziness still there and not not gone I just need some advice please

I am seventy-two year old and have suffered chronic pain for nine years following a spine injury and spine surgery. I have been taking Amitriptyline (first 5, then 10 mgs) since April this year, so for eight months.

I stopped taking it suddenly when I had a bad fall recently (nearly 2 weeks ago). I missed 2 doses, through trauma and being at A&E so thought I'd give it up.

I felt flu-ish, feverish, had headaches and nausea for a few days, which I put down to withdrawal. Now - ten days on, I am still feeling very unwell.

I am now taking antibiotics (Amoxicillin) for wound infection on my shin. I have never experienced side effects from this before but am wondering why I still feel so ill.

Does anyone know how long withdrawal symptoms can last after suddenly stopping 10mgs? A GP I spoke to a few days ago told me categorically 'There ARE no withdrawal symptoms when stopping only 10mg Amitriptyline'. Surely he is wrong?

Worried. Best wishes to all.

Hi Diane,

I took amitriptyline for 2 weeks to treat nerve pain but to no effect. My doctor then recommended me to come off the drug abruptly, which i did. It has now been 5 months since my last dose. I experienced most of the withdrawl symptoms you described above however the only symptom i'm still suffering are stomach/digestive problems. Since coming off the medication i've become intolerant to gluten, dairy and certain fruits/veg, which i was never before. Are you able to share 4 years on from this post did your stomach problems resolve and are you fully back to normal or will this be a permanent symptom as i'm really struggling with these constant daily stomach problems and intolerances.

Many thanks,

Chris

Hi Chris,

Would you mind sharing how your stomach issues have panned out 22 months since your last post as similarly to you i've built up food intolerances and had horrible stomach/cramping problems 5 months since i stopped taking amitriptyline, which still have not disappeared.

I'm hoping these stomach problems fade away and recover back to normal but equally i'm worried the intolerances i've built up maybe permanent.

Great to hear your experience and fingers crossed you've made a full recovery.

Many thanks,

Chris Williamson

Hi Chris,

Unfortunately, my symptoms didn't go away. I went back to the Mayo clinic to be examined by the doctors who first determined I needed it and they told me that I should stay on it, that I should never go off of it. And, about a month after resuming the medication, I felt absolutely fine again. Of course, I am not happy to be dependent on the stuff, but I also didn't want to suffer all the time. I gave it a good 6 months months ultimately. In the time I was off it, very little changed. I don't perhaps have enough courage to try again, as I don't like the science pointing to various side effects later in life from the drug. I will say this, that amitriptyline, for better or worse, very much increased my quality of life.

Christian.

p.s. I should say that the doctors at Mayo were not surprised that I developed things like IBS and some food intolerances while on the drug. They didn't seem to think it was the drug, however, that caused these things. They think I would likely have gone to those places on my own without it. I'm not sure I believe that, but they seemed confident.

Hi Chris,

I'm sorry I have no insight how long it may take to recover from your symptoms. I've been trying to figure out the same for myself.

But for whatever it's worth, I've likewise been experiencing severe stomach cramping and food intolerances ever since I stopped taking amitriptyline.

In my case, that was about 2-3 months ago, after taking 75 mg of it a day for two years for chronic migraines with aura.

Plus my neurologist resorted to taking me off of it quickly with little or no titration because of some serious side-effects including possible cardiac issues which I suddenly started having on it. Maybe that was an exacerbating factor.

But the earliest signs of the stomach cramps and food intolerances were back when I suddenly started having a lot of side-effects on amitriptyline. So I don't know if the titration rate or lack of titration has anything to do with this and with how severe it has become for me now.

Probably about the same as you are feeling about this now, I just hope this isn't permanent.

Wishing you the best with that,

David

Hi Diane,

4 years on from this post i was keen to find out how your digestive problems have been whether they have fully recovered or if these symptoms still seem to be bothering you? As i went up to 50mg amitriptyline for 2 weeks for nerve pain and then abruptly stopped due to doctors order. Since then i've suffered horrible withdrawl symptoms, which fortunately most have stopped apart from the digestive issues, specifically flatulence, stomach pain and irregular bowel movements that i'm still experiencing 6 months from my last dose. It would be great to find out from your experience whether this eventually goes away or if this is a permanent symptom?

Many thanks,

Chris Williamson

Hi jacqueline,

4 years on from this post i was keen to find out how your digestive problems have been whether they have fully recovered or if these symptoms still seem to be bothering you? As i went up to 50mg amitriptyline for 2 weeks for nerve pain and then abruptly stopped due to doctors order. Since then i've suffered horrible withdrawl symptoms, which fortunately most have stopped apart from the digestive issues, specifically flatulence, stomach pain and irregular bowel movements that i'm still experiencing 6 months from my last dose. It would be great to find out from your experience whether this eventually goes away or if this is a permanent symptom?

Many thanks,

Chris Williamson

Kristen, i know it's been 3 years. hope u see this. has it gotten better? was only on amitriptyline for 2 weeks. horrible nightmares, sensation of heart skipping beat. mornings are horrible. fever like symptoms, sweats, tingly feeling and horrible depression and anxiety since being off it for going on 3 days now

hi just wondering did the strange feeling in the face go away

in what period of time you lost 14 lbs?

I have very low appetite, don't feel hunger,and lost some pounds

Heather and Kelly

what dosage did you take? i only took 20mg each night for a year and half and just stopped cold turkey. its been 3.5 weeks and have had restless leg, leg aches, and joint pain like crazy. i would love to hear if anyone can help??

what dosage did you take? i only took 20mg each night for a year and half and just stopped cold turkey. its been 3.5 weeks and have had restless leg, leg aches, and joint pain like crazy. i would love to hear if anyone can help??

Hi

I'm currently detoxing from Amitriptyline and keen to connect with others for support!

Anna

I just want to say Thank You to everyone. Doctors dismiss. But I gained so much strength from your experience and support here! I stopped amitriptyline 5 weeks ago. I feel more alive, awake. But the terrible anxiety and sleep problems are new and got me thinking something is wrong with me. And the anxiety (something I never experienced) is impacting work and stress. If I understand that it's my brain recovering, I can be patient, knowing it will subside. I'd like to know it will and a time frame from patients. 3 months? 6 months? When did things normalize?

I took a low dose for adult cyclic vomiting syndrome (migraine variant) for 3 years.

me too! how did it go?

interesting to know i'm not the only one experiencing such horrific weaning effects. had been on 60 mg elavil for three years, attempting unsuccessfully many time to get off it. finally 13 days ago i decided to fo it cold turkey. i inow its the wrong thing to fo and i understand the health ramifications but i'd had enough. id gotten on it for terrible insomnia after having been on it for 16 years. .i have been free of it for over a year now snd it was easier to get off of it than elavil. my new doc thinks elavil is not causing my current indomnia but it has been raging since night one. im 74 (sorry for all the misspellings- hands too big on this little phone) and hoping i grt some relief in the next couple weeks. this is so debilitating . im a lifelong runner and can barely get through the day sitting on the couch. cant nap either. hope youre finding relief

Hi.

I found this thread while looking for others who are going through withdrawal from Ami. I was on on only 10mg/20mg a night for insomnia, but for about 8 years.

I came off it pretty much cold turkey, and after 5 weeks of abject hell, I reinstated 1mg, following some advice from "survivingantidepressants.org", who really know their stuff. They were saying that if I decided to "tough it out" I could be feeling like that for "many months". I reluctantly decided to reinstate at a very low dose, and see if it mitigated the withdrawal enough to live a life.

Things have improved a little since reinstatement, in that I am able to function somewhat, but I am still experiencing severe withdrawal effects, and some days, I am so wiped out I cannot do anything at all. It's up n down - bad days, and slightly better days...

I use lavender oil to help with sleep (and the awful itching), and also an essential oil diffuser with vetiver oil.

I have to keep a diary of what I'm eating, and be very careful with food as my guts are shot to pieces. I am finding that really simple food is all I can tolerate. Noting foods that appear to exacerbate the guts and abdominal pain.

I won;t list the withdrawal symptoms I've had unless someone requests - it's a long list!

I am praying that the withdrawal will ease up over time - I am about 4 weeks into the reinstatement.,

Exercise appears to help, but sometimes it's just not possible, due the pain, aches and fatigue.

As usual, the GP told me nothing about the horrendous withdrawal effects, and the dangers of long term use....

I hope others here are seeing some improvement as time goes by...

Snap, i have exactly the same symptom as yourself, i was put on 10mg of Amitriptyline to help me sleep at night and they where brilliant for four years but a year ago i started having adverse effects bad Anxiety being one of the symptoms and not being able to sleep, by then i was on 20mg per night i decided at the beginning of April to taper off, the withdrawal was horrendous a

nd i felt really ill all the time, to cut a long story short i decided to cut down quicker so i would not suffer so long, i am quiet a strong minded person, after nearly seven weeks i am now down to nearly 8 mg i now intend to have two weeks not cutting down and plan to be off the drug by the end of June, i have some terrible days but cant wait to get off the very addictive drug.. i to have prickly heat, anxiety , panic attacks which i have not had before it is the hardest thing i have ever done before but i feel determined to get of and i know i wont start improving till i am off allgether. Good luck

Hi Anna,

I'm tapering from Ami at the moment - how are you going with it?

Kev

hi kev,

im not anna, but i am trying to get off ami now as well. how ling have you been on it, what dose.

Hi Mimi,

Thanks for the reply....

If you scroll up a few posts, you can read my mini background story.

Right now I am 6 weeks into reinstatement of about 1mg a night...

I am still experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms. Although not as life destroying as when I was cold turkey for 5 weeks, it's still very challenging... also managing the health anxiety I find really difficult. With so much "ill health" going on all the time, it's hard to keep believing that there's not something deeply wrong with me...

How are you getting on?

kev,

doc put me on amitrip for nerve pain and to aid sleep. i started at 5mg for 4 days and then upped dose to 10mg for 9 or 10 days and developed overwhelming daytime fatigue and elevated heart rate so doc said cut back to 5mg for a week, then 2.5mg for a week and then stop. so last night was night 3 back down on 5mg and i was looking for advice on if i should just stop since its been a short time rather than expose myself to the drug for two more weeks of cutting down, how long does it take to feel the withdrawal from a dose reduction. i completed a slow taper of mirtazapine after being on it for 6 months and it was extremely difficult, took about 8 weeks before i started seeing any improvement and today i have only been off of it for about 10 weeks.

ok - well, I'm not a doctor... I have just been reading a lot of posts from people who are in different situations with Ami.

Regarding your question, it seems to vary quite a lot from person to person... I don't feel I can advise... it appears that some people have only been on Ami for a very short time, and still experience withdrawal nonetheless....

I suppose one can try, and observe the withdrawal effects, and then reinstate if needs be, but it appears to be a tricky game, and I don't have any experience that compares to yours, as I had been on it for years...

Maybe someone else who has only been on it for a very short time could help you more. Sorry!

Hi guys:I need some information about withdrawal Amitriptyline symptoms. I used 25 mg for six months and i stopped randomly,imediately I went to hospital anf the symptoms were dizziness, Headaches, Nausea and vomiting

Loss of appetite, Diarrhea,Increased anxiety,Fatigue,Insomnia or difficulty sleeping or staying asleep, depersonalization etc. Then my doctor said me why you stopped with out my advise ordered me to continue. After start to take the medicine all symptoms were loss but I need to stop and by decreasing the dose and finally stopped.All the above symptoms return and additionally bladder pain and bowel movement which is intolerance for some foods.I suffered for 6/7 months with these all symptoms.Then I restarted the medicine again with low dose some times 10mg and some time by breaking in to two 5mg for 5 years.How ever I have decided stop this drag in December 2021 and except some fatigue and nausea during morning no symptoms experienced till one month Jan 2022.But after one month latter I feel sickness of strong muscles stiffness,joint pain fingers,feet, lower back bon pain, numbness. I supposed that other disease like nerve and go to hospital and checking MRI but nothing is found.But my uric acid in my blood became high 8.3 which is beyond the normal range 3 to 7.2. and the doctor said me not eat fish,meat and not drink alcohol but I have never drank alcohol and I am vegetarian. So I always think that withdrawal amitriptyline has related to increase uric acid? After 3 months latter Nausea at morning, bowel start irritate, anus itching, intolerance some foods, some times odd feeling and bladder pain lower back pain are occurred. Look this are after 3/4 months stopping amitriptyline.If these are symptoms of withdrawal why delayed for 3 months to start? The muscles stiffness and pain that I have is related to withdrawal? or is it a gout? now 7 months and still continuing. Pleas share me your experience. I have no experience for muscle pain and stiffness and joint pain for amitriptyline withdrawal but the rests are I know them.

Hi Selam.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues - I cannot explain the 3 month gap - were you symptom free for the whole of those 3 months?

What I can confirm is that I have most certainly experienced lower back pain, muscle pain, nerve pain and weird sensations, muscle aches and stiffness etc as a result of withdrawal from Ami. Along with most if not all of the other symptoms you list, and more.

I don;t know anything specific about the uric acid thing, but I know that Ami withdrawal can effect urination patterns etc.

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Kev

Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. I see your post is quit old but it's the only one Ive seen that touches on my problem. I am 4 months off Amit. after taking 75-150mg for 17 yrs. for nerve pain and sleep. The insomnia is awful but its the all day long rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath that is the worst and because its been 4 months and its gotten worse not better im afraid it wont ever go away and im going to have this feeling of anxiety and stress for good. Did yours eventually go away? If not how do you cope with the feelings longterm? Hope you don't mind the questions. Im just kind of desparate for answers. Thanks so much.

I am 4 months off Amit after 75-150mg for 17 yrs. My withdrawals are getting worse not better. The insomnia is hard but its rapid heartbeat and shortness off breath that is pretty much a constant right now, that has me worried this may be my new normal. Have you had luck with improvement?