Amitripiline Withdrawal symptoms

Hi, I took amitriptyline at a high dose for years for chronic fatigue syndrome and insomnia. I stopped last March and also began suffering severe depression. Amitriptyline is an antidepressant and alters the way your brain uses serotonin, without it it takes awhile for your brain to return to normal. I used 5htp supplements and magnesium and they seemed to help. It does ease off but I know that terrible sense of doom and utter misery. Please don't do anything to harm yourself, do see your doc if things are getting really bad but have a look at some supplements and herbal remedies too.

Kind wishes

Diane

Thanks for your reply Diane, I've only just seen your message. I've ordered some 5htp and will be here tomorrow and praying it will give some relief. It seems to have good reviews. I'm staying away from the doctors, all the medications are evil. Did you have physical deterioration in your condition too due to the amitryptyline? I'm getting weaker by the day and completely bedridden and getting to the point I need help to get things and also how long did it take for the utter doom to lift? I know it's different for everyone but just wondered. Kind regards.

Hi, it can take a couple of weeks for 5htp to fully work but I felt better after a few days. I did feel really weak for a couple of months, like recovering from a bad illness but I had been taking amitriptyline for 18 years. Hope the 5htp works for you.

Best wishes

Diane

Just took first 100mg of 5htp and got some Rhodiola Rosea. Thanks for your kindness and taking time to respond Diane. Kind regards.

Hi Diane, I've been reading this thread and everyone's comments and would be so grateful if you could advise if these weird head sensatations have gone? I've been on amitriptyline for 2 years and only tapering down for about a month now and it's driving me crazy! The more I think about it the more it's there, it's like a prickling itchy sensation that just won't go away. Anyway I hope you are feeling well and more back to yourself. Best wishes, Kelly

May I ask, what is htp, please?

I have been on amitryptilin for 20 years after 4 years of waking up every night at 3:15 a.m. unable to return to sleep. For me, this drug is a Godsend. I'don't tried many other treatments.

Good luck to you. I hope you feel better. Thank you.

Diane b I am desperate to know how long withdrawals lasted for you? I am over a month In and still am having troubling symptoms.

Cole how did you make out? what were your withdrawals? 3 months and still sufferinng from profound insomnia. I hope you are feeling well!!

that sounds like such a nightmare, i'm so sorry!! are you feeling better 2 years later! prayers for you that you are

I hope you got to the bottom of it?

Hi, yes but has taken over a year. Sleeping much better now, strange sensations in hands gone. So pleased I am off it although so stiff in the mornings so it obviously helped a lot! I definitely wouldn't go back on it for anything. Keep going, you will get there. Good luck

Good to hear faith! How long were you on it for? I've been taking it for 2 years. I understand what you mean, I get that same annoying feeling in my face and it can drive you through the roof! Glad to hear you're feeling more of yourself

Hi Kelly.  I was on it for ten years!  Sleeping better now and funny feelings gone.  It has taken a year but have got there now I think.  I have had most of the withdrawal effects described in here though.  Persevere everyone you will get there in the end.  It's truly horrid going through it but am so pleased I am off now.  Good luck all

Hi faith 

Glad to hear the funny feelings are gone? Did you

Get restless legs/ tingling? It's been 2 nights running I've only had 1 hour sleep and at my wits end I just don't know if this is from the ami 7 weeks after stopping my last dose

Or whether it's a whole new problem in itself 

Thanks for your kind words

Kelly

No I didn't have restless legs but they do say that can be due to a lack of magnesium.  I take magnesium and put it (Epsom salts) in my bath sometimes. Might be worth a try. At long last I am sleeping now which is a great relief too.  Have recently bought a silver pyranean goose down pillow, expensive but well worth it. It's very thin and not what I am used to but it's wonderful.  As long as you don't have any contra indications to taking magnesium I would try that .

Hi Kelly i too was on ami for 2 years the last 11 months were weaning off of 10 mg. So my withrawal was minimal i tapered very slow had the drug in liquid form and went down  half a ml or a ml at a time. I have been off the drug  since 20th December and the first few days were great. BANG the  following 8/9 days awful  mainly cramps, nausea , headache, muscle aches and anxiety. I have good days and bad days now, the odd cramping but no nausea. My muscles ache and my anxiety has remained but i have just started taking herbal calms to see if this helps. I have several times thought i will just start it again but, then cried and thought no  Keep going it will get better. xx

Hi Kelly

.

And everyone else.

I was on this for years and when I started losing hair and teeth did I start to stop.

It's been 2 years now tapering. Seems like a long time but when I tried to speed things up my TMJ and other withdrawal effects got so bad that I had to revert. My tactic has been to lower no more than 10% a month. It takes a few weeks each time to settle again to normalcy. Only when I feel better do I lower again. The 5 HtP had horrible side effects for me and I was nearly suicidal with very weird thoughts. I think it upped Serotonin first then dropped away completely after it worse off. Took it twice but was seeing my death every few seconds in everything. Scariest mind fck to ever happen to me. So I wouldn't recommend to everyone as perfectly safe. I'm on the last legs now of this journey. In the end I got a pill cutter and grinder and just took a very small dose in empty capsules. Then took those 3 times a day as that's easier to tale than only taking one dose a day and having it last 24 hours. Now it's an almost invisible amount every 24 hours .I stretched it slowly to let my brain adjust. Even such a small amount still has an effect. Bizarre how strong this stuff really is.

My advice is to take it extremely slowly and stay on the same dose for several weeks as it stays in your body that long. So you might not notice the power of the drop until much later. And that can be overwhelming. Better safe than very very sorry. You can buy empty capsules online quite cheaply and grinders etc as well. Now don't get brain zaps as much and most of the really strong withdrawal effects like nausea don't happen anymore. Just feel stressed and sore with every drop now. Don't push too quickly in a haste to get free of this stuff. Accept it's a process and your brain has to rewire itself basically. I've lost 13 kilo's and feel healthy and energetic again. My teeth have also been fine the last year.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Hi faith, your posts brings me a lot of hope. thank you for sharing how you are doing now. im so happy you are feeling better. after a short while (2.5 months) on ami i came off and my sleep completely deteriorated. its been 4 months now and im averaging about 4 hours of sleep a night, with a few sleepless nights a week. its very broken, light sleep though. ill sleep 30 min here and there throughout the night. i've also found that i often cant tell whether i've been asleep or not. its very strange. was your sleep pattern similar and when did you begin to notice improvement in your sleep? thank you so much!!

Hi kelly,

how are you doing a year and a half later?? i'm also not sleeping 4 months after stopping. i hope it has improved tremendously for you.

hi

the whole thing is a bit of a nightmare really. my sleep pattern has never returned properly. i now drink some "sleepytime" tea before i go to bed and take a Phenergan tablet (antihistamine). they are supposed to be fine to take without bad side effects. it is wonderful having s nights sleep. a friend was on long term amitryptyline and she came off it too. she just doesn't go to bed until she's shattered about 12-1am and then she sleeps till 7.30. i couldn't do that but it might suit you. trial and error with everything i think.iinsomnia is incredibly common i am told! good luck and trying everything is my advice

oh my i'm so sorry it lasted that long! did it improve since initially coming off of it at least? scary to think there can be permenant damage to sleep patterns. i dont think i can survive with this little sleep! if you dont mind me asking, did you have sleeping difficulties prior to taking ami or just after coming off if it. if you werent to take the Phenergan how many hours do you think you'd be sleeping a night? perhaps i will try what your friend does. thanks for the advice and thank you so much for your response

Hi Faith,

Hope to not be a bother, I'm just desperately looking for some answers and trying to figure out what to expect. You mentioned here that you are at long last sleeping now, bur you also mentioned earlier that your sleep pattern has never returned properly. What was it like initially and what's it like now? Thank you thank you!

Hi. it was fine before I ever went on Ami but I was on it for ten years! I don't have any trouble falling asleep I just can't stay asleep. They tested me for sleep apnoea but I don't have that, checked my thyroid and full blood count, Vit D, Vit B12 etc but all ok. Apparently Phenergan isn't addictive so am going with it. All I can tell you is having gone through the withdrawal symptoms I am delighted to be off it and will never touch it again. It is interesting though because my husband is a surgeon and he prescribes a similar drug to Ami to patients to relax their bladders. He has never had a patient complain about the drug which is amazing but I suppose if they had a problem they would see their GP not him! It works wonders for bladders too apparently. I only ever took 20mgs max so a very, very small dose just for relaxation not for depression. Incredible to think such a small dose can cause so much trouble. Some people take 80mgs plus. Dread to think what reactions they have when they come off it. Not very helpful I am afraid, good luck, hope sleep returns for you.

thanks faith this is very helpful. im waking every 30-60 min. is that similar for you when you say you cant stay asleep or are you just wakong too early? i think im out of questions now haha thanks again for taking the tome to respond to a complere stranger! glad the phenergram is working for you

that is bad. i would sleep for about three hours then wake and be awake for about 3/4 hours. i took Ami to relax my muscles though. if you took it for anxiety/depression then perhaps that is still a problem. i am a great believer in alternative therapies. you could try reiki or reflexology or some herbal oils etc.