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Amitriptyline and Insomnia

Posted , 5 users are following.

mary75226
mary75226

Anyone come off amtriptyline and suffer profound insomnia? How long did it take for it to begin to subside. It's been 3 months for me and I'm still only sleeping a few hours a night. Some nights not at all. The sleep I do get is also very shallow and sometimes its hard to determine whether I am sleeping or not. Looking for some hope! It's causing high anxiety and depression. I worry I'll never sleep properly again.

0 likes, 10 replies

10 Replies

  • emma42203
    emma42203 mary75226

    Posted

    hi Mary, sorry to hear your suffering, i have a similar issue i which im on a low dose, have been for about a year and have weaned myself off too quickly i think. i halved my dose over 3 days the stopped them completely. i suffer the same shallow sleeping, wakening up at slightest thing like being too warm, wakening before my alarm where as when on the amatriptyline, i struggled to open my eyes at all and would press snooze (a few times) maybe you could go on a low dose til your sleep improves then wean off them from there?

    • mary75226
      mary75226 emma42203

      Posted

      Thanks Emma. I'm sorry you are also having trouble sleeping when tapering. I was on for such a short time (25mg for 4 weeks and 10 for 4), I noticed my sleep changing when reducing from 25. I did try going back up to 12.5 for 10 days, but it didn't help. I'm scared to go back on to be honest because of what it's already done to my sleep and I feel lucky in just having insomnia when so many others experience insomnia plus a host of other withdrawals. Also, I don't want to go back on because I feel like these last three months of torture will have been such a waste. I wish you the best of luck if you are tapering completely. I should have tapered 10% at a time but oh well. ❤️

    • mary75226
      mary75226 emma42203

      Posted

      Hi Emma,

      How are you doing these days? Any improvements with your sleep after coming off the ami? Hope all is well.

  • Hopeandope
    Hopeandope mary75226

    Posted

    hi Mary.

    had exactly the same.

    it eventually became unbearable and went to my gp and got prescribed sleeping pills.

    don't like being dependent on pills but why i would suggest this is because it helped break the cycle for both mind and body of not sleeping. . took in small dose and worked a treat. after about 2 weeks i had more energy and was easy to stop the sleeping pills.

    also found mindfullness helpful as well. use an app called CALM and they have some good stuff to listen to thats all about releasing tension in mind/ body before sleeping.

    No electric devices for a dew hours before sleeping ( except for mindfullness ) and a chamomille tea in the evening. all this put me in a good place to have proper nights sleep and maybe could help you too.

    good luck.

    • mary75226
      mary75226 Hopeandope

      Posted

      Thank you for the suggestions! I'm happy to hear your are sleeping again and that the sleeping aids worked for you. It is difficult to tell if it's the withdrawal or the anxiety about the withdrawal now that is keeping me up. I've just started Cbt-insomnia and have added meditation into my bedtime routine. I'm hestitant to try a sleep aid because of the disaster ami has caused, but I will keep it in mind. ❤️

    • Hopeandope
      Hopeandope mary75226

      Posted

      hi Mary.

      also advise an app called curable and worth doing a free 7 day trial.

      all focused on chronic pain and very interesting.

      think just about all our physical pain comes from the brain and not the act itself and is given by the brain to help protect the body from danger.

      The pain is real but its the brain that controls everything.

      whether anxiety or withdrawal its actually arrives from the same place.

      Brain training is so important

    • Hopeandope
      Hopeandope ann55375

      Posted

      yes and didn't need a high dose.

      Keep me posted but re iterate the benefit of some relaxing mindfullness before bed.

      CALM/CURABLE/PATHWAYS all

      good and well

      worth a free 7 day trial.

      good luck and stay strong.

    • Hopeandope
      Hopeandope mary75226

      Posted

      great.

      as previously mentioned its good to break the cycle and if you take in small dose for just a few weeks max then you shoudnt get addicted.

      wish you well

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