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Amitriptyline for IBS / IBD with anxiety and depression

Posted , 4 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hi all,

I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis about 10 years ago. It is in remission but I still have some residual IBS type symptoms along with anxiety and depression. I experience irritability with anxiety and urgency.

Have tried several SSRIs without much success but I have read that Amitriptyline is good for IBS with mental issues.

I would appreciate it if you could share any relevant stories or experiences.

Many thanks

Ed

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • carol19439
    carol19439 Guest

    Posted

    Trust me, I'm a Doctor of Clinical Psychology. Firstly cut out all dairy, eat rice cakes, chicken or lean meat, no fat, no sugar for 12 weeks, Drink herbal tea with honey if you must. No fizzy drinks, no pasta nothing with white flour in it. I promise you, you'll have lost IBS on that diet, by a few weeks but keep at it for at least 12 don't use salt, your body doesn't need it. have a smoothie every day, It totally works, no dairy, no white sugar, not really Honey although I drank it with a little runny Honey. Whole grain bread is ok if you must. Stay off the sweet stuff, I mean it. After 12 weeks, see what happens? Give it a try, trust me.Eat blueberries and make smoothies with a good green leaf vegetable like kale or spinach, some seeds and a banana, use Almond milk, it's delicious to drink and acts like meal.

    Carol

    • Guest
      Guest carol19439

      Posted

      Thanks for your reply. However, I'm not looking for dietary advice. I am already seeing a nutritionist and a dietitian. I am vegan and already have cut out gluten, alcohol and caffeine. I have been keeping a food diary for the last three months identifying trigger.

      As stated in my post I am looking for people who have tried treating IBS / IBD with co-morbid mental health issues using Amitriptyline.

  • Elliemay55
    Elliemay55 Guest

    Edited

    hi i have ibs for many years and 3 yrs ago i started to get very stressed over a bad family situation the stess then spiralled out of control to bad anxiety and depression i couldn't eat or sleep my hair fell out and i lost 6 stone in weight over a 6 month period i was put on a few different tablets but as a last resort my doctor gave me 10mg amitriptyline to take at night after 10 days i felt like a different person the anxiety had gone i felt really calm and my digestive problems had gone i had no ibs symptoms for 3 yrs i now take 2 10mg as my body has got used to the dosage hope this helps

    • Guest
      Guest Elliemay55

      Edited

      Thanks Ellie, that's very interesting. I have IBD / IBS and find I have a very low stress tolerance. I am definitely keen to give a TCA such as amitriptyline a go. Glad you are doing well. Thanks, Ed

  • dee88278
    dee88278 Guest

    Posted

    This is probably a late reply, but I have been on amitriptyline for 25 years. Took 25 mg most of that time and it definitely helped with anxiety, and some with IBS - although tended to make me constipated and bloated along with a little weight gain. After reading that they thought it could cause dementia, (which my doctor and my son who is a doctor both said that might be a possibility but not definitely proven and that mine was a low dose. ) I went ahead and tried to go off it - got to 1/2 of the 25 mg. had a very difficult time with withdrawals. Am still at that dose, but thinking of going back up as my anxiety has been somewhat out of control and I realize it was making a big difference.

    • Guest
      Guest dee88278

      Posted

      Thanks for sharing your experience dee! Ed

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