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Amitriptyline for peripheral neuropathy

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mancguy
mancguy

Hi there, I have been on amitriptlyine for 5 weeks now. I started on 10mg and been on 20mg for the last couple of weeks. I am also on pregablin but reducing that gradually in the hope that the amitriptyline will deal with the pain. It doesn't see to be working yet as the pain has returned as I'm reducing the pregablin. Has anyone else any experience with neuropathy. I have tried so many meds and this maybe the last chance for me. I'm just hoping that it'll eventually quick in as the dose increases

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4 Replies

  • elizabeth85938
    elizabeth85938 mancguy

    Posted

    Hi macguy, sorry to hear of your struggles with neuopathy - I too have this and started on Amitriptyline which unfortunately brought on sudden onset Glaucoma and had to stop immediately. Then came Gabapentin which caused awful side effects and off I came. Then Pregabalin - it took a while to get the dosage right and I had few side effects which went away after about 6 weeks. It is the only med that works for me and controls the absolutely unliveable pain I had for nearly a year. How long have you suffered neuropathy and where in the body is the pain located? What dosage of Pregablin were you on? I find it far more effective than Amitriptyline but, of course, every individual is different. I found that by perseverance and upping the dosage,  I woke one day to find the pain had eased enough for me to actually start living a near normal day to day existence. I am aware that the pain is still there and reminding me that it is not cured, I can get on with my life. I do hope you get some relief soon and start to feel better.
    • mancguy
      mancguy elizabeth85938

      Posted

      Hi Elizabeth. I have had the nueropathy for about 5yrs. I was in hospital and came out thinking I had DVT but had the tests and it was all clear. The pain started to spread up both legs and in my hands and arms. It took about 3yrs for my consultant to take any notice of me and refer me to a neurologist. I have tried gabapentin and duloxetine but they were useless. Pregabalin works to a certain extent but I still have the burning in my hands and feet and it causes joint pain and really bad headaches but I can sleep on it. I have had no life for the last 12mths and been messed about by the neurologist so my own drs are dealing with it now. They are trying my on the amitripyline as I wean myself off the pregabalin again. I've also finally been referred to the pain clinic. I was on 300mg of pregabalin twice a day but down to 150 at night and 225 in the morning with 20mg of amitripyline at night. With reducing the pregabalin the electricity has started to run through me again which I'm hoping will get itself sorted as I increase the dose of amitripyline. If it doesn't work I will have to go back onto the pregabalin. It's not a great solution but I can at least sleep on it. I just want my life back really. I don't get out of the flat much now, I have had to give up work and I'm getting down and cutting myself off from people. I feel like a fraud because people can't see the pain and trying to explain it to people even I feel like that's impossible and has to be made up
    • elizabeth85938
      elizabeth85938 mancguy

      Posted

      I feel for you having been through something similar although my pain is sciatic in nature. Two GP's just nodded kindly and said it was a Catch 22 (a phrase I heard often later on). Eventually I saw a woman GP who noticed I was walking with a stoop, sent me for a DEXA Scan, result I had lost 2" in height and 3 lower veratra had crumbled trapping nerves etc. Severe Osteoporosis. A diagnosis after years of pain. You are entitled to get a second opinion if the Neurologist is not being as helpful as you believe he/she could be. It is frustrating when the medics start sighing, making you feel a nuisance or even a 'fraud'. You are experiencing real, sustained neuropathic pain that Doctors have no name for. That does not make the pain less real to you. Constant pain is very wearing and you say that you have had to give up work, cutting yourself off socially etc. Please don't cut people out as they could be of help to you, just chatting and laughing is an excellent tonic. A temporary relief maybe but you need the strength to keep asking questions and trying new things. I assume the medics have ruled out Fibromyalgia? Just a thought as a friend of mine went through similar burning pains in hands, arms legs and feet on and off for years with no diagnosis until a new GP did the test and confirmed it. Keep on fighting and please don't cut yourself off from outside friendships as they are necessary to your overall well-being.
  • nilram
    nilram mancguy

    Posted

    It's all about finding the drugs that work for you. Gabapentin has helped to bring pain down to tolerable levels, but Pregabalin had too many side effects for me and didn't work as well so I went back to Gabapentin.  I'm now using a time-release, once-a-day version (called Gralise).  For a while we added Nortryptaline in addition to Gabapentin and that helped for about 18 months, and then just wasn't working any more.  For neuropathy, Nortryptaline can work and have a lower side-effect profile than Amitriptyline, so you might consider it if you can't get the Amitriptyline dose  high enough.  Good luck.
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