Amitriptyline Users: would you start this drug if offered it now?

Hi Paula

Thanks for your answer.  I never took them.  I refused.  They are exactly the same as mirtazapine and they are evil.  It took me 10 months to be free of the withdrawals from mirtazapine.  By reading many patient posts on this forum, Amitriptyline and mirtazapine produce the same side effects and withdrawals.  I would never go near another antidepressants again no matter what the gp claims it can remedy.  To be honest I was appalled when I discovered they are used to treat nerve pain and very wary of their claims.

Best wishes to you.  I know how hard this journey is

Thank you Christine for your best wishes. My last six months has been hell tapering off amit, I feel like I have lost months of my life. Am down to 2.5mg now, and that teeny tiny amount still manages to make me sleepy, how scary is that. Apparently I am sensitive to them, thats an understatement. Imho, you are very wise to stay away from them.

Took me a year to get over them.  Keep going it will be worth it in the end.

Faith, Sorry I missed your message, it took a whole year. What symptoms did you keep getting? Also did you have periods of feeling fine, then symptoms re-appeared again? I will definitely keep it up am not going anywhere near this evil med again. Thank you for your message.

The whole thing was dreadful.  Total despair sometimes, not wanting to be here, sadness all sorts.  It was awful and not being able to sleep either. I sleep now but still awake st 6ish.  I really relaxed with the drug and it did me a lot of good but pleased to be off it.  I actually came off everything and only take minerals and vitamins now but appreciate I may be the lucky one.  Amitriptyline is a dreadful drug!

Am glad you are free from it now. I am over two weeks of being off it and am feeling tons better, am hoping its not a window and its permanent, am off all my meds but 1 now citalopram, Am expecting that to take forever with a slow taper.

You will get there just be determined.    Best wishes

That just sounds exactly what I went through on mirtazapine.  They are very similar drugs.  I’ve been free of Mirtazapine for just over a year but it has taken its toll on my natural sleep rhythm.  That’s why I was horrified when I was offered amitriptyline for nerve pain.  I would never touch another antidepressant and I feel the medics are too quick to offer them for all sorts of medical conditions.  

Thank you Faith, all the best to you too.

Hi Jeffy

No.

I took mirtazapine for just over 5 months at a dosage of 15mg.  I also went cold turkey.  Just stopped it on the 31st May last year.  I never intended to go cold turkey but it just ended up that way.  I will add that I really battled with this drug. It is deadful and it would appear very similar to amitriptyline.  It took 10 months of my life away but as I'm not on any other medication I knew that whatever withdrawal side effects I was experiencing, it was mirtazapine.  I know that there is a place for antidepressants and they can help people through some serious issues in their lives but too many of these drugs are not tested and trialled long enough and many compromising results are simply never published. The most despicable claims from the medical bodies is their staunch position  that these drugs have no side effects and therefore no withdrawal support is available for many to taper/wean safely.  

 

Thanks for your reply Christine!

What kind of withdrawals do you have?

I sleep fine but I have anxiety during the day, really fatigued, flu-like symptoms on and off but mostly daily, ringing in my ears etc.. but the fatigue is the worst!!!!

 

I can honestly say now, none but like I mentioned before it has taken 10 months to be free from this drug.  I did have a few flu-like symptoms to begin with.  Also a lot of anxiety in the stomach too.  Migraine headaches with auras and blurry vision but nothing was as bad as the crippling insomnia night after night.  It's apparent that we all react differently with this drug but what is a common theme is that there are very real withdrawals when stopping this medication which the medics dismiss