amitriptyline withdrawal

Hi ok, go back on it  and do not cut until you are settled you may have to wait a few weeks for each cut and this should help but, you will have to go through the withdrawal eventually. I so wish i was one of the people who could come off it easily. My dad was on it  10 mg and stopped no trouble x

We all react different to different drugs, your like me sensitive  lol xx

Hello fibro sorry your having such a rough time. i was put on a low dose 10mg amitriptyline for nerve pain, i was on it 4 weeks and felt awful. I missed a dose which sturred up head pressure and dizziness. I decided not to take it anymore quite cold turkey. The nausea lightheadedness was horrible i went to the ER twice because the symptoms were unbearable. It took me 8 weeks to start feeling normal again. During this time i had really bad anxiety and could even go to store without feeling i was going to faint. You should definately talk to your doctor before you stop taking this drug and ween off it slowly

Fibro,

I am sorry to hear the difficulties you are having. If your depression is getting worse and you have thoughts of taking your life,you need to get in contact with your doc asap. This is NOT the drug for you. This is NOT normal. I quit amy cold turkey and have been amy-free for 50 days .I had the chronic insomnia, nausea(lost 20 lbs in a month),mild anxiety,sweats,diarrhea,etc. There are alternatives other than this drug. Your doc may need to taper you slowly. Everybody is different. My sleep is slowly getting better,nausea gone,anxiety is barely there,diarrhea gone. I am a nurse and I can say with certainty that you need to seek help. I will keep you in my prayers. Good luck!

Hi Fibro, you need to see someone asap, because you have just stopped the amitriptyline you may start with withdrawal even though it has been only  3 weeks i pray you don,t because this drug is not for you. Maybe all your drugs need looking at please attend  a and e or a clinic as soon as you can. There are many side effect with ami and many withdrawal effects. Do not do anything out of desperation, sleep when you can and above all seek help. Is there not a support group for fibromyalgia? xxx 

Hi gibbipicasso

Sammy here, I consider myself a success story. I am at week 9 of being off Ami and whilst I have a few issues they a very minor in the scheme of things and very doable.

i titrated my last pill in 50 ml of water and took out 0.1mg every day for 50 days which made the journey down a lot smoother. I had done the cutting of pills in halves and quarters but once I got to 5mg I thought I want to go very slow to give the body more time to adjust on the way down. 

I mentioned in an earlier post that I would stick around as there are not many that do once people manage to get off their medication they tend to go live their life, which is understandable, however I don't want to be that person, people need to know that it can be done if done the right way. Sometimes the slower the better many medications stop the body from making certain chemicals and once you get to lower doses your body then has to begin doing its job by making them again and this is where effects are usually felt. IMO in lots of instances if one was to slow the withdrawal down it would make a huge difference, getting down to 10mg was ok but from 10 to 0 took 2 years, that is what I mean by slow.

hope this gives others encouragement and hope that it can be done xxxxx

Hi gibbipicasso, I'm also very close to getting off Ami successfully after over 20 yrs on 50mg. My last attempt a few years ago was a disaster but this time I've taken it very slowly. I'm down to 2.5mg and tonight I will skip taking it all together for the first time and start skipping every 3rd day for a while.

Only a short reply sorry as I type solo slowly on my phone. I just wanted to let you know that there is hope.

Gibbipicasso,

I would consider myself somewhat of a success story. I quit cold turkey almost two mon.ago(wouldn't recommend that)because I ran out of my meds and I was just tired of taking them. It was rough transition,but I did it without hesitation. Everybody's body reacts differently to meds so consult with your doc. I had the severe nausea, lethargy,nightmares,sweating,diarrhea, dehydration,and a 20 lb weight loss. There are other meds out there just keep researching. This drug has too many side effects and long term effects. Stay encouraged. You can do this!

Hi gibbipicasso,

I stooped cold turkey 11 months ago and now I am back to normal, and living my normal life and have all my ambitions back. Before amitriptyline, I was a software engineer.  When I started taking ami (I took it for 3 months), my side effects were so bad that I resigned from my job. I went to see my family for support during this time I stooped ami cold turkeys. I was home for 5 months no work. 

This is the story, I consider myself successful:

I was doing part-time Ph.D., during all this withdrawal time, I stayed home and succeeded to submit my thesis (in astrophysics) for evaluation and I graduated in 2017. Now, I got a postdoc position in a  repute astronomical observatory in Europe.  

Well, I noticed that all these time when I was suffering, everything was working well for me. God just make everything possible for me. I got three job offers during this time. I could never imagine myself back, given that on the 09/02/1017  I tried to commit suicide. I am turning 32 now, I spend all my life in education, after 4 years in Ph.D, I got a software engineer job and decided to continue the Ph.D. part-time. I worked in industry for 2 years and it was difficult to concentrate on my thesis. 

Thanks to Amitriptyline I could finish my thesis.

I hope you got it . I wish everyone all the best, and I will also stay here to encourage others.

Amazing story Armandolev, just goes to show the tenacity that we all have and pleased that you are also sticking around for a while which I think is important for others finding this forum who are at the beginning of their journey off.

Sheena wow girlfriend nearly there and travelling at the same time just goes to show what we can accomplish by going slow.

Turkessa very gutsy to just quit cold turkey because you ran out of meds! I know you have suffered but you did it and hopefully the residual effects will not hang around for too long. I just hope the weight that I put on will also fall off. 

We we need to definitely pat ourselves on the back we deserve the congratulations as this for all of us has been a difficult journey.

For all the others still suffering withdrawals and ailments keep the faith that it can be done and alternative ways of coping are out there. I wish you all well and keep asking for advice and letting us know what you are going through as it will benefit others out there who stumble across this forum. 

Talk soon xxxxx

 

Hi Everyone,

                     I started my next reduction (skipping every 3rd night)  last night and didn't take anything.  I didn't sleep too well and woke at 5.30am .  I feel a bit grumpy and agitated but that could just be the lack of sleep. For the next two nights I'll go back on 2.5mg then skip the 3rd night continuing for about 2 weeks before the next reduction (skipping every 2nd night).  I really think that all the detoxing I have done in the last few months is REALLY helping me this time.  I did a 7 day detox diet back in October, then in November I did a pre-detox week (cutting out meat, dairy, gluten, sugar, caffeine and alcohol) then a 7 day juice fast then a post-detox week slowly going back to normal foods but still cutting out the things listed before.  Now I am in another pre-detox week and will start a 7 day juice fast on Monday.  I am still going to take the usual supplements while I'm juicing (pro-biotic, fish oil, Vit B, women's mult Vit).  I am on a roll and want to get rid of Ami in approximately a month.  I think this detoxing will help lots.

Thinking of you all at your various stages and hoping we are all much healthier soon

Hi Gibbipicasso, i am off amitriptyline, my last dose was 20/12/17. yes i have had bad days just 3 days ago had  cramping pains again but these are now fewer. It can be done slowly and yes you go through withdrawal but yipee im free xxx

Hope all going well Sheena with your missing days. I am doing well  have many more good days than bad, only get anxiety which, will take tame, and still getting occasional episodes of abdominal cramps. I sleep well so all good really. xx

Hi Amanda

                  It is so good to hear that you are doing well and finally free of Ami.  It's been along hard slog and you finally made it.  I am so happy for you.  I had a read of our original posts from 11 months ago when we were still so far away from where we are now.  I am so glad we attempted it even though we both had bad experiences coming off it in the past.  I am on day 7 of skipping ever 3rd night and it is going well.  I am in the middle of a 7 day juice fast which makes me feel a little crappy (headaches, bloating and fatigue) but I'm am sleeping pretty well and that's all I ask.  Another week and it'll be down to every 2nd night.  I'll only have two tables left at that stage so they will only last for 2 weeks then it will be down to nothing :-)  I refuse to buy any more just to drag it out longer.  I am pretty happy with the way things are going so don't think I will need to.  

Yay.  Good on us and everyone else here :-) xox

Amazing Amanda congrats girlfriend so happy for you, wow what an accomplishment it was definitely no easy ride but you did it.

Sheena great minds think alike I too have been reading through the posts from the beginning I think I came in about 8 months ago whereas you guys have been around for 11 months amazing achievement we have made since then so glad to have found this forum that was still active so that we all had some great feedback in real time, and the support we have given each other is truly priceless. xxxx

 

Read my post up above. I got off Ami in 20 minutes, with Zero side effects or withdrawal symptoms, and I haven’t taken ANY Ami since. I hope it keeps going that way.  Feel free to ask questions. Good Luck!

                                                                         ~ Edie

Hi Eddie so how long is it since you stopped the amitryptyline. My withdrawal didn't start until 6 weeks after I stopped.

Hi Sammy, feel great being off ami , 4 weeks tomorrow. Still have anxiety and 2/3 x a week get awful abdo cramps which give me diarrhoea then back to normal. It is like i have developed IBS lol x how are you doing?

Me. I think I’m a success story, at least so far. It’s been just under a month and I am not having ANY withdrawal symptoms whatsoever. Although, some might come down the road. If you scroll to the most recent posts, I have two (very long ) posts that I hope might help someone. However, let me stress again: ANY CHANGES YOU MAKE TO YOUR MEDS SHOULD BE MADE ONLY UNDER THE CARE OF YOUR DOCTOR. 

Good luck! xxx

Hi, Neilninja,

Crap, I’m sorry to hear that, because I’m just under a month off Ami. If I start having issues in two more weeks, I am going to be seriously bummed.  I will keep you posted. 

What kinds of symptoms did you start having at 6 weeks?

Oh!!!

Hi, Sheena and Everyone else,

I think Sheena brings up a very valuable point, and that is how toxic your body is when you start taking meds, and when you try to get off them. I completely spaced talking about that in my earlier posts. 

At 18, I became vegetarian. At 27, I became 30% vegan and 70% vegetarian. I’m now 54. Since I was 18, I’ve done regulated juice fasts and cleansing, and I truly 100% believe that being as non-toxic as possible will greatly help your chances of getting off any drug with less side effects. 

Thanks Sheena for the reminder!!! xxXOoo