amitriptyline withdrawal

Hi Hugh, your friend should never have cut to 15 mg from 125 mg he will experience awful withdrawal symptoms,  he could up his does if he is having awful symptoms and then reduce much slower. x

Hi, Hugh,

I am having a bit of a problem reading/understanding your post. BUT you say your friend has been taking 125mg of Ami for 30 years? 30 YEARS??? Wow, I wouldn’t even begin to know what to tell your friend at this point ... except maybe that trying to wean down or come totally off Ami is something he should be doing IN the hospital or full blown Rehab Center because it’s so dangerous. Other than that, I couldn’t figure out what you were saying, but best of luck to you both. 

Hi Tiffany, Your Dr sounds like mine!!!! Try taking omega 3 supplements as this is good to stop brain zaps. drink plenty of water. exercise even if you do not feel like it. Hand on heart i did not notice any symptoms when  i dropped the 1 mg to 9 mg, 8 mg, 7 mg and 6 mg , i noticed the drop to 5 mg so i had to stay a little longer at the lower levels. Keep in touch , please do not increase back up if you experience symptoms just stay at the level you are at for longer and the symptoms will pass i promise you xx

Hi, Tiffany,

Jesus Christ! Doctors and other health care “professionals” who treat patients like this should be hog tied, force fed Ami for a good amount of time, then have it abruptly taken away cold turkey, so they feel how you’re feeling. I’d love to hear them say it’s only in their OWN heads!

I think cutting back by super tiny amounts and staying on that for a few weeks is a good idea. Keep trying to cut down by 1mg, and if that doesn’t work, try cutting down by

1/2 mg.  When you finally get down to taking only 1/2mg (from your original dose of 10mg), which will take a loooong time, and that’s perfectly fine, start skipping a day. Do this for several weeks. Then skip two days for several weeks. Then skip three days, then skip four days for several weeks. Then try to cut down to 1/4mg and do the whole thing over again. When you’re skipping 5 or 6 days in between 1/4mg doses and have done this for several weeks, I think it would be safe to quit all together at that point. This is definitely a very, very long, slow process and may drive you nuts to drag it on like this, but it’s better than feeling the way you currently are. It’s so individual and everyone is doing her own method of cutting back, that you just have to blindly feel your way through. From the other posts of people who are almost at the end, or have actually quit, it seems that the slow and steady wins the race. Just my 2 cents. I’m not a medical doctor, and the owners/moderators of this blog stress going to your doctors to make changes rather than listening to anything we say, and I agree with that, right up until your doctor, who sounds like a complete moron, tells you what you’re feeling is in your head. You might want to try and find a more knowledgeable, more liberated doctor, too. At any rate, I hope you find a solution that works for you, and even if it takes a year or longer, it’s worth it to be off it forever. Keep us posted!! And best of luck, hon!   xxX💜Ooo

PS ~ some people are using CBD and THC to get over and through the rough spots in order to stay on course, rather than taking more Ami. I can’t tolerate  CBD or THC, so I’m in the group who meditates, uses deep breathing exercises, yoga, and walks by the beach to keep us going. I don’t have a nearby beach, so I make sure my diet is clean and healthy and another gal and I are fond of detoxing using fasts and juice cleanses. I find that juicing and the juice cleanses are enormously helpful. 

Thanks Amanda. I have nausea as a side effect from this drug which they said would pass. It didn't hence why I tried to go off in December and we know how that went 😔 I'm hoping because I have only been on this drug 3.5 months I can get off of it sooner but I doubt it. The most upsetting part is that I didn't need it in the first place and they said it is just temporary for a month then stop taking it. Unfortunately not so easy 😔 I will not go back up. How long should I wait to reduce to 8mg? As nausea is a day to day thing as long as it is not worse in 2 weeks or no other withdrawals set in I should be good to drop to 8? Did you ever find any relief to the nausea? The Dr. said to take a gravol but that did nothing last time. Also how are you doing???? Almost feeling normal again?

Hi Edie

Thank you for responding. Unfortunately I am in a small town so limited choice in doctors. I have only been on 10mg for 3.5 months so I'm hoping that i can get off this drug sooner but I don't think that is a possibility considering how sick I was trying to taper in December after only being on it a month ? I'm nauseas everyday on this pill so I'm tempted to just quickly taper and suffer but with the severe nausea and chest pains last time I will just go back on it in desperation. I would just love to give the doctor who prescribed this 3 months worth and then cut him off. I have a new Dr and he couldn't believe they gave me this there was no reason! Which makes me even more angry. But it's done now all I can do is try to get off of this. I hope some of the daily nausea will subside as I get to a lower dose *fingers crossed* thanks for your support ??

Edie,

What kind of a juice cleanse did you use while going off this drug? Anything that can make this a little bit easier I'm open to trying just trying to avoid taking another pill to help with the ami withdrawals. Some doctors are just to quick to give you a pill to help with the withdrawals from the original pill.

Hi Tiffany, your body will tell you when you can drop again, do not drop if you still feel nauseous as you will worry about it and make yourself more nauseous. Currently i have no nausea and no other symptoms feeling good. xx  

That's wonderful😊😊😊😊 I am nauseas on it anyways lol so it's hard to tell. I suppose if I find the nausea is worse than normal that is the withdrawal ? I thought I would give myself two weeks at 9mg and see how I feel then drop to 8. Do you think 2 weeks is enough time? I am hoping the first couple drops will be easy.

I hope since I have only been on this poison for 3.5 months I can drop a little faster than 10% each month. We will see honestly I would just be happy with the dizziness and day to day nausea going away as I get lower. Have you heard if the side effects go away as you get lower or are they going to be there til the end 😔

Hey Tiffany

OMG can I relate to your story, my dr even though the best in letting me do what is right for me had the exact same response. Even when the crap hit the fan when I got to 12.5mg, the dizziness the nausea the buzzy/spacey feeling in my head, I was sent for MRI etc and nothing showed up therefore according to the dr it wasn't happening. Angry doesn't even come close to how I was feeling so I said nothing to the dr and researched and then did my own thing which has finally worked (2years of hell and constant spacey feeling) Always trust your gut, or seek a second opinion if possible. 

As much as the Dr means well they don't know everything they trust the little prescribing book the pharmaceutical company give them so if that says no side effects then it's all in your head. I would love to force feed the medications that I was given to my dr for a good year or more get them well and truly dependent then withdraw it and see how they cope, oh what satisfaction that would give me.

But and the end of the day it is what it is so we do whatever helps us to get off and if this means going slow then slow it is. Better to prolong and succeed than to go quick and fail. 

Hope this helps xxxxx

Tiffany

i found sucking on mints would help with the nausea I keep them everywhere, in all my bags, my car, my kitchen bedroom everywhere lol.

But they do help if not mints then try barley sugar or something else that takes your fancy, you will be surprised at how much it helps. Xxx

 

Amanda

wow I am so pleased to hear that you are doing so well considering how it was 11/12 months ago. Just goes to show go slow and the body will heal on the way down. Every time I go back and read the posts at the beginning it amazes me how far we have come.

Look at how many people have now found your page in recent months and how much this is helping others you should take a bow 🙇 lady for your contribution to helping others through your own nightmare with this medication. Well done and I feel privileged to have been there for your journey off and for all the support we have given each other. Xxx💕Xxxx

Thanks Sammy 😊 I'm hoping that since I have only been on this 3.5 I should be able to get off it quicker or am I just hopeful lol did you experience nausea on the pill or only during withdraws?

Hi, Tiffany,

Can you tell your doctor that the nausea is overwhelming your life and you can’t carry on your normal daily routine at all because you’re so sick - and ask for an anti-nausea drug like Zofran (Odansetron), or Phenergan, etc.?  Zofran is probably the best, but it’s very expensive and can cause constipation. But it’s excellent for nausea and, therefore, worth the few extra bucks.   If you get constipated on it, you can take 32 ounces of water or Gatorade and mix 2 -3 full capfuls of Miralax into it and drink it all at once. As usual, you’ll want to experiment with how much Miralax to use, as it’s different with everyone. I’ve had both Zofran and Linzess in the hospital, and Linzess caused bloating, gas, and pretty hefty cramps, so I prefer Zofran. There are OTC (over the counter) drugs for constipation like Docusate or Colace, but I don’t like those because they are gel pills and your body has to digest them and it can make everything worse. 

I think if you get something to combat the nausea, it’ll be a lot easier to taper off the Ami. If you end up asking your doctor and getting a good anti-nausea drug, do let me know how it’s going. Zofran saved my butt on several occasions, so I hope your doctor is smart enough to give it to you. There are also drugs like Ativan (Lorazepam), Valium (Diazepam) and Xanax (Alprazolam) which are Benzodiazepines, to help anxiety and nausea, and they work great for anxiety and especially nausea, but I don’t recommend using those type drugs as they are very habit forming and can cause a whole other host of problems trying to get off them. 

Good luck. I really hope you get a handle on this. And I hope your doctor is a bit more proactive in helping you kick the Ami. 

xxX💜Ooo

Hi, Tiffany,

Yes, they do tend to give you one pill to fix side effects of your first pill, but in your case, and in anyone’s case who is having terrible nausea that’s not allowing you to taper the drug easily, you need that extra help. Taking Zofran is a no-brainer because you won’t get hooked on it, it has few, if any, side effects (except constipation) and if it helps with the nausea and allows you to taper and eventually get off the Ami once and for all without being horribly sick, then you just quit taking the Zofran without any problems, and it’s a win-win situation. 

My juice cleanses are mostly vegetable juices, with occasional fruits. Here’s a list of my favorite juices:

Carrot, apple, and celery

Carrot, celery, and zucchini 

Carrot, celery, kale, and apple

Carrot, beets, apple

Carrot, celery, zucchini, and cranberries 

You need a good juicer to do this. 

I like to mix in raw, unsalted, unroasted sunflower seeds. I make the juice, then put in two tablespoons of sunflower seeds. This probably sounds absolutely awful to most people, but I started doing juices when I was 18 years old (54 now), so not only am I used to them, I love them. And the nuts provide some protein. 

I will do a juice fast where I just have the juices and no solid food. I’ll do the juice fast for two to four days, MAX. On the the day after the last all juice day, I’ll have two juices, one for breakfast, one for lunch, and then a healthy dinner. I’ll do that for about two days. On the third day, I’ll have a juice for breakfast, a salad and a juice for lunch, and a healthy dinner. Then I’ll do three days of a juice at breakfast, a juice at lunch with a salad, and a juice at dinner along with a healthy solid food dinner. For protein (because I’m vegetarian), I’ll add nuts to the juices and salad (especially raw, unroasted, unsalted blanched almonds, or walnuts) along with some tofu to the salad, or have a three bean salad and green leafy lettuce (Romaine is my favorite). My husband makes an amazing, super hearty vegetable and bean soup that is, IMO, out of this world. It’s super thick, so you get a ton of nutrients, and it fills you up so you don’t feel like you’re starving. If you want that recipe, let me know and I’ll type it up for you. Oh, and distilled water throughout the day. 

I eat this way pretty much every day of my life. If I’m trying to detox specifically, then I’ll do four days of juices and nuts only, then juice and eat normally for three days, then do four juice and nuts days, then juice and eat normally for three days and keep rotating that for as long as it takes until I feel better, or until I’ve tapered off the drug, etc. 

I do have to say, it takes up your whole day. You’re constantly cleaning the veggies (DONT peel the carrots, just clean them well), juicing, cleaning up the juicer, blah, blah, woof, woof, so that part can be a pain in the butt. And if you’re not used to eating this way, you’re going to have some major food cravings. When I first started doing this, for the first three months, I was completely homicidal. I wanted all the junk food and soda drinks I was used to. Eventually it got easier and easier. About a year into it, just for the heck of it, I decided I was going to have a McDonald’s burger. I took my first bite and immediately wretched. It tasted TERRIBLE!  Ugh. Super salty and just ... weird. I forced myself to eat a few more bites, then gave up. I went home, and it all came up. I was sick for three hours. When you get healthy, your taste buds change and all the stuff you thought was wonderful, suddenly tastes like you’re eating a cadaver. But I’ve completely digressed. Sorry. 

I hope the juice fast and juice/food rotation makes sense to you. Feel free to ask any questions. 

I’m completely off the Ami for ... oh, about two, maybe two and a half months now. I quit cold turkey and so far have had no withdrawals at all. But I had a little help from Ativan, which can get you into a whole other situation so I don’t recommend doing that. I had to taper from the Ativan, and I’m now free of that as well. I had a few withdrawals at first, mainly not being able to sleep. But I started titrating the Ativan (which Sammy taught me how to do), and it worked in a couple days. I truly think it all would have taken longer to taper and with more withdrawals if I had a crappy diet. I think the 4-day juice fasts helped speed it along, too. And definitely coming on here and reading everyone else’s trials and tribulations, plus the support everyone gives helped me on a mental and emotional level immensely. 

I wish you a boatload of luck. I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you. xxX💜Ooo

Thank you for all the great info Edie. I have tried zofran 4mg but it does absolutely nothing for me 😔😔 doesn't touch the nausea unfortunately unless maybe I need a higher dose? What dosage did you take? I wish it had worked it would make this whole process a little easier. Hopefully by going slow I will not encounter the severe nausea this time. I don't want to be handed another nasty drug that I will have to taper off as well. Just makes the whole process that much harder.

Hi, Tiffany,

I have 4mg Zofran pills also, but my doctor said to take two pills (so, 8mg) every 4 hours or as needed. They cut the nausea by about 90%. In the long distant past, if the nausea was SO bad that the Zofran didn’t work, I’d take 1mg of Ativan (lorazepam) and that took the nausea 100% away. But again, Ativan is dangerous because it’s way, way, WAY addictive. If you use it to come off the Ami, then you have to come off the Ativan, which is what happened to me. The Ativan allowed me to quit the Ami cold turkey and I had Zero withdrawals, but then it took me about two weeks to come off the Ativan. It would’ve taken longer, but I did Sammy’s titration method and that allowed me to come off it really fast.  So it’s kind of six of one, half dozen of the other. I can almost guarantee that the Ativan will cure your nausea, but it’s only meant to be used for a very short time, and some doctors hesitate to prescribe it because it works just a little too well. It will help you sleep, too. If you ask for a low dose, like .25mg or .5mg, the doctor may go ahead and prescribe it, and you will likely feel a whole lot better. But just - and I can’t stress this enough - try not to take it for more than a few weeks, and even then, I’d start tapering the last week. Even at a small dose you don’t want to quit it suddenly. Or if you want to put the work in, do Sammy’s titration the last week. Titration is a big, complex process, but it was SO WORTH it for me. I mean, it was practically magic, that’s how well it worked for me. If you do take the Ativan for, let’s say, three weeks, and you don’t want to do the titration, then taper. I think the withdrawals from a small dose of Ativan will be a lot less distressing than the withdrawals from the Ami. Whichever way you go with it, good luck and be safe. 

I will ask my doctor. Thank you so much for that advice the nausea was so bad when I cut down to 7.5mg I could barely drink water or eat a cracker. 4mg of zofran did nothing, gravol did nothing I got some natural stuff from the naturopath and it did nothing. This went on for 8 days until I couldn't take it anymore and went back up to 10mg. The within 48hrs I was able to eat and drink again. I still have the mild/moderate nausea throughout the day but at least I can eat. I'm down at 9mg and so far *knock on wood* I'm not super nauseas. But we will see I a few days last time it took 8 days to set in. At least this time I'll know what is wrong so that will help too. I had no clue what was happening to me called the doctor and he insisted that such a low dose would not cause this nausea or withdrawals. Then of course this happened over Christmas so the clinic was closed 😔😔 ruined my whole holiday. So I'm trying to be proactive and find out all I can about the withdrawals, solutions etc since I'm going to be on my own through this. Since the doctors don't believe that I have withdrawals 😡 I'd like to feed them this drug for a few weeks and take it away then see how they make out!

They want me off this drug asap as it's causing me to get really dizzy and on a few occasions actually faint. But even a small 2.5mg drop made me SO sick. I'm wondering if it would be safer to get the Ativan to go off the amitriptyline. So at least in not endangering myself and then deal with the Ativan. Did you struggle to get off the Amitriptyline and that's why you went on the Ativan?

Hey Tiffany sorry to hear you are having such a hard time. How long have you been on the Ami? The dizzy feeling you are having withdrawing I had for 2 years and no dr would acknowledge that it was withdrawal so I understand, however Ativan worked for Edie (she is the exception) but IMO I would be extremely careful adding in another drug. Ativan is very strong and also short acting, so while it works really well its equivalency to Valium is approx 10mg, which is a high dose plus with it being short acting you feel the effects when it wears off plus it is highly addictive. I know this because Ativan is what started my troubles 12 years ago. Then they put me on Ami to help get rid of the Ativan (it's a viscous circle) so be very careful adding in another drug to get off one it sets up all sorts of problems and may not even help with the dizziness, I am still on Valium and it did not help at all with the dizziness or the nausea. I titrated the ami over 50 days in 50ml of water and took out 0.1mg a day so it was more even and slow going down this method is on page 1 of this discussion. For nausea nothing worked for me either and I am so reluctant to try pharmaceuticals at all so I get mints and have them with me all the time and suck on them constantly until the nausea settles which I still get after nearly 15 weeks Ami free. But it is getting better. You have to do what is right for you however finding what is going to work is the hardest. Regardless this drug is hard for some of us to withdraw from and it takes time for the body to make all the chemicals in the brain that the ami halts production of one of which is acetylcholine, so your brain is essentially trying to rewire itself thus you get buzzy/spacey/dizzy feeling. It is so disheartening to have to see so many people go through this. Xxx

 

Hi Sammy I have had the bad dizziness and actually passing out about a month after I started the drug 😔😔 so I don't know... I need off of this asap and even a 2.5 mg drop makes me SO sick. I tried to get through it but by day 8 of not eating due to severe nausea I gave in. It feels like I'm on the edge of vomiting 24/7. It's horrible I'm not sure what to do. I need off it asap. And my doctor is no help.

What dose of ami were you on ?

So I could get off of 10mg of ami within 50 days??? That sounds better than 10 to 12 months. How bad were your side effects doing this. Is it slow enough that the brain can adjust?? I am following the 10% per month which is great at the higher doses since you drop like a mg. But as I get lower the drop is so much less and will take that much longer 😔 I passed out again last night while putting away dishes luckily my fiance caught me. The plate broke though.... I have already hit my head on the floor and pretty sure I fractured my tailbone from another fall...so this is too dangerous to take 10 months. 😔

Hi Tiffany

I started out on 25mg which is a low dose. In January of 2015 I dropped to 15 mg stayed there for a year. January 2016 dropped to 12.5mg and then my problems started. Dizzy/spacey vibration in my brain that was constant misdiagnosed TIA which was actually an ocular migraine given 300mg of aspirin which then turned ototoxic meaning it gave me tinnitus and extremely dry ear canals. Looking back through diary when I first started ami I had ears that leaked like water constantly it was terrible and went on for about 6/8 months, that eventually went and then they went dry as the Sahara desert and actually stopped making ear wax. 

January 2017 cut to 10mg I figured since I was having these side effects I may as well keep going. By August I had had enough of the side effects my legs ached constantly for 8 months, nausea, sinus, so I decided to titrate 10mg into 50ml of water and every day I removed 0.1 mg with a syringe, if the side effects got worse I might skip a day and stay at same dose as previous day but mostly stuck to it and was off by day 50.

The side effects I had cutting ranged from anxiety,depression to anger, nausea, hot/cold flushes vibrating brain which had been constant for nearly 2 years. And all drs said it was not withdrawal lol.

I ate very clean food no alcohol, lots of water to help flush out toxins and took magnesium which I swear by, fish oil/flaxseed, vitamin e.

Plus I have been cycling for over a year, I try for 10km a day, any exercise helps I find.

So now here I am February 2018 and things are so much better, the spacey/dizzy feeling is 99% gone as is the aches and pains and the vibrating brain which was horrendous is 99% gone. I still have  a little anxiety but nothing too bad. 

This is the best I have felt in years. I was actually so bad for about 6 years I didn't go anywhere was extremely agoraphobic and now feel like my old self, and the light at the end of the tunnel is shining very very bright. 

I must admit I have never heard of it making anyone pass out. Sounds like it is making your blood pressure go to low, and that is why you are passing out that is not good. 

What did your Dr suggest? 

The problem is that we are all so individual and everyone's experiences with this medication will be different so you have to weigh up what is your best course of action for you. 

I hope my experience has given you a bit of hope that the body does heal and recover, but you have to decide how you are going to do it and what is right for you.

Talk soon xxxx 

Sammy thank you for all the advice and sharing your story. I started 10mg Nov 1st. I did not have any bad dizziness until Dec when I passed out for the first time. My pulse rate sky rockets when I stand up. None of this happened until the stupid amitriptyline. I know everyone is different but the nausea you experienced was caused by the ami? When you were coming off of it did you find that the nausea got worse? Or was your body able to adjust to the .1mg? I know a big drop like 25% was horrible by day 9. If I could I would just race to get off it. If there was something to combat the severe nausea. But as nothing seems to work to relieve the nausea I know I would give in by about day 10 and be right back to where i am. The Dr is no help really. He said that 10mg will not cause such side effects and I should be able to just stop 10 it's such a low dose. So im navigating this on my own 😔

What does the magnesium, fish oil and vitamin e do??? Do you still experience bad nausea??? I think I might try your method 50 days or even a couple weeks more is better than months upon months of 10% tapering. I'm assuming the shorter amount of time you are on it the faster your body will recover??? I appreciate all your help?? I don't feel so alone.

Hi, Tiffany,

Jeez, it really chaps my ass that your doctor is telling you you can’t have withdrawals on a low dose of Ami. That’s ridiculous. HE’S ridiculous!!! As is proven here by people who are all on different doses - from low to high - who all have different reactions to the drug, no matter the dose they’re on, who may have withdrawals soon after quitting it, or don’t have withdrawals until a few months after quitting it, etc.,  it clearly proves that there are no hard and fast “rules” when it come to taking or quitting Ami. Look at Lydia! She was on 10mg for all of 5 days and had withdrawals immediately when she tried to go off it. Gee, I wonder what your doctor would say about that?!?The other thing that bugs me is that I’ll bet a million bucks your doctor wouldn’t be saying that to you and just brushing off your concerns so easily if it were a man having the same problem. 

Whenever my husband comes with me to my pain management doctor, the doctor ALWAYS looks at my husband when he talks. I’LL ask the jerkface a question and he will turn in his chair and direct his entire answer to my husband. More than a few times, I’ve had to say said, “Hey, I’m your patient, not my husband, and I’M the one who asked you the question, so if you don’t mind, would you look at me when you answer and not at my husband!” (you no good, misogynistic pig!) Of course I say the last part to myself. 😁

But really, where does your doctor get off telling you that? Because a book says so? Tell him your body hasn’t read that book so it’s acting and reacting the way IT wants to, not the way the book says it’s supposed to. It sounds like a snide, not so subtle way of telling you your a hypochondriac. Man! It really p***es me off. Yes, any doctor who says stuff like that needs to be force fed huge amounts of Ami for months and months, then have it completely taken away. We can all stand around and watch while he vomits, squirms in pain, sweats, can’t get one second of sleep, and ends up having a psychotic breakdown. That would delight me to no end. 

Another drug that is good for nausea (except for me, I’m allergic to it) is Phenergan. It will also help you sleep if you’re having sleep issues. You could maybe ask for that. 

I knocked on wood for you, and I hope you don’t have any problems at 9mg, and then can go down to 8mg after a few weeks, and can hopefully keep tapering. If it takes you several weeks or even a couple of months to comfortably to taper 1mg at a time, then so be it. Don’t feel like you need to rush it because that’s when you’ll get frustrated with the awful withdrawals and go back up. I think it took Amanda almost a year to get where she’s at now, but she was persistent, and now she’s at what, 60-something days off it? Slow and steady seems to work. And if tapering a whole 1mg gives you too bad of problems, then only taper by 1/2mg. That’s what I did when I was coming off the Ativan. Tapering a whole 1mg made a big difference for me, so I tapered 1/2mg and that was a lot easier. 

Well, again, I wish you super good luck. I’ll be thinking of you (and hoping another of your doctor’s patients gets so frustrated with him that they punch him in the head) 😂 ~

xxX💜Ooo

Hi, Tiffany,

No, I was on the Ativan for anxiety and nausea/vomiting which I get when my pain level kicks up. I have a few different issues going on that cause pain. The long and short of it is that I was in three bad car accidents back to back within a months’ time, where the other driver rear ended me while I was at a complete stop. That really screwed up my back. Then I fell down my marble staircase, and that was a real nightmare. I fractured my skull in 17 different places, I had three brain bleeds, I blew out my right eardrum which caused such dizziness that I couldn’t walk without everything turning upside down, I severed my facial nerve and paralyzed my face, plus loss all sense of smell and taste. After two grueling years of intense physical therapy, I got full movement back in my face and I can taste a little now. Still can’t smell anything, though. The dizziness is still there a little - if I lift up one foot in a standing position and try to balance on the other foot, I topple right over. I can walk fine, I just can’t balance on one foot. So, I have herniated discs all down my entire spine. I’ve had surgery on my neck and now it’s all bolts and screws holding it together. I need surgery on my lower back, but I’ve been putting it off and having nerve block injections, which sometimes work, and sometimes don’t. It’s hit and miss. Then, as if that’s not enough, I have Interstitial Cystitis, which is like having the worst bladder infection you can imagine, except it’s constant and can’t be fixed by antibiotics because it’s not an infection. I have huge lesions inside my bladder and the pain is just excruciating. Because of the pain, I’d have these massive anxiety attacks and start to throw up. They put me on the Ativan for that, and it helped ENORMOUSLY. Then my urologist put me on the Ami to treat the pain from the Interstitial Cystitis, and that also helped enormously. BUT, after being on it for about 4-5 months, it started to cause the muscles in my face to jump, and it caused my jaw to pop. I looked like I had Tourette’s, and it was impossible to talk. There was no pain, but it was so flipping annoying that I decided I’d either have to live with the IC pain, or find a different medication for it. I was on 150mg of Ami and 2mg of Ativan.  I definitely wanted out of the Ami insanity. So ... for some reason I absolutely can not explain, I decided to take 6mg of Ativan. Within about 20 minutes flat, all the muscle jumping and jaw popping stopped. It just stopped cold, like someone flipped a switch. I never had any more muscle or jaw issues and I never took another Ami again. It’s been ... gosh, I was keeping track but I sort of fell off that. I want to say it’s been two, maybe two and a half months. I never had any side effects from the Ativan, but I just wanted to be drug free, or at least I wanted to see IF I could be drug free, so I tapered down the Ativan, and with Samny’s titration, was able to go to .5mg of the Ativan and then off completely. It’s only been about ... ah, gosh, maybe 4 or 5 days that I haven’t taken the Ativan, and so far, so good. I know it hasn’t been long since I quit the Ativan, but Ativan is really short acting and you can start to have withdrawals and even seizures within 12-24 hours of not taking your normal dose. I plan on NEVER taking the Ami again, but if the bladder and back pain start back up as badly as they were before and I start with the nausea/vomiting thing, I will definitely take the Ativan again. Even though you’re only supposed to take it for short periods, my pain is a life long problem. So far, the nerve blocks have been able to bring down the pain to a semi-tolerable level. As long as it stays at that level, I’ll stay drug free. But if it jumps back up to where it used to be, there’s no way I’m going to suffer through all of that for no reason. The Ativan never caused me any side effects, so I didn’t NEED to go off it. I just wanted to see if I could. That could easily change, though. 

But as for your question as to whether the Ativan helped me quit the Ami cold turkey with no withdrawals or any other issues? I think that’s a resounding YES!  But by the same token, quitting Ami cold turkey after you’ve been on it awhile can cause seizures and worse. So if you go on Ativan, I’d recommend you still taper the Ami. I pretty much took my life in my hands doing it the way I did, and I don’t recommend you or anyone else do that. But, yes, I do think it will be a lot easier for you to taper the Ami with the help of the Ativan. As long as you do a safe taper with a moderate dose of Ativan, you could probably be off the Ami in a couple months, but without all the nightmare withdrawals, and then you’ll have to taper off the Ativan. As long as you’re not on a huge dose of Ativan, you’ll find that the withdrawals from that are WAY less horrifying than the Ami. 

Also, Ativan can knock your ass out and make you sleep for 18 hours and be hung over for three days. Now - that NEVER happened to me, but it did to my husband once when he took one of my pills after throwing out his back so badly he couldn’t move and was practically in tears. So I talked him into taking the Ativan and it knocked him out cold. He actually slept almost those three whole days and felt like a slug when he finally did wake up. But, hey, it gave his back time to relax and when he did finally wake up and start to move around, the pain was gone.  So just be aware that if your doctor does prescribe Ativan, DO NOT DRIVE while on it until you see how it affects you.  I recommend when you first take it, take it at night as you’re going to bed, and don’t be surprised if you wake up two days later feeling drowsy.  If I have the choice of feeling a little sleepy and sluggish compared to being nauseous and feeling like I’m going to vomit, I’ll take the sleepiness any day of the year. 

So, yes, if I were you, I’d ask your doctor for Ativan (the generic is called Lorazepam).  A decent dose to start out with is about .5mg two to three times a day. That should be PLENTY to knock out the nausea. 

If you go this route, let me know how it works out for you. Tons and tons of good luck. PLEASE keep me posted. 

xxX💜Ooo

I want to do a slow taper but if the amitriptyline is causing me to blackout a slow taper may not be an option. My doctor I have now is understanding but I do need off this drug asap if it is causing the fainting. I have blacked out 5 times now. Broke a couple dishes I didn't even hear them hit the floor. I definitely passed out. I hit my shoulder on one fall had as big bruise. Another time I smacked my head on the tile floor. Another time I hit my tail bone so painful not sure if I bruised it or small fracture the other times luckily my fiance was around. So I'm not sure what is going on. But if it is the ami... a 10 month taper might kill me if I keep fainting like this and hit the floor hard enough or smoke the side of my on a dresser....so I don't know. I'll ask about the Ativan and phenergan if I have to go off quicker I'll need something for the nausea. The other doctor gave me zofran which did nothing last time. So we will see very stressful situation

Hi, Tiffany,

I agree. A slow taper may be more dangerous than anything.  Phenergan should help the nausea, but I don’t know that it will help you get off the Ami. The Ativan will help both problems. Frankly, I believe the Ativan will help you get off the Ami a whole lot quicker than anything else.  In the hospital, they use Ativan over any of the other benzodiazepines because it’s quite excellent at doing what it’s supposed to do. I know Sammy doesn’t trust it, but you just have to be judicious in using it. It is addicting. But if you use it properly, you won’t become addicted. I’d definitely float the idea to your doctor of using the Ativan for nausea/vomiting and helping you wean of the Ami and see what he says. When you’re off the Ami, you won’t need the Ativan anymore.  It can’t hurt to ask (or maybe

beg 😄.

Hi Tiffany

You unfortunately have a very rare side effect with the ami, I do agree you need to get off ASAP, and it is not that I don't trust Ativan as Edie has mentioned it is I don't trust everything drs say as most of it comes from pharmaceutical companies. Having said that Ativan may help BUT you have to remember that they usually recommend you only be on it for a very short time as in 10/14 days or so as it is so addictive. Edie seems to be one of the lucky ones and can take it or leave it with not much trouble. Maybe ask your new Dr their opinion, maybe you can taper faster use my method but adjust it so it is over 25 days instead of 50, you are still going slow and would be off in a little over 3 weeks. 

Nausea is still a side effect that I get after 15 weeks off, maybe it is the CNS trying to reset itself. Or maybe my nervous system is just like this now only time will tell. Unfortunately there are so many side effects to this medication and you just happen to have the worst by far that I have come across. Please keeps us up to date with your progress I wish you a speedy recovery from this. 🤗 xxxx

Thanks Sammy.

I have nausea on it (at least I think the ami is causing it) but I can still function but the withdrawal nausea is so intense. I feel like i could vomit any second. Drinking water is a challenge so I some how have to come off this quicker while till being able to eat and what not. I will ask my doctor about some type of nausea drug to help me. I would rather have something other than Ativan if possible so I don't have to do another withdrawal. My withdrawals do not set in right away so its hard to taper and gauge whether I am okay at each dose. I want to try the titration method. How did you get off 10mg in 50 days? Wouldn't it take 10 days to go down by 1 mg?? I really appreciate the support I feel I am getting no where moving so slow I am at 9mg now and doing alright. I would continue at 10% taper every month if I didn't have this fainting issue. It is so dangerous and weird. I get dizzy when I stand up so then I sit back down wait for it to pass then get up and do whatever....the weird part is that once the dizziness passes and I'm fine washing dishes or whatever it is like some clubs me over the head and I'm done. No warning or dizziness...really scary. Then I have tremors super scary. All this started after the amitriptyline so the Dr thinks it is the cause be cause it can do things to your heart. So i need off it asap and should just persevere through the withdrawals (easy for him to say) 😔😔😔

Hi Edie😊

Thank you for the advice? I agree I need off of it ASAP but then someone has to help me if the withdrawals are that horrible. I am so frustrated with the whole situation. My doctor just wants me to persevere through the withdrawals...which I can't do I'll end up in the hospital. I was SO sick last time but no one seems to want to help get me off of this. It's just "well you need to get of this asap or stop it right now" no help or solutions to deal with the withdrawals. I am so frustrated right now😡😡 I'm going to go see my other doctor who lives 2 hrs away to try and get some help because here I just feel as though they can't be bothered to look into some withdrawal support.

Hey Tiffany below is the titration method I use. I use a graduated cyclinder and a syringe showing 1ml increments for accuracy.

The approach is sometimes referred to as a 'symptoms based taper'. This is hopefully how you can withdraw without suffering. This approach basically calls for you to heal with your cut rate by trying to stay virtually non-symptomatic and if/when symptoms appear utilising a slow down, a hold, or an up-dose.

REDUCTION METHOD

 1 ml  liquid amitriptyline and place in 100ml of water  which can be reduced over a period of time, hopefully giving you a slow and smooth taper with few side effects.

Below are the number of mls you would need to reduce each day to achieve the required number of (approx) days shown. Of course most people will be taking more than a 1mg dose, so you would take your additional dose (ie if your dose is 6mg, you would use the 100ml solution for 1mg and take an additional 5mg in tablet or liquid form). 

Reduce 100ml by 10ml per day = 10 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 9.5ml per day = 11 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 9ml per day = 11 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 8.5ml per day = 12 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 8ml per day = 12 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 7.5ml per day = 13 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 7ml per day = 14 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 6.5ml per day = 15 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 6ml per day = 16 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 5.5ml per day = 18 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 5ml per day = 20 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 4.5ml per day = 22 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 4ml per day = 25 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 3.5ml per day = 28 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 3ml per day = 33 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 2.5ml per day = 40 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 2ml per day = 50 days to reduce 1mg ******

Reduce 100ml by 1.5ml per day = 66 days to reduce 1mg

Reduce 100ml by 1ml per day = 100 days to reduce 1mg 

So, using the amount I marked with asterisks as an example, this would be your dosing schedule (+ you would also need to take whatever amount you needed to take in tablet or liquid  form to make up your full dose).

Day 1 – Drink the 100ml solution

Day 2 – Make a new solution and drink 98ml (so with syringe take out 2 ml and discard)

Day 3 – Make a new solution and drink 96ml (discard 4 ml)

Day 4 – Make a new solution and drink 94ml

Day 5 – Make a new solution and drink 92ml 

Day 6 – Make a new solution and drink 90ml 

etc etc…….. until you reach zero. Then you would start the process again, but reduce the amount of tablets you are taking by 1mg, because you have now reduced your dose by 1mg. 

I hope this helps, I posted it a long time ago but thought I would copy again for you so you don't have to look for it. All the best xxxx

 

Oh, Tiffany,

I feel so badly for you. My heart just goes out to you. You mentioned that you can barely drink a sip of water. You may be severely dehydrated and that could be why you’re passing out. Dehydration, severe or otherwise, can be deadly. It causes the sodium potassium pump to go nuts, which effects your heart, and that can kill you. That happened to one of the hairdressers at the place I go to. She was on a first date at a swanky hotel. They were on their way to a show, and she just dropped to the floor like a lead weight. A young girl, too, in her mid-twenties. She’d been trying to lose a few pounds for this stupid date and she had been doing  hot yoga. She didn’t replenish enough afterwards, and BOOM! Gone - in a matter of minutes, long before the paramedics could get to her. Her heart just stopped because her sodium potassium pump was all upside down and her heart couldn’t take it. 

Maybe you should consider going to the hospital and getting hydrated via an IV. They could also give you nutrients that you may be lacking since you can’t eat much. In addition, they could give you anti-nausea medications, too. Personally, I hate being in the hospital, but in your case it might be the best thing for you.  If you fall and hit your head badly enough, that could take things to a whole new level that you don’t want to be on. Trust me on that front - a head injury can change your life forever. 

I think, at this point, you need to take some drastic measures in a hurry so that you don’t hurt yourself beyond repair. I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just trying to be proactive and get ahead of this thing before it completely wrecks your life. 

I think part of the reason I can come off drugs with relatively few problems is because I have such a clean diet and have had it for nearly my entire life. Trying to cleanse all of a sudden probably won’t have much effect on helping you to get off the Ami. 

Anyway, give it some thought. See what your doctor says. It’s a radical move, but it sure sounds like you need something radical so you don’t pass out and smack your head on the corner of the counter, or wherever. 

Thinking of you every day and wishing you the best ~

xxX💜Ooo

Tiffany,

I had typed up this reply, but got interrupted, so I did a “select all, copy” so I wouldn’t lose it. When I went back to finish my reply, sure enough, the page had to reload and my message was gone. I tried to paste it back in several times, but it wouldn’t let me copy my message back in. I thought I’d give the personal messsge a try, and it worked. But then I went here again to try the copy one more time, and of course, since I already copied it into a private message, it finally worked here. So now you have two of the same message. 

———————————————————————

Oh, Tiffany,

I feel so badly for you. My heart just goes out to you. You mentioned that you can barely drink a sip of water. You may be severely dehydrated and that could be why you’re passing out. Dehydration, severe or otherwise, can be deadly. It causes the sodium potassium pump to go nuts, which effects your heart, and that can kill you. That happened to one of the hairdressers at the place I go to. She was on a first date at a swanky hotel. They were on their way to a show, and she just dropped to the floor like a lead weight. A young girl, too, in her mid-twenties. She’d been trying to lose a few pounds for this stupid date and she had been doing  hot yoga. She didn’t replenish enough afterwards, and BOOM! Gone - in a matter of minutes, long before the paramedics could get to her. Her heart just stopped because her sodium potassium pump was all upside down and her heart couldn’t take it. 

Maybe you should consider going to the hospital and getting hydrated via an IV. They could also give you nutrients that you may be lacking since you can’t eat much. In addition, they could give you anti-nausea medications, too. Personally, I hate being in the hospital, but in your case it might be the best thing for you.  If you fall and hit your head badly enough, that could take things to a whole new level that you don’t want to be on. Trust me on that front - a head injury can change your life forever. 

I think, at this point, you need to take some drastic measures in a hurry so that you don’t hurt yourself beyond repair. I’m not trying to scare you, I’m just trying to be proactive and get ahead of this thing before it completely wrecks your life. 

I think part of the reason I can come off drugs with relatively few problems is because I have such a clean diet and have had it for nearly my entire life. Trying to cleanse all of a sudden probably won’t have much effect on helping you to get off the Ami. 

Anyway, give it some thought. See what your doctor says. It’s a radical move, but it sure sounds like you need something radical so you don’t pass out and smack your head on the corner of the counter, or wherever. 

Thinking of you every day and wishing you the best ~

xxX💜Ooo

Hi Tiffany, sorry i have not been on here for a while, OMG girl get back to the DRs asap if you have not already. You need an antiemetic this nausea is extreme they may give you cyclizine which,i believe  works on motion type sickness and with you being dizzy may help more than some of the other anti sickness meds.  You are anticipating the nausea which, is normal i did and i fully understand as it is awful like i said previously i suffered the nausea too. This is a difficult situation as your heightened anxiety is causing chemicals to run wild in your body and the amitriptyline withdrawal is affecting the chemicals in your body too. When i went to my GP with my nausea he simply said health anxiety and i need to relax he would not acknowledge ami as having an addictive nature and it hasn,t but, it is the anti cholinergic effects that alter chemicals in our brains and body which , give us these awful symptoms. My Gp wanted to give me more drugs antidepressant which i was not taking. I eventually after completely stopping amitriptyline went to my GP again and got cyclizine as the nausea would not go and this took it away for me i am on no medications now and i only took the cyclizine 7 times in total. GPs are reluctant to prescribe long term lorazapam as it is very addictive but, see your GP take a print out of the withdrawal effects of amitriptyline as most are unaware of these symptoms hence they say just stop 10 mg it is a tiny dose. You do need something for the nausea or you will be ill in hospital dehydrated. Keep me posted, i will check in more frequently. You can do this Tiffany xx

Thank you so much Sammy ? Perhaps this would be a good option for me. As i have decided I'm going to do this on my own and not "stop cold turkey or power through the withdrawals that will only last a week since apparently it's all in my head 😡. So my withdrawals last time took about a week to set in. Using this taper method how long should I stay at each drop? As it is hard to tell if that dose works for me when the withdrawals take a week to show up. I am seeing my other doctor next week she is 2 towns away but very sweet and understanding so perhaps she will have some ideas to combat the withdrawal nausea. How are you feeling?

Sent you a message Amanda 😊

Nevermind it won't let me. So I went to the doctor last week. Due to the fainting it was decided I need to get off the ami asap as I'm experiencing side effects (Which I told them months ago and they didn't believe me) He thinks that the withdrawals are in my head and that 10mg is such a low dose and just power through the withdrawals they should only last a week. Which made me furious! Then after an argument I was given some pills for nausea...the ones I am allergic to because we couldn't take 30 secs to check the chart! Basically the Dr. Said that if those pills didn't work then there is nothing that will (even though there are hundreds of meds out there) basically I was made to feel like a bother and hypochondriac. If I want to stop fainting then stop the pills. ..... easier said the done so I felt pretty defeated and abandoned. I am going to see my other Dr. who lives 2 towns away but maybe she will be able to help me out or at least provide some support. 😔 You and everyone here have been amazing. I would be so alone without you guys ?

Hey, Tiffany,

How are you doing? Have you been able to see your doctor lately? Are you still having that terrible nausea? I’m hoping you’re feeling better!

Hi Edie

I'm okay. The nausea comes and goes either mild or moderate some days are better than others. I'm still at 9mg and have not experienced the severe withdrawal nausea. Which is great if I could continue at this slow pace. But being that I have fainted the doc wants me to move faster like off in a month. Which would make me SO sick. I have an appt with another doctor next Friday to see what she thinks and if maybe she can give me something to combat the bad nausea when I start to drop faster. The big push to get off it is I have been nauseas daily since being on it, plus dizzy and fainting. The weird thing is although ppl complain about gaining weight I have been losing 2 -3 pounds a week (since starting this in Nov I have lost 40 pounds) And I am eating 3 meals a day and snacks (except for the 8 days in Dec when I had the severe withdrawal nausea). So they want me off this drug to see if the amitriptyline is causing all of this or is there something else going in. It has taken months of complaining and now maybe just maybe they are starting to believe it is not all in my head. 😔😔😔

Hi Tiffany usually when I make a cut it would take anywhere between 8 and 11 weeks for me to feel the withdrawals maybe that was because of the length of time on it, not sure but by the time I had a side effect so much time had gone by I just had to ride through it, and while it wasn't pleasant it was still doable and not massively debilitating, when I decided to titrate it was much smoother I went through a gamut of effects like anger then that left then depression then that left but nothing that was too hard to handle. You however may have noticeably quicker effects so I would go with how you feel if you feel crappy at any stage then that is where you stick to the same hold dose, then when it lessens start where you left off. That is why it is commonly known as a symptoms based taper.

i am now at about 16 weeks off and every day is better, more energy, more clarity in thinking, much more my old self.

unfortunately the nausea seems to go hand in hand with this drug, I didn't want to add any other drug to the mix so I would get mints or werthers to suck on for some reason it helped. 

The quicker you are off the better and the titration method is like sliding down a ramp very even smooth run, rather than jumping abruptly down a step. Hope this helps xxxx

Tiffany if you do the titration method it is important to make a spreadsheet or the like so you can cross of where you at at on a particular day, it is very easy to stuff it up. I know because I stuffed up with the v once titrated 1/2mg out of 3.5 then forgot to slice and dice the pill properly and accidentally forgot to take out the 1/2mg drop so was right back where I started. But as you are on a low dose I would Tito rate the whole pill that is what I did with the ami. All the best xxxx

Hey, Tiffany,

You know how we were all thinking how strange it was for you to feel dizzy and black out or faint because none of us had ever heard of that happening before to anyone? Well, I happened to be surfing on other sites about Ami and I found this one that is several years old, but the posts are still there. There were a couple of people complaining of fainting while on the drug, especially this one person. Couldn’t tell by the handle if it was male or female, but I’m going to go with it being a female because I think we get prescribed drugs like Ami more often than men. Ok, so this gal on the site said she was ok on the Ami for nearly a year and didn’t have any side effects from it. Then she started having dizzy spells, which eventually lead to fainting, which lead to blacking out, and the time frame of the black outs got longer and longer, in other words she was unconscious for longer and longer periods of time. She told her neurologist about the blackouts, and apparently by law, he had to report her blackouts to the DMV and they took away her license until they could figure out what was going on. I don’t know where she was from. I know that where I am in Las Vegas, Nevada, they take your license if you have a seizure.  You can get your license back if your neurologist verifies you’ve been seizure free for three months. I don’t know if they take your license for black outs due to a medication you’re on. I don’t know where you live, but you might want to check on that. It’s a catch 22 because you don’t want to give up your license, but you also don’t want to be driving and have a blackout. You want to tell your doctor about the blackouts so he/she can help you get off the drug safely and as easily as possible, but you don’t want to run the risk of your doctor having to report you. 

Anyway, the neurologist of this gal suspected it was from the Ami and started the taper process, which the gal said was miserable and took a long time (but she had been on it 7 months or so longer than you). She didn’t elaborate on how they did the tapering or what dose she was on. Frustrating because that kind of info would have really been useful to you. 

So I guess the main point with the info we do have from this gal is that the dizziness, fainting, blackouts ended up going for longer and longer times, which is SO dangerous. Obviously.  So, yes, you do need to get off the drug and in a hurry. Again, info you already know. I guess I thought you’d feel somewhat vindicated knowing that this kind of side effect does happen to other people, too. 

Well, I don’t know how much help that was, but I thought you’d like to know about it. I hope your doctor gets his butt in gear and helps you get off Ami. Hoping the best for you!

xxX💜Ooo

Hi, Tiffany, 

40 pounds. That’s a lot! That’s what I GAINED being on it. You’d think being off it now, I’d lose weight like others have, but no, not an ounce. 

I really, really, really hope your new doctor can give you something for the nausea to help you conquer the Ami really fast. I don’t think it’s fair to say, “Get off this drug faster, like in a month,” without them HELPING you to do it!  There are a lot of drugs out there that help nausea and that aren’t addictive ... like drugs they give to pregnant women who are suffering with severe nausea, like Hyperemesis Gravidarum, the severe nausea that Catherine Middleton had. The meds they give for that are Zofran (doesn’t work for you), Reglan, Phenergan, and Dicleges. See if your doctor can give one of these, other than the Zofran, of course. 

Thank for that info Edie it makes me feel so much better know I'm not the only one. Terrified and not knowing what is wrong. Hopefully they can give me something to combat the withdrawals so my body can start healing. My regular doctor(Who I have been seeing) offered to put me in the hospital for 2 days on an iv while I go cold turkey....that sounds horrible....what happens on day 3 when the withdrawals kick in ....and just bam to zero....perhaps that would work for some but I think I would die. I'm going to talk to a pharmacist tomorrow who is very familiar with discontinuing drugs and withdrawals to get some more information and recommendations for meds that might help me. I'll keep you posted I do not see my other doc until next friday. I will keep you posted thank you for the info and continued support ?

I cannot wait until I can say I'm 16 weeks ami free! I'll get there I just need someone to support me through this by listening and helping me with the nausea. If I can at least drink water and eat some soup everyday then I can do this. I need to do this! I will definitely try this tapering method I think it might be easier on me then jumping down every so often. This seems a little easier on the body and mind. Thanks for your help I really appreciate it. I will try the mints too anything to help. I wish my withdrawals were anything other than severe nausea. I have such a fear of throwing up too it just makes me more anxious. I was watching sleeping beauty the other day with my niece and I thought...thats the way to do...go to sleep, go through the withdrawals wake up looking great lol😂😂 if Only!

Thank you for all your help I really appreciate it ?

Hi, Tiffany,

It’s possible your doctor may be referring to what’s called an “Instant Detox” (ID) or a “Medical Detox,” and if he is offering that, you want to jump on it, like, right NOW. An Instant Detox is where they anesthetize the patient via IVs and the patient goes through all the withdrawals very quickly, but is not aware of any of them because they are under anesthesia. It’s the quickest fix on the planet for withdrawing from any kind of drug, including serious heroin users.  It’s gaining HUGE popularity in Hollywood because everyone seems to be addicted to some thing or the other out there. When you come out of the anesthesia, you are completely drug free and completely withdrawal free, without feeling even the tiniest bit of discomfort, so there would be no day 3 of withdrawals for you to endure. It’s a miracle treatment for addicts who just can’t kick drugs because the withdrawals are too bad. 

Now, here’s the bad news: it runs somewhere around $15,000 depending on where you live. Depending on your insurance, it may be covered by them. But if you don’t have top of the line insurance, it’s not likely they’ll pay for it. For people who have lots of $$$, as in Hollywood, for example, $15,000 is usually a drop in the pan and they just slap it down on the counter and ten minutes later they are in Happy Land. 24-48 hours later they awake from Happy Land fully cured of any addictions and withdrawal symptoms.

So pin your doctor down and ask him if he is talking about an Instant Detox. If not ... if he’s got some other thing in mind, it’s probably an IV solution of vitamins and nutrition and those DON’T work. At all. No matter what he says. And I can pull up ALL the data and research on that (not from the web, but from medical journals), hand it to you, so you can hand it to him, and he’ll be left standing there, holding his d**k in his hand. Doctors like to do the vitamin IVs, which are FABULOUS for you in general, but they DO NOT cure your addiction. They do them because insurance will frequently pay most or all of it. In a person with no addictions, Vitamin IVs are very beneficial to helping one get healthy. But they have Zero effect on addictive drugs. 

I hope he IS offering an Instant Detox, and I hope you have a pile of cash laying around somewhere so that you can do it right away - or, at least, I hope your insurance will pay all or even part of it.  I was actually going to suggest that you ask for an Instant Detox, but it’s so expensive and not many insurance companies cover it, and not a lot of doctors are doing it. I didn’t want to bring it up and get your hopes up just to have them dashed if your doc said he didn’t do Instant Detoxes. Still - I’d ask him first chance you get. 

Dr. Bernstein at the Waismann Clinic in Beverly Hills would be my first choice for an ID.  He’s been doing it a long while and has near perfect results. Although, I have a feeling you’re nowhere near California. 

As an FYI, there has been considerable controversy around this procedure, but it’s mostly from rehab clinics who charge 4X the money that an ID does, and want you to keep coming back when you’ve relapsed, which most people do. With the Detox IV, people don’t relapse and they rarely ever come back. The big pharmaceutical companies have done their best to debunk it as well, because they WANT you addicted to their drugs. 

The other potentially bad news is that generally speaking, doctors don’t do IDs for a “little” drug (not my words) like Ami.  They go for the heroin users, cocaine, meth tweakers, and so on ... i.e., the “bigger, badder, more life threatening” drugs. Which is ridiculous, of course. An addiction is an addiction, no matter what drug it is, and withdrawals are withdrawals. Period. 

Where do you live, btw? If by any chance you are in California, one hospital after another is jumping on this bandwagon and offering this service. I don’t know what’s happening with it in other states or countries. I don’t even know if they’re doing it in my state, Nevada, but I have many, many friends in California that I went to school with and they are still there. In fact, one of my friends’ wife got horribly addicted to liquid morphine (Long story), but my fiend that I went to school with is also a doctor and they did the ID with her and she’s seven years clean.

 I just hope we can find a good, solid cure for you. 🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞🤞 🤞🤞🤞 

Let me know, and let’s everyone here keep our fingers crossed and positive energies for Tiffsny and anyone else who might benefit from an instant detox. 

Hi Edie I'm in Canada. It would just be a normal iv for 2 days. Just to get some fluids. He does not believe this drug has withdrawals. He wants me off it asap due to all the issues I'm having on it. So is go in to the hospital for 2 days get an IV and go home and be fine because 10mg is basically a homeopathic dose so I'll be fine......😢😭 I can't do that. I'll be so sick and in trouble with no support. So I'm going to try to get off it in 5 weeks. Which will suck big time but 10 to 0 overnight seems very dangerous to me considering how sick a 2.5mg drop made me. I think the next 2 months are going to be very hard. But it will eventually get better...it has to right?

Good Lord, every time I try to do a copy paste, it doesn’t seem to want to let me paste it back in on this page. So I did a copy paste to your mail, and it pasted the message twice (don’t ask me why. I swear I only hit paste once). Anyway, my response is in your mail and I had one more thing to say but now I don’t even remember what it was because this copy paste thing has me crazy. Or maybe crazIER. 😆🤯😆 If I remember what else I wanted to say I’ll post here and not let myself get interrupted and forcing me to stop and return here, which blows my whole message away because the page has to reload, hence the copy paste debacle. Now I’m just babbling. Ugh. Chat later!

Hi Tiffany, how are you doing?, im reading your reply to edie posted  a day ago. Is your gp sending you to hospital for IV fluids? I now this sounds  wrong and i would not say it normally but, here goes. The day before you go into hospital stop ami completely yes you will feel ill and nauseous but, once in hospital they will not discharge you if they cannot get on top of your nausea and vomiting so they will give you the support you need. I know that sounds awful but you are so struggling and mention you have no support. Would this be an option? I feel bad saying this as would not recommend just stopping this awful drug but, like i said here in the UK you would stay in hospital until stable xxx

Tiffany!

Amanda is brilliant! That is an excellent idea! They would do the same here in the U.S.  if you started vomiting uncontrollably, they would absolutely keep you until they could get it under control. And they’d give you medicine to take home with you in case you started getting sick again. I totally agree with her plan. 

Amanda! Truly brilliant idea for Tiffany!  I agree 100% with your plan. Very, very clever, and I’ll bet it works like a charm. What a way to teach her dumb doctor a lesson and get around the system. 😁💕😁💕😁

Hey Amanda,

I think it might get to that point I hope not. My naturopath recommended tapering .2mg every night so I can still hopefully sleep. She gave me some pills to take at night if needed so I can sleep. Also she is doing some research and talking to pharmacists to figure out which antiemetic would work the best. I'm trying it this way...i might not be able to minimize the withdrawals as I'm still dropping fast but I'm hoping by doing this it will not be so hard on my body especially chest pains. I have a feeling the cold turkey method would put me in danger.

Hi Tiffany like i said i would always recommend a very slow taper, you will experience sever withdrawal with a 2 mg taper per night but i agree you need to get off this medication. Unfortunately whether you taper by 2 mg or just stop before you are admitted to hospital for iv fluids you are going to feel very poorly. I only suggested stopping just prior to going into hospital as they have a duty to care for you. Either way you need to get off of this drug and  be prepared to encounter the awful symptoms. I am sorry and wish you the very best, i promise you will feel well again x hugs x

Thank you Amanda. If we had a functioning hospital I would feel better a couple days a week this hospital is on diversion because there are not enough doctors to cover the emergency. If it is on diversion we have to drive 45mins to the next town. We have a total of 3 fulltime Dr.s here. It is insane I'm sure they are exhausted too working all day then being on call. However for the patients it's scary! I am dropping .2 a night so roughly 1.5mg a week. It is fast I can feel some witbdrawals already lots of crying, weird twisted dreams, nausea (though not severe yet) I know I'll be sick even at this rate but in hoping it is a little easier on my body. I will take me 5 -6 weeks to get off of it. My anxiety is on the rise so scared that I will be sick for months and months after this. I cry about this daily. But I have only been on 10mg for 4 months so it will hopefully be only a few nasty weeks and then I should see some minor improvement. I have some pm amino acids from the naturopath that helps rebuild seretonin levels so hopefully that will help. I don't know if spreading this out over 5 weeks is better or not 😢 I feel so low right now. I was SO happy to read you feel much better. It gives me hope.

Hi, Tiffany,

What kind of pills did she give you so you could sleep?

I meant to ask you all Edie, Sammy, Amanda etc when you were starting you withdrawal or maybe in the middle did you experience (aside from the nausea) a constant mild headache or really messed up dreams? The last few nights were really messed up.

Hi, Amanda,

Your idea for Tiffany was SO good. It’s a shame she lives in a place where there are so few doctors to help and a hospital that is just barely a hospital. Can you imagine??? I can’t ... not at all. 

I’ve been meaning to say “Hi” for forever, but then I get sucked into someone’s story and I forget. So anyway, Hi! And also, I want to thank you as everyone else has for starting this discussion. I also can’t imagine where everyone would be had we not had the info and support from you and everyone else here. 

Lastly, I’m so glad you are feeling well and are Ami free, finally! Even though my experience while taking the Ami was horrible, coming off it - and the Ativan, was easy for me - as Sammy said, I’m one of the lucky ones. But I’m very glad I found this discussion because I wasn’t sure at all that I wouldn’t be at rock bottom trying to rid myself of the Ami.  You’ve really opened a HUGE door for people having nightmares with this drug to go for a place to get info, support and encouragement. You’ll forever be our Knightess  in Shining Armor for that! 

Again, thank you so much. 

xxX💜Ooo

Hi Edie 😊

Yes the hospital situation is scary. I'm afraid it's going to take someone either being extremely sick or passing away to make the higher ups see that this is a problem. 3 doctors what more can they do? They work at the clinic take turns covering the hospital when possible they have to sleep too. I just think it's ridiculous that the higher ups are not addressing this issue. I cannot wait to move out of this place.! Anyways rant over sorry this whole situation has me furious with the lack of care here. The naturopath gave me something called PM amino acids it is made up of serine(300mg), L-threonine(300mg), 5HTP(300mg), L-theanine(300mg), Taurine(300mg) and pyridoxal 5 phosphate(60mg) per serving which is 3 capsules.

Hey Tiffany

I feel for what you are going through, if the taper is going ok you can stay at the same dose for a couple of days i.e. If you are down to 8.2mg stay there for a few days to see if it makes a difference, sometimes is does sometimes it doesn't, that is why it is called a symptoms based taper. The nausea and the crying are normal, I had heaps of anger like someone taking food from a grizzly anger, unfortunately that is the nature of this horrid drug.

i am at 17 weeks off and my withdrawals of nausea have kicked in well and truly over the past week, my withdrawals come in at about 11 weeks after a cut which is not nice at all cos you think you are free and clear lol um no definitely not. I suck on mints or anything sweet to help with nausea, not sure what else to suggest. So sorry I hope this does not take too long for you. Xxxx 

I'm sorry to hear the withdrawals showed up😔?😭 I thought maybe just maybe because you were off of them this wouldn't happen to you. I hope they are over quickly! How long did you say you were on ami for? I hope I can survive this .2mg taper. I NEED to be off of these and I really think the cold turkey idea will only set me up for failure or near death😔?But like I said before ppl don't listen to the possibility of withdrawals

Hey Tiffany

i also remember thinking during titration that I felt like crap anyway I had this vibration in my brain that was constantly there for 2 years has MRI and all the gamut of tests which showed nothing, surprise, surprise, so I thought I might as well just go for it over the 50 days and be done with it. How much worse could it possibly be? lol I too have been seeing a naturopath who is amazing and understood the brain vibration the anxiety so all that has helped. Unfortunately like any withdrawal no one knows how long each individual will go through it and what they will have to endure. We just do it and suffer and offer each other support to get through. Thinking and praying that you don't suffer too long. Xxxx

Hi Sammy you tapered from 10mg over 50 days right? Did you keep on your tapering schedule until the very end? Like 1.0 then .8 .6 .4 etc or did you just get down to 2mg or 1mg then quit?

Hi, Tiffany,

I did have a small consistent headache for a day or two after quitting cold turkey. It was so mild though that I didn’t even bother to take a Tylenol, and then it just vanished. 

Funny you should mention dreams ... Now, the dream thing, for me, was REALLY interesting. I tend to have very intense, convoluted dreams anyway, but while ON the Ami it definitely kicked my dreams into high gear. They were like action movies with Tom Cruise, or a James Bond flick. They were crazy, but a whole lot of fun. Lots of action and insane plot lines, and ALL KINDS of daredevil stunts. If I’d actually been in a movie theatre, I’d have been sitting on the edge of my seat in anticipation.  I’d tell my hubby about them and he said I should write them down, which was a great idea, and which of course, I never did do. Stupid me. 

Now that I’m off the Ami, my dreams have returned to their normal intensity. It’s weird to say this, but I miss those fun, crazy, Adrenalin pumping Ami dreams. Oh, and in my regular sleep, I tend to murmur and talk a bit, as well as sleep walk every now and then, but when on the Ami, my husband said I was having full blown conversations and I wasn’t mumbling - he could make out each word I said. In retrospect, I’m glad they weren’t sex dreams!!!! 😇😇😇  But they felt REALLY  realistic, and now all of that is gone.  😕  It was the one thing that was enjoyable on the Ami. Wah. 😥😩😢??

Hi Tiffany

yeah I stayed on the tapering until the second last day where I had 0.2 to go and just didn't bother. I kept a spread sheet so I didn't mix up my dosage and marked it off every day that I took it, that way no mistakes were made. 

But looking back the gamut of emotions that I had was terrible and all,over the place lol your up one minute down the next, but it does pass and it is doable where mostly you can function. I would even cycle 10km a day no matter how I felt, which I think definitely helped the process of eliminating the drug. 

Still have ups and downs but getting there, hoping you will recover much quicker. Keep the faith cos you are doing it.xxxxx

Edie,

You should have written down your dreams you could be famous writer by now haha! I don't think I will miss these dreams some are quite dark and twisted. I have never ever experienced dreams like this 🤤

My headache has passed that took 7 days but it wasn't super bad and advil helped. I'm down to 7.8 tonight which makes me happy everyday I'm one step closer 😊 I feel less anxious and worried this time since I know what is happening and I have all of you ladies supporting me and cheering me on. I'm going to make some juice today, I made bone broth yesterday do I'll have a good stash of liquid nutrients in case things get tough 😊 right now I'm eating in between the bad nausea so my body can get some food. Before I know it this will all be over😊 hopefully the time passes quickly!

Hi Sammy 😊

I wrote down every taper in my planner and cross it out each night. I do not want to make a mistake. So far aside from the messed up dreams I have experienced a mild headache and I feel queasy all day with bouts of BAD nausea that tends to last an hr or 2. So I eat in between the bad nausea so I get some nutrients. I make sure I'm drinking lots too to stay hydrated. I bought some omega 3, made bone broth and stocked up on liquid nourishments just in case and have vitamin IVs set up with my naturopath if need be. Better than the saline one at the hospital which may or may not be on diversion. I mean if things get really bad then I'll have to go but if I can avoid it I will and him😔😡

Hi Edie, i was looking for answers originally  as my gp said just stop 10 mg but, i thought i would half the tablets for a week then stop. Got to day 3 of 5 mg OMG  i had never felt so ill  it was horrific and  went back up to 10 mg the next evening and it took 8 days to get back to normal.  So i too was glad i came on here and found people in my situation. We all help each other x

Yes Tiffanys hospital does not sound good at all

Oh, no! Sammy! I thought you were off the hook and completely free from the talons of Ami, too. 

You know, when I was little and I’d get nauseous or a “tummy ache,” my mom would give me ginger. Ginger is a natural

anti-nausea treatment. That’s kind of where gingerale comes from. But there’s more sugar and corn syrup and god knows what in gingerale than true ginger, so she’d give me a bit of straight ginger. She was a nurse and had all kinds of tricks under her belt. I absolutely HATED the taste of ginger, but it worked, so I’d take it. I don’t know if ginger is strong enough to combat the kind of nausea you get from drug withdrawals, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to try it (if you can stand the taste). 

At any rate, I hope the nausea drops away for both you and Tiffany very soon. 

Hi, Amanda,

Ugh! 8 days to feel normal from only being on a half dose for three days!  That is awful! I don’t know what the **** is wrong with doctors that they think coming off a drug is no big deal. I’ve read it so many times from different people in this discussion. It’s practically malpractice! I suppose the drug companies claim there are no withdrawals, or no withdrawals at a “small” dose like 10mg. In the end, I think we end up knowing far more about the drug(s( than they do. 

Well, even though it took awhile, I’m glad you’re feeling better. Hopefully, everyone else will be able to say the same soon. 

Hi, Tiffany,

Actually, YOU should be writing down your dreams because people LOVE tha dark and twisted stuff!!!

I’m glad you have been able to drop, even if it’s just a little at a time. Certainly, that’s better than not dropping at all.  I really, really, really hope you can get down to zero with as few withdrawals as possible. It sounds like you’re doing everything right and doing Sammy’s titration, and I fully believe that will help move things along. Before you know it, this will be behind you and you’ll become one more notch on the success story of clobbering Ami to the ground!

Hey, Sammy,

Can you tell me more about your brain vibration?  I’ve never heard anyone describe anything like that, so I’m really interested in hearing more details about it. It sounds totally wretched. 

Hi Edie

Hard to describe because most people get what they brain zaps but mine started when I got down to 12.5mg, started off feeling spacey then it progressed to a vibration, literally like putting your head on a washing machine on spin cycle vibration, and it didn't stop for 2 years. They sent me for MRI all clear, ultrasound of heart showed regurgitating valve, did I have this before ami or did ami cause this. I will never know, my dad was on ami for severe migraines for decades (which I only found out about last year) he passed away from a rare form of dementia in his early sixties, a very fit,agile man. Was a rapid decline I think from woe to gone about 4 years.

So I went to see a well know naturopath/microbiologist and they knew exactly what was happening within a couple of months being on stuff they gave me I started getting gaps in the vibration, it's been 8months seeing naturopath and vibration gone, on the odd occasion I get a little buzz but otherwise nothing, no one knows how hard it is to function with that going on. 

Anyway now if the nausea goes completely I will be happy. The naturopath has said that now I am off ami he can make his own concoctions to give me  but I don't see him for another few weeks. 

Love gingerale and had forgotten all about it, good idea will get myself some, luckily down here we don't have much to do with corn syrup thank god what bad stuff that is. Only tasted it once in coke yuck it is horrid, coke here tastes totally different to elsewhere in the world not that I drink it very often. I'm more into water and home made juice. 

Anyway today was a pretty good day nausea wise so things are looking up. 😁Xx

Hi, Sammy,

Wow. That is just the weirdest thing. I don’t think I could’ve lasted two years with my brain vibrating. Out of all the things that people have said happened to them either on Ami or trying to get off Ami, brain vibration is the one that  -  to me - sounds the most horrendous. Did it happen during sleep, too? Actually, I don’t know how you’d even fall asleep with something like that going on.  I’m so glad it’s gone now, and I hope it NEVER, EVER comes back. 

I hope the gingerale helps your nausea. I had no idea there were different “recipes” of Coke and other soft drinks from country to country. I used to LOVE Coke and Dr. Pepper, but I haven’t drank any of that crap since I was 18. I have to admit though, I think it would be interesting to do a blind taste test between our Coke and your Coke. Since I haven’t tasted our Coke in so long, I don’t remember what it’s like. I wonder which I’d like better?  Hmmm ... maybe someday. 

Well, again, here’s wishing you some success with the gingerale!!!

Hi Tiffany

Just wondering how you were going? Haven't heard from you in awhile, in fact the whole forum has gone very quiet.

 

Hi Sammy, Amanda, Edie, Tiffany and everyone,

                                                                              I've just arrived back from Nepal 2 days ago.  It was a totally amazing trip and Nepal has to be seen to be believed.  Anyway, I started having rotten sleeps late January when I started skipping nights and then it got worse when I stopped Ami completely in early February.  Once I got to Nepal the thought of sharing a room with someone while I was awake most of the night was just too much so I paid extra and got my own room - luckily the other lady was more than happy to do that as well.  For the whole 3 weeks away I never got more than 4.5 - 5.5hrs a night  sleep which really put a dampner on things.  I was taking temazapam every second night and on the other nights I was taking various sleeping pills both herbal and otherwise that were given to me by my travelling companions swearing that they would do the trick.  Nothing helped.  I can get to sleep reasonably easily but I'm either wide awake at 2.30 and can't get back to sleep until 5 or 6am.  Or I'm wide awake at 4.30am and don't get back to sleep at all.   This has been pretty much my sleep pattern since the end of Jan even back home.  My anxiety levels are pretty high as well which I'm sure would improve with a bit of sleep.    

I went to my old naturopath yesterday and she's given me a variety of things to help.  They will take a while to kick in but at least I'm giving my body some good quality products (Metagenics and Orthoplex) to help it as much as possible.  Last night I didn't really wake up fully at any stage but I was aware of not being fully asleep either.  

When I was boarding my plane to fly out of Kathmandu a plane crashed landed off the end of the runway a few hundred metres away.  We were then taken off our plane and back to the terminal where we waited 3.5 hrs until we could fly out.  It was a horrendous situation and we were sickened to see some Japanese tourists taking smiling selfies with the plane wreckage on fire in the background.  How sick. All I could think of that there were people dying just metres away and these idiots were taking smiling selfies.  I didn't want to look at all and just got back into the terminal and stayed away from the window.  So, I suppose that hasn't helped the anxiety levels much but I've been doing some trauma release exercises and I'm feeling ok. 

I haven't been able to catch up with much of where everyone is at here as I've just had my phone with me and that's not the biggest screen to deal with and not a lot of wifi while away. 

I hope you are all going ok and reaching your goals slowly but surely.

Hi Sammy

I'm down to 6.2 tonight. I'm doing alright I have some spells of nausea throughout the day. I am having a hard time sleeping. Last night I was cleaning the kitchen at 4am wide awake. I only slept like 5 hrs the night before. So that part kinda sucks but I do feel like i have more energy I don't feel so heavy or groggy as I did back on 10. How are you doing? I see you still have nausea issues too. Hopefully that disappears soon.

Hey Sheena

Welcome back, glad to hear to hear you arrived back safely,when I saw the plane crash I immediately thought of you and hoped that you had not been there to witness it, can not imagine how horrendous and heartbreaking not to mention extremely frightening that would have been. Especially after coming off Ami and already having to deal with so many assaults on the nervous system. 

I can relate with the sleep issues today awake at 3am although I did go to bed a little to early. I have been quite strict with the night routine hoping that the sleep will get better,and it is slowly getting more each night. When I look back through my journal I can see when I got to about 12mg the sleep pattern was terrible so it has taken about 20 months to get to about 5 hours a night, and I have been off ami for 18 weeks. Although I have nocturia from the ami withdrawal but that is easing off slightly.

The anxiety is not too bad, I cycle 10km every evening just before dark which helps to tire me out, but in a good way. 

I have the loudest tinnitus ever which drives me crazy at times, especially when it is too quiet, it is just constant so I can thank the drugs for totally ruining my ears. 

Other than that I am traveling well. Hopefully the naturopath with help with your ailments, I use those brands as well plus I use anxiolift from the naturopath which helps the anxiety you just take as needed or regularly which ever suits you.

Take care xxxxx

Hey Tiffany

Really happy to see you doing so well, the sleep will eventually return but at least you are not passing out anymore. Nausea comes and goes but if I pace myself and don't do too much then I can cope. Not long and you too will be free from the dreaded ami. Take care talk soon xxxx

Hey Edie yes totally horrendous symptom to have, like having vertigo without the dizziness funny and frustrating feeling would not wish it on anyone. If I get really stressed and tired it may show up but only in small increments of say 5 minutes, just enough of a reminder of how bad it was lol. Ginger ale works a treat and no high fructose corn syrup thank goodness, nasty stuff that is. 

All coke is sweet if you don't drink it which I don't but the taste of yours with the corn syrup is disgusting, tastes so chemically. Yuk give me a water with lemon juice any day.

My main gripe is the 20 kilos this crap made me put on which is so attached it doesn't want to leave, no matter how much I work out. Age probably doesn't help I do know that the Ami halted all symptoms of menopause which have come back over the last 2 years, hot n cold hot n cold air con on, blankets off then blankets on freezing rinse and repeat lol. I will not take anything for menopause though, after my wonderful journey with pharmaceuticals not happening. If our grandmothers could go through this naturally then I think we can do it too. Now I know why my grandma sat there fanning herself all the time lol. 

Anyway good to hear everyone here is doing quite well, glad this forum is still active. Talk soon xxxx

Hi sheena sorry your not sleeping well, i do hope this improves. How awful to see that horrendous crash at the airport. I am all fine now, even my anxiety has left me. I am only havinf muscular back problems but, not related to amitriptyline. Take care xx