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amitriptyline withdrawal

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amanda59745
amanda59745

Hi all, i have tried unsuccessfully to withdrawal from amitriptyline twice.  every time i get down to 5mg i start with awful symptoms, bad headaches, nausea, belching, abdominal cramps, back ache and  my bowels get so upset they feel like they are swollen i get bloated have wind and abdomen feels bruised. has anyone experienced this also?   

9 likes, 915 replies

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  • nancy72466
    nancy72466 amanda59745

    Posted

    This is for anyone in the forum.

    I am having RELENTLESS anxiety...and I mean activity-stopping, gut-wrenching, agitation-filled anxiety. Can anyone suggest any helpful products, supplements, tinctures, activities that you have tried with success.  I have tried numerous health supplements, CBD oil, MM, exercise, meditation and really don't want to go the pharmaceutical route if I don't have to. Not sleeping is not helping either. I reduced to 5mg, 8 weeks ago, and have yet to level out. Thanks for any help from anyone. I so want this to stop. I so want to be normal and have a feeling of well being.

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hi Nancy you are doing great,  its hard i have been there, BUT, 5 mg is a milestone, i assure you it will get better. My anxiety at this point was awful as too was the nausea and i will not lie but,  3 mg was not good either. I kept working and did mindful meditation every day.  My bowels were all over the place but, i was able to sleep but , the mindfulness helped me sleep as i would always fall asleep listening to it in bed. Are you taking omega 3 as i did as helps nerves apparently xx you can do this xxx
    • nancy72466
      nancy72466 amanda59745

      Posted

      Hi Amanda. Yes, I am taking Omega 3 (Cod liver oil 1tsp in the morning) and flax seed in my smoothie. How much should I be taking?  I know we are all different, but how long did you stay at 5mg before titrating down again? Did you wait for all your symptoms to level out or did you come down 10% per month regardless of how you were feeling? I've been 2 months at 5 mg and want to come down to 4.5 mg starting next month but don't know if that's too fast.  Your help is invaluable to me right now. I have never felt so terrible and the relentless head spinning does not help. Absolutely no sleep last night either.

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 nancy72466

      Posted

      Nancy i was only on the drug 23 months including the 11 months getting off of it. How long have you been on it? if it is a lot more years than me it will take longer to get off. I waited until i was ok before dropping apart from the last 2.5 mg as at this point i had got  amitriptyline in liquid  form again (it only lasts  one month) so i decided  that bottle was my last and dropped 2.5 mg to 0 mg in four weeks. You must occupy your mind Nancy as  its hard to stay focused. Stay at the same dose another week or so and try mindfulness which, helps you focus on the present. Your taking adequate supplements. xx
    • nancy72466
      nancy72466 amanda59745

      Posted

      Amanda, I have been on the drug upwards of 28 years.....I know, .....terrible! I will stay at 5 mg for another week or so. I just received my ami in liquid form so I can come down .5 mg per month thereafter...maybe even slower. I am doing mindfulness, praying like crazy and staying busy as much as I can. My 28 years compared to your 23 months seems like a lifetime to me. I will try not to dwell on that. Thank you, again, for all your help....for not only me but for all of us here going through this struggle. What a lifeline!
    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hi Nancy, i know how much you want to get off of ami but, as you have been on it  a  long time your brain will take longer to  start to sort its chemicals out. These chemicals work on all mucus membranes throughout our bodies  hence the effects on  our mouths, intestines and eyes etc. Give it time  and stay put until you feel a bit better. it will come i promise xx hugs prayers and love being sent xx
  • anita49406
    anita49406 amanda59745

    Posted

    Hi all stayed on 10mg 4 3 weeks felt an improvement sat of the citalopram 20mg sat nite we got a leak no hot water anxiety thro the roof do u think I should avoid decreasing the ami atm or upping citalopram
  • charline94768
    charline94768 amanda59745

    Posted

    Hi Amanda, am reading all your posts again, I tried to wean off last year and read them all then. They are so helpful to me, it gives me the courage to keep going. This is my fourth attempt. I am down to 5mgs from my original 10mgs. I have been on 5mgs for about two months and the nausea is only hitting me now, do you think it is from the withdrawal? I have been feeling pretty good this time cause I weaned real slow, like three months to go from 10 mgs to 5 mgs. Had a few headaches but not too bad. I feel like my digestion is off, maybe some acid reflux, I have a dry mouth sometimes and a bad taste in my mouth. Anyway just wondering if you had these? 
    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 charline94768

      Posted

      Hi Charline, my nausea always kicked in around day 3. My cramps and bloating were so bad too. I am not sure if after 2 months you would start with nausea however, this drug never fails to amaze me . x 
  • anita49406
    anita49406 amanda59745

    Posted

    I notice posts are 16 months old just wondered how everyone was doing I m only 16 days off it can anyone give me encouragement how long b 4 u felt like there was a light at the end of the tunnel

    • nancy72466
      nancy72466 anita49406

      Posted

      Hi Anita. I am still in the process of weaning off of Ami. I'm down to 4.5 mg from 15 mgs and taking it very slowly but still having withdrawals at each reduction. I am so glad to hear you are off of this even though your symptoms seem to still be present. I know, just from reading the posts here, that it can take awhile for it to rid your body. You have the hardest part over.....you are Ami-free! Everyone is so encouraging here and I derive great encouragement from reading others posts. Your post was an encouragement to me!.....to keep hanging in there. Thank you!

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 anita49406

      Posted

      Hi Anita well done getting off of amitriptyline, what a struggle it is for some of us. It took me about 3/4 months to feel like 100% . The light will come just take each day as it comes. I seem to be left with IBS type symptoms but, i am perimenopausal so IBS is a symptom of this too. You have achieved so much well done xx

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hi Nancy you are doing so well, i too had symptoms at every drop when i was down as low as you. I had it in liquid form but, still experienced symptoms. The last 1mg was not as bad xx

    • nancy72466
      nancy72466 amanda59745

      Posted

      HI Amanda....this question is for you and anyone else on this journey. I seem to have developed an unsteadiness, an unbalanced feeling...vertigo.....that just will not go away. Did you experience this? Was it steady or did it comes in waves? Does it go away after you are completely off of the Ami?....or does it hang on as something permanent? It has put a big dent into my daily activities and sometimes the spinning is so bad I can't sleep laying down...I must sit upright in a chair. None of my doctors have an explanation for this. Some call it labyrinthitis some call it Meniere's Disease and some have no explanation....but I was never like this prior to starting my withdrawal. Did you ever experience this?

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hi Nancy, yes i got a mild unsteadiness, it is to do with the anticholinergic effects of ami. Mine did go away and did come in waves. I am back on amitriptyline again after being free from this drug for 9 months, i have sciatica which i have had since may. I feel sad that i have had to result in going back on it but, i got off it once before and will do it again but, it does seem to help my pain at present. x

    • charline94768
      charline94768 amanda59745

      Posted

      Hi Amanda, just read this and can't believe you are back on Elavil ☹☹☹ I have followed your journey as I also am trying to come off. I feel bad for you, but know you will try again and succeed some day.I am down to about 4mgs and am having a terrible time. My sleep is so fragmented I feel like going back up to my original dose of 10 mgs. I have been weaning down since May. I only feel bad because I can't sleep. Even taking a small amount of Clonazepam doesn't help much. I worry so much about this pill causing dementia. This is my fourth attempt, it is so depressing. Could use some advice and encouragement.

    • charline94768
      charline94768 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hi Nancy, like you I am trying to get off Elavil . Am down to 4mgs and am having a hard time, am thinking of going back to 5mgs. I was taking10 for insomnia and it worked great. But I started worrying about dementia and want to stop taking this drug. This is my fourth time trying to come off. My problem is with sleeping, I just don't sleep well anymore and I am getting depressed over it. I take a small amount of Clonazepam but it is not helping much. How are you sleeping? Do you take anything to help you sleep?

    • armandolev05033
      armandolev05033 amanda59745

      Posted

      Sorry, Armanda. I had sciatica too when coming off but it got resolved within 2weeks.

      I am now more stable, migraines are going away but still i am a bit forgetful which is improving with time. I sleep now like before. But I can get stressed for just a little thing.

      definitely coming out of ami needs time and patience. Today 1year 10 months I stopped ami cold Turkey, but side effects are still around.

      God with us.

    • nancy72466
      nancy72466 charline94768

      Posted

      Hi Charline....we are in the same boat. I started at 15 mgs, 28 years ago (yes 28!) and started coming down in May, like yourself. I am also down to 4 mgs and having horrible withdrawal. I take 3mgs Melatonin and that helps a bit...but only a bit. I am not sleeping well either. And without sleep, we are getting depressed because of sleep deprivation. After 2 nights of not sleeping, I will take a .5 Ativan to help a bit, but I don't want to get addicted to that either. All the encouragement on this forum says to not go back up to a former dose...stay where you are and stick it out till things calm down. Like you, I want off this drug because of the risk of dementia. This is my first attempt coming off. Please stay in touch. We can encourage each other along the way.

    • sammy85762
      sammy85762 nancy72466

      Posted

      Hey Nancy

      I havent posted in a while so not sure if you have read my story, i have been off ami for 1 year and 1 week, I started having vertigo balance issues back in May 2016 when I got down to 12.5mg had extensive testing and nothing found. It turns out I have ETD and a buzzing brain zap like sensation and tinnitus caused by the ami, I have a great naturopath who I have been with for over a year and I am getting nice gaps of normalcy. Tinnitus is still there although sometimes it is fairly quiet. I wont ever go back on this medication ever. It has been hard but I think worth it, ami was causing cardiovascular problems as well, so whilst I still have some issues I feel healthier overall. Hope this helps and plse feel free to message me.

      Sammy xx

    • amanda59745
      amanda59745 charline94768

      Posted

      Hi Charline, you are doing so well you really are. The fragmented sleep is very exhausting and will pass. It is hard but, if you want to come off of ami you must resist the temptation to go back up to your original dose. You can do this but, it takes a lot of strength and will power as your brain has to reset its self. You know i did it it, i was successful and got off of this drug and you can too. Yes, i am back on it and i resisted as like you fear dementia but, the pain i am in from bilateral sciatica is horrific. TBH i know am not sure how much relief it is giving me as i am still in pain and not only on ami but, tramadol and naproxen. keep me posted xxxx

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