Posted , 4 users are following.
I've been on Amis for 16 years at doses of 50mg reducing to 30 20 then 10. Because I'm now on Sertaline for anxiety I have finally come off Amitryptillin but experiencing palpitations and sleep problems. I'm determined to stick with it but wondered if anyone else has experienced the same
0 likes, 18 replies
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Hopeandope Nirithes
Posted
amazing that you have tapered down and congratulations.
have you tried mindfullness before bed.
app called calm is good and helped me to sleep
charline94768 Nirithes
Posted
How long did you take to get off the amitriptiline? Maybe you went too fast. You could go back on a small dose and stay on it until you sleep again and then cut back real slow. I have tried several times to come off 10 mgs and could not stand the insomnia. Today I am at 22.5 mgs and I am cutting back 5% every month. I started at 25 about two weeks ago. I had a couple of rough nights last week but now am sleeping again. I do suffer from tension headaches though but I can tolerate them.
Nirithes charline94768
Posted
Hi I weaned down to 10mg for a month then 5 mg for a week then stopped
charline94768 Nirithes
Edited
I also want to mention that I was on sertraline once and it gave me insomnia. That is why I started taking amitriptyline, to help me sleep. I stopped taking sertraline two years ago, hard to get off that medication also.
Nirithes charline94768
Posted
Sertraline has stopped my sleep anxiety but I take it early morning and I'm doing well on it
mary75226 Nirithes
Posted
Are you sleeping better now? Glad sert is helping the sleep anxiety. I am considering another AD, but they all seem to have the side-effect of insomnia and I can't take added insomnia on top of what I have already.
Nirithes mary75226
Posted
Much better. I take Sertraline in the morning which might help you? I also meditate . Honestly I had the worst sleep anxiety. It would take about 3 hours to get to sleep every night. I was surviving on about 3 or 4 hours a night.It was awful. I really hope you find something. I also took sleeping tabs for 6 months but got off them thank goodness as made my anxiety worse
Hopeandope Nirithes
Edited
why is everyone just suggesting pills to help with sleep!
mindfullness is equally as effective.
pills are not the cure to everything and Gp's irresponsible for handing out these pills like candy!!
Nirithes Hopeandope
Posted
Whilst I agree to an extent and certainly where sleeping pills are concerned I do think there is a place for medication. I struggled with severe anxiety for 18 months resisting medication but doing everything I could to help myself including regular mindfulness and CBT therapy but this on it's own wasn't enough and I'm on antidepressants now which have literally saved my life .
Nirithes
Posted
Also no one should feel bad about taking meds. I know people who without them wouldn't be here now
Hopeandope Nirithes
Posted
i agree with you completely but still today Gp's give out the candy and dont suggest anything else.
also the candy is vital to most in their efforts to mend but end results are always the same. patients end up taking higher doses and take for far too long.
As we all know the longer you take and the higher the dose, the harder it is to stop.
Gp's lazy and the candy manufacturers are plain irresponsible, only thinking of £$€.
people on meds should tread carefully and understand what they are getting into.
us humans are all getting hooked and next generation need better and more rounded knowledge.
Nirithes Hopeandope
Posted
I think where sleeping tablets are concerned GPS are getting a lot better
but as with other medication they give out is the lack of info in getting off these meds. I had trouble getting off my sleeping tabs but thankfully free of them now and also off Amitryptillin after 16 years after 3 attempts of trying to get off them so that's where the danger is
charline94768 Nirithes
Posted
I guess I misunderstood your post, I thought you said you had sleep problems.
Nirithes charline94768
Posted
Hi sorry yea I did but Sertraline has helped me massively. However I was taking Amis alongside the Sert and since stopping them my sleep has been affected
mary75226 Nirithes
Posted
Hi,
I was on amitriptyline after a bout of insomnia caused by sertaline, which then spiraled into severe sleep anxiety. I got over the sleep anxiety and stayed on ami for 2 months. I was ready to come off it and felt comfortable with my sleeping, but when I reduced from 25mg to 10mg, my sleep in the later part of the night became fragmented. I thought nothing of this and blamed it on a new AD (lexapro) I was starting at the same time, but when I came off the 10mg I started to not be able to fall asleep in the beginning of the night and now (5.5 months later) I still have difficulty falling asleep. I wake every 30-45 minutes. Sometimes I'll get a solid hour or two in the beginning of the night. I am up for long periods at a time between 1am-4am and averaging about 4 hours of terribly fragmented/shallow sleep. I fear I will never sleep right again. Now my sleep anxiety is back which certainly isn't helping. Does anyone know how long it is going to take for my normal sleep pattern to return? It's ruining my life
Nirithes mary75226
Posted
Hi after 3 weeks of stopping Amis but still on Sertralone my sleep is improving. I really sympathise. I had 18 months of severe sleep anxiety
mary75226 Nirithes
Posted
so glad to hear your sleep normalized. did you do anything specific or did it just happen on its own. im not anxious going down to sleep but cant get into any sort of real sleep now and when i do i wake after 30 minutes.
Nirithes mary75226
Posted
Exercise is also good. I walk my dog for half an hour about 2 hours before bed and no caffeine after midday