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Been given amitriptyline and taken off of co-codamol

Posted , 5 users are following.

jo88002
jo88002

I've been gI've amitriptyline 10mg a night to increase by 10mg a week till I'm on 70mg.how long do these take to work?I suffer from severe pain in my legs and lower back.I've not slept for 3 nights due to the pain.spoke to Dr and they said could take up to a month to start working??don't know how long I can put up with the pain x

0 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • elizabeth85938
    elizabeth85938 jo88002

    Posted

    Hi Jo

    I was in exactly the same position as you but had suffered for months before GP gave me Amitriptyline. I had not slept for literally months but within 3 weeks I found to my delight that they were working. Unfortunately I had a very severe rare side effect and had to come off them and eventually found that Pregabalin worked wonders with few side effects. Give it time, I know you are hurting but there is light at the end of the tunnel I promise. I understand that you feel the pain will never end but after 3-4 weeks you should notice considerable improvement and get your life back on track. Stick with it and let us know how you are getting on please. Wish you well soon

    • Alwaysalone
      Alwaysalone elizabeth85938

      Posted

      Hi Elizabeth.

      Thought i'd butt in and offer some advice on pregabalin, or lyrica.

      I was put on it for nerve pain in my hand and ended up with loss of mobility in my arm, loss of muscle mass, dental problems, eyesight problems, vivid and "strange" dreams, loss of memory, loss of thought processing (as in searching for words in sentences) and weight gain, to name a few.

      I agree this medication is good for some ailments, but on the whole it does more damage than good.

      I thought i was going mad and the doctors were looking at me, and treating me like a liar and an idiot, but that was the only medication i was on so i knew the problems had to be connected.

      I began researching and what amazed and shocked by what i found.

      There are so many people suffering from this drug, even years after having stopped taking it.

      The effects are irreversible as it attacks brain stems that do not repair themselves.

      When it was given FDA approval, it was for different reasons than trialled and tested, and after approval the chemical compound and ingredients were changed yet it was marketed under the same as it's approval and never tested as it is now.

      There are lawsuits galore in the US for this med, for what it has caused for so many people.

      I hope you are one of the ones it doesn't harm.

      Regards

    • elizabeth85938
      elizabeth85938 Alwaysalone

      Posted

      I am sorry to have taken time to reply to you, and I thank you for bringing your conerns to light. Some of this I already knew but the neuropathic pain level I was experiencing day and night were so all consuming that I think I was ready to give up any hope of it resolving itself and woud have tried anything the GP suggested. My doseage is 200mg a day and this controls the pain - I would not wish it to be increased. However, because my lower vertabra have crumbled already more problems could occur at any time. I felt some movement of this the other night and severe sciatica followed in my right buttock (before it was the left). I am trying to manage this without having to up my daily dose. I have now moved back to my home City and maybe a new GP's eyes could look at my problems in a different light and suggest something ese to help me. I know my previous GP put me on Pregab as a last resort in her eyes but who knows.

      I do have problems with my thought processes and have muscle pains in my arms which previously did not exist. Also my balance seems to be affected which is not good as if I suffer a fall my brittle bones woud probably break like dry sticks. So, a great deal to consider here and I will post again when I get accepted at a new surgery and have seen a GP.

      Thanks again

  • stephen73292
    stephen73292 jo88002

    Posted

    Hi jo88002.

    I have been taking amitriptyline for 2 years in october this year for migraine & IBS. I started on 10mg then increased to 20mg the week after which i have been on ever since.

    It depends on the individual i guess, but it took 3 months before they started working for me.

    Good luck!!

  • gloria55119
    gloria55119 jo88002

    Posted

    Hello, I have been taking Amitriptyline for nearly a year now...only 10 mg at night and they have certainly helped me but of course there are days and nights when nothing seems to help. It's the roller coaster of this disease. So my neurologist has now put me on Esilcan which is a sleeping tablet and I only take half a 1 mg tablet at night...this works well for me. If I do wake during the night with pain, I take one Tramadol and it helps. I also use a "hot pack" on very painful areas which is good for me and sometimes a Salon Pas patch which is a plaster containing Camphor good for muscle aches etc. I am going to buy a TENS machine which is a device that puts electrical impulses into the muscles around the painful areas...it just changes the pain signals...I had one before and it worked very well. I guess we all have to try whatever we can to relieve the pain...Good luck to you.....G

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