How to get off amitriptyline a lot easier!

Hi Everyone, I stumbled on to your site and read all of the posts about the horrors of coming off amitriptyline and felt my experiences with amitriptyline withdrawal can help all of you who are suffering. First off, I can confidently tell you all that most of what doctors told me about how to taper off that miserable drug was all wrong. After disastrous attempts in 2018 trying to get off 50 mg. of the stuff after 23 years, I ended up consulting with rehab centers, did my own research and in-house clinical trials and found a protocol that is--manageable and will at least allow you to go on with your life until you're off it. I've spent thousands of dollars with so many doctors and my life was in a very dark hell. Here's what you need to do: You must first understand that you can't get off this drug easily if you've been on it for a substantial amount of time. You can't fast track yourself off that drug without putting yourself through unnecessary hell. Your brain can't heal/re-calibrate that fast. So start by buying one or two of those inexpensive microgram jewelry scales off Amazon--they're usually around $20. Once you have them, weigh the pills you are taking--for example in my case I was taking 50 mg. pills. You will likely have to weight a number of the pills because they won't all be the same weight. Get an average. Then divide that number by 50--if it is a 50 mg. pill. THAT will give you the actual weight of each medical milligram in each pill--and in my case each milligram for each pill was 4.44 mg. of weight per "medical" milligram of the pill. Same for other pills like the 10's, 25's, or the 100's. Using a piece of sandpaper, drag the edge of the pill on the sandpaper to take off 1 mg. & weight that pill a number of times on one or both scales to make sure it's accurate. I found that it almost always took 9 days for any variation in the drug to stabilize in my body. I could never drop more often than every 2 weeks. Then I'd drop again. If it feels like too much for you, then drop 1/2 a milligram. Yes, I know that it may take quite a while to get off the drug that way, but if you can't feel it that much--it's worth it! It has taken me almost a year to drop from 60 down to nearly 45 milligrams where I'm at now, but at least I can function with my life. There are times it's uncomfortable, but as I learned with the re-hab centers, you can take a 500 mg. of choline and a 500 mg. of inositol and those help take the edge off a bad episode of withdrawal. I can't take them regularly, but situationally and they really help. If you have panic attacks coming on, two capsules of California Poppy will stop a panic attack in its tracks in 40 minutes--with no drowsiness or side effects. It's not an opiod like its cousin; it's the California state flower and many doctors use it. Totally safe. Don't be without it. Panic attacks will be a thing of the past if you keep bottles of it on hand. I like Diane's recommendations and I'll have to give those a try, but so far, this is what has allowed me to continue to run my business and function while coming off and at least have a life. The prickly sensations many of you mention and the other side effects are normal--they go away a lot faster if you don't drop so much at a time. If you can handle a 2 mg. drop or more--go for it. Your body will tell you what you can comfortably handle and with the scales you can tailor a drop small enough to get you by. Again, it takes longer than you may want, but who cares if you can make yourself reasonably comfortable along the process? Your brain/nervous system needs a lot of time to heal--and they usually do.

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