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Nortriptyline, anyone take this after Amitripyline and do better on it

Posted , 5 users are following.

patty818
patty818

My ENT gave this to me today because I had worsening anxiety on the ami. He said this has less side effects. I'm wanted to know if anyone took ami and had to switch to nortriptyline and how did you do? Did it help your dizziness and or headaches? Did you have anxiety done fire taking it and did it effect it?

Thanks for your help

0 likes, 14 replies

14 Replies

  • DizzyLizzy68
    DizzyLizzy68 patty818

    Posted

    Patty,

    Nortriptyline was the first migraine drug I was given.  I was told it had the lowest side effect profile of the tricyclic antidepressants for migraine.  I took it when I was off for two weeks at Christmas  two years ago.  I had to stop it because for me, it caused "ataxia", which is walking like you are drunk or on a boat.  I did not have this all the time before (some people do with MAV)- just episodes of vertigo.  But I felt happy on it, LOL!  My sense of well being increased greatly in a few days, and it stopped my daily facial pressure/pain and vertigo.  But I could not have that ataxia.  So my neuro actually told me to stop taking it, wait a week, and start again.  I thought that was nuts, but she says that works sometimes to get rid of that side effect.  Anyhoo, I did not want to try that since I was due back to work, and have to commute an hr one way- so I was switched to propranolol, which I have been on since then.  Nortriptyline is also supposed to have less weight gain as a side effect when compared to Ami.

    Please dont let anything I say sway your thinking about Nortriptyline... I later took Amitriptyline for sleep and did not have ANY side effects except for some drowsiness if I took it too late.  It also did nothing for my sense of well being.  I personally have to start low on any drug since I am sensitive.  I remember starting on Propranolol at only 10mg, and feeling like a zombie.  I now take 40mg and don't notice anything whatsoever.

    • patty818
      patty818 DizzyLizzy68

      Posted

      Thank you for the info. I guess I'm a bit afraid to take it, since the ami caused such a bad reaction and anxiety. I keep thinking since its in the same family it will do the same thing. The band attack happened 5 days after I started the ami. I've read some people it tools months for side effects from ami to show up.

      When took the nort did the ataxia happen fairly quickly? I have the feeling of walking off balance without the meds feels like I'm walking on a boat like the floor is not even. But you said it helped the vertigo. I figured if nothing else came from the ami at least it helped the dizziness and that let the doc know it's MAV. I was hoping I wouldn't need the meds at all, and just the VRT would take care if it. It's helping but the anxiety is most of it. I started therapy for that so who knows.

      Thank you for listening and your help

    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 patty818

      Posted

      Patty,

      The ataxia happened right away when I started the nortriptyline. I was on it for about 1.5 week. As soon as I stopped it, the ataxia went away immediately. And yes, that feeling of imbalance is very common with MAV, and I do get it now and then, but I was not having it at that time, and only had it when I took the med. I wish I didn't have that side effect since I felt so calm and happy on it!

  • Speedychick81
    Speedychick81 patty818

    Posted

    What symptoms do you get for anxiety ?
    • patty818
      patty818 Speedychick81

      Posted

      Most of my anxiety symptoms are heart pounding, worsening dizziness, hands shaking, muscle tension, chills, feeling like I can't swallow, feel like I can't breath right, blurry vision, fear, hot flashes, and probably more but those are the most prominent.

      I've had anxiety disorder for years but normally it's very controlled but since the dizziness started its been awful. It's getting a bit better it's very slow.

      Do you have MAV? Are you on meds for it? Is it causing you anxiety? This is a hard disorder to have cause it's different everyday.

      I hope this helps you

    • Speedychick81
      Speedychick81 patty818

      Posted

      I have no idea what is wrong with me I get myself all in a mess thinking it's something bad I'm usually a fit healthy person but I lost a baby at 20 weeks in Feb and since then all has gone down hill I was poorly after and retained some placenta no body would believe me but after 4 weeks they admitted there was still some and since then I just am not myself I was constantly dizzy and lightheaded and had a panick attack never happened before then couldn't be left by myself for weeks but it got to the point where I thought sod this if anything was gonna happen to me it would of happened by now and I'm fine by myself and am back to work I get a fast heart rate a lot sometimes with flutters or a heavy head feeling and every couple of weeks the light dizzy feeling comes back out of the blue my arms go numb which scares me too I wake up feeling sick some mornings things are better than they were a month ago but I'm still not myself and it frightens me
    • Speedychick81
      Speedychick81

      Posted

      They gave me propanolol but I hardly take it to be honest the heart doesn't really bother me so much any more I've had an ecg which I was normal so I just try not to pay attention to it I get floaters too have had eyes tested last month all fine they just give me sertraline to try but I'm weary about it I've never took anything like this before I just want to be normal again they say it's anxiety but my point to them is I only feel anxious because of how I feel
    • patty818
      patty818 Speedychick81

      Posted

      I'm so sorry about the loss of the baby, that has to be hard.

      Having worry and anxiety is very hard. When I have symptoms it sometimes hard for me to stop thinking about them. That's when my dizziness really gets worse, or the dizziness hits the anxiety hits, it's a vicious cycle. I have tried meds years ago but I couldn't take them, so now it's hard for me to take them. The worst part of anxiety is the not knowing if the docs have done enough to make sure nothing bad is wrong.

      I hope you can find the right thing to help you feel better.

    • Speedychick81
      Speedychick81 patty818

      Posted

      It's a pain in the ass when symptoms arise I spend hours worrying about them it's awful and sometimes I don't even feel anxious and the symptoms appear which then makes me stress I'm sure I'll get there eventually I really must stay off google though that doesn't help
  • emma93780
    emma93780 patty818

    Posted

    I think you need to try them out for yourself! Other people's side effects are just that it doesn't mean you will get any! Don't read the enclosed leaflet because you will become obsessed with the side effects and have every one going but usually it's not the medication it's the anxiety causing those effects! Speaking from experience I did what your doing and seeking advice from everyone about different issues etc which eventually I drove myself mad! I had to just go with it and try them, ami didn't work for me so I now take sertraline and propanranol and yes it made my anxiety hellish for about 6/7 weeks but it's well worth it, there unfortunately is no quick fix for anxiety issues any tablet you take will take weeks to get into your system it's whether you can stand being a complete mess for weeks because it does make things ten times worse!! I still have really bad days where the anxiety due to dizziness is horrendous but with a combination of lots of different treatments etc things are slowly and I mean slowly getting better! I know exactly how you are feeling as it is really hard to get out of the feeling your feeling every day x
    • patty818
      patty818 emma93780

      Posted

      I know what you mean looking for answers is maddening. I had to stop reading things on google looking for what this is and how to fix it, I was going nuts. Sometimes reading the message boards do the same thing but at times you just need others like you to talk to.

      I will try the nortriptyline I just need to pick a day to start. I don't really like trying new meds while I'm working but if it's going to cause side effects it could take a few days so no matter when I start the effects could hit at work.

      Thank you for the reply and I'm glad your feeling better

    • emma93780
      emma93780 patty818

      Posted

      Totally agree you definitely need someone to talk and people with similar or the same symptoms helps a lot especially as you don't feel alone then and then you can convince yourself your not mad, it's not just you, others are going through the same and you are not going to die! Cos that's how I felt and sometimes still do, there are good and bad days, days when I feel like it's never going to get better and days when I feel like my old self again! I am the same as you when it comes to meds I don't like trying something new but I had to trust the doctors and go for it and honestly yes it can get bad but it does get better!

      Have you had many tests done at all? X

    • patty818
      patty818 emma93780

      Posted

      I had all the hearing tests and they said they were great, then I had the VNG test and did well until they put the air on my ear and I felt like I was felling out of the sky and they stopped the test and said they could tell anything because they couldn't finish the test. But from what I've heard if you have no dizziness with the VNG then that's an indicator so I would think if you get dizzy that should tell them something. But the ENT specialist said because of the headaches and the symptoms he thinks MAV. Now taking the ami last week he said it helped the dizziness and headache so that tells him MAV.
    • DizzyLizzy68
      DizzyLizzy68 patty818

      Posted

      Yes, Patty. With a normal calorics test (where they put the hot/cold air or water into each ear usually at the end of the vng), one will get the spins. I got the spins and bouncy vision with both ears. The goggles you wear record the direction of your eye movements and that gives them information as to your vestibular function. When I had the test, it felt like being on a fast merry go round for several seconds. Not unpleasant at all, but I worked myself into an anxious state beforehand. My tests were considered normal.
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