Tapering off low dose of Amitriptyline

Hi Sandra,

That is WAY to fast oh my goodness I cannot imagine how horrid you feel. Yes go back to 30 and stabilize. Some ppl have no issues with the drug and some of us are very sensitive to it. There us an amazing forum on tapering off amitriptyline started by a lady named Amanda. There is tons of stories and advice etc definitely check that out. I was told the best strategy to come off this drug successfully is to taper 10% of you current dose every 2 to 4 weeks. Wait until any withdrawal symptoms have stopped before you reduce again. This drug is a nightmare! It made me feel sick every day and caused to me to black out very scary! How long have you been on it?

Oh just to clarify its 10% of your current dosage so your first drop would be to 27mg (10% of 30 so you drop by 3mg) the next drop would be to 24.3mg (10% of 27 is a drop of 2.7mg) then you just continue on. If you drop to 27 and wait 2 weeks and feel okay then drop again but if you notice any withdrawal symptoms wait until they pass before you drop again.

Hi Sandra, i would buy a tablet cutter  and if your in the UK ask your GP to prescribe Ami in liquid form. It took me 11 months to get off of 10 mg. This was because i went back up to 10 mg twice. You want to avoid doing this TBH. Yes a taper of 10% is best. I used liquid when dropping from 10 mg to 7.5 mg, 7.5 mg to 5 mg, 5 mg to 2.5 mg and the final drop  from 2.5 mg to 0. I used cut tablets when at 7. 5 mg, 5 mg and 2.5 mg. Liquid does not last long only a month from opening. I would stay at my drop for a week if all ok before i dropped again, some drops i had to stay longer say 3 weeks due to my many symptoms. xx

I'm in the USA, I'm going to call my pharmacy tomorrow and see if they have or can order the liquid and then I'll contact my primary doctor and see if she will prescribe it, I do have a pill splitter and I was able to break a 10 mg tablet in half evenly...so do you have any recommendations for the wean off? I'm going to go back to 30 mg tonight until the symptoms subside

Sandra we are all different and it depends how long you were on it and the dose. i was on it 2 years including the 11 months weaning off it. So go back on 30 mg then when you feel ok cut either 10 % of your current dose or drop to 27.5 mg (using pill cutter) if ok wait 2 weeks then cut another 10 % or go to  25 mg and same again wait 2 weeks if ok cut again. You may find like i did i had to wait more than 2 weeks to drop down the lower i got. Do not go back up again though. When i was under 10 mg i would drop 0.5 mg at a time and then 0.05 mg. You can do this , it just takes time x

Hi, Amanda, just wondering if it affected you when you transitioned from the pill to the liquid. I have been taking Ami for about 3 months and decided I wanted to come off of it. Dr. told me to skip every other night. I skipped one night and ended up in ER. It's almost 2 weeks later and I'm still not completely back to myself. My Dr. has prescribed me liquid which I had in my fridge a week now and have been to afraid to try to transition and as you said it only lasts a month. He gave me 2 refills and expects me to tapper way too fast. I'm really scared. Any advise would be appreciated.

So they put you on the ami to help the irritable bowel symptoms? Did it help at all? I think a test for c diff is a good idea just to rule that out.

I feel the same as you doctors are so uneducated about these pills it's dangerous!! Hopefully your tapering goes alright, definitely stay on 30 until your symptoms subside. I ended up buying a jewellery scale and crushed my pill to weigh it every night. I was SO sensitive to these that cutting them didn't work as they would never cut properly in half lol. But most ppl have no problem cutting them even if they are uneven. My body was so sensitive to 10mg it was horrible. I think as long as you go slow and taper properly you will be just fine

Ugh how frustrating...that's what I was told the same you should have never been on it...and to just stop. I cut by 25% and was so sick, chest pains etc I have never ever been so sick.

Have you always had severe IBS? Have you tried probiotics or had an allergy test done? My sister had bad diarrhea and sometimes throwing up, horrible tummy aches. They tested her for lactose intolerance but it was neg. Then she went to a naturopath who did a blood allergy test turned out she was intolerant to milk. So she is technically not lactose intolerant because her body produces whatever enzyme it needs to break down milk. BUT she is actually very allergic to it. So she cut out all milk and took a probiotic for a while and is doing amazing. But if she has any milk she is running to the bathroom and feels horrible. I'm sure you have had many tests but I thought I would mention it just in case it can help you.

As for the amitriptyline just go slow and listen to your body. Be kind to yourself it is hard and you will feel crappy somedays and feel hopeless but you WILL get through it. ?

I hope they figure something out soon or find a way to properly manage your symptoms . At least once you are off the ami it's one less thing to worry about! When I was tapering I took a probiotic, magnesium citrate, vit D and omega 3 to help my body. Then I drank lots of ginger tea for the nausea and ate bone broth & soup. The magnesium might not be a good idea for you as it can act like a laxative if you take too much. Keep me posted on how you make out. Sending you healing thoughts ?

started my taper couple weeks ago, down to a half tab for 2 more nights, did you find it messed up your sleep and mood?

yes it did. I took some natural sleep aids for a while and I had horrible anxiety coming off this med. plus all the nausea, headaches and body pains.

yes, its not been a picnic, but I'm 3 nights without!! I am going to make sure that I tell my primary doctor and gastroenterologist office to mark this drug as an allergy, never want on it again!! thank you so very much for all the support!!