Tapering off of nortriptyline
Posted , 17 users are following.
I started taking nortriptyline 7.5 weeks ago for insomnia and migraines. Started at 10 mg for two weeks and then to 25mg for four. Had a lot of side effects - blurry vision, constant migraine, dry mouth, voice is very groggy. Doctor and I agreed that I should come off of it. She suggested that I drop to 10mg for five days and then stop. I thought it was too fast so I decreased to 20 mg for seven days and am not taking 17mg for the past five days. I’m not feeling well - skin burning in arms and hands, angry, hot/cold, anxious and a bit nauseous. Tapering hasn’t seemed to keep withdrawal symptoms at bay.
Is anyone else coming off of nortriptyline or has experience?
0 likes, 29 replies
Andre777 heather24624
Posted
Hi. Don't give up even if it takes longer then expected. It took me 6 months and found the worst part is when the dose drops below the 15 mg mark. Take your time as these symptoms are not too bad if you do this really slowly. Your body will eventually get used to it. Maybe drop 0.5 gram per day and then every 5 grams you pause and stay on that dose for a week before you do the next 0.5 grams per day? If you take it slowly and pause every 5 grams your body should be able to cope better
rosemary66682 heather24624
Posted
hi @heather24624
did you manage to get off nortriptyline??
i know your post is a fairly old one but im having great t difficulty at the moment.
im getting burning skin on arms legs hands chest and chin
getting hot flushes sweats bumpy heartbeat and chills.
i had been on 20mg for 10 years and was ok. then i felt id got used to it so increased it to 30mg for 11 weeks.
i then statted getting what i thought were side effects the increase so i thought id drop back to 20mg. i woke in the night two nights ago with a massive hot flush and pounding heart so the following night i took my 30mg dose again.
last night i thought id try 20mg ahain but i was woken again in the night with another massive hot flush and pounding heart.
heather24624 rosemary66682
Posted
Yes-I did successfully get off of nortriptyline. it seems like forever ago now. I'm actually dealing with another battle with SSRIs due to perimenopausal anxiety. At least this time i know that it will pass.
i believe that i held at one dose until i was completely stable before lowering by much smaller doses. I don't remember if I weighed the capsules but I think I went down by like 2mg at a time. I was successfully off of all meds aside for botox for my migraines until March of this year when my perimenopause symptoms just became too much.
What side effects did you have on 30mg?
jackie78728 heather24624
Posted
hi, I’ve been at 10 mg for a year this past week I’ve been trying to come off of it I’ve been taking some powder out of the capsules to make it kind of like 8 mg I saw you wrote that you went down by 2 mg at a time did you experience withdrawal symptoms? you wrote that you went down by 2 mg at a time did you experience with Charles symptoms with this because I have been experiencing anxiety restlessness dream like state insomnia let me know how you did in your experience thank you symptoms with this because I have been experiencing anxiety restlessness dream like state insomnia let me know how you did in your experience thank you
rosemary66682 heather24624
Posted
hi Heather
id been on 20mg nortriptyline for 10 years but my thyroid meds were changed.
i started feeling anxious and jittery after about 3 weeks. i didnt realise that changing the thyroid meds would in effect wraken the strength of Nort.
i started getting burning symptoms back so i increased nort to 30mg .
since then ive been getting hot flushes, ferl anxious and jittery. gettung chills and sweating also breathless and getting the odd heart bump.
my thyroud meds were increased 2 weeks aho do this time in effect making nort more potent as they affect each other in this type of way.
now i think i need to reduce as i think the increase in thyroid meds have made nort stronger so now getting side effects - did you have any of this?
heather24624 rosemary66682
Posted
I'm not on thyroid meds so I'm sorry, I can't help you with that. It does sound like they are affecting your nortriptyline. For me, it takes a while for the burning to go away.
jax13 heather24624
Edited
I just started tapering off of Nortriptyline. I have been on 150mg for anxiety for 9 years. I started 125mg today. I'm titrating off of this to start another anxiety med for perimenopause.
I wasn't aware that Nortriptyline had such bad withdrawal symptoms
Hope you are feeling better.
joshuapryce1987 heather24624
Posted
Take your time and take a lower dosage once things become comfortable. Talk to your doctor for progress and options.
evelyn94210 heather24624
Posted
Hi Heather,
I was having nightmares on Nortryptaline 10mg - As it is the lowest doze I stopped taking the medication.
I felt my neck sore, feelings of nausea, eye coordination issues, and headache. I thought it could be either neck strain - vertigo as I also can suffer from this but also I could be suffering from withdrawal to the medication.
After a few days, I continue to feel like this but now taking another medication to correct the coordination and nausea issues.
heather24624 evelyn94210
Posted
It sounds like those are withdrawal symptoms from nortriptyline. It was one that was hard to come off of for me.
What medication did they prescribe for your symptoms?
misty14175 evelyn94210
Posted
Hi did you need to taper the 10mg dose at all? how long did the bad side affects last after coming off it? thanks
misty14175 heather24624
Posted
Hi does anyone know how to come off 10mg? I have only been on this dose a couple of months and I want to see if its causing my occasional dizziness.
Do you need to taper off 10mg, for how long? thanks
eva1002 heather24624
Posted
hi, i have been on Nortriptyline 10 mg twice a day for 5 years. I started to taper off to 10 mg once a day for the past month. i want to try every other day for a month then every third day. Has anyone had any sucess doing it this way?