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Upping medications-side effects?

Posted , 4 users are following.

mere03725
mere03725

Hi-I’m on 150 mg of nortriptyline and 125 mg of traz. I jumped up this past Friday from 125 mg of nort and 75-100 mg of traz. Since then, I’ve been jittery, shaky, eyes hurt and foggy. Also increased anxiety. I’m wondering if this is due to the increase in meds or just plain old anxiety. I also gave birth two weeks ago, so hormones might be at play. Thoughts?

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  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    How are you feeling?  Have things improved?  I upped my dose to 25mg about a week ago, but in the meantime got a sinus and ear infection so I'm on augmentin.  It's definitely a strong antibiotic so I'm taking probiotics and yogurt to counteract the GI issues.  Unfortunately I think it's having an impact on my normal medication.  I've been feeling really anxious and shaky.  I'm glad that I only have two days left and am hoping that when I finish the anitbiotic everything settles down and my infection is gone!!!

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      Oh no!! Sinus infections are the worst! It’s that time of year with everything blooming. Augmentin is rough-hope you feel better soon. So, long story-it turns out my nortrip level was really high and that’s why I was feeling so off! I decided I’m gonna get off of it though-tampered down to 25 mg. I don’t want to be on a med where I’m constantly changing doses. Ugh-of course I’m worried about getting off of it. Blah! I’m feeling anxious...
  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    How’d your decrease to 25mg go?  I’m having a heck of a time with any medications lately.  Augmentin isn’t fun - upset stomach and really tired.  I don’t think it’s knocked out the ear infection yet.
    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      My daughter takes it for ear infections. It totally upsets her stomach and she is only three! 

      Maybe I spoke too soon, last night at 25 mg was terrible. I hardly slept and have pit in my stomach. Have you had these issues?? 

  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    Unfortunately yes.  When I dropped from 25 to 20 to 17 pretty quickly, I had the pit in the stomach / anxiety?  feeling for three weeks.  That's when I decided that I'd had enough and went back up to 25mg.  I've been at 25mg for a week, but I think that I've been derailed by augmentin.  Today I feel awful from it and decided that I'm done taking it.  I did 8.5 days of a 10 day dose.  I've been really anxious and even a little depressed.  And I'm on these meds for migraines... not for either condition.

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      I’m sorry to hear that!! Yah , that ear infection should be gone. Okay-I guess it might be a side effect of tapering down. It’s so annoying that it happens. Do you want to eventually stop? How long have you been on it again? 
  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    I've been on it for a little over two months.  I haven't had a migraine in a while so it could be helping.  I have chronic migraines and even a week of relief is exciting.  BUT, I've also done a round of botox so I'm not positive which is helping more.  I tend to believe it's the nortriptyline because I was still having migraines a couple of months into the first round of botox.  I'm also on klonopin (.25mg) per day and I'm trying to eliminate it after my body feels better.  Both meds were started after my migraine doctor switched my medication cold turkey.  I suffered five weeks of the worst withdrawal.  I'd never felt anything like it before.  So, now I'm afraid of any changes and I think my whole system is just really sensitive right now.

    Is nortriptyline giving you side effects that you don't like?

    How's the new baby?  That's so exciting.  My "babies" are 14 and 15 years old!

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      I had really bad sciatica while preg and the nort really helped. The baby is good! Thanks for asking! He was a month early and is now becoming more aware-good and bad, more waking up at night! 

      I bet the nort is helping, my doc loves it. I think she wanted me to stay on it. It’s scary how crazy side effects/withdrawal can be!! What was your starting dose? My issue has been my levels are all over the place, and I’m constantly having to change the dose. I just don’t like that-and really bad dry mouth. There could be weight gain too. I hope I’m not making a mistake!!

  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    I started at 10mg for two weeks and then went up to 25mg.  My dry mouth went away recently and only comes up when I do anything too strenuous.  I did yoga (I guess I consider it strenuous) today and needed a bottle of water with me.  Nortriptyline is supposed to help IBS and nerve pain too.  I think that it's helped my neck nerve pain which contributes to my migraines.  I had a fast heart rate on occasion but that seems to have decreased too.  I do have some tinnitus right now, but I'm hoping that's related to my ear infection and when the fluid goes away, so will the ringing.  It would be nice if it was my miracle drug like some people find smile

    I had sciatica with my first.  I stood most of the day at my job it definitely was not fun!  I'm glad that you were able to find some relief.

    My doctor doesn't take any bloodwork.  How do they decide the best dose for you?  Is it based on your symptoms?

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      So with the nort, you can check your level w blood work. I’m not sure if it matters for lower doses but at higher doses you can measure if it’s therapeutic or too high. The range of therapeutic is 75-150. My blood work started really low at like 35 and I upped it more until it was like 80. After baby, it went lower so I went higher and then my level was 170! I was feeling terrible. I decided that I didn’t constantly want to worry about dose levels. Might be a mistake, I don’t know?

      Yes! Heard it good for ibs too. So tough to figure out meds! I used klonopin for sleep for a few months. 

  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    What dose of klonopin did you take?  I’ve been taking .25mg for the past couple of months.  Did you have trouble stopping?
    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      I took 1 mg at night for a few months. I tapered down .25 a week. I had some weird discontinuation symptoms, like brain zaps ⚡️ and leg cramps. It faded pretty quickly but wasn’t fun.  It really helped for sleep! I wish I could take it all the time. Are you thinking of stopping? 
  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    Yes - I really the want to stop taking it.  I’ve read so many bad stories about getting off of it though.  I started at .5mg and tried to taper by .125 per week.  When I got close to zero I had a bad night of no sleep and sweating and sort of freaked out because I had to take my daughter to a cheer competition in Ohio (I live in PA) for the weekend and couldn’t feel horrible so I went back on .25.  I’d like to decrease again so the past few days I’m been moving 1/2 my dose to earlier each night.  I’m hoping that if I move part to the morning I’ll avoid insomnia.  
    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      Actually I did a .125 for two weeks after .25, I think it helped but I did have some withdrawal. I freaked out of course. So do you take it mainly for sleep? It really does help but like you I’ve read one too many stories about how addictive it can become. You normally take it at night? 
  • heather24624
    heather24624 mere03725

    Posted

    So, my long story is that I've had chronic migraines for over 10 years, maybe 15.  My neurologist wanted me on a preventative and I tried many over the years with no success.  I eventually broke down and decided to try the antidepressent course of migraine treatments even though I didn't have depression and was worried about how they would impact me.  After taking effexor and prozac and tapering off of those I decided that I'd had enough.  I went med free for ten months after getting a daith ear piercing which did help initially.  Then my migraines came back with a vengence.  I was put on a ton of different cycle breakers and finally had an occipital nerve block done.  After that and some relief my doc said that I really needed to be on a preventative.  We started one that made me really tired and non-functional.  So, she put me on zyprexa to help me through the month until I saw her again.  I had a ridiculously bad withdrawal from the zyprexa.  Something that I've never experienced before and I went off of drugs that people said that they could never get off of (all in the name of helping my migraines).  At one point I slept 1-2 hours a night for 5 days in a row and was going crazy.  I went to my GP who prescribed klonopin and prozac (later nortriptyline) to help with the anxiety and insomnia I was having from the withdrawal.  It never really helped me to get to sleep.  I think that I'm just on it now because I'm afraid of the withrdrawal.

    How long did you have withdrawal after you stopped taking it?

    How are you feeling today on 25mg of nortriptyline?

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      Ugh-that is tough!! I’m sorry. What a journey. So you eventually want to get off the nortriptyline or no? Are there other options? 

      Hmmm, maybe 3 or so weeks. I got on gabapentin right after for sleep. It was hard to tell if I was having side effects from that or klonopin. I’m pretty sure it was the klonopin. So, I stopped the gaba and got on trazodone and have been using that at various amounts since. Gabapentine might be useful-helps w nerve pain and can be sedating. 

      Not feeling too hot today. I slept last night but very groggy. I also drank a cold brew and isn’t helping, jittery. I should prob stop w caffeine for a while. Hard w a 3 year old and newborn! What are your next steps?

    • heather24624
      heather24624 mere03725

      Posted

      I’ve been on gabapentin - I think it was a couple of years ago.  When I didn’t think the klonopin was working, I tried trazadone one night and felt nauseous and dizzy so I didn’t take another one.

      Right now my plan is to get off of klonopin and see how just the nortriptyline alone works for me.  How about you - what is your plan going forward?

    • mere03725
      mere03725 heather24624

      Posted

      Yeah-traz can be very sedating or cause dizziness. Klonopin def helps but yah-long term its not the best, sadly. Hopefully the nortriptyline will help. Would you up the doseage? 

      Well ideally I would be on lexapro only, but I’m sure I’ll need something for sleep. I’m seeing my doc next Thursday, so hopefully we can figure out what’s next. I’m going without nort tonight-scared!

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