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Weaning off amitriptyline what should I do

Posted , 6 users are following.

Glide85
Glide85

I was on 10mg of amitryptiline since May 2018, in September I agreed with my doctor to go down to 5mg of amitriptyline (I cut the pill in half) as I was constantly eating, feeling drowsy and always feeling tired and demotivated. This week I decided to cut the pill into quarters (2.5 mg) and have been taking this the past 2 days. I thought that would be a good way to taper off. But I haven't slept at all last night I'm Just lying here. My limbs feel tight and my heart is beating. I now realise that maybe I should have kept taking 5mg and alternate days of not taking it for 2 weeks. I'm. Not sure what to do but I'm going to speak with my doctor tomorro. I'm scared because I don't want to suffer with insomnia and I have heard that coming off amitriptyline is hard to do and it takes ages to return to normal sleep pattern. Any ideas? I don't want to rely on any other addictive medication

0 likes, 9 replies

9 Replies

  • shawn0202
    shawn0202 Glide85

    Posted

    hi glide ,

    i was on amit for 6 weeks on 10 mg .

    its been close to 2 months since i stopped the drug .

    initially i used to have sleep disturbance due to chemical imbalance but gradually ur body will reach homeostatis so dont wory ul get there .

    it tajes time , gradually youll b getting back ur sleep pattern some days might be good some might be bad .

    but the bad days will reduce over time .

    dont woryy

    • Glide85
      Glide85 shawn0202

      Posted

      Thank you Very much for your help. How did you come off of it? Did you not take it for one day and then miss one day.? I think I did it the wrong way by cutting it into quarters and taking it daily

  • linda61391
    linda61391 Glide85

    Posted

    HI THERE YOU SEEM TO BE DOING WELL I AM NOW CUTTING BACK ON HALF THEN CUTTING THE HALF IN TO A SMALL again i think inwill do this for a month then cut the small lump again .many years ago i was on Ativan though liveing with my husband . it made me so ill i cut it back it was like comeing a really hard drug .i did it but it made me ill i only went on this becauce i had a opp and to help the tightness , hope you get there very soon .linda

    • Glide85
      Glide85 linda61391

      Posted

      Luckily I only started on 10mg but even this dosage had its pros and cons.

      Pros:helps with ibs and back pain. Helps me sleep

      Cons. Constant feeling of tiredness even after 8 hrs of sleep , anxiety.. Very drowsy, constantly feeling the need to eat which makes ibs worse.

      Worse thing is I have an exam at in 1hr and a half. No sleep. God help me.

      I'm. determined to ride this out. I will speak to my doctor to discuss the best options for weaning myself off of this drug

    • shawn0202
      shawn0202 Glide85

      Posted

      10 mg is rather a small doze but u never know how it affects you.

      i had and still have visual issues and rining in my ears .

      but like many hear say it ,

      it should wean of a period o few months .

      are u taking anyother supplemnt ?

  • michael04843
    michael04843 Glide85

    Posted

    Hello,

    Sorry to hear your having issue with the withdrawal of amamitryptiline. I to am going through this myself. Mine is slightly different as i am itching all over. I think you may dropped down to 2.5mg to quickly. For myself personally i would stay on the 2.5mg for 4-6 weeks before coming of it completely. In the mean time i would speak to your doctor about your insomnia, see if they can give you some Zimovane sleeping tablets either 3.75mg or 7.5mg. If you are having a paticularly bad night you can try the 3.75mg. But dont get reliant on the tablets, just use them for bad nights and dont take them every night. You may find that just having the tablets to hand can help with the insomnia and anxiety. Another thing you may want to try with insomnia is even if you have a bad night, still try to get up at the same time each morning, and if possible try do some exercise or workout but not to late in the day. Unfortunatley like it will take time and just know your not on your own.

    Regards

    Mike

    • Glide85
      Glide85 michael04843

      Posted

      I'll try the zimovane only as long as it doesn't have side effects such as drowsyness or affects my sleep pattern when I don't take them. I think I may just try herbal remedies after this. To be honest I going from 10 mg to 5 mg was ok even though the 5mg still had side affects I was able to sleep. But I want to try and like a life drug induced free and pain free without side effects. Wishful thinking though 😦

  • Paula2019
    Paula2019 Glide85

    Posted

    Hi Glide, reducing by small amounts slowly is the best way to get off these. I personally would not alternate because of the short half life of 15hrs, as could increase withdrawal symptoms. I found the lower the dose the worse the side effects were. Its completely normal, your body needs time to adjust, try to hang in there, massages help with tight muscles and sleep.

    • mary75226
      mary75226 Paula2019

      Posted

      HI glide, how are you doing? any better? also having a very difficult time getting any sleep after coming off. hope you're having better luck

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