Weaning off of Amitryptiline

thank you. what were your withdrawal symptoms and how long did they last?

also how much were you taking and for how long??

It depends what your symptoms were that you were being treated for. Was it for sleep , migraine or pain?

It was for neck pain

I had a spinal cord injury in my neck 12 years ago that left me with nerve damage and some weakness in my limbs . I get pins and needles from the neck down . Mostly i feel OK and i don't let it stop me from doing anything. But, when i do too much it leaves my limbs feeling like lead and i'm in pain from the neck down from the nerve damage .

I've taken Amitryptiline 20mgs at night for those 12 years. Several times I've tried to stop. I don't know why, because I don't have any problems with it. Each time, I've taken it down slowly 3-4 months using a tablet cutter. By the time I get down to 10mgs,it's not long before my pins and needles are back and my ability to do anything that needs effort, my pain is bad. So I've accepted that those symptoms are there to stay and I don't try to stop anymore. It's a very old drug but it's the best drug for nerve pain. I tried Gabopentin and I increased my waist size by 4cms in 10 days. I stopped it and went back to Amitryptiline.

I'd say to you, if it's helping your pain, carry on taking it. I've never had any side effects, other than a dry mouth when I was taking 50mgs. Other than that, my experience of the drug has only been positive.

Best wishes.

sickness, dizziness, restless legs - they were the worst.

id wake up in the night sweating with panic attacks, but everyone is different and i was on them a lot longer than you and a higher dose.

everybody reacts differently.

i work in pharmacy and know someone who just went cold turkey and they were fine (not recommended though)

its really good to have a discussion with your gp while you're coming off them and if there is something that is too troubling they can give you something to help.

they had to give me buccastem for the sickness as it got to a point where i couldn't cope.

hope this helps

so i asked my dr how to wean off and he said to take half of the 25mg (12.5mg) for a week then stop. i am wondering if this is too fast? i am thinking maybe i should take half for two weeks instead then take half every other day for a week after that

or cut it into fourths the last week and take 6.25mg?

you could certainly try what he has suggested and if you feel you are getting too many unwanted side effects, you could half the half or like you say every other day. its all trial and error unfortunately.

i really hope its a smooth withdrawal for you though. it can be quite tough. fingers crossed for you.

Personally I think it's a little quick,, I'm not a doctor,,,, think if it was me I'd try every other day first,,, then if ok half the tablet,, these are a tablet you have to be careful with coming off,slower the better,, don't rush it!

First ask your GP for a prescription of 10mg tablets. That way, you can reduce to 20mgs to start with. Take that dose for 2-3 weeks. Then drop down again for 2-3 weeks etc. The problem is that the tablets are very small and will be difficult to cut in half accurately, but you can try cutting one in order to drop to 15mgs. Then down to one tablet of 10mgs, then down to 5mgs before stopping. Ask at a pharmacy if they sell tablet cutters. I don't know if they do. They cut the tablet accurately whereas cutting with a knife is not accurate.

Think I'd rather come down at 5mg at a time,,, my own opinion,,

So would I but you need to be able to cut a tablet fairly accurately otherwise you'll be taking eg 7mgs one day and 3mgs the next. It wouldn't be dangerous but it wouldn't help your nervous system to adapt easily. I have a tablet cutter, but that's because I'm a nurse and I got it from the hospital when I needed it for my son's anti-convulsants. Perhaps pharmacies sell them? I don't know. But I do know that cutting a tablet, that is not scored, is difficult to do properly. Especially tiny tablets like amitryptiline.

I asked my doctor to prescribe me 10mg tablets and I will try it that way. I have already started taking half of the 25mg for two nights but I think it should be fine to start with 20mg tonight don’t you think? At least this way it will be more accurate. That is actually how I wanted to do it too and what I thought he would recommend

hi , if you dont mind me asking how long did symptoms last please ? i joined this forum early this morning thought it might be helpful listeting to other peoples experiences . Thanks

are palpitations a withdrawal symptom when coming off amitryptiline? i am now on 10mg and have been having them 😕

Not in my experience but symptoms of withdrawal are usually a heightening of the symptoms you were taking them for in the first place. I know you said you had neck pain and this drug is used for nerve pain which is often the nature of neck pain. Did you also suffer from anxiety? When you stop taking it you're likely to have a return of your pain because the drug masked the pain but didn't cure the cause. If you also had anxieties, withdrawing the drug will allow the anxiety to return also and anxiety can often trigger palpitations as part of what is called a panic attack. If anxiety is an issue for you, that may be all it is. and, if so, then its harmless. If not, then discuss it with your GP.

i did have anxiety but it was never to the point of panic attacks and before recently i have never had palpitations before. i am thinking/hoping it is a withdrawal symptom and that it will pass. i am going to take the 10mg for a while to get my body used to being on a lower dose. it is crazy what meds can do to you

Just go to the GP we can all give our own opinions,, but non of us are really experts in this field,, and it's not often neck pain! These tablets are used for a variety of symptoms,,

If you've never had palpitations before, then see your GP.

i havnt had palpatations that might be anxiaety