# Amitriptyline for ibs making me foggy?



## djcici

Hi I have been suffering with IBS since i was 15. Was in a very bad way until i started low FODMAP. That has significantly improved my life, stopping sickness and diarrhea.

But i still get cramps. Was given mebeverine that blocked me up and made me worse.

Doc has just given me amitriptyline. I took my first 10mg tablet friday night and i was totally out of it all day, feeling dizzy, foggy, almost drunk, tired, dry mouth, sweat, palpitations. I could not function. But i had no stomach pain at all!

I took half the tablet last night (5mg) and i feel a little less woozy, but the pain is back.

I just wanted to know if anyone else has 
A) had any success with amitryiptyline
B) how long it takes for the side effects to wear off.

I drive to work and work in the legal industry so i really need to be sharp and on the ball. I cannot go in to work like this tomorrow as i am forgetting conversations and just feel totally spaced out and exhausted!

Any feedback would be MUCH appreciated x


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## shelivin

hi im also a ibs d sufferer im 34 female had it for 4 years .i take mebreverine 3 times a day 20mins before meals and sometimes i only have 2 a day .i have bad panic attacks due to my ibs d and the doc put me on 10mg amitrypitline or however u spell it 2wks ago i take 1 at night .when i wake up i feel out of it dizzy and it takes a while to wear off .it has really helped my stomach though even if i do feel sleepy id rather that than d n cramps .hope it helps you !


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## djcici

Thank you so much for your reply - have u found the drowsiness has got less after a couple of weeks using it? I took half last night and feel almost normal so think im gonna get my body used to it for a week or 2 with 5 mg then go up to 10 mg. i am up really early and need to drive ans was so out of it yday that it wud have been dangerous to drive.

Glad to hear u are feeling better x


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## shelivin

hi im 2 wks inn and the light headed thing is still there but eases as the day goes on but try taking it 2 hrs before you are going to sleep i find it helps and cuts the dizzyness .


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## djcici

Thank you so much for the feedback, i hope it gets better and better for you. Would be interesting to keep updated on how the medicine works for us in the long term


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## northstar15

A helpful tip on Amatriptyline. Be aware of the time you take it before bed. In most cases it takes a few hours before it actually kicks in. So if you aren't taking it early enough it leaves you feeling drugged. I've been taking this medication for a few years now and as a seasoned warrior on this medication...Set an alarm. I take it at 5 o'clock at night like clock work. By 8 I'm tired and by 9 I'm asleep. In my case it caused the duration of my required sleep to increase. I went from 4-6 hours a night to 8-10. Take interruptions to your sleep seriously. My house knows not to try and talk to me before 7:30am unless an emergency because it can and will leave me feeling foggy and grumpy all day. And over time the side effects decrease. You get in a routine and life goes on. I take the medication for many reason and I was already on it for other reasons when we were going down the list of possible medications to take for IBS-D. Either way I see the importance in this medication because lack of sleep (sometimes due to abdominal pain) can take its toll. Not only has it helped me properly rest but it helps with the back pain that my irrational tummy likes to give me. I'm also surprised your doctor didn't slowly transition you into this. My doctor always has me do a day on and a day off for two weeks until I get used to any prescription. I find now that I have done that over time I can bounce between 25mg and 50mg depending on what my life needs of me. Feel it out. Find your own routine. And don't be disheartened because adjustment to this medication takes time.


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## djcici

Oh wow that's really useful thank you I will mention easing into it to the doctor. I took it last night at 7:30 and i'm now sat in the doctors office. Had a terrible nights sleep and felt really light headed all night. I physically couldn't go to work this morning as i was so dizzy and feeling faint. My whole body is in pain and I am massively confused and forgetful. I don't think this drug agreed with me - I am more gutted because this is the last thing left to try. I guess I will just have to live in pain


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## rmiller1985

Hi djcici,

Don't give up and just live in pain! Keep fighting. You are not alone!

If a low-FODMAP diet helped you, please consider the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I started on the SCD about two and a half months ago, and I'd say my symptoms have improved 95%. The science behind the SCD is slightly different than the low-FODMAP approach: while low-FODMAP limits the foods that are known to ferment more in some people (foods high in fructans and polyols, foods with a high fructose-to-glucose ratio, etc.), the SCD removes all complex carbohydrates from the diet, because these are not digested well by people with compromised gut function, and the undigested complex carbohydrates then go on to wreak havoc farther down the pipe.

I highly recommend getting a copy of "Breaking the Vicious Cycle" by Elaine Gottschall and reading through it. There are also lots of online resources for the diet (although you have to be careful who you listen to). I've found the BTVC-SCD Yahoo group very, very helpful.

I've been blogging about my experience on the diet, and just posted a few thoughts about it yesterday.

Cheers,

Rich

Lifetime wonky gut

2 months SCD

http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com


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## djcici

Thank you very much Rich, I will definitely have a look into this! I'm so glad to hear it's been having a positive effect. I read a few pages of your blog and it sounds like a remarkable change! I had a similar experience with the FODMAP diet but 6 months in I got some of the symptoms back and nowadays i suffer mostly with cramps and nausea but not so much with the D (thankfully). Maybe the SCD will help with that - i'd rather avoid medication so quite excited to look into this diet


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## rmiller1985

Hi djcici,

I'm not sure if it's common with the low-FODMAP diet, but apparently a recurrence of symptoms is common at 3 or 6 months on SCD. They call it "the 3-month flare." I'm trying to revel in my success so far so that if/when that happens I don't get too depressed!

So perhaps your body is simply re-adjusting for a time. Or perhaps the different approach of the SCD would help more. Impossible to predict. I definitely recommend reading Elaine's book, either way. Understanding the science behind the diet, I was able to look back and interpret some things about my gut function that I'd never completely understood over the years. I don't think I've got everything figured out exactly -- how I wish my body could be see-through for a while, so that I could see what's going on in there! -- but I think I have a much better handle on how my gastrointestinal tract works, both the good and the bad.

Cheers,

Rich

Lifetime wonky gut

2 months SCD

http://omnivoreoncemore.blogspot.com


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