# amitriptyline and starting to feel bad



## Spoon (Jul 19, 2002)

Hi people,Hvane't posted here in sometime as I have been feeling sooo good, problem is now I am starting to have some trouble.I have been on 20mg amitriptyline for about 6 months now and since I have started taking it I have been great, pretty much as I was before I started getting IBS.Last weekend I had some trouble while out for the day, I hadn't eaten for the whole day and when I do that I get my IBS act up really bad, this happened while I was out. When I got home I got some food into me and took some Buscopan and I felt ok again. The next day (And pretty much the past 3 days) I have started feeling my IBS coming back little by little, today I am not too bad but my anxiety and stuff has come back aswell as I shake alittle and am loosing my apetite (All stuff that used to happen when I was worse with my IBS).I am very worried as what to do, I desperately don't want to slip back into what I was like before amitriptyline. After taking amitriptyline for awhile do you start to get used to it and need to increase the dose, or when u find a dose does it work for you all the time?Should I take my dose up to 30mg and then bring it back down to 20mg when I start to feel better?I don't want to go back to what I was like....


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## Cindy3535 (Jun 28, 2002)

Hi,I am also on Amitriptalyine (elavil) since I can't spell) I take 25mgs. I'm reluctant to up it. yes your body does get use to it and you have to up the dose and since I have been there and done that and don't like the side effects of the 50-75mg range. I convinced my shrink to give me something else and I take valium 20mgs per day I cut back yesterday to 20mgs of valium and for the first time in one month I had an episode of IBS so I don't know if any of these drugs are just a bandade to the situation or not but I don't want to get addicted and I'm not because I didn't freak out sometimes I take 1 valium a day sometimes 2 and thats not even a high dose but it does help along with the Elavil. I'm assuming if your only on 20mgs of elavil your body has now gotten use to the dose but 50mgs might just do the trick and keep you balanced for a while. Side effects are crappy though I didn't have sexual side effects but the weight gain and dry mouth thing sucked to put it mildly.I'm not out here recommending valium thats for sure I'm just at my wits end. I also take the enteric coated peppermint oil caps before lunch and dinner and that helps the gut I take the brand from Solvary. Like you said, I think our bodies get so use to the drugs that eventually they loose effect and we need more and more just to take a normal bowel movement. I get so excited when I have a normal one Its just so fulfilling because I get IBS D all the time if I don't have my self medicated.I refuse to try lomotil or lotronex right now so I am dependant on my shrink to try and fix me. IBS QUEEN


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