# Effects of Amitryptilin



## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Hi,I've started taking Amitryptilin 12 days ago. I've started on 5 mg and I'm now on 15 mg (I cut the tablets in half).Every time I went up by 5 mg I had one day feeling rather dizzy and groggy, but otherwise I'm fine. The effect on the IBS was/is surpisingly immediate. Especially in the morning my bowels seem to be 'asleep' though in the afternoon I can tell that the effect of the medicine is tapering off. The slightly drugged feeling goes away and parallely my bowels seem 'to wake up' and go straight into an IBS attack, cramping and gurgling, so I'm longing for nighttime to take my next dosis. Though yesterday I tried to avoid this by taking 5 mg at lunch time (and the other 10 mg at 9.30 pm) and it did make a huge difference. It felt a bit 'stuck up' but no attack in the afternoon or evening. However, in the middle of the night I woke up to some strong colon cramps (though leading to nothing, just painful) for quite a while. I think my bowels strongly dislike the changing speed of the peristalsis caused by the amitryptilin. I think the positive effect I'm feeling so far is mainly caused by the slowing down of peristalsis, it keeps the IBS at bay as long as the concentration of the medication in my blood is high enough. I'm still waiting for the promised anasthetic effect, the 'rising of the pain-threshold' which should actually keep my bowels from reacting so sensitively to a changed pace of peristalsis in the first place. Has anybody got an opinion whether this is a question of time or of dosage? I think perhaps I should go up to 20 mg? How soon did you feel an effect on your IBS when taking ADs? Should I go up to 25 mg so as to be able to get a Retard version of the Amitryptilin which would probably be the best for me? Any experiences or advice would be much appreciated!!Thanks Susanne


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## m_m_forth (Oct 21, 2003)

Wow, that's great Susanne. Are you IBS D type? If so, has the medication worked on your D? Thanks.


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## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Hi Realist,No,I'm not IBS-D, rather the pain/bloating type. I used to have loose stools and occasional D attacks before I started getting things under control through diet and Psyllium, which helped me enormously. I CAN actually live a fairly symptom free life IF I stick to rice, chicken breast/fish and apple sauce and eat rice cakes all day long against the hunger. Add gluten-free bread, a some fat and half a carrot per day and I can live with some, bearable symptoms. But any disruption will throw me off again and there seemed to be no improvement at all even though I changed my life completely. Now in winter I find myself having to return to 'rice only' even more frequently which is just a nightmare, I just refuse to grow thin and weak again. Therefore, after sticking to this restrictive diet for OVER A YEAR I decided to try the amitryptiline after all. I've had a strong suspicion that I'd be the right candidate for this type of medication, since my problem seems to be the combined hypersensitivity and motility problem and this very low but predictable pain threshold. Since I was able to control the symptoms more or less in a reactive and natural way, I'm not too happy about controlling, even steering them with such strong medication. But I just can't bear being on this diet for much longer, which means no social life (unless I'm ready to entertain a fascinated audience with my grisly story all night), no job, no normal life.We'll see whether this dream will come true....Best wishesSusanne


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## california123 (Jun 8, 2003)

Hi Susaloh, Just reading the dosage info on the drug you are using, it sounds like you are at a very low dose. The website I read said 25 3x day, up to 150 total if necessary. Have you talked to your doctor about what your dosage should be? I know the idea of taking drugs is not a great one to you, but if you're going to use it you should try the dosage that will really make a difference. As I have posted, I am on both Xanax and Effexor XR and have no more D and feel like life is good. Take care.


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## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Hi California! Thanks for your concern! I find your thoughts quite interesting because there seems to be a fundamental difference as to how these medications are prescribed in Europe and in the US. Here they're making a strong distinction between depression and other uses of tricyclic Antidepressants. It's believed that to treat things like IBS or headaches, only a very small dosage is needed, which actually is not expected to have any antidepressant effect at all. Doctors in the UK and here in Germany normally recommend 10 to 20 mg (unless the patient suffers from depression as well!). In the U.S (my impression from the message boards) this distinction seems to be not so clear, or rather, a dosage of 50-75 mg is considered low and appropriate for treating IBS. It's all about philosophies, I guess!Well, in any case I'm going to see a neurologist in a few days as I do not trust my gastroenterologist to be much of an expert on ADs. Until then I hope to go up to 20 mg. Thanks againSusanne


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## floridagrl321 (Jan 13, 2004)

Hey Guys, I'm on amitri. . . too. I am IBS-D with severe cramps. I think my drug is technically called: "CDP/Amitrip" I think i'm on about 5mgs of it (one pill at bedtime). Does that sound familiar? I too have noticed the groggy effects of it and was quite tired when I woke up the next morning. I have been on it for 9 days now and have not had any problems with D. Such a blessing. I have not spoken with my doctor about upping the dose though. I think he just wanted to get me adjusted to the side effects and see if it works.Sus-I don't really know how much is required of an AD for IBS. I have found relief at 5 mgs. But that may change as my body adapts to the drug. I'm glad I found you because i couldn't find anyone on this drug. Along with this and metamucal (4 capsuls a day)I've been fine for the past 9 days. Maybe some more fiber will help your abdominal cramps? Give it a try.Floridagrl


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## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Floridagrl.I found this about CDP/Amitrip:Amitriptyline is an antidepressant used to treat depression. Chlordiazepoxide is an anti-anxiety medication used to relieve nervousness and tension. This combination medication works faster and has less side effects than either medication alone.So, as I'm taking Amitryptilene on its own I guess it's a bit different and one can't really compare the dosage. In any case, I'm glad it helps you with the D! Since I've switched onto a slow release 25mg capsule, I'm lucky to say thatI have no more side effects at all and hardly any IBS symptoms. It's brilliant and I hope it will last!! I think I got the weight gain under control, too by cutting out sweets...SusanneSusanne


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## jools41 (Jan 8, 2004)

i have had amitrip and i hated the feeling it gave me, i found that it didnt knock me out until the wee small hours of the morning i.e just when other people are getting up.i would not reccomend amitrip to anyone, but then again it may work for others but it certainly didnt work for me, it made my paranoid, panic stricken and in a way almost frightened.


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## jools41 (Jan 8, 2004)

ps: to my last comment i should add i did get a sleep with amitrip but it did have some serious side affects for me.


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## Brandi Guidry (Jul 9, 2000)

Hi Susan,I take 75mgs of Elavil or Amitriptyline at night right before bedtime. Try taking your dose at bedtime. It's a med that is supposed to be taken right before you go to bed. I can't take it during the day, because I, like you, will get "dizzy" and "droggy" and want to sleep. If it makes you to sleepy and ask you doctor to switch to something else. There are a lot of other meds similiar to that one. You are taking a very low dose of Amitriptyline. It's a good thing that he didn't start you out at a higher dose!!!Good luck to you,Brandi


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## SJH (Jan 6, 2004)

I was prescribed 20mg to start with and found that I was totally 'out of it' the following day even when I took the tablet last thing at night. My Dr then reduced my doseage to 10mg and I had exactly the same side effects, it was horrible I couldn't concentrate on anything and my head felt terrible. Because my IBS-D was really bad I tried to stick with the medication but after 5 days I had to stop as it was affecting my work. Out of interest how long was it before the side effects wore off if at all for others? I must admit they did help my IBS-D but the side effects were not practical for me.


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## NancyCat (Jul 16, 1999)

I found that the tiredness side effect went away after about 2 weeks. Hope this helps


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## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Hi! Here's my update for you!My side effects stopped COMPLETELY from one day to the next. This was I think on the 12th day when I switched from 20 mg, (spread over the day in 3 doses) to a 25 mg retard capsule (retard=slow release). I woke up on the first day with a clear head and feeling brilliant. Also my IBS symptoms disappeared completely. Even when I was spreading the 20mg dosage (taking 10 mg in the evening, 5 mg in the morning and 5 in the afternoon), I could feel the symptoms getting worse each time the medication was wearing off. For the first week on the slow release capsules they did still come back about an hour before I had to take the next capsule, but then I stopped feeling any difference at all. Also at first I was still aware that I was taking the amitryptilin, a certain doped feeling in the background, but now I don't feel anything at all anymore, I feel completely normal!!! Most important, I have been able to EAT almost like a normal person!!! I have put on about 4 pounds of weight, however everybody feels that I really needed to put on a little weight. Now I find myself going up a little because I enjoy my food so much but reducing my calorie intake will get me down again, which is reassuring. However, if I starve myself I binge, which never used to be a problem. I guess it will take some time until my body finds a new balance. In any case I've been going to the gym three times per week since Christmas hoping that the additional weight will settle down as muscle and not as fat. It's doing me lots of good and I continue to feel brilliant!!SusanneP.S. If prescribed Amitryptilin, ask your doctor for the slow release version! Too few people and doctors seem to know about the new slow release capsules that are popping up on the market for many medications. I think they make a huge difference, just simply because the concentration of the medication in your blood is always on the same stable level, which seems to be much more sensible and effective, also in terms of side effects, probably not only for IBS sufferers with sensitive systems but for everybody!


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## jw01 (Feb 18, 2004)

Anyone experienced weight gain on Elavil/Amitryptilin??


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## chihuahua_girl (Mar 16, 2004)

I gained 20 lbs in two months. Before the amitryp I was about 130. I had been 130-135 for basically my whole adult life. (I'm 5 '8) I stopped it about 2 months ago and cant seem to lose it, which is sad because bikini season is so soon! It helped initally (I mostly had nausea) the IBS symptoms came later but then I kept having to up my dosage (10 mg- 50mg) I was so tired in the morning I couldnt take it any more (& the weight) i also started to feel "weird" like I wasnt really myself at the higher dose.One benifit though, it totally stopped my chronic migranes!!!!!


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