# Off Antidepressant - Pain's back and worse



## missamerica (Jan 8, 2009)

Hi guys,I have just come off Nortriptyline and the pain is back. I think its even worse than before. It now has me waking up at night and the early hours of the morning. Anyone experience this when coming off the medication?I really can't go back on them as some of the side effects were so bad!Thanks!


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2009)

Nope - and I'm assuming you were on a low doseage for your IBS problems rather than a moderate or high dose for depression/anxiety (which I am). In any event you'd have needed to taper off very slowly or you could run into problems.Why on earth did you come off anyway?Sue


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well the antidepressants do not cure the reason you had the pain, just block it from being transmitted. They tend to turn the volume down on pain so inappropriate pain signals get "turned down" while the pain you want to feel still gets through.So when you go off them the pain typically comes back unless you were lucky enough to just happen to go into remission during the time you were taking the meds.Pain is a tricky thing so hard to know if it is worse, or you were just used to it before and now it is back you can compare it to no pain.Can you take antispasmodics? (although some of them have the same issues with side effects as the tricyclics).Do they think you could try an SSRI or other kind of antidepressant that has a different side effect profile?Does peppermint do anything for you? (doesn't have the anticholinergic side effects but can make heartburn worse).If you can't take any of the medications it may be worth giving the IBS Hypnosis CDs a go. Some people can turn the pain down with those sorts of things.


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## ZPE (Mar 3, 2009)

missamerica said:


> Hi guys,I have just come off Nortriptyline and the pain is back. I think its even worse than before. It now has me waking up at night and the early hours of the morning. Anyone experience this when coming off the medication?I really can't go back on them as some of the side effects were so bad!Thanks!


I came off Allergon and that abdominal pain did come back. It sounds it's very severe in your case though. Maybe do as others suggested and come off them gradually, I got addicted to them and slowly got off by breaking the tablets in half per night then skipping a night then stopping altogether. Some nights I get the urge to try them again though...


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