# AMITRIPTYLINE ANYONE?



## Vicky Foster (Sep 15, 2002)

Hey, I've been on a baby dose of amitriptyline for nearly 18 months - 20mg every night.I was prescribed it after years of quite debilitating IBS, and it is the only thing (alongside diet change) that has helped ease my symptoms.I'm 22, and have had IBS since my early teens, and imagine i will be plagued by it for the rest of my days, but i'm concerned that i'm not going to cope if/when i have to come off this medication.Is anyone else taking amitriptyline or similar tri-cyclic tablets who can offer me any advice/ share their experiences? By the way, when my doctor prescribed this (as a large effort) he failed to mention it was an anti-depressant...


----------



## Vicky Foster (Sep 15, 2002)

thanks for the astounding response, guys. *another dust ball rolls across the floor*


----------



## NancyCat (Jul 16, 1999)

I take it and it has worked well for me. The dose I take 30 mg/day is really small and would never help someone who needed it for depression as the dose is to low.I didnt want to even try it at first since I knew it was an antidepressant and thought that said something bad about me. I have gotten past that. In addition I also take a low dose 20 mg of paxil which my gastro feels will help with the anxiety and allow the elavil to work better as I reported that it didnt work as well. So far I'm pleased with the results. I cant think of a reason why you would need to stop taking it, unless you are trying to get pregnant. Whatever you deceide dont stop taking it cold turkey, you need to taper it a bit before you stop or you can get rebound pain. Hope this helps


----------



## susaloh (Dec 28, 2002)

Hi,I agree with everything Nancy says. Iï¿½ve been taking a 25 mg slow release capsule of Amitryptilene every night now for more than a year and is has made me regain some weight, fitness and a normal lifestyle. I feel brilliant now even though I still have some symptons, I still canï¿½t eat many things and I still have to lead a very disciplined life. But Iï¿½ve gone back to work and Iï¿½m so fit, I havenï¿½t had as much as a cold this winter yet. I asked my doctors about how long I will be able to take this medication and they said, basically thereï¿½s no time limit. People have been known to take amitryptilene for 11 and even 30 years. Apparently it doesnï¿½t even damage your liver in such low doses. I think I will enjoy life as it is for now but if I feel very fit and safe I may eventually try to wean myself off it, but I wonï¿½t hesitate to take it for a long time if I have to. I understand when youï¿½re only 22 you donï¿½t particularly like the idea of taking a medication for the rest of your life, but the rest of your life is a very long time and things may change inbetween, or you might find out more about the reasons for your IBS - like ï¿½ when I found out that I have a very strong dairy intolerance even stronger than I thought at first, and this has been responsible for part of the problem. Good luck anyway!


----------



## magnolia (Jan 20, 2005)

I've been taking Elavil for years...probably five or more. I started at 10mg per night and have worked up to 30mg...40mg if I'm having a bad flare up. According to my doctor, you can take this medication for years. I did a lot of research and am not worried. The drug doesn't appear to have any long-term negative affects.It has helped me SO much; I can't imagine NOT taking it. And, don't stop taking it to see what will happen. I've done that and the symptons come back and sometimes are worse. Just keep taking the dosage to control it and you should be fine.Good luck!


----------



## jools41 (Jan 8, 2004)

im on this too i take 50 mg per night and ive found im getting a better sleep, my partner takes 150 mg per night and he says hes fine on them.


----------



## ANDREA37 (Jul 21, 2002)

Hi guys. I like amitriptyline too. I started on 10mgs and am getting bumped up tp 20mgs next week. I like the way it makes you feel kinda tired. I think it has helped a bit with the pain, especially when i first started taking it. I have no plans to ever stop taking this drug. I would probably stay on it even if I got pregnant for fear that the benefits outweigh the risks. Andrea


----------



## englishfiona (May 25, 2004)

What symptoms is amitriptyline supposed to help with? Is it for constipation or for diarrhoea?


----------



## ANDREA37 (Jul 21, 2002)

I'd say it probably helps either since it releives pain. However, I think a side effect is constipation which makes it more geared toward IBS-D.


----------



## Tamgirl21 (Sep 2, 2001)

I have been on a few antidepressants & I was wondering if Elavil really helped with the IBS pain & if it makes you gain weight. I am soo underweight b/c of IBS-D. Did Elavil change your moods at all? Any sexual side effects? THNX!


----------



## 13483 (May 21, 2005)

Hi there... New to the board, but not new to IBS.. After tons of tests, my doctor diagnosed me with IBS and he put me on amitriptyline. 25mgs. And I had much improvement, I mean I wasn't perfect, but my IBS was much more manageable than before, for sure! I didn't really notice any side effects either.. Anyway, we determined that my IBS is caused by all of the stress in my life which causes anxiety and depression.. so i figured it would be best to seek some sort of therapy to learn how to deal with everything...after a few months and no improvement, my therapist suggested i be put on an antidepressant to help me get out of this serious funk i've been in for almost a year... so i was put on zoloft, with the promise that it would help IBS too.. i know this question is off topic for this thread, but has anyone been put on zoloft and noticed your IBS get worse? this past week has been horrible, i'm again afraid to go anywhere, make plans, eat... it's like the days before i was on amitriptyline... i'm afraid to stop using the zoloft though because i suffered from horrible withdrawal when i was on paxil about 5 years ago and i don't want to go through that again... does anyone have any advice or if you're on an antidepressant (SSRI) for depression, can you recommend one that helps IBS? any advice, thoughts, stories would be much appreciated.. thanks!!


----------



## ANDREA37 (Jul 21, 2002)

Hi Purplemoon77. Sorry you are feeling badly lately. I too am on Amitriptyline 20mgs, and I agree that it does help a bit with the IBS. However, if you have IBS-D (diarrhea predominant)your doctor probably shouldn't have prescribed you Zoloft, seeing as though diarrhea, and stomach upset is it's biggest side effect. My PCP tried to start me on it too, but when I checked with my GI, he said not to take it because it would surely make my symptoms worse. Instead he prescribed Lexapro 10mgs (SSRI antidepressant) because it has no gastrointestinal side effects. I have been on it for 2 years now, and recently was bumped up to 20mgs a day. It seems to help and I have no side effects from it. The first week I felt a little off, but stick with it because after that first week you'll be adjusted. I highly recommend Lexapro. Just tell your doctor you want to switch over. Hope this helps.Andrea


----------



## 17176 (Mar 31, 2005)

im on 50mg of amatrip, i take one before bedtime and normally i get a brill sleep. i could not do without them now


----------



## 13483 (May 21, 2005)

Thanks for your advice, Andrea. I really appreciate it... It's weird because the psychiatrist told me that he's treated people with depression/IBS with Zoloft and it helped them.... I hate when doctors give the wrong info : / I have a sort of combo IBS, alternating, but predominantly D... Luckily, I am seeing my doctor on Monday, so I'll be sure to tell him I want off Zoloft! Funny you mentioned Lexapro, one of my friends asked me about it the other day and I hadn't heard of it... Keeping my fingers crossed that something works! Glad Lexapro is working for you, must be a relief : ) Thanks again and take care!


----------

