# one week on amitriptyline update...



## TVgirl

Okay so I have taken elavil (amitriptyline) 25mg every day for past week. It is too soon to say that it is my miracle drug because it has only been a week...BUT...this week I have had NO problems at all with my bowels. My tummy feels calm, I didn't really realize before taking amitriptyline how uncalm my tummy was, even on the better days. I just feel really calm. I don't know how else to explain it. when I have bowel movements I feel the urge to go, like a normal person, like I used to along time ago...then I go. Before when I went I never felt done and had to keep going back to bathroom throughout the day. now I go and it is done, I feel properly emptied. I have had a couple very very minor cramp in my tummy that lasted no more than 10 minutes. that was it...So so far so good !! I'll update again as the weeks go on.


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## Miss_sarah89

How is it going for you? my doctor prescribed me it yesterday to try


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## debbie38london

hello my doctor prescribed me amtripline for sleep and depression , it helps me sleep but aint got rid of my stomach pain, makes me feel drowzy and sedated , ive been on them for 5 weeks now, not helping at all,


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## TVgirl

I guess it has been a few weeks now on 25mg. Well the first week was the best but now I am not so sure. I am having some bad days now again with some urgency and loose BM's. I am getting more headaches now and today I had the worst kind of headaches ever !!! they are those ice pick headaches where I get sharp pains in my head. I don't know if it is the medication but I thought elavil was supposed to help people with headaches. I suffered headaches before but they seem to be a bit worse now. I am less drowsy now than curing the first week but am feeling very lazy like very very lazy. I got really awful dry mouth all the time and a few times I was choking because my mouth was dry...I actually had a couple people come up to me and ask me if I was okay. Not helping much with the sleep but it did the first few days. I find it harder to get up in the morning though but still takes me a loooooooong time to fall asleep. My mood...well not noticing much of difference but I think I am getting irritated more like I am finding things annoy me more than before. I still feel depressed and sick and tired all the time. So guess not a miracle drug for me. I have to go back to doctor soon I don't see a need to continue this medication. I certainly don't want to up the dose and have worse dry mouth.


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## Kathleen M.

Sometimes with Tricyclics people have fewer side effects with the secondary amines rather than the tertiary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant has the list of which is which).It may be worth switching to desipramine or one of the other secondary amine TCAs if you want to keep trying this class (my GI usually uses the secondary ones as they often have fewer side effects).If you really need help with the depression you might want to think about an SNRI, some people do better on those than the tricyclics and the SNRI's also tend to be constipating rather than tend to increase diarrhea and some are also approved for pain issues (like Cymbalta)Remeron may be another option, it can make people really sleepy, but it is chemically related to Lotronex so sometimes works OK for people with IBS-D.


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## TVgirl

Kathleen M. said:


> Sometimes with Tricyclics people have fewer side effects with the secondary amines rather than the tertiary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant has the list of which is which).It may be worth switching to desipramine or one of the other secondary amine TCAs if you want to keep trying this class (my GI usually uses the secondary ones as they often have fewer side effects).If you really need help with the depression you might want to think about an SNRI, some people do better on those than the tricyclics and the SNRI's also tend to be constipating rather than tend to increase diarrhea and some are also approved for pain issues (like Cymbalta)Remeron may be another option, it can make people really sleepy, but it is chemically related to Lotronex so sometimes works OK for people with IBS-D.


thank you for those suggestions I will talk with my doctor soon.


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## raym0nd

TVgirl said:


> hello my doctor prescribed me amtripline for sleep and depression , it helps me sleep but aint got rid of my stomach pain, makes me feel drowzy and sedated , ive been on them for 5 weeks now, not helping at all,


looks like your computer has a case of diarrhea. .Ignore that...My opinions, may be subject to criticism and god-forbid, being banned on this forum :Anti - Depressants : The most depressing thingA point to ponder upon...Hi, a little about me first - suffered IBS-C for 7 years, recovering well now. I had very poor sleep during IBS-C and sometimes depression. NONE of the 5 doctors I consulted recommended anti-depressants(hereafter AD) and sleeping-pills to me. I have never used them and do not even want to try.I am NOT a doctor or a scientist, but I do know some of the "rudiments" of science - biology,chemistry and physics. Some of what i say may already be known/suggested to you. To begin with, I ask you does a person always need a degree (it has its benefits, i know) to analyze or think rationally ? Of course, you must only consult "qualified doctors" for your problems. But does this qualification imply that the doctor is actually giving "correct" advice, regardless of the nature of his/her intentions ?I would like to begin by saying that *ONLY AN IDIOT OR UNAWARE PERSON*(not alluding or referring to anyone ) will recommend sleeping-pills and anti-depressants. I am not taking my harsh language back this time.Now that i have said this, i can see angry comments, statements like "oh, here comes another self-appointed doctor" and the like heading my way. I will let that pass. In my humble opinion, there are two reasons for depression :1- disease in the body (the suffering makes you unhappy)2- "disease" of the mind (negativity, greed , too much aggression etc.)Can AD cure 1 and 2 ?Do you think that AD can be beneficial when all it does is "suppress the symptoms" instead of dealing with the cause ?Take a look at those who use narcotics ? Some of their reasons are "to get a kick", "to forget troubles" etc. Do narcotics really solve their problems ? You know the answer. I feel that there is not much difference between a "budding" drug-addict and a regular AD user. Both will discover that their dosage increases with time or their "cures" become ineffective. Ok, i am talking big stuff - so where is my backing research, clinical trials and the like - i dont think this issue needs such an overkill.Consider an example.Suppose a person needs affection, love ,care and hugging (sometimes one does not realize it !). So what should this person get to be happy ? Certainly not AD.Another example, a person has a chronic disease. Should the doctor strive to find out the solution to the problem with an open-mind or prescribe AD's if that person is depressed/has a lack of sleep ?When the answer lies within you, it is useless to look for solutions elsewhere.For the foolish doctors (NOT ALL ARE FOOLISH):*When the only tool you possess is a hammer, every problem begins to resemble a nail...*If any of you want to deal with stress, I suggest that you "change the way you think and your life-style" (perhaps i need to add some info here). Some wonderful relaxation methods :1) playing with friendly pets, dogs in particular(unless you are allergic to them)2) socializing and joking.3) keeping "bad" emotions away as much as possible.4) "pranayam" a set of simple, FREE ,breathing technique that also stimulates the internal organs. I will not suggest "yoga" because it may be too demanding for you. Again, there is no 100% guarantee it will bust stress, but its definitely worth reading about.If you find this information relevant to you, suggest it to others.good luck and stay happy.PS : If you think all this is nonsense PM me right away, i will not write any more stuff like this. PM fast coz i am in the last phase of editing my posts, dunno if i will be able to return and spend enough time for a "properly-typed" reply.


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## TVgirl

Okay 5 and half weeks on elavil. I seem to be doing pretty good now. I went through a rough patch but I do know that it takes a few weeks for antidepressants to work. I do suffer from dry mouth. I feel like I am better on this pill than when I was off of it. I got over that rough patch a couple weeks ago and so far have been doing good since. My BM's again are formed and when I go my bowels are empty. I haven't had any stomach trouble at all for about 10 days I guess. So that is good news. I have been suffering from more headaches on this pill which is uncommon because it often helps people with their headaches but this past week my headaches have been virtually gone. I do feel less anxious and I think my mood has improved a bit. I always suffered from poor sleep and this pill has made me sleep a little better. I still take awhile to fall asleep and wake up occasionally during the night. The mornings are the hardest as I am finding it harder to wake up in the morning. I do feel lazier these days too. Anyways I decided to stay on it for awhile longer and keep giving it a try. I am on 25mg every night. I also take nexium as needed which usually is one every few days for heartburn / reflux.


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## nas500

hello everyone i am new to this and its my first post. i just wanted to say that i have been diagnosed with ibs aswell and after trying everything my doctor put me on amitriptyline 10mg to take at night. so far its my 3rd night no difference yet. how long will it take for me to notice the proper effects and does it work. how is everyone else doing with it. thanks


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## TVgirl

nas500 said:


> hello everyone i am new to this and its my first post. i just wanted to say that i have been diagnosed with ibs aswell and after trying everything my doctor put me on amitriptyline 10mg to take at night. so far its my 3rd night no difference yet. how long will it take for me to notice the proper effects and does it work. how is everyone else doing with it. thanks


Hello and welcome10 mg is a low dose. I was taking 25mg each night and it did help me. I took for 8 weeks and then stopped only because I wasn't able to get to the doctors for a refill. So been off of it now for about a week and no side effects coming off of it. BUT my stomach is starting to bother me again. I found the amitriptyline helped dry me out and keep me less anxious. It didn't help much with my sleep and it gave me headaches which is an odd side effect. Headaches are usually helped by this medication but for me I got really sharp pains in my head which scared me. After being off of it for a week my headaches are better already but now my stomach isn't holding up. Good luck to you. I found that it took a good month to really work. I noticed it working the first week by drying me out but I had a bad bout I think a week or so after and then from then on I was pretty good on it, aside from the headaches and dry mouth.


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## MIRMAK

TVgirl said:


> 10 mg is a low dose. I was taking 25mg each night and it did help me. I took for 8 weeks and then stopped only because I wasn't able to get to the doctors for a refill.


Are you going to try something else for IBS? Will it be other type (brand) of antidepressants?


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## cw_2009

Hows it going with your ibs?


MIRMAK said:


> Are you going to try something else for IBS? Will it be other type (brand) of antidepressants?


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## MIRMAK

cw_2009 said:


> Hows it going with your ibs?


I didn't quite understand, if you are asking me or TVGirl.As for me, I'm still there, I tried already a lot for last 3 years. Currently I'm trying vitality5 by melaleuca (the same company makes ProvexCV). I already tried ProvexCV for 2 months, but vitality5 includes more: vitamins, probiotics, provexCV, fiber. In past year I tried a lot of supplements and other stuff and it helped with my condition, I feel better, but I still didn't have any nice day in last 3 years, but I could manage it somehow... Looking forward into vitality5.


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