# replacement for elavil?



## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Hi everyone,its been a while since I posted. Didn't actually think I'd live this long but I'm still here.I'm taking huge doses of domperidone, Reglan and doses of Levsin as needed, and still all I can tolerate is Jell-o and chicken broth, at first I was so hungry for something more but not so much now, and something is better than nothing at all. But if they are ever able to do more to help me, or if this problem goes away on its own, I will NEVER want to see Jell-o again, and surely lime jello will make me go postal.My GP would like me to start taking elavil again, but my GI doc said it (trycyclic antidepressants) would react with the above medications. Is there any similar drug I could take instead that would help with the FM symptoms. I quit the elavil almost a year ago, and there is some suspicion that all the years I was taking it, it was protecting me from some mysterious ailment I didn't even know I had. But at the same time, I discovered some information that says prolonged use of Elavil can cause gastroparesis, which it seems I am now suffering from.I feel pretty miserable to say the least, and I would really like to have an alternative to the elavil because I don't think starting it again is an option.I would appreciate any advice.Lori


----------



## squrts (Aug 14, 2000)

HI !(((LORI)))







so glad your well enouth to post,and out of the hospital anyway.no advice im afraid,but i`ll say a prayer for you.


----------



## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi Lori and Squrts.







Sorry, I don't have any idea what to suggest. Amitriptylene (Elavil) wrecked my stomach after 8 years of use and it really didn't even help the pain or the headaches. And I was on a low dose, too. I sure hope you can find something to help. Glad you're feeling up to posting a little anyway. We missed you. I haven't been posting much either. Have enough on my plate right now, with hubbies stroke the other day. Life.


----------



## squrts (Aug 14, 2000)

thats awful fisty,is he expected to recover fully?as if you dont have enouth,that sucks!prayers for you too.


----------



## JoJen (Nov 6, 2002)

Hi Lori- nice to see you back. I read that Wellbutrin is often used to replace Elavil. Elavil does stop the normal movements of the intestine which is why the GP wanted you back on it. There are many anti-depressants in low doses that are used for sleep. Some other sleep ones are Desyrel, Ambien, Pamelor just to name a few.Hope that you find what you're looking for.


----------



## kamie (Sep 14, 2002)

maybe I missed it but what were you taking Elavil for?If it was apin, it might be hard to replace.If was for sleep there are other bettermeds.If it was for anxiety or depression there are better meds too.So really the only one where Elavil seems to do a superior job is in the pain department and then too it does not always work well with everyone.Recovering from a bowel shut down is rough.That was what you had right?I had a huge total shut down in April.It's been a challenge to get my life and health back.Best of health to you.Feel better soon.Kamie


----------



## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Thanks for the responses everyone.The Elavil was for pain initially, but it helped in a lot of other areas too like IBS-D, sort of a bonus.Kamie, no one has used the words "complete bowel shutdown" but thats what all the indications say. Would you mind telling me about your experience, what happened and how it was treated?Wellbutrin-what class of drugs is that in JoJen, is it a painkiller, antidepressant or sleep aid? I think someone mentioned it to me before, maybe calida last year I think but I can't remember now.I am trying a potato today and green beans, it scares me to eat now, but I have to try, jello isn't enough.Thanks for the helpLori


----------



## AliceH (Oct 20, 2002)

LoriI hope I'm not way off in left field as I have not been following this thread, but had decided today was a good day to start.







My mom had a bad gall bladder but didn't know what was causing her problems. She kept cutting down on foods until she was eating only completely fat free chicken breast, bananas, and plain baked potato. Finally it got to where she couldn't even eat that. It took a while to convince the doc the gall bladder was bad (it had jelled and looked ok in tests). When it was removed, she could eat anything!Now to what first comes to mind in my experience. I had a bowel shut down many years ago simply because there were not enough hours in the day to get some rest. I guess one could call it stress, although otherwise, I felt great! When the bowels finally did shut down and I started to fever, I went to the ER. I was given something for diarrhea and I got the diahhrea back. A little better than nothing at all. This was many years ago so the med I tried is a rather old one. I took phenebarbitol with belladonna. This relaxed the stomach, intestines that I was able to return to normal and was able to return to work within a couple of weeks. There are so many muscle relaxers by Rx now. Don't know if they would work or not, but it is a thought. I do know that the phenebarb/belledonna was the turning point for me.I so hope you will find an answer.HugsAlice


----------



## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

Hi Alice,My gallbladder was the first thing they thought of, but I had it out 14 years ago (it also jelled and looked fine, but the scan did show it had stopped working) but I got better when they took it out.One of the meds i am now taking is made from belledonna, I think its the Domperidone. It has helped, but not as much as they would have liked. I think they were hoping that my system would normalize and normal functions would kick back in on their own, but it hasn't happened, its like the nerves that tell my digestive tract to work are dead. There are hundreds of things (diseases) that can cause this condition, so the key must be figuring it out and treating it along with this. Most of the time I am so tired of it all, 13 months of bad days & jello and sleeping in a hospital bed and not with my husband. I would not in any way try to minimize what we suffer with FM, but I would give just about anything to go back to my just FM days, at least then I had good days along with the bad, I could still function. Currently, and for some time this has not been the case. Every day has become something I have to survive, hour by hour. When it was just FM, I still had dreams, made plans for the future, and managaed to be a wife & mother (not a great one, but it was something)Now I take up space on the couch, cost a fortune in drugs and hospital trips.....I exist and not much more than that. The FM world I lived in 2 years ago, and thought was the worst I had to deal with in life, now looks pretty good to me. Maybe God did this to me so I could learn that there are always worse things that could happen.Sorry, I seem to be on a bit of a self pity trip tonight, I just get so tired of it all sometimes. Its a wonder, how we all face our pain & suffering, and we willingly get up and do it all over again the next day and the day after. I'm not sure what that makes us, but one thing I know for sure, we are not weaklings and we are not cowards.Lori


----------



## M&M (Jan 20, 2002)

No advice here either. Just a couple of (((hugs)))


----------



## BOGGS (Apr 1, 2000)

Hi Lori Ann, I am so sorry to hear about all the things you have to deal with right now. My prayers will be with you to get some kind of relief. I can understand all the frustration that you have right now. ALL any of us can do is just deal with what ever comes are way day by day hour by hour. I never could figure out why some people can have normal lifes and some can't . Just wanted to let you know we are here for you and don't worry about the self pity thing this is were we all can do that at. God Bless and Take Care Pat


----------



## LoriAnn (Jan 31, 2002)

hi everyone, I just wanted to move this up, just in case someone had something to add to my question. I am seeing my doctor on Friday and I need some ideas of what to ask him for.Lori


----------



## Guest (Nov 30, 2002)

The doctor started me on 10 mg. of Elavil for Fibro, and last night I took my first dose. I couldn't go to sleep, then I was awake on and off all night. I had to get up and get something to eat I felt so hungry, and had eaten supper later than normal. Good luck with your health. I decided Elavil hurts more than it helps me.


----------



## Feisty (Aug 14, 2000)

Hi Lori.







Sorry I haven't written lately. I've been "under" in all sorts of ways and can't seem to get much accomplished.I remember talking to you about the Elavil a year or so ago. Remember? When I mentioned that it tore up my stomach---big time---I thought you said that your stomach was a mess too. Like it felt you had an ulcer or something. At least, I think that's what I remember.Practically everyone I have talked to that takes or has taken Elavil says the same thing. Stomach problems (like a knawing hunger feeling) is prevalent and most everyone gains alot of weight with it. I know you could use the weight, but you sure don't want to have worse stomach problems.I think your Doc has made a good choice. Not many Doc's do that. They want to shove anti-depressants at every one (especially women)that walks through their doors and says they are depressed or anxious. And there really is a difference between clinical depression and being "depressed" due to health issues, family issues, etc. such as you've had so many of. You know what my experiences were with the anti-depressants. They actually caused me to go into "the black hole" and I didn't think I could get out---until I cold-turkeyed and said--- *No More*.Hang in there.







Take care. I'll try to write soon.


----------



## Guest (Dec 1, 2002)

Fiesty! Glad you replied to the Elavil experience. I have felt like all day long I have an ulcer. I have this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach after taking 10 mg of Elavil last night, not to mention I haven't had enough sleep because of the med. It is 5:15 PM, (almost 24 hours after taking med) and I still can't sleep. Makes me dread trying to go to bed tonight, but you can bet it will be without the Elavil!!


----------

