# Amitritylene help needed



## GUTted (Jul 2, 2009)

Hi, I’ll try to keep this concise…My symptoms: urgency and frequency but not diarrhoea, infrequent cramps.Prescription: 10mg amitritylene taken once a night at bed time.From day one I noticed a big difference and pretty much got IBS-C. By the end of week three I stopped taking it as I barely been to the toilet, had developed severe cramps and had urgency returning whilst severely reduced amount persisted. I have been off amitriptylene for about a week now and am dealing with the vengeance of a three week backlog so to speak.Is anyone aware of similar medicines that may be better suited? Could anyone suggest a reduced dosage of amitriptylene would be calming without being so heavy handed? I originally went to my doctor to find an alternative to Imodium which I am not keen on, though amitriptylene had the same effect on me as Imodium + sleeping tablets.Cheers


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## origin46 (May 10, 2009)

GUTted said:


> Hi, I'll try to keep this concise&#8230;My symptoms: urgency and frequency but not diarrhoea, infrequent cramps.Prescription: 10mg amitritylene taken once a night at bed time.From day one I noticed a big difference and pretty much got IBS-C. By the end of week three I stopped taking it as I barely been to the toilet, had developed severe cramps and had urgency returning whilst severely reduced amount persisted. I have been off amitriptylene for about a week now and am dealing with the vengeance of a three week backlog so to speak.Is anyone aware of similar medicines that may be better suited? Could anyone suggest a reduced dosage of amitriptylene would be calming without being so heavy handed? I originally went to my doctor to find an alternative to Imodium which I am not keen on, though amitriptylene had the same effect on me as Imodium + sleeping tablets.Cheers


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## origin46 (May 10, 2009)

10 mg is a very low dosage of amitrip, doubt that you can get less. Are you drinking plenty of water, getting some exercise? You stated no diarrhea, maybe you tend towards IBS-C. Have you actually been tested to eliminate problems other than IBS? Sorry I'm not much help, but the effects of 10 mg amitrip seem to be unusual.


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## GUTted (Jul 2, 2009)

I Googled Amitriptyline 5mg the other, it does seem to be out there. I drink enough water to not get dehydrated and I walk reguarly. I definitely don't have IBS-C, urgency and frequency is my issue. What sort of other problems? I have just about recovered from M.E, my IBS and M.E was triggered by a bout of gastroenteritis nearly 5 years ago. I saw a holistic homeopath who cured my chronic vomiting but nothing seemed to help my IBS, even with the hugely limited diet he put me on.


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## origin46 (May 10, 2009)

GUTted said:


> I Googled Amitriptyline 5mg the other, it does seem to be out there. I drink enough water to not get dehydrated and I walk reguarly. I definitely don't have IBS-C, urgency and frequency is my issue. What sort of other problems? I have just about recovered from M.E, my IBS and M.E was triggered by a bout of gastroenteritis nearly 5 years ago. I saw a holistic homeopath who cured my chronic vomiting but nothing seemed to help my IBS, even with the hugely limited diet he put me on.


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## origin46 (May 10, 2009)

I started at 10 mg and with no adverse effects upped to 20 mg in another week. Yes, has moderated bowel, but no more than conservative use of Immodium. Others I've read generally experience similar to mine, others say no effect, or too much C in some cases. But chronic C on low dosage seems exceptional. Many take dosages of 50 mg and such. I only was asking if you've had colonoscopy for example to rule out other bowel issues. Maybe read through the forum msgs on Amitrip to get a better idea of what others experience. Good luck.


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## GUTted (Jul 2, 2009)

Yep, had colonoscopy and endoscopy. Didn't find anything serious.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

Other than giving you constipation, is the amitriptyline helping with your predominant symptoms? If it is, then it's probably worth trying to adjust some other factors that could relieve the constipation and give you a healthy balance.


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## GUTted (Jul 2, 2009)

During week 3 I felt urgency returning, but with small/no results. I think ultimately that was the reason it gave me such belly ache and why I came off it. I'd prefer to not take anything and know how my body is going to work, rather than forcing it to do something with overly strong pills and not knowing when it's going to give.


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## PD85 (Aug 19, 2010)

GUTted said:


> During week 3 I felt urgency returning, but with small/no results. I think ultimately that was the reason it gave me such belly ache and why I came off it. I'd prefer to not take anything and know how my body is going to work, rather than forcing it to do something with overly strong pills and not knowing when it's going to give.


Yea I understand. I like to take as few things as possible too.


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## TVgirl (Sep 16, 2009)

Well you are on a small dose for sure. Amitriptyline has anticholenergic side effects so you get the drying out. It can be constipating. It shouldn't bind you up that much though being on a small dose but we are all different. I wouldn't suggest going to a lower dose, I would suggest getting off of it all together. Maybe try a different one that has less side effects (talk to your doctor). I have been taking 25 mg of this one for 5 weeks now and my worse symptom is dry mouth. I really need to drink more water. And water will help move along the bowels better too.


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