# elavil



## hunter3000 (Apr 30, 2002)

my doc just gave me a prescription for elavil,ive never taken a antidepressant,anyone god anything good or bad to say about this drug?i just want to know what im infor, thanks


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## kamie (Sep 14, 2002)

I take elavil. Only 10 mg. I didn't feel too good on a higher dose. My elavil works best as a combo with Prozac and that too I take at the lowest dose of 10 mg.I don't have any problems with either med.I've heard other people turn up with bad stories but I have not experienced anything bad.Like most meds it can cause constipation but the way I see it, I'd need to be prudent with my bowels anyway so might as well be prudent and take the med that helps with pain and hot flashes.Good Luck. Hope the med is good to you.Take it at night because it does make you sleepy.I've been on it since May/June and it still puts me to sleep.Kamie


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## honichou (Jun 30, 2002)

What you're in for depends on why you are taking the elavil and how much you are taking. For example, treating depression is going to be different than treating pain, although the side effects may be similar. I have been on elavil, in large doses. If you tell me the reason that you're taking it, I might be able to answer your question.Steven


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## Jayann (Jun 25, 2001)

Hi Darren King,I have been taking Elavil for 1 1/2 years now. It has helped me with the pain from Ibs. I had to work to the dose that helped me. I started with 10mg to 25mg to 50mg to 75mg and have found 100mg works for me. I take 50mg am and 50mg pm. It made me sleepy at first but after a while your body adjusts. Like any meds you have to find out what works for you.Good Luck Jayann


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## hunter3000 (Apr 30, 2002)

hi and thank you everyone for your replies,my doc prescribed me 25mg before i go to bed for stress,anxiety and ibs pain,and perkaset{bad spelling} for pain in the daytime,which is a narcotic and i have alot of doubts about that one.i have my elavil,but i think ill hold of till tomorrow night so i dont oversleep tomorrow morning.my phermasist said elavil is for migraines too,thats a bonus,ive had severe ones since i was 5,im just not sure its safe to take close to my normal dose if i get a migraine,anyways thanks to everyone one again,i really needed some replies before taking it,ive had waaaaay to many different kinds of drugs pescribed to me the last 2 years.


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## honichou (Jun 30, 2002)

I took elavil about 17 years ago. I was coming off of imipramine (which is in the same drug family as elavil - tricyclic antidepressants). I took elavil because I was still depressed and because it was supposed to help with headaches. Unfortunately, it didn't do anything for my headache problem. I think that I was taking about 300mg a day at the time. The side effects for me were the usual ones for these kinds of drugs. It was very sedating at first, but I got used to it. I had a metallic taste in my mouth, I was constipated from it, I had a very dry mouth, and that's about all I can remember. I don't remember it being any more effective that the other anti-depressant that I was on. Keep in mind that I was taking a much higher dose that the one that was prescribed for you, and that I was taking it for depression.These types of drugs act on certain chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters. In one way or another, they increase the amount of neurotransmitters available, which is supposed to help depression. The mechanism by which they work for pain is not known. One hypothesis is that they work in the spinal fluid to prevent transmission of pain impulses to the brain.Hope this helps.Steven


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## hunter3000 (Apr 30, 2002)

thanks for the info Steven,i found it very interesting,tonight ill try the elavil out and see how it goes..


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## kamie (Sep 14, 2002)

Darren, yes, percoset is a narcoti and narcotics are notorious for puting the gut to sleep. If you find you really need that medication be prudent with your bowels, make sure you always have good gut sounds(buy a stethescope) learn to listen wo your gut when it's in good motion and go from there.Keeping on top of things will help to keep your gut out of trouble.For pain you might want to do some personal research into the effects of elavil with meds like prozac or zoloft.The combos do a great job on pain. but you have to take both.I had some pretty horible unmanagable pain left over from my 2 surgeries in april.Nothing has helped as much as the prozac and elavil combo.There are lots of new combos being looked at for pain.Our best body results cme when we find the exact right medicine plan for our individual problems and constitution.Hope your new meds help.KamieNo migraines since June 1, 2002


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