Amitriptyline for anxiety

I thought that said marknob
We ve got a few of these infiltrating posts today

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So VERY SORRY for starting this thread then leaving it unattended.

Some of you mention HRT, i have asked the doctor about this and she sent me info.

I can cope with the sweats ( always in bed - covers on/off/on/off ) i can now cope with the needless crying over forgetting to buy milk or bursts of tears because i can't get the drawer in the kitchen open quick enough ( flippin ridiculous ) its the anxiety that i find harder to cope with and as i understand it, its a common symptom of the menopause.... and ive hit the age for it alllll to happen ( gee wizz !! Yipee, not)

Thank you for all the advice.

Serendipity22. Menopause is the most likely cause of your continuing anxiety, it is extremely common.
Have you considered going onto HRT? It could give you your life back.

I’ve been taking 10mg for quite a while to help with pain. One very nice side effect is it appears to stop me needing to get up for a wee in the night!
Anxiety is a well known symptom of menopause. I belong to a menopause support group and I would say that 90 per cent of the ladies that go to the group suffer with anxiety.

I was put on 25 mg after a family trauma which affected me deeply and left me unable to sleep. That was almost 3 years ago.
They definitely help. I actually don’t want to come off of them, although I do feel they now ‘blunt’ my emotions
I should probably go & see the dr for a review, but getting an appointment is stressful in itself so I’m incline to hang on until it’s easier to see someone. I fear that could be some time !!

Grow stuff love the phase cotton wool headed, is it a medical term?

Serendipity I doubt if the dose you're currently taking has much effect on anxiety. If it were me, I'd ask for a GP appointment and discuss stopping and request an appointment for some kind of counselling. The current advice is to offer counselling before medication anyway. Unfortunately, that's not always that easy to get.

PS. Another disclaimer - I'm not a medic, which is why I think you should talk to a qualified doctor.

Same here Barmeyoldbat. I was prescribed it for diabetic neuropathy and stuck with it for just over two months. My sleep was a bit better, but I don't think it was better for pain than co-dydramol. I just couldn't cope with the feeling of being permanently cotton-wool-headed.

I was put on it for upper back pain and the side effects were terrible, also I was sleepy I was hardly functioning. So I came off them after nearly two months.

Marmite32

I started a 2 week course yesterday. Like you,*worried well* it was for shingles pain. and I was hardly sleeping
I slept well last night but not much better with the pain today.
Dr. said she will check up with me at the end of the course but meanwhile sleep is such a blessing.

I found it made it easier to cope with the pain if I could sleep. Pain plus exhaustion is really hard.

I hope you feel better soon.

I take amitriptyline for chronic pain (alongside other pain relievers) and have done for years. Every so often (last time was December-January 2020-2021) I stop taking it for a few weeks to check that it is actually having an effect on pain levels.

My GP told me it doesn't work (I presume he meant for pain relief) if you just take it as and when, as one would with aspirin or paracetamol, because it has a cumulative effect.

I haven't noticed it having an effect on my sleeping, which was okay anyway, nor on anxiety levels, which weren't a bother.

It's not a miracle medicine - no medicine is.

Please check this out as I'm not a medic, but I think the therapeutic dose for pain is lower than it is when used for anxiety. In other words, lower doses won't work for anxiety and higher doses won't have an additional effect on higher levels of pain.

PS. If there any concerns about your heart, you should have an ECG before starting Amitriptyline.

A friend takes this every night. She has been taking it for years. She was given it for depression and anxiety. The doctor called it 'the miracle medicine'. She says it helps her sleep as well.

I started a 2 week course yesterday. Like you,*worried well* it was for shingles pain. and I was hardly sleeping
I slept well last night but not much better with the pain today.
Dr. said she will check up with me at the end of the course but meanwhile sleep is such a blessing.

I had it for a month after shingles for pain. I loved the fact that I slept really well, I'm not a good sleeper at all. I didn't ask for any more as I generally don't like taking tablets and I already take levothyroxine for underactive thyroid and vitamin D and calcium for osteopenia so I didn't want to add another but when I'm lying awake I'd gladly take one.

It does sound like the two events may have clashed. So your menopause and the death of your mum, therefore intensifying everything.

I think you would benefit from talking to your GP, to see what therapies they offer at your surgery.

I do hope you feel better soon.

I take 5mg (half a pill) as needed to help me sleep. Any more and I'm groggy next day. It also helps my pain a little. I've been doing this for a long time. No problems. Very helpful.
But do see the doctor to discuss.

Hi Serendipity22. Yes, I was prescribed Amitryptline about 4 years ago for anxiety which was keeping me awake at night due to a family problem. I also experienced panic attacks in busy places like supermarkets. Only 10mg, which I found was enough to help me sleep. During covid I had more problems so was told to increase it to 20mg.
It works fine for me. I sleep well most nights and am feeling calmer. It also helps a bit with pain (bad back), and my speech problems.
I don't know if I am addicted to it, and because I am 84 I figure that I don't really care if I am. I will take it for the rest of my life, hopefully. It seems to suit me well.
I imagine the menopause might play a part in your continuing anxiety, but I'm not sure. Best wishes and I hope you feel better very soon.

Discuss it with the pharmacist; they have a good knowledge of alternatives and the side effects of drugs and can suggest alternatives.

Whiff: 'some drugs don't suit everyone' - I tend to have bad reactions to most of them.

I was prescribed it for nerve pain in my back. It made no difference, as, apparently, it takes several weeks to begin working. I felt very fatigued and dizzy, with terrible pain in my eyes - so no good for me!

My DH has amitriptyline for chronic back pain and anxiety. I was prescribed it for shingles for two weeks for the nerve pain but it did nothing to help my anxiety. For this I used to take SSRI’s which really helped.

My periods stopped suddenly whilst I was experiencing huge stress so it isn’t impossible that the strain of the last 4 years has taken its toll.

I’d also go back to the GP. Maybe HRT would be another alternative? It’s all worth investigating further.

I have been taking 10mg of Amitriptyline twice a day for 30 years for nerve pain. At times I have a pain flare and have to take an extra one lunch until the pain goes back to my normal level. Usually for at most 3 days. Amitriptyline helps me live my life to the full . I know someone on the same dose for spinal nerve damage . She suffered for years until she went on it.
It's like everything some drugs don't suit everyone.

All tablets are addictive no matter what they are if you are on them for a few months . Had awful withdrawal coming off a heart tablet after being it on 2 months. Hopefully get to start the new one this week.