sorry not really horsey, amitriptyline?????

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swampdonkey

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Hi all, I injured my back from a fall 20 month ago and have been on dihydracodeine and paracetamol ever since but I am so fed up of it not working.
I have also had steroid injections 6 weeks ago which seemed to have made it worse if anything.
Went back to doctors today and he has written to the back surgeon to see if he will see me but meanwhile has given me amitriptyline to try.
I probably shouldn;t have but looked it up on the internet and am a little concerned about side effects but to be honest I'm at the point would try anything, but just wondering if anyone has used this for back pain and how long until you saw any effects. (pain relief)
He has told me to start at 12.5mg for a week then progress to 25mg then if I can tolerate the side effects I can take up to 75mg.
Really hoping these work and just hoping for some positive stories really.

In pain and extremely fed up that at 40 yrs old I cannot do anything without pain and have not had a day without pain for 20 months!!
I am a glass half full kind of person but this is really wearing me down now :(
 
OH took amitriptyline for a stomach type thing for a whole with no ill effects.

I read the side effects thing too though and it is scary, but then most reasonable strength drugs are because they've got to cover all bases I suppose :)
 
I have been on drugs for nerve pain for some years. one of the ones was amitriptylene and had to come off it. it didn't suit me at all. I was starving all the time, so ate! couldn't help it lol I was edgy and jangly if that makes sense. I wasn't on it for too long. there are better options imo.
 
swampdonkey said:
Hi all, I injured my back from a fall 20 month ago and have been on dihydracodeine and paracetamol ever since but I am so fed up of it not working.
I have also had steroid injections 6 weeks ago which seemed to have made it worse if anything.
Went back to doctors today and he has written to the back surgeon to see if he will see me but meanwhile has given me amitriptyline to try.
I probably shouldn;t have but looked it up on the internet and am a little concerned about side effects but to be honest I'm at the point would try anything, but just wondering if anyone has used this for back pain and how long until you saw any effects. (pain relief)
He has told me to start at 12.5mg for a week then progress to 25mg then if I can tolerate the side effects I can take up to 75mg.
Really hoping these work and just hoping for some positive stories really.

In pain and extremely fed up that at 40 yrs old I cannot do anything without pain and have not had a day without pain for 20 months!!
I am a glass half full kind of person but this is really wearing me down now :(
Click to expand...

I used it pretty extensively for several years for back issues and found it very effective. I was on about 100mg a night. I did eventually have to come off it as it was giving me a faster heart rate, but this was after several years on it. Otherwise effects wise I found if I took it later at night I could be a bit sleepy the next morning but it would wear off within a hour or two. To be honest I didn't really notice anything major for the side effects - what I did get was definately worth the pain relief as it made a huge difference to the amount of sciatica I had.
The first few weeks I was on it I was really sleepy BUT I popped a disc pretty dramatically and went straight onto 100mg and diazapam right away so zonked me pretty good. You may find the first few weeks it makes you more sleepy and you will get used to it and improve.

In your position I would definately give it a go, I would also ask about adding in naproxin or diclofenic - they are both anti-inflammatories and should help. You could also try codeine rather than the dihydracodiene as it can be more effective. You could also ask about phentynl patches as these are strong pain killers and are constant but they can be very strong, worth discussing if the amitryptyline isn't enough.


Have you had an MRI done?
Also were you referred to an orthopaedic surgeon or a neurosurgeon? Reason I'm asking is that if you have a prolapsed disc then you want a neurosurgeon, not an ortho. If it's a disc then there is a good surgery called a microdiscectomy where they make a small incision and remove the disc material that is squashing the spinal cord. I was fully recovered within about 2-3 months and while I do still get some lower back pain and have to be careful I don't get sciatica.

Message me if you want any more info or I can help anymore :D
 
Bear in mind that the list of side-effects are all the possible ones, it is extremely unusual that one person would experience most or all of the side-effects.
 
Hi Chesnutty!
Me too, was a wreck on it, but I know that some people don't experience the adverse effects. I tried it for neck pain, a long-standing whiplash injury, bit of a cliche I know. Probably worth giving it a try? Or could you maybe ask your doctor about alternatives? I'm going for my first appointment at a pain clinic tomorrow (hooray!). Could you find out if there is something like that in your area? You might need to research a bit, my GP said there wasn't, but he lied... I went back with the details and he referred me there and then.
 
I am on it for nerve pain, only 20mg at moment was due to up it but then got other issues and on high steroids so waiting to get rid of them.before changing anything again.

initially I was groggy in the morning and not really with it but that has now passed. If you try it give it a chance, I tried and gave up after a week as hated feeling that way but after trying other things my rheumatologist convinced me to try again and side effects did go.

can't say if they've helped yet due to everything else my body decided to do! Time will tell. But I've heard them help people with pain so I'd say worth a try and persevere with them
 
I was prescribed it but for pain relief, I have chronic insomnia and one of the side effects is drowsiness.
It stopped working for me after about a month. So I stopped taking it.
 
I am taking it for elbow/ arm / shoulder pain - and it has been amazing. I used to end up in tears at work with the pain, not sleeping and soooooo miserable. It took about a week or so and the pain disappeared. No side effects. Go for it; if you were your horse you would give it to you!
 
I have rheumatoid arthritis which is very painful at the moment so have gone on 10mg a night. It doesn't have a major impact on the pain at that dose but does help me sleep and I have the option to increase the dose. I haven't noticed any side effects except being a bit dopey in the morning.
 
I think you should give it a try - I di and it wasn't for me - but you might just be lucky

I was just too tired all the time - but I have a friend who it works really well for

You'll probably have to try a few regimes before you find the one for you - best get started:)

(I had a broken coccyx and my regime was paracetamol, anti inflammatories, tramadol at night - gradually reduced after my coccyx was removed)

good luck
 
I am taking 25mg of amitriptyline at 8pm every evening. I did take it later but found I was really drowsy in the morning. I still have trouble with drowsiness before 11am but I'm also on a high dose of opioids which doesn't help.
I have chronic pain from nerve damage and have been referred to the local pain clinic. They have been amazing, really supportive and have constantly tried new drugs and treatments and have helped me with any side effects. It is well worth getting a referral to the pain clinic and once assigned a pain nurse you can ring for help any time.
 
hi yes i took it for nerve pain in my stomach and it worked well but made me very sleepy i could only tolerate 1 tab a night a couple of nights a week so i saved it for when the pain was very bad but , a woman whos just left my yard was on 4 tablets a night and worked full time and wasnt adversely affected, so you will just have to try it and see how it works for you:)
 
Amytriptyline is an antidepressant. It works on the brains nerve cells hence why it being used to treat pain. I was prescribed it for chronic headaches. However I had to come off it as I was very drowsy in the mornings and could hardly get out of bed. It all depends on your dosage/body. Everyones different! If you are concerned speak to your GP. Good luck
 
I take 15 tablets at bed time alone for chronic pain/suspected fibro (plus thyroxine)..

This includes 2 codeine, 2 strong diclofenac, 3/4 tramadol, setraline, pregabalin and duloxetine.. (plus my thyroid meds)..

This is the only thing (GP sanctioned) that enables me to get out of bed in the mornings.. I forgot them last night and I'm suffering)..

Anyway, I was put on amitryptiline a few months ago to see if it helped.. It gave me night terrors when I could sleep.. Didn't agree with me at all.. I can still see and smell what went on clearly when normally I remember nothing of dreams or nightmares..

I know several people it doesn't agree with but there's nothing wrong with trying it.. It should manifest any side effects pretty quickly.. My GP said if anything like that happened, stop taking them straight away and make another appointment..

I would give it a go, it does amazing things for many people in a good way..
 
I am genuinely surprised that so many of you are taking it for pain related issues as I've always known it as an antidepressant. I took it for 7 years, for several years I was on 150mg a day and I weaned off it over a 2 year period.

The only side effect I ever had was a dry mouth.
 
Oh I forgot about that! That drove me nuts..

"I'm-a-trampoline" is used for neuropathic pain, usually at a lower level than that needed to do its day job as an antidepressant..

For example, pregab is an anticonvulsant, but is very useful for treating neuropathic pain in people who may be more susceptible to anxiety disorders.. Whilst duloxetine is an antidepressant in its more common guise..
 
I have been on it for 2 1/2 years for my back. it was prescribed as a muscle relaxant, to also help sleeping, and a slight anti depressant. It works well for me, and I cant think i have any side effects from it.
 
My mother was put on amatryptaline for severe nerve pain due to gangrene in her foot. It sent her nutty, she was tripping out, seeing things, talking absolute rubbish and when were allowed to bring her home from Hospital for xmas day she fell asleep in the middle of a mouthful of dinner and also mid conversation on the phone.
It seemed very strong
 
I've been on Voltarol (diclofenac soldium) 75mg, twice a day; Amitriptyline 10mg at night only; and Tramadol, for years, for a bad back and arthritic hands. I was told the Amitriptyline was prescribed, at that dose, as a muscle relaxant. Several years ago, when I was going through a particularly bad patch with my back, my doctor suggested increasing the Amitriptyline to 20mg. I couldn't tolerate the drug at that dose because it triggered depression, the last thing I need in my circumstances. I tried 15mg, but that, too, was unsuccessful. I've recently had to try reducing my dependence on Tramadol, because of some unpleasant side-affects.

12 years ago I started taking Gabapentin for my back. It is an anti-epileptic drug which is used in cases of neuropathic pain. I started at 100mg, slowly working my way up to 3,000mg. It did work, over time, but, initially caused incalculable fatigue. Amitriptyline was initiated at that time, as well. Once I got over the "zombie" stage, I stayed on the Gabapentin for a few years, gradually reducing the dose. I came down to 300mg a day, ultimately stopping using the drug completely. The Amitriptyline 10mg has remained a constant, though.

Throughout all of this, I've had several MRIs, well over a dozen root blocks and facet joint shots. Some have worked, some haven't.

I think you will find that it's a bit of trial and error when you've been prescribed these different drugs. I do hope you find the right combination to suit your circumstances.
 
I take a 100mg a day for nerve pain and have never really had any side affects other than a dry mouth.
I would certainly try it as it seems to be one of these drugs people get on great with or not at all.
 
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OH has used it for back pain. He was like a zombie, really drowsy and out of it. I persuaded him back onto the dihydrochodeine but he said they helped with the pain. Personally I think he was so out of it he wouldn't have known if it was Christmas or mid summer. Not sure of how many mg but i believe he was told to take up to 3 tablets at a time.
 
It seems to be very much a Jekyll and Hyde drug.. If I hadn't had the night terrors I would have liked to have kept on it as I barely sleep.. It may have helped that and the neuropathic pain.. Hey ho..


Glad to see so many success stories though..
 
thanks all for the replies.
I took it last night and woke up fine this morning, have to be up at 5 as I work in a bakery and had no problems but I believe this could change yet.
I am with the pain clinic and it was them that arranged the steroid injections.
I had fractured my sacrum but they seem to think that I may have nerve pain remaining. (I believe if this is the case, it never goes away)
My last x-ray and scan were about 12 months ago and they found nothing on them, which is almost worse than finding something because they don't know how to treat so just a case of trial and error.
He just said the back surgeon to me so not sure if neuro or other (sorry, I forget which one you mentioned ) It must be the pills!! lol!
 
I have been on amitryptlene for years, came off for about 5 then went back on 2 years ago. Rate them highly, except for suicide attempt as those plus others didnt work just a long icu stay!!

Start vvvv slowly, 10mg will hit u the next day, increase slowly. Made a HUGE difference to my life.
 
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