STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

Kelly · Hermes

Does anyone take Amitriptyline?

relrel · Marc Jacobs

Okay, first, I did a internet search for amitriptyline and confusion/dizziness type stuff is a side effect so I think you are okay there but you need to speak to your doctor about it anyway. Have there been any other changes in your mood or diet or life that could have caused (or helped to cause) the spaciness? Any other medications that you are on?

Second, why are you being prescribed ANYTHING if your doctor doesn't know what's causing you to be sick? Especially an off-label prescription like the amitriptyline. Not saying your doctor is wrong about giving you this medication, just that you need to be exactly clear why he's giving you this medication. Amitriptyline is most often prescribed off-label (it's actually the second most off-label drug on the market) for treatment of chronic pain, insomnia, and fibromyalgia. You didn't say what your symptoms were but do they possibly fit under those categories?

In summation...I would do a websearch for amitriptyline and off-label usage and see if you can come up with anything that would describe your situation. I would also call your doctor and ask him specifically why he is prescribing it to you. Nail him down totally on the answer, if he can't come up with a scientifically valid reason why you are taking the medication, I would ask for something else. Or a different doctor.

I don't want to give the impression that your doctor is doing something wrong or bad, just simply that I think you need to question your doctor more about why he thinks this medication is going to help you.

I hope this helps some...I'm sorry you've been feeling sick. Let us all know how you are!

ILoveChoo · Hermes

I just have to say that it REALLY bothers me that you were prescribed this without a diagnosis. Have you tried getting a second opinion? That just seems really weird to me...

greendiamond · Marc Jacobs

I take 10 mg's of Nortryptiline (probably a generic version of yours) for my migranes. It is an antidepressant in regular doses (200 or greater). My doc started me on 25's and I felt funny like you are describing. I told my doctor and she gave me 10's and told me I can take up to 3 for a migrane.

Maybe they make a lesser dose you can try instead.

HTH

-gd

twinkle · Coach

ita

Kelly · Hermes

I know, it seems weird to me that I'm on this without a diagnosis, too. When he first talked to me about it, I was still really drugged up from the test (they stuck a camera into my stomach. Yippee!). I thought that maybe it would make more sense when I was sober. My mom was with me at the hospital because obviously I couldn't drive when I was so drugged up, and so when I was sober again I asked her if I really understood him correctly, because it seems so weird! I did, and she actually agreed that it would be a good idea to try it. She's a nurse and said she sees people use this for a lot of different things.

I do have chronic pain, and I also think the doctors are hoping something emotional is causing this because everyone I've seen has asked if anything stressful has happened lately and keeps pressing me even when I tell them everything was actually wonderful before I got sick. It's a non-refillable prescription and I have a followup appointment with him in a week or two after I finish up the next round of tests he's prescribed. I figured I could try them for a few weeks, because honestly at this point I've been sick for over a month and my life has been seriously handicapped, I'm ready to try anything!

greendiamond - thanks! Weird as it sounds, it's good to know someone else who kind of felt like this. Maybe I can talk about getting smaller doses. I read that confusion could be a side effect, but I still kind of just wanted to hear from someone who actually felt that way.

ejc423 · Coach

Sometimes docs will treat something unknown the way they would treat something known to rule in or rule out a diagnosis. I'll just give an example. Say a man has these crazy symptoms--some are consistent with myasthenia gravis (just arbitrary disease I picked), some are not. They do a tensilon test for MG (typical diagnostic) but it comes out negative. They do all this other testing and can't rule anything else in, but symptoms are still closest to MG. They begin treatment like they would treat myasthenia gravis and the illness responds to that treatment. Then you get a clinical diagnosis of myasthenia gravis and the test was presumably a false negative.

If the treatment works, perhaps it will be a starting point for your doctor. If you let him know about your side effects and improvements you've seen (if any), he may have an alternative treatment.

I'm with relrel though, even though your doc has a method behind his approach, he owes it to you to make sure you understand that method. I'd call and talk to him about it. Hopefully he'll be helpful and if not, I'd at least seek a second opinion.

Good luck, I'm sorry you're dealing with pain--and not knowing the source must be driving you batty! Keep us updated!

Kelly · Hermes

Well I went in for more tests yesterday (but they didn't show anything! arggggh)

Anyway, I was drugged up, but I actually was in the unit my mom works as a nurse in the hospital, so she was there and told the Dr. that I felt like I was going crazy on this. He said I can start taking it just at night, so I'm unconscious for the most of it

yippee!