# Amitriptyline



## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

I've read about this for DP and know people on it but not for DP.

Any thoughts? anyone on this med?

I don't like SSRI or SNRI's weirdly, tried many. I respond to TRY better.

You know that whole, like to hear something positive...


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

anyone?


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## Broken (Jan 1, 2017)

Never tried it but it and its metabolite looks to work strongly on the Serotonn transporter and the norepinephrine transporter. So should act similar to an SNRI. If you are guna try an tricyclic consider chlomipramine as that has been shown to be helpful to a lot with DP. Not sure about amitryptaline, haven't seen it mentioned a lot here. Maybe search the forums see if anyone has had any luck with it


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## forestx5 (Aug 29, 2008)

Amitriptyline or Elavil is an older tricyclic antidepressant. It saved my life. After 52 days without sleep, I asked my pdoc to prescribe it after I read about it in a library book on insomnia. I fell asleep and stayed asleep for 8 hours. I may have taken it at a dose that was appropriate to treat major depression for a while.

Side effects include dry mouth and blurred vision. It also has some cardio implications. I found that 75mg was sufficient to provide the hypnotic effect for sleep. I took it in conjunction with Paxil, If I remember correctly. Did it improve my DP?

Well, it improved everything by facilitating the sleep I needed to survive.


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## James_80 (Feb 27, 2016)

Amitriptyline can be taken at a low dose 10 - 25mg and help with sleep. When you get a regular sleep after a few weeks you might start to feel more stable and recover a bit. I didn't like the grogginess the next day but only tried it for a week. I'm going back on it and will try it longer this time and see how I feel. At higher doses of 75mg upwards, it works on depression. I recall at least one person who recovered from dp after taking it. If you suffer from insomnia and have tried SSRIs and didn't respond to them well then it may be worth giving amitriptyline a try.


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

James_80 said:


> Amitriptyline can be taken at a low dose 10 - 25mg and help with sleep. When you get a regular sleep after a few weeks you might start to feel more stable and recover a bit. I didn't like the grogginess the next day but only tried it for a week. I'm going back on it and will try it longer this time and see how I feel. At higher doses of 75mg upwards, it works on depression. I recall at least one person who recovered from dp after taking it. If you suffer from insomnia and have tried SSRIs and didn't respond to them well then it may be worth giving amitriptyline a try.


Thanks everyone, I stay up for days and don't respond to SSRI's, so my P doc said this was perfect. Also the words C-PTSD are in the air. I don't care as long as I can sleep and get rid of depression! I found a couple of recovery stories once a long time ago but now can't, was always on my list to try anyway.

Seems good, too good to be true.



forestx5 said:


> Amitriptyline or Elavil is an older tricyclic antidepressant. It saved my life. After 52 days without sleep, I asked my pdoc to prescribe it after I read about it in a library book on insomnia. I fell asleep and stayed asleep for 8 hours. I may have taken it at a dose that was appropriate to treat major depression for a while.
> 
> Side effects include dry mouth and blurred vision. It also has some cardio implications. I found that 75mg was sufficient to provide the hypnotic effect for sleep. I took it in conjunction with Paxil, If I remember correctly. Did it improve my DP?
> 
> Well, it improved everything by facilitating the sleep I needed to survive.


I've a feeling it's gonna save mine. You know my score, went 9 days without sleep, serious issue. Oh 75mg i'm starting on that, great news


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## James_80 (Feb 27, 2016)

You'll definitely get some sleep on it. Not a lot of stories about because p-docs don't tend to prescribe amitriptyline until someone has been through several ssris, snris and some of the atypical antidepressants. By that time one of the medications might have worked or a person could quite rightly give up on medication. Hope this one works for you. Give it a good couple months to work it's effect unless the side effects are too bad.


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## forestx5 (Aug 29, 2008)

"I've a feeling it's gonna save mine. You know my score, went 9 days without sleep, serious issue. Oh 75mg i'm starting on that, great news."

Insomnia is a killer. It increases the risk of suicide by 5x. Coupled with anxiety (another 5x multiplier) and you are battling for your life. These two symptoms are the features of killer depression.

If the Amitriptyline doesn't induce sleep, try 100mg of Seroquel. It is an antipsychotic which would usually be prescribed at doses of 350-500mg, so 100mg isn't going to bring down the house.

But, it can bring sleep when all else fails. Sleep is so important to surviving killer depression.


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## Broken (Jan 1, 2017)

The other big one for insomnia is mirtazapine. Really helped me sleep, but its mechanism is like a strong anti-histamine. A side effect of this is worsened short term memory, and mine wasn't great to begin with so had to stop. I would add CBD vaping has helped me sleep and is commonly seen. Do your own research on this and come to your own conclusions, but to me it is relatively safe and I get no side effects. Good luck, let us know how you get on


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## ali3n (Dec 26, 2018)

i was on it for a few months, it made me sleep profoundly, but it also gave me weird dreams and nightmares, i stopped taking it because i dont have sleep problems and it wasnt doing anything for my dpdr

(it may work for you tho)


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

forestx5 said:


> "I've a feeling it's gonna save mine. You know my score, went 9 days without sleep, serious issue. Oh 75mg i'm starting on that, great news."
> 
> Insomnia is a killer. It increases the risk of suicide by 5x. Coupled with anxiety (another 5x multiplier) and you are battling for your life. These two symptoms are the features of killer depression.
> 
> ...


My p doc gets this, I believe i'm in a hyper arousal state. Seroquel doesn't make me sleep, tried up to 800mg over 3 months, hopefully Amitriptyline has a different mechanism that works. I'll know soon! thanks



Broken said:


> The other big one for insomnia is mirtazapine. Really helped me sleep, but its mechanism is like a strong anti-histamine. A side effect of this is worsened short term memory, and mine wasn't great to begin with so had to stop. I would add CBD vaping has helped me sleep and is commonly seen. Do your own research on this and come to your own conclusions, but to me it is relatively safe and I get no side effects. Good luck, let us know how you get on


Mirtazapine doesn't help either, weird but doesn't make me anything, just a sugar tablet and I use to swear by it. (Something changed..)

Will defiantly let you know, hopefully getting it tomorrow.



ali3n said:


> i was on it for a few months, it made me sleep profoundly, but it also gave me weird dreams and nightmares, i stopped taking it because i dont have sleep problems and it wasnt doing anything for my dpdr
> 
> (it may work for you tho)


That's great, I get weird dreams on any AD so not that worried.


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## forestx5 (Aug 29, 2008)

just an interesting thing about the Seroquel. If works to induce sleep at low doses only. Increasing the dose will increase its other properties, but not the quality that induces sleep.

I was getting all the sleep help it could give me in the range of 50-100mg. Anything more was overkill for the insomnia. I suppose mileage may vary, but I have read others describe

similar experiences with Seroquel.


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## 106473 (Feb 7, 2017)

forestx5 said:


> just an interesting thing about the Seroquel. If works to induce sleep at low doses only. Increasing the dose will increase its other properties, but not the quality that induces sleep.
> 
> I was getting all the sleep help it could give me in the range of 50-100mg. Anything more was overkill for the insomnia. I suppose mileage may vary, but I have read others describe
> 
> similar experiences with Seroquel.


Interesting, think i started on 300mg.

Got 75mg Amitrpyline today and just had a nap Yay. DR said we can go up in time but i have to build his trust... thanks all will keep updated


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