Hello, I am waiting for my first neuro appointment, which will prob be weeks away yet! Went back to my doctor yesterday about the leg pain I have been having for 18 months, it has gone from occasional to almost constant, night times are when it’s at it’s worse. And ordinary pain killers have no effect. Have had X-rays and seen an orthopedic dr who said it was a neuro problem not bone. So anyway, dr has prescribed Amitriptyline 10mg per day, as she said we need to change track and start treating you for neuropathic pain. She said it could take a week to start working and a week for side effects to settle down. I also have the random sharp pains and pins and needles etc, so maybe this drug will help with them? Has anyone else been on this drug or are on it? How do you find it? Helen
Hi Helen Took 10 mg a day for a while, for me the pain relief was great. Same pains in the legs as you are having,but had to stop them as left me like a zombie most of the day lol. Hope they work for you Take care Gray
Hi Helen
I was prescribed Ami to improve the quality of my sleep, but before I could really tell if they were working I had to stop taking them as I, too, was left like a zombie the next day!
I do believe a lot of people do take them for similar reasons to you with great effect, so hopefully you will get some more positive responses in due course!
Thank you Grey and Purple for your comments. I took my first table last night and spent the morning feeling sick and extremely tired! Fortunately I’m off work now for a week so I’m hoping to start feeling ok by then, if that is, I can tolerate Ami. I’ve got to go and see my GP towards the end of the months trail so I will try and keep on them till then. I guess that’s enough time to know if they work for me or not? Helen
Hi, I started taking Amitriptyline for stomach problems, It made me really hungry and tired. While I was taking it the tingling in my legs and feet started. I quickly stopped taking it and mentioned it to my GP who thought that the tingling was nothing to do with this, same with the gastro consultant. 2 years later the tingling is still there… I didnt give them a chance really, (although I took them for different reasons) . Hope the side effects settle down for you. xx
Hi,
I find it best to take it a couple of hours before bedtime, and start with a low dose and increase very gradually.
I find the pain etc always seems worse at night, as there are no distractions.
Hope it works for you.
Pam x
Hi, I started amitriptiline about 5 weeks ago. At first I found that if I took it just before bed I was a little fuzzy in the morning. I tried different times and now take I at 6pm after I am in the house and settled. I am on 10mg at present but have asked the doctor to consider increasing it due to pains in my legs. Yvette
I started on 10mg at night to help with mostly with not sleeping n pain. Over a couple of years iv been uped to, 10mg in the morning, 10mg at lunch and 75mg before bed. I had bad side effects at the beginning but they soon passed.
Hi, Thank you all for your comments. I took last nights tablet at 8pm instead of 10pm the night before. I do feel more myself this morning, I’ll take it a little earlier tonight. I guess it’s a case of trying different things. I won’t be upping the dose myself but going back to dr after 3/4 weeks. It’s good to have somewhere to go and ask questions. Helen
Hi Helen
I also stared at 10mg in Dec due to gastro problems (and I was seriously underweight at that point). I’m now taking 35mg daily and can tolerate 45 quite easily, if I’m having a really twitchy day! 
I don’t have problems getting or waking up with them, I think they do take a little getting used to though, and this is probably more noticeable if you’ve been lacking sleep.
You’re right to take them earlier in the evening though, I take mine between 8 and 8.30 in the evening, that way they make you drowsy when it’s time to sleep and a bit fresher in the morning. It really helps with the twitchiness for me. If I have a glass of wine or the like, I’ll make sure that’s done a good hour before I take it and it’s not caused me any problem - so a glass of wine with dinner seems to be ok but I wouldn’t rate your chances of getting up too early if you drank with them!
Good luck, I hope they work out OK for you
Sonia x
Take 100mg 4 tablets at 25mg each. Helps so much.
Dx
I was advised to take this twelve hours before I needed to get up the next day. Seemed to work. I had the best sleep ever whilst taking this but had to stop due to badly bleeding gums even on a 3mg dose!
I had them for migraines and they didn’t knock me out or make me groggy but I was really depressed on them so had to come off them Ax
Hi, I`ve been on amitriptyline since 2000. I think it is a marvelous drug…but I do know it isnt that way for everyone!
Back then, I was suffering with horrendous pains in my bum cheeks and rear thighs. I couldnt sit down and got so grumpy!
GP started me on 20mg a day and kept increasing it until it zapped the pain… at 100mg a night!!!
And boy! It gave me bootiful sleep…12 hours a night, with no groggy side effects in the mornings.
It does cause a dry mouth, but i am on other drugs which also cause a dry mouth so I am constantly thristy! Water is my constant companion!
Neuro wanted me to reduce the dosage and lowered it to 75mg a night…fine. Then down to 50mg and whoa! The pains camer walloping back! So back to 75mg and it keeps the pains away.
I see a neuro this aft and want to talk about a different nerve pain…chronic in heels at night.
Maybe gabapentin will do?
luv Pollx
Me and ami didn’t get along well at all. I was prescribed it in 2011 after being diagnosed with ME/CFS. I slept well. I had no pain. But I might as well have been asleep all day everyday because I was a zombie. I was also hungry all the time. I gained weight as a result of increased appetite and inactivity.
I decided to stop and worked through it all on my own doing a little exercise and building it up, no napping, etc keeping a diary and all that good stuff.
I was fine for over a year and a half (I tried Amitriptyline in summer of 2011) but then had new pain. I’m being investigated by a neuro and had an MRI on the 6th of September. Awaiting results.
I now take Baclofen which I really like.
Hi everyone, Thanks for the comments. I’ve been away for a couple of days. I will be taking my 9th tablet tonight and I have to say they have worked for me! The “hangover”, super tired feeling only lasted a few days, though this is the first day I haven’t had to have a nap in the afternoon! I slept for 10 hours last night, cannot remember the last time I did that! I still have some slight pain so maybe need to go up a notch but will wait till I see dr again. It’s so good to be able to walk again without pain and a limp! I was beginning to think that it would never end. Of course, still don’t know what’s actually wrong with me, but I’ll get there eventually, thanks to all of your support. Helen
I have two buldging disc in lower back since 2005 and was on tramadol, but became inefective so put me on amatripoline and diplofinac at same time, disc prob. caused siatica down left buttock and leg. Try putting pillows (will need many) under your bottom part of legs so its like your sitting on a chair, but laying down. told yesterday i now have a bulging disc in neck and white spots on brain, have put me back on amatripoline 10mg for first wk then up to 20mg untill i ger results of lumber puncture. hope this helps.
Hiya, not sure if this helps but switched to Nortriptyline instead of Ami as it makes me less drowsy in the morning. You could always ask for it instead if you find the same. Nortriptyline is the American version so I’ve been told. It helps me but I like to come off it now and again so i can monitor the true pain /spasms that lie underneath. Best wishes
I was on it years ago for migraine prevention but I turned into a fat zombie. Shame as it sounds like a good drug for my current symptoms. I hope it continues to work for you.
Taking 10mg at night. Not anymore a zombie the next day whether I take it or not. Helps to ease the heaviness, soreness and some little spasms I get in my joints at night. Can make it easier walking the next day, but I’ve given up taking it at the moment until I see my GP again.
Nortriptyline is a completely different drug that does the same job. Very much like aspirin and ibuprofen- in the same family of drugs, that do the same thing but works differenty bio wise. So one might work better for you than the other.
Hope it works well for you x