Mounty73: withdrawal from amitriptyline

[Mounty73]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm in desperate need of some help and advice. I have been on Amitriptyline for 3 and half years at a dosage of 100mg, this helped me to sleep because of anxiety. Exactly 4 weeks ago I went to see my GP as my anxiety has been increasing. They suggested trying Mirtazapine. So for the first week my Amitriptyline was dropped from 100mg to 50mg, them for the second week it was dropped from 50mg to ZERO.

 

Then I went straight onto 30mg of Mirtazapine. During all this I have had the worst time ever, I have not slept during these 4 weeks, complete insomnia! and flu like symptoms! And my body feels like it's been hit by a bus.  I have lost faith in my GP surgery as I get different information from each doctor and they dont seem to care at all, they never explain things clearly enough and had I known all this I would never have taken the medication in the first place.

 

Can anyone offer any help or advice, I'm desperate?! Will the insomnia get better?

 

I'm at the point of stopping the mirtazine and just going back to 100mg of Amitriptyline. 😕

[Carmie]

Hi Mounty, 

 

Welcome to SA. I’m so sorry the doctors made you go off the Amitriptyline so quickly. You are definitely going through withdrawals. It’s recommended never to taper by more than 10% a month. I’ve been put on and off a lot of meds in the past as well, and suffered greatly. Most doctors aren’t aware of the withdrawals caused by psychiatric medications.

 

Firstly could  you please go to the Read This First forum and to the “ Please Put Your Withdrawal History In Your Signature” thread. Can you put in the dates of when you were tapered and by how much, also the date you came totally off the Amitriptyline, and when you started on the Mirtazapine, and the doses. Thank you. 

 

The symptoms you’re getting have been experienced by most of us on here. The medications and withdrawals affect our CNS, which can affect pretty much anything in our bodies. 

 

What date did you go down to zero?

 

Are you on any other medications or supplements?

 

Please let us know how you’re doing?💚

 

[Mounty73]

Hello Carmie,

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

My Amitriptyline dosage was dropped to ZERO on Tuesday 9th April 2019. On the following day I started my first dosage of 30mg Mirtazapine.  The doctor has now added 20mg of Amitriptyline to my 30mg of Mirtazapine.

 

The withdrawal symptoms have been horrendous, the worst being insomnia. I have not had a good nights sleep over the last 4 weeks or so.  My body is aching all over and I have very little energy.

 

I just feel awful, all the time.