kevatron: coming off low-dose Amitriptyline after 8 years

[kevatron]

9 hours ago, Najla said:

How are you now؟

Thank you for asking.

 

I'm still struggling with withdrawal symptoms basically. It's maybe a little less since I slightly upped the dosage a few weeks back, but the neck, jaw, skull and shoulder pain and tension is still chronic and there 24/7. The other symptoms come and go, and are sometimes still very bad.

 

How are you getting on? I read your thread here on SA. I have had quite a few of the symptoms you describe, and lots of others too.

 

I have been experiencing withdrawal symptoms for over 12 months now, and I am still on a tiny dose (1.5mg ish a day) of Ami.

 

My current theory is that the nervous system has changed so much due to the ami, that it is taking a very long time to re-balance itself to such a low dose... I just held on at 1mg, hoping that eventually it would settle down, but it did not, in a whole year. This is why I had no choice but to increase the dose - very reluctantly. I would rather be taking no more of this horrible drug.

 

I am trying to accept that this whole process may take a very long time......

 

 

[manymoretodays]

On 4/11/2022 at 11:33 PM, Altostrata said:

This topic explains how to make a liquid from the tablets, if you can't get it from the pharmacy. This enables you to measure out small dosages. Tips for tapering off amitriptyline

 

It's important to take the same amount at the same time every day. It will take 4 days to a week for a dose to reach full effect.

 

Looking at the link to your drug tapering topic will answer your last question.

And may even feel a bit empowering.

 

Welcome aboard.

[kevatron]

16 minutes ago, manymoretodays said:

Looking at the link to your drug tapering topic will answer your last question.

Thanks - I read that a long time ago - but re-reading it just now, it seems that water is ok - I was left with an idea the first time I read it, that it had to be vodka instead and that it  had to be made and used the sane day - which I could not cope with, in my current state, sorry.

 

If I can get the strong liquid from the unwilling GP, and simply add water to it, to get the desired concentration, and it can be stored, then that could work. I will ask the GP again. He really did not want to give it to me though. He was super unhelpful all round.

[manymoretodays]

Make your own.   Sometimes it's not worth dealing with an unwilling GP, who is not informed in these matters.......many are not.

 

Get to the additional link in the topic that leads to oral syringes, covered, light resistant containers.

Keeping it in the refrigerator(I don't know the UK term for that), it should be good for at least 4 days.

 

It's water soluble.....that is great!

 

Yes, I understand.  I had to read and re-read.  Trust the guidance I was given.  And keep lightening up around myself and my woes.  I often could do that with writing......just shift my woe is me attitude.  Many things to try.

 

Symptoms and Self Care

 

How to Do a Site Search

 

You're not alone.  Nor should you feel that way here.  Other members will stop in soon, or you can lend support to their threads.  Staff will help when we can.

 

Welcome again,

Love, peace, healing, and growth,

mmt

 

Keep us updated too.  That always goes right here in your topic.

You might once you go to liquid if that is new.......just stay at 1 mg for 3 to 7 days, see how you adjust to the change from solid.

Let us know. 

And then let us also advise on how much if it looks like you might need a little more. 

Biggest mistake I've seen are reinstatements that are just too high.  We're not wanting to "remedicate" here.  We just want to see if you'll get relief from a small reinstatement.

 

 

 

Edited April 30, 2023 by manymoretodays

[Najla]

ساعة قبل ذلك، قال كيفاترون:

أشكرك على سؤالك.

 

ما زلت أعاني من أعراض الانسحاب بشكل أساسي. ربما يكون أقل قليلا منذ أن رفعت الجرعة قليلا قبل بضعة أسابيع، ولكن آلام الرقبة والفك والجمجمة والكتف والتوتر لا تزال مزمنة وهناك على مدار الساعة طوال أيام الأسبوع. الأعراض الأخرى تأتي وتذهب، ولا تزال أحيانا سيئة للغاية.

 

كيف حالك؟ قرأت موضوعك هنا على SA. كان لدي عدد غير قليل من الأعراض التي تصفها، والكثير من الأعراض الأخرى أيضا.

 

لقد كنت أعاني من أعراض الانسحاب لأكثر من 12 شهرا حتى الآن، وما زلت أتناول جرعة صغيرة (1.5 ملغ في اليوم) من عامي.

 

نظريتي الحالية هي أن الجهاز العصبي قد تغير كثيرا بسبب ami، لدرجة أن إعادة توازن نفسه بمثل هذه الجرعة المنخفضة يستغرق وقتا طويلا جدا ... لقد تمسكت للتو عند 1 ملغ، على أمل أن تستقر في نهاية المطاف، لكنها لم تفعل ذلك، في غضون عام كامل. لهذا السبب لم يكن لدي خيار سوى زيادة الجرعة - على مضض للغاية. أفضل ألا أتناول المزيد من هذا الدواء الرهيب.

 

أحاول قبول أن هذه العملية برمتها قد تستغرق وقتا طويلا جدا......

 

 

I am sorry for you, I think that the time factor that this treatment was taken also has an effect on withdrawal symptoms, especially imitriptyline, and you have been on it for a long time. Have you tried to replace your sleeping pillows to relieve neck spasms? There are also exercises for your neck that you can find on YouTube, for teeth I think that you suffer from dental pressure at bedtime. Try to go to the dental clinic and ask them to design a dental protector for bedtime made of silicone.

I noticed that amitriptyline, its withdrawal symptoms, tend to cause physical aches, a strange chaotic state, and it is difficult to identify the problem, as it moves from one place to another. For psychological symptoms, I practice deep breathing exercises, as it reduces my anxiety and helps me sleep, but I did not find a solution for palpitations, the feeling of pressure on my heart, and low pressure continuous..

[kevatron]

Hello.

 

I am sorry it's been such a long time since my last post.

 

I finally, after deciding to change to a totally different GP surgery, found a GP that has prescribed the liquid ami for me.

 

I now have the 10mg/5ml oral solution at long last.

 

So at least I have some more accurate control of the dosage, which is somewhat empowering. I am using a very small syringe. I replicated the dose that I was aiming for whilst cutting up tablets (not that I could be anywhere near accurate with the cut up tablets and scales) - 1.5mg per day. I have been on the liquid for about 4 weeks now. The transition was a little bumpy but basically now things are pretty much the same as they were before going on the liquid.

 

I am still dealing with the same symptoms. Basically, I still have this theory, that I should have increased the dosage a long time ago, and tried to find a place where the symptoms were less intense, and then tried a slow taper from there. This is with hindsight though, as what I was hoping for all along, was that "eventually my system will adjust, if I just keep going and hang in there". However, it is now nearly 2 years since I originally came off the ami and then reinstated, and I have had the same large set of "cycling" symptoms at various intensities that whole time. I am extremely worn down and wretched/weary after 2 years of constant ill health - it would be an amazing thing to have at least a slight improvement in quality of life....

 

The question I have at this point is this:

Could it be that my nervous system and all the other pathways that ami modulates, are still totally out of alignment, and are still  "hungry" for more ami in order to be in some sort of equilibrium?

Is it worth trying to raise the dose, incrementally, in order to find out if this will reduce the withdrawal symptoms? (Even though the last thing I wanna do is take more ami - I want to let it go completely).

What are the risks of doing this, if any?

Is there a chance that raising it for a while to try and find a dosage where things are more "stable" and bearable, and then starting a slow taper from there, after some time, would be a viable plan?

 

Many thanks,

 

Kev