majesty79: amitriptyline side effects and withdrawal

[majesty79]

I was wondering if anyone who has any experience with Amitriptyline could give me their opinion on my situation. I was placed on Amitriptyline at 10mg back in October 2017 by my Gastro dr for irritable bowel syndrome and anxiety. 

 

He then increased the dosage to 25mg in January of 2018. I noticed shortly after the increase I was hearing auditory hallucinations in my sleep and that they just kept getting worse. I called my Gastro dr in May of this year and told him I wanted to go off the drug and asked what the best way to go off of it was. They told me just quit the drug cold turkey because it was a low enough dose.

Very shortly after quitting my symptoms got much worse.  Most of my symptoms happened right when I was falling asleep which were brain zaps ( I didn’t even know what those were at the time), dizziness, sleep and sensory disruptions, tingling in my body & my jaw area. I also experienced symptoms in waking life also such as tingling & burning in my feet, headaches, diarrhea, feeling light headed, crying spells, anxiousness, and nausea.

I called and told the gastro dr that I thought I was experiencing withdrawal symptoms  and he basically blew it off and said I didn’t need to taper off such a slow dose and that that the drug should be out of my system by now, as if I shouldn’t still be experiencing these symptoms weeks later. I also talked to my primary care dr who basically acted about the same about it. It has been about 6 weeks since my last dose of quitting cold turkey. It seems that there are some nights I sleep ok, but I am still experiencing these symptoms.

I have never experienced such an array of bizarre symptoms before getting involved with this drug, and I feel my symptoms are definitely related to my nervous system. (Doesn’t this drug alter your brain and nervous system?!) Anyways these dr’s scare me and make me think I am crazy or have some other type of physical underlying cause and I can’t figure out what else it could be besides of this Amitriptyline experience.  I have had anxiety and still do but NEVER in my life has anxiety caused me such bizarre symptoms such as these ones I am experiencing. Can anyone shed any light on this? The doctors have been no help at all.

Edited July 15, 2018 by SkyBlue
added paragraphs for readability

[SkyBlue]

Hello Majesty, 

 

Welcome to SA. 

 

Yes, you are definitely experiencing withdrawal from stopping the drug cold-turkey on your doctor's advice. 

 

Doctors in general truly do not understand withdrawal from these drugs and how very slowly we need to go off of them. You are in good company here -- if you look around the site, you will find coping strategies as well as stories similar to yours.

 

Can you put your history in a drug signature using these instructions: https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/12364-please-put-your-withdrawal-history-in-your-signature/

 

 

Yes, the drugs alter the nervous system--you are right. The good news is, you will heal. 

If you are six weeks out, you are in the window for possible reinstatement--please read through at least the first page of this thread  https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/7562-about-reinstating-and-stabilizing-to-reduce-withdrawal-symptoms/ and let us know what you think. Reinstatement success depends on many factors and isn't 100%, but it could be an option. Please don't make any changes yet though.

 

 

[majesty79]

Thank you for your reply. Yes I was wondering about reinstatement also, but I am a little bit scared of it too, however, I am also scared as to how long these withdrawl symptoms are going to keep continuing for. They mainly happen in my sleep-the brain zaps and dizziness, pressure in my head etc. They seem to come and go, as some nights I sleep without remembering them, and then the next night I will get a couple. Would reinstatement be best with the amitriptyline at the low dose 10mg? I had recently went to a psychiatrist who acted as if the drug had nothing to do with my symptoms since he said "it was such a low dose"-and he told me most likely my symptoms were caused by anxiety, and I of course no 100% that is not true, and it was this drug. At 10mg I don't recall the drug doing to much to me but when the gastro dr raised it to 25 mg is when I started getting auditory hallucinations.  Then when he told me to cold turkey quit is when I started getting all of the awful withdrawl symptoms. Before amitriptyline I was on Wellburtrion for a short time and then prior to that Zoloft. But I never experienced any problems that I recall from those drugs. I will fill in my history in a drug signature next but I don't remember some of the dates without contacting my dr to ask to get that off of their records. I have been off the amitriptyline for about 7 weeks and still get these symptoms altho sometimes they seem less intense then before. The psychiatrist also prescribed me Zoloft 100mg to start taking immediately, and I have refused to do that until I get  a better grip on what is going to be the safest thing for me to do. I want to be drug free and never use these horrible anti depressants again, as I feel I never really needed to be on them anyway but was not educated enough about them at the time. I don't want to get back on amitriptyline if it could be dangerous at this point since my nervous system has gone cold turkey for 7 weeks now, but I also don't want to have these withdrawl symptoms forever so I am not sure what to do/or what the best way to stop them would be. Also, if I did do  a reinstatement, should it be the amitriptyline or the Zoloft?! I am not sure but want to be extremely cautious.

[majesty79]

May 2013-June 2017 Zoloft 

july 2017-October 2017-Wellbutrin 

late october 2017-end of December 2017-amitriptyline 10mg

january 2018-may 2018- amitriptyline 25mg- quit cold turkey 

 

 

[mammaP]

Majesty79 I moved your post here to your intro, we need you to post it in your signatire box, this link takes you to the box, just copy and paste it there and click the save button at the bottom. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/settings/signature/

 

[mammaP]

It would be amytriptilene that would need reinstating but at a very low dose. You can make your own liquid to get a small dose of 1mg . That does not seem to be mich but often a tiny dose can help the withdrawal symptoms and is less to taper later. Your doctor is very unlikely to believe it will have any effect but we have extensive experience of people doing well with very small doses on reinstating. Skyblue has left you the link on reinstatement, and this link will tell you how to make a liquid from the tablets. 

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/2693-how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules/

 

This explains how to taper amitryptyline when you have stabilsed

https://www.survivingantidepressants.org/topic/18369-majesty79-amitriptyline-side-effects-and-withdrawal/

 

No one EVER wants to go back on a drug, and it is your choice. Everyone is different and some take longer to recover than others. If you can't cope with withdrawal reinstating can ease the symptoms but then needs to be carefully tapered later. 

 

 

[majesty79]

Thank you for your reply. I am quite overwhelmed right now, especially with lack of sleep, it is hard for me to think. It has been very overwhelming as in "information overload" between what my doctors and psychiatrist say, and all of the massive amounts of information here.  I saw a neurologist today who also acted as if this was such a small dose that I was on like how could it have caused me all these adverse reactions (25mg amitriptyline). But obviously with your experience you are telling me indeed that it can. It is the only thing that adds up to me with regards to the timing and the symptoms.  I  thought my withdrawl symptoms were easing up and lessening a bit, but it seems they have happened again with the same intensity as at the beginning (couple weeks after cold turkey going off last dosage). ( I am in around week 8 now)--so is that a normal thing to have happen?! That is what really scared me because I thought it was easing up. So if you don't think I am putting myself into much danger I would like to try to reinstate the drug to see if it will ease the withdrawl symptoms, since they have become so unbearable. I get head zaps in my sleep that keep me up all night.  I am a little confused about the liquid method. Do I have to do this? I can't just ask my dr for a low dose of the amitriptyline?  ( I don't know how low it goes down to in tablet form or how low I can crush it down to? You are saying by making the liquid it would make the eventual taper easier?  Is 10mg too large a dose to start back on? When I was on 10mg I did not have any adverse reaction that I recall.  It wasn't until the dr increased it to 25 mg that my adverse reactions started to increase.  My main goal is to stabilize myself before beginning a very slow taper. My psychiatrist told me to just go back on Zoloft, but as you said, you think it should be the amitriptyline that is reinstated right? You don't think Zoloft is going to help my withdrawl symptoms as much as going back on the low dose of amitriptyline would correct?  Also, the second link you sent me that talks something about "how to taper off of amitriptyline after reinstating it" does not seem to work, as it doesn't seem to take me to that information but rather to what looks like my thread post. God bless you for helping me.

[majesty79]

Can someone tell me if there is anyway to alleviate brain zaps? I started amitriptyline 25mg in January 2018 and shortly after started hearing increasing auditory hallucinations. I told my doctor I wanted to go off of it. He told me to just stop taking it. I stopped taking it cold turkey around the end of May. Shortly after started experiencing brain zaps, dizziness, tingling, involuntary movements, shakes, etc--mostly all in my sleep and when I fall asleep. My psychiatrist and general doctor told me to go back on Zoloft on July 18, 2018. And I started back on it at 50mg daily. I still get the brain zaps, dizziness, shakes in sleep. No one can seem to help me. How long is this going to last and is it life threatening?! I feel intense fear when it is time to sleep every night. Just wanted to add I was on Zoloft since 2013 till about summer of 2017 then stopped taking it. I then had a psychatistist prescribe me wellbutrin for about 3 months and took it instead of Zoloft. Then I went to my gastro doctor who put me on amitriptyline for my irritable bowel and anxiety. I started taking it then after tapering off wellbutrin. I never had experienced any problems until the amitriptyline started and it just got worse after quitting it cold turkey then as the doctor had told me to just stop taking it.

[ChessieCat]

There are many existing topics on this site.  Please use either the site search (top right) or a search engine and add survivingantidepressants.org to your search term.

 

Searching survivingantidepressants.org brain zaps:  brain-zaps

 

[ChessieCat]

I've asked the other mods to look at your situation and whether reinstating a very small dose might help.

[Altostrata]

majesty, have your symptoms changed at all since you started Zoloft?

 

What is your current daily symptom pattern? Please keep daily notes on paper about your symptoms, when you take your drugs, and their dosages. Use a simple list format with time of day on the left and notation (symptom, drug and dosage) on the right.

 

It does not sound like Zoloft helped your withdrawal symptoms from amitriptyline.

[majesty79]

It will be 2 weeks tomorrow since I started taking Zoloft. No it doesn't seem that it has helped my symptoms. All my symptoms seem the same. All my symptoms only happen when I fall asleep. The only waking life symptoms have been diarrhea and achyness. The symptoms in my sleep are the brain zaps, dizziness, involuntary movements, shakiness. I was scared to go back on amitriptyline because it had caused me adverse reactions starting with auditory hallucinations. Don't know what to do. Are these symptoms dangerous and how long are they gonna last I wonder too.

[ChessieCat]

What time do you take your Zoloft?

[majesty79]

I was taking it around 3 pm in the afternoon, but, yesterday I had something happen where I got out of routine so I didn't end up taking it yesterday until late night before I went to bed around 10pm... when is best to take it? Any idea? 

[majesty79]

Also, is it possible my withdrawal from amitriptyline could be going on this long? Quit cold turkey from 25 mg end of may this year.

[ChessieCat]

2 hours ago, majesty79 said:

I don't really understand how to ask questions on here, so I apologize if I should not have started a new topic. I am just feeling desparate about my situation and symptoms. I am wondering if I am ever going to get better and if these brain shocks/feelings of explosions are ever going to stop. Is it normal that I had thought they were going away and seeming less intense a couple of times  and then they come back again with more intensity?

 

I've moved your post to an existing topic.  To find existing topics on this site use either the site search function or a search engine and add survivingantidepressants.org to the search term.

 

Here is the link:  brain-zaps

 

[ChessieCat]

On 8/2/2018 at 9:29 AM, majesty79 said:

Also, is it possible my withdrawal from amitriptyline could be going on this long? Quit cold turkey from 25 mg end of may this year.

 

Yes.  This topic may help:  are-we-there-yet-how-long-is-withdrawal-going-to-take

 

[majesty79]

Hello again,

I am only having symptoms in my sleep that wake me such as the brain zaps, sometimes dizziness, twitches. Someone told me amino acids such as GABA and 5-HTP might help with this. Does anyone have some experience? I would appreciate it greatly. Thanks.

[ChessieCat]

There are many existing topics on this site.  You can use the site search function or google and add survivingantidepressants.org to the search term.

 

So to find these topics search:

 

survivingantidepressants.org gaba

 

survivingantidepressants.org 5-htp

 

 

[majesty79]

Hello,

I just wanted to get some validation to see is this been heard of to still have side effects/ withdrawal symptoms from amitriptyline 25mg now that it going into 8 months since my last dosage of it cold turkey at the end of May 2018? What happens is a few times I would think the symptoms went away finally and then they always end up coming back again. THey are only in my sleep as they have been from the beginning-brain zaps, involuntary movements, shaking, weird sensations in my head like explosions that wake me up. I am wondering if I will have these symptoms all of my life now or if they will ever go away. of course no doctors can help me always the same with no answers/acknowlegement etc. None of this stuff every happened to me until shortly after taking amitriptyline, it gave me auditory hallucinations,  and then got worse upon quitting cold turkey. I am currently on zoloft 75mg and gabaptentin 100mg. Don't want  to be but that is what doctors put me on in hopes to help the symptoms now I am scared of getting off of those too. i do get more sleep then I used to though so the symptoms don't wake me quite as much as they used to, but they still do come and go and are totally random (all during sleep as stated before). 

[ChessieCat]

exploding-head-syndrome-or-ssri-withdrawal

 

head-symptoms

 

[Carmie]

Hi majesty, 

 

How are you doing? Can you please update your signature, and put in the Zoloft and gabapentin that you are taking now. Have you tapered anything since January. If you have, could you put the dates of that in your signature as well. Thanks. 

 

Sending hugs🤗