Adverse affects of Elavil

[Really concerned]

I have been on Elavil 25mg for two months now. Prescribed for migraines, I found that it helped me quit drinking and put an end to my compulsive behaviors. Yesterday though, I experienced shortness of breath, dizziness, and general feelings of panic. It has lasted through today and I went to my doctor and he said I was fine and to keep taking my medicine. I am scared that the medicine is poisoning me and want to get off. How long do I have to taper off?

[John]

drugs don't 'put weight on' you, honey. You put the food in your mouth with your own hands, chew it with your own mouth, swallow it down your own esophagus.

[Grailhunter]

I have anxiety, panic syndrome and widespread pain. I was on Elavil at 100 MGs a day and 20 milligrams of Paxil for about a year, plus 2 milligrams of Klonopin, that was tapered down from 5 mgs over a few months after starting on the Elavil and Paxil.

Yes, there are huge side effects to Elavil. I would go out like a light and sleep for 12 hours and wake up so groggy and dizzy for the first 30 minutes of the day all I could do is sit. Then I was stressed out part of the day, but mainly exhausted.

Then I finaly forced myself to go back to a physicaly demanding job. I started the job still on these drugs. Some days I would have to take 40 mgs of Paxil in the morning just to get moving. I would work all day with a 64 ounce mug of coffee going constantly to keep going.

About a month into the job, barely able to function, I cold turkeyed the 100 mgs of Elavil. I felt funny a couple of days and then my energy level, focus went up and I felt no additional stress. A couple of weeks latter I cold turkeyed the Paxil and had the same reaction. Increased focus and more energy. A couple of weeks latter I stopped the 2 mgs of Klonopin at night. I had absolutely no withdrawels I noticed from doing this. For months my thinking was clear, my stress levels were normal. I believe the drug side effects were horrible, but they did repair what was wrong with my brain.

4 years latter now, I am taking muscle relaxers, narcotic pain killers and 4 mgs of Klonopin. All of them have serious withdrawel symptoms without a slow taper.

There really is no choice for me. If I want off those other drugs, I will have to trade them off to deal with the pain, stress and sleeping issues. So its back to the Elavil and Paxil and tapering off that Klonopin.

I will tell you all something else that worked for me for years and I wish I had never stopped. Before I started taking drugs, I used to take a high dose of Kava Kava at bedtime. It took months, but it eventualy got to the anxiety, muscle pain and general stress levels. Had I not stopped my regular use of this herb, I don't think I would have ended up on the drugs. Now that option is out, because you cannot mix Kava Kava and Benzo's. You will feel like your going nuts in about 3 or 4 days. It is also hard to get good Kava Kava anymore. It was supposedly linked to Liver damage, but really, how bad can it be compared to loading yourself up with pain killers and muscle relaxers.

[Numb]

I was taking Elavil 25mg to help with my headaches. I worked, but i started noticing my feet started to fall asleep at night while I was sleeping. I didn't think much of it, until I woke up completely numb from my breasts down. I was only on the medication for 3 weeks. I went to a neurologist and he said it is a side affect of the drug. It's been 3 weeks since I've been off of it, and I am still experiencing numbness. Anybody out there ever have this happen to them as a result of taking this drug?

[Jaylene]

Elavil is garbage. Dr Idiot trotted out the usual magic phrase he knows will persuade me to accept a so-called medication: "This will help you sleep."
I have intractable insomnia among the plethora of symptoms of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

I've told this self-convinced genius that SSRIs, SNRIs, TCAs make me want to walk into the lake till my hat floats...and keep on walking.
It's obvious either he wasn't listening, has never bothered to read that ream of patient info I had to fill out before he'd deign to speak to me, or just doesn't care.

He said, at the most recent appt which hopefully is the last and occurred 4 days ago, "I think the human body changes in its' reactions to medications over time and I want you to retry the Elavil."

Okay fine. Here we are four days later. I am not allowed to sleep...good old Elavil...I'm angry and feel like throwing things and the only reason I'm not throwing things is because I'd have to clean up the mess, I'm sobbing uncontrollably, I'm agitated and Dr Wonderful's latest experiment on the guinea pig here is that it's stolen interest in, and orgasmic reaction to, sex between myself and my husband.

Gee, thanks, Doc. You can put your pills where you usually sit.

I told him in months past that anti-depressants hit me and a lot of others who have myalgic encephalomyelitis in exactly an opposite way the men with the alphabet soup letters (MD) behind their names swear the pills will affect those who are coerced into accepting the junkmed.
Guess the process of overly educating him and teaching him absolutely nothing didn't do a lot of good, eh?
He certainly wasn't taught to listen to a patient, care about the patient, or give a damn what happened to the patient as a result of his so-called care.

Big Pharma and MDs are trying to kill us. Leave BP and MDs alone.

[Hungover]

OMG I've been on Endep 25mg for 2 weeks to alleviate constant migraines, well it's stopped the migraines, but it is an evil little sucker!
I feel like I've been smoking some serious weed, simply feel totally 'hungover' for most of the day and devoid of any emotion.
Trying to get out of bed in the morning is like trying to push a Mack Truck up a hill.
I'm off this stuff - it knocks you out.

[Jaylene]

"HUNGOVER:"

I didn't know till just now that Amitriptyline/ Elavil was also called Endep.
Thank you! I now have another thing to watch out for in case Dr Wonderful comes up with yet another "This will help you sleep" which he knows is a sure-fire way to get me to try almost anything.

What he DOESN'T seem to know or understand or remember is that I can't go near any sort of a-d, be it SNRI, SSRI, or TCA. All of them are horrible for me and a reminder of what I've taken to calling Rule One: Everybody's different.
He also claims it's not possible to react as rapidly as I do to his latest greatest Fix Ya Right Up.

Of course when I interviewed him he claimed to know all about how to treat people who have CFIDS/ CFS/ Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/ whatever the CDC has decided this week to call it.
I surely hope he isn't maltreating other people on his patient list in the manner he's maltreating me.

Hang in there,

J.

Hungover wrote:

OMG I've been on Endep 25mg for 2 weeks to alleviate constant migraines, well it's stopped the migraines, but it is an evil little sucker!
I feel like I've been smoking some serious weed, simply feel totally 'hungover' for most of the day and devoid of any emotion.
Trying to get out of bed in the morning is like trying to push a Mack Truck up a hill.
I'm off this stuff - it knocks you out.

[Joe]

John wrote:

drugs don't 'put weight on' you, honey. You put the food in your mouth with your own hands, chew it with your own mouth, swallow it down your own esophagus.

This drug brings on hunger and craving for sweets. It will put weight on some individuals. Everyone is different.