Amitriptyline Question

[cmscalise]

Hello,
I was wondering if anyone that has taken Amitriptyline can answer something for me. I was put on this @ 10mg nightly about 5 months ago for stomach pain. I was also taking Budesonide along with it, but have been off of that for about 6 weeks now. While taking both meds my symptoms cleared up and I was feeling like an almost normal person, yay! I even slept better than ever! My doctor wants me to taper the medication and come off of it now. However, no one can tell me how to do this. The doctor says ask the pharmacist and they say ask the doctor. I decided on my own to start to stagger the pills every other night and for about a week and a half I was fine. However, I am now starting to experience some weird stuff... I wake in the middle of the night with my mind racing and cannot go back to sleep. During the day I have nausea, cramping and not D, but loose and frequent BM's. I also have trouble concentrating and remembering things. I'm irritable with a headache and anxious as well. Does anyone know if there is withdrawal with this medication? Or, am I just seeing the necessity of continuing the need to take it? My doctor has no clue. Hence, I have no clue. Any advice would be appreciated. I want to go back to feeling the way I did

[brandy]

Hi Christine,

I'd probably talk to your pharmacist. Web MD says you need a slow taper to get off of it.https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8611 ... al/details

It looks like according to WebMD you can have side effects specifically from getting off of it.

Again, I'd probably consult your pharmacist.

[tex]

Hi Christine,

You shouldn't need to ween off a dose of amitriptyline as low as 10 MG. MC depletes magnesium. Budesonide depletes magnesium. Your symptoms are consistent with a chronic magnesium deficiency.

Except for the headache, I had exactly those same symptoms when I developed a magnesium deficiency after taking an antibiotic for some dental work a few years ago. I described my symptoms to several doctors (at different times). They all stared at me as though I had a screw loose. I ended up in the Emergency Room before I figured out the problem. I was taking magnesium at the time, just not enough and the wrong kind.

Tex

[cmscalise]

Thank you both, Brandy and Tex, for replying. My pharmacist said I needed to ask my doctor because the medication is used mainly for depression and I was on it for stomach pain, so he couldn't advise. Maybe I should ask the other pharmacist on call there? My Doctor's suggestion was very vague, so I took it upon myself to try and figure it out. I cut the pills in half, so now I'm taking just 5 mg.

I never considered a magnesium defienciey. Would that also include muscle pain and weakness? I have that as well. What kind of Magnesium and how much should I take Tex?

Thank you!

Christine

[tex]

I never considered a magnesium defienciey. Would that also include muscle pain and weakness?

Yes it would. It can even cause unusual symptoms such as brittle fingernails, shortness of breath, and pre-diabetic symptoms, such a frequent need for urination. It even caused kidney stones for me, because without adequate magnesium, the body cannot move calcium from the bloodstream into bones and other cells, where it's needed, so the calcium precipitates out of the bloodstream in the kidneys and other organs, even muscles, causing various problems.

Most of us take Doctors Best brand of Magnesium Glycinate (Chelated Magnesium), but there are other brands around that work just as well. Just be sure that they are unbuffered (IOW, don't buy a buffered brand) magnesium glycinate, and be sure that they're free of all the major allergens that we have to avoid. The RDA for women is 320 mg and it's usually safe to take that. However, a few of us may have increased diarrhea, so if you're one of those, take less or use a magnesium oil or lotion on your skin. Or soak your feet in Epsom Salts, or add Epsom Salts to your bathwater and soak for 10 or 15 minutes. This is why soaking in the Dead Sea is so popular.

https://www.amazon.com/Doctors-Best-Abs ... B000BD0RT0

Note that this product is labeled as 200 mg (of magnesium) per serving, but a serving size is 2 tablets. So each tablet contains 100 mg of magnesium. I take three each day, one with each meal. It's not a good idea to take it all in one dose each day because the body can only absorb so much at a time. Therefore excess amounts are not absorbed and they may contribute to diarrhea.

Tex

[cmscalise]

Perfect! I'll get some. Thank you Tex! I appreciate the information.
Christine