Is Anyone on Amitriptyline to Treat Chronic Headaches (25-50 Mg)?

Updated on December 22, 2010
I.S. asks from Culver City, CA
7 answers

During my pregnancy I had pre-eclampsia accompanied by horrendous headaches. After my son was born they went away. When he was about 4 months old they returned with a vengeance! Unfortunately we were between countries for my husbands job so getting a proper check up was out of the question (needed MRI). Now we're settled but it's too much of a trek to get to DR's and back with stroller and car seat, husband can't take time off to help. So I am still on amitriptyline to stave off the headaches until a solution can be found.

My question is, why am I so gosh darn tired? I go to bed around 10:30 every night and am up between 6 and 6:30 every morning. Do I need more sleep because I'm taking it? I take it at night and as my doctor said, take 25 mg normally but if you DO get a headache (or one of my PMS migraines, thank you pregnancy hormones, you ____@____.com..), take 2 (50 mg) before bed.

*****I'm taking MAX 50 mg, not 100!

PLS any and all advice is appreciated! I'm still fairly new to the drug (only about 5 months on it).

Thank you in advance!

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More Answers

K.V.

answers from Lansing on

That drug is in a class of anti depressants, and a lot of them make you drowsy. I was on Elavil for awhile, but my OBGYN took me off of it. I was on it for nerve damage. It made me extremely tired, to the point I coudn't function and it wasn't suppose to be taken with one other med I was taking. If you got more sleep, it could make you even more tired. Weird how our body works, huh?

Talk to your doctor about putting you on a daily dose of Topamax. I take that everyday to help keep my headaches at bay. It works really good. Midrin also works really good when you take it at an onset of a headache.

I'm the queen of headache pills (migraine sufferer for most of my life), I've tried just about everything! So if you have any questions, feel free to message me.

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K.H.

answers from Boston on

I was on it for awhile, but I was too drowsy and when I decreased dosages I still had the migraines. Good luck with it!

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S.H.

answers from Honolulu on

All I know is, with both my pregnancies, I had mega Migraines plus morning sickness. The ONLY thing that helped me, was Acupuncture, which my OB/GYN suggested. It took only 1 half hour session, and it was all gone!

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D.F.

answers from Boston on

I take amitriptyline for Fibromyalgia at night. I take 50mg and I am also groggy when I wake but it usually goes away after I am up for a little while. I think your dose of 100mg might to high. Try taking less when you have a bad head ache. When you feel it coming on , when you know its starting take it. Do not wait until its a full blown headache. Because you have a new baby I would not take it during the day. I would def find something else to take. You need to call your Dr. and find out. Do not delay taking care of yourself, your important too!

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M.

answers from Cleveland on

I took it when I was younger and it made me so tired I couldn't function!

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J.M.

answers from Minneapolis on

Tried it...made me so non-functional for close to 24 hours...and I took it in the evening also!

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C.D.

answers from St. Louis on

I have been getting migraines as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed at 5yo. You need a ct scan or a MRI to make sure it is only migraines.

I used to take amitriptyline to help me sleep through the night because my back would wake me up. My pain management doctor said it can help prevent migraines too but it's not the "go to" drug for that. He put me on topamax for migraine prevention. I also had a "triptan" migraine med that I would take as soon as I felt one coming on.

When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter I had to go off a ton of meds. Migraine meds are really bad for unborn babies. After I gave birth I
didn't want to go back on as much medicine as I
was on. I didn't go back to any migraine med except
the "triptan" Relpax 40 mg. If I'm getting a migraine I take 1 and if it doesn't get rid of it I take another after 60min. As long as I take it when I first feel it I can knock it out with 1 or 2 pills. If I wait too long then the meds only reduce the time and intensity of the migraine. I haven't seen a difference in my migraines since I stopped taking amytriptyline and topamax. My sister swears by topamax. She
told me that she gets fewer migrines now that she takes Topamax. She also takes a "triptan" when she is getting a migraine.

You might want to try a "triptan" like Relpax and see if that helps. If it doesn't then you will most likely have to take Topamax or Amiltriptlyne on a daily basis along with a "triptan.

You need to get in to see your doctor asap. Talk to him about sleeping too long. Tell him that it's a side effect you can't live with.

GOOD LUCK!!! Let us know what they did to help you. People who get migraines are people who are always looking for something that helps.

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