charlotte1
06-10-2003, 09:10 PM
My physician has ordered elavil to treat the pain, numbness and tingling in my arms and hands. I was wondering how much success this drug has. Has this worked for anyone? I also am curious has anyone had any trouble getting off the elavil.
I am currently taking neurontin which has helped my pain but I would really like to quit taking it because it seems to be affecting my memory.
Any info would be appreciated
thanks
[This message has been edited by charlotte1 (edited 06-13-2003).]
I am currently taking neurontin which has helped my pain but I would really like to quit taking it because it seems to be affecting my memory.
Any info would be appreciated
thanks
[This message has been edited by charlotte1 (edited 06-13-2003).]
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DecLady
06-10-2003, 10:34 PM
I am also taking Elavil, but from what I have found out so far that it is more to help with sleep and depression than with pain.
andyM
06-11-2003, 08:56 AM
I was on elavil and it didnt help me at all and I had horrible side effects. :(
JAYB
06-12-2003, 08:10 PM
My experience with elavil was horrible. I had severe constipation, blurred vision and the sweats. I didn't last a week on it and I was on an extremely low dose. It is one of the most prescribed drugs for fibro if you can tolerate it.
JoeInMD
06-12-2003, 10:59 PM
Originally posted by DecLady:
I am also taking Elavil, but from what I have found out so far that it is more to help with sleep and depression than with pain.
That's why I take it; 100mg before bedtime. It also helped me with my restless leg syndrome.
Joe
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America needs SPACE to grow!!!
I am also taking Elavil, but from what I have found out so far that it is more to help with sleep and depression than with pain.
That's why I take it; 100mg before bedtime. It also helped me with my restless leg syndrome.
Joe
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America needs SPACE to grow!!!
modelgirl
08-09-2003, 02:37 AM
I have been on and off elavil several times in the past few years and have not had any trouble getting off at all. The longest I took it was for about four to six months. When I went off it, I just stopped. I was taking 10mg twice a day. Not a strong dose. I found it helped a bit with depression, but not with pain. Also, I was prescribed Nurontin as well. This is a drug that is used to treat epilepsy as well as chronic pain. I had very bad reaction to this medication: slurred speech, confusion, nausea, headache, weakness... My doctor took me off of this due to the reactions and listed it as allergic medication for me. Everyone is different and it may be right for some; as well with the Elavil. Best regards.
riceneuroni
08-09-2003, 09:28 AM
Hi Charlotte,
You didn't mention how much Elavil has been prescribed. It would help us to know because that indicates whether the doctor is trying to improve your sleep (less than 40 mg/night) or if it is for depression (more than 40 mg/night). There may also be a new connection specifically to pain relief that I'm not aware of, so you might want to ask your doctor what his thinking is.
I've been on and off Elavil for more than 10 years. It is considered a safe and effective drug for helping improve sleep at around 10-20 mg/night. The most reported side effect is increased appetite for sweets. If this is a concern, be very careful since you are already taking Neurontin and that can have similar side effects.
If you are on the low-dosage side, stopping any time is not a problem. Keep in mind, each time you start there will be a 2-3 day period of disorientation, increased sleep, and general weakness.
Good luck with it. Hope it, and this information, help.
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/love1.gif KYIMP http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/love1.gif
You didn't mention how much Elavil has been prescribed. It would help us to know because that indicates whether the doctor is trying to improve your sleep (less than 40 mg/night) or if it is for depression (more than 40 mg/night). There may also be a new connection specifically to pain relief that I'm not aware of, so you might want to ask your doctor what his thinking is.
I've been on and off Elavil for more than 10 years. It is considered a safe and effective drug for helping improve sleep at around 10-20 mg/night. The most reported side effect is increased appetite for sweets. If this is a concern, be very careful since you are already taking Neurontin and that can have similar side effects.
If you are on the low-dosage side, stopping any time is not a problem. Keep in mind, each time you start there will be a 2-3 day period of disorientation, increased sleep, and general weakness.
Good luck with it. Hope it, and this information, help.
http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/love1.gif KYIMP http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/love1.gif
kathym43
08-09-2003, 11:25 AM
I have been taking elavil for 2 years, without it, I could not sleep past 2 hours. It has saved my life, however, I have never weighed this much. I gained 20lbs. I would rather be able to sleep. I was recently put on neurotin because the elavil seemed to be losing its effectiveness. Now I am sleeping again!
tzty
08-16-2003, 12:17 AM
I took Elavil for a few weeks after shoulder surgery to help with the pain, relax the muscles and sleep. It really helped but I had to take it around 6 PM at nite or it would knock me out most of the following day. It really helped. I know that neurontin is an epilespy medicine and used for seizures and migrains. I have no clue why you were given this medicine. It is dangerous and I know of people who reacted severly. Thank God they took it at the hospital. The reaction hit so fast they didn't leave for a few days. Ask the doctor for Trazadone and use the Elavil as you need it. The Trazadone is great and you can monitor that and it is not addictive. Best of luck with this.
shinemathew516
08-16-2003, 03:46 AM
i took elavil one day....the side effects of it lasted me 3 days...side effects:
Zombie
Blurred vision
Buzzed hearing
Things floating around me
Slept 24 hours straight through
Unexplainable crying
Aaaahhhh and this is an antidepressiant??? yikes! but the nice thing I did not feel any of my depression for 24 hours....so it did work....WHILE I WAS ASLEEP! LOL
Doc then put my an anitriptaline (spelling ???) after 1 day of that I decided depression was easier to deal with! that also left me wacked out for days!
I am now recovering from depression with natural methods.
------------------
Let it shine for all: Let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise the Heavenly Father!
Shine!! Matthew 5:16
Zombie
Blurred vision
Buzzed hearing
Things floating around me
Slept 24 hours straight through
Unexplainable crying
Aaaahhhh and this is an antidepressiant??? yikes! but the nice thing I did not feel any of my depression for 24 hours....so it did work....WHILE I WAS ASLEEP! LOL
Doc then put my an anitriptaline (spelling ???) after 1 day of that I decided depression was easier to deal with! that also left me wacked out for days!
I am now recovering from depression with natural methods.
------------------
Let it shine for all: Let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise the Heavenly Father!
Shine!! Matthew 5:16
JAYB
08-16-2003, 02:56 PM
Elavil and Amitriptyline are the same thing.
josh31673
08-18-2003, 06:50 PM
I agree with joyshow. The Trazadone is a non-tricyclic med used in low doses (50-100 mg) for sleep and higher doses (150-400 mg) for depression. It is nonaddictive with very few side-effects with drowsiness and dizziness listed as the most common and none listed as life-threatening. I would also be very, very careful with Neurontin. It was prescribed for nerve pain. A month later my fingers were tingling and a month later my hands were numb. The nerve conduction studies and EMG showed severe carpal-tunnel in my right hand and moderately severe in my left hand. Surgery was recommended to prevent further damage to the nerves. Since I'd not had problems before the neurontin I decided to eliminate that from my list of meds. Within 10 days I had all feeling back in my hands and no tingling. Three of my doctors had previously said none of the meds would cause that, but when I saw a nurse practitioner a few months later she said she had several other patients who reported the same side effects. Please remember, doctors only know what the PDR or the drug reps say and what the patients report to them.
Betherlady
08-19-2003, 12:47 AM
I took elavil for about 6 mos. It was fairly effective in helping me sleep and when I woke up in the morning my pain was reduced quite a bit (but returned by early afternoon). The only reason I stopped taking it was it started losing it's effectiveness after a few months.
Good Luck!
I'm also interested to know how the neurontin is helping, I read the previous post about the negative experience, I know it helps my mother with her pain considerably, my Dr is thinking of starting on this.
Thanks
Good Luck!
I'm also interested to know how the neurontin is helping, I read the previous post about the negative experience, I know it helps my mother with her pain considerably, my Dr is thinking of starting on this.
Thanks
shobean
08-19-2003, 04:08 AM
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this board but not to fibro. I have been on elavil for 7 years, it has been my best friend and my worst enemy. Prior to taking it, my sleep was unbearable, tossing and turning in extreme pain, constant waking, you get the picture. The elavil fixed this immediately, it also added weight immediately. I have tried on 3-4 occasions to get off of it on my own and have had to go back on it within a few short weeks. I am in the process of weaning off of it again as my doctor has just started me on a new drug called zonegran which is supposed to be like neurontin without the bad side effects, as a matter of fact there is supposed to be a major weight loss as a side effect.
I never like new drugs, they scare me, especially when I know what works but when you are already depressed due to the pain, and all of the losses in your life the last thing you want is to be on a drug that makes it really hard to lose weight, I barely eat, I work out when it is bearable and yet I remain heavier than ever.
I guess what I am trying to share with you all, is that if you really need your sleep, do it!!!! It is worth it, when you start to do a little better than you can try new things but we all know that nothing matters more than our sleep.
I'm new to this board but not to fibro. I have been on elavil for 7 years, it has been my best friend and my worst enemy. Prior to taking it, my sleep was unbearable, tossing and turning in extreme pain, constant waking, you get the picture. The elavil fixed this immediately, it also added weight immediately. I have tried on 3-4 occasions to get off of it on my own and have had to go back on it within a few short weeks. I am in the process of weaning off of it again as my doctor has just started me on a new drug called zonegran which is supposed to be like neurontin without the bad side effects, as a matter of fact there is supposed to be a major weight loss as a side effect.
I never like new drugs, they scare me, especially when I know what works but when you are already depressed due to the pain, and all of the losses in your life the last thing you want is to be on a drug that makes it really hard to lose weight, I barely eat, I work out when it is bearable and yet I remain heavier than ever.
I guess what I am trying to share with you all, is that if you really need your sleep, do it!!!! It is worth it, when you start to do a little better than you can try new things but we all know that nothing matters more than our sleep.
TashaD
08-21-2003, 08:17 AM
Elavil was the first medication I was perscribed after being diagnosed with fibro. Two weeks later, I felt better than I had ben feeling for the last two years. I was taking 20mg at bedtime, and most of my fibro symptoms went away. No more body pain and morning stiffness, and my fatigue did not last all day anymore. Elavil helped me tremendously.
Then...I got Chronic Myofascial pain in my facial region, and the pain I am experincing now is much stronger than the Elavil was. And due to the fact that I have gained almost 20 lbs., I was taken off of the Elavil. And now, I am back at square one (the way I felt before being diagnosed with fibro), but now I get to add excrusiating facial pain (yey).
I have now been put on Nortrypoline (sp?) 25mg at night, to help with sleeping hrough the night, and with the Chronic Myofascial pain. My doc says that it has less side affects than Elavil. Has anyone else found that to be true?
Thanks
[This message has been edited by TashaD (edited 08-21-2003).]
Then...I got Chronic Myofascial pain in my facial region, and the pain I am experincing now is much stronger than the Elavil was. And due to the fact that I have gained almost 20 lbs., I was taken off of the Elavil. And now, I am back at square one (the way I felt before being diagnosed with fibro), but now I get to add excrusiating facial pain (yey).
I have now been put on Nortrypoline (sp?) 25mg at night, to help with sleeping hrough the night, and with the Chronic Myofascial pain. My doc says that it has less side affects than Elavil. Has anyone else found that to be true?
Thanks
[This message has been edited by TashaD (edited 08-21-2003).]
MISKC91
08-21-2003, 01:35 PM
Hi Charlotte1,
I understand this to be an anti-depressant. I took it one time, and it wacked me out, and I went to the hospital after taking it. Originally posted by charlotte1:
My physician has ordered elavil to treat the pain, numbness and tingling in my arms and hands. I was wondering how much success this drug has. Has this worked for anyone? I also am curious has anyone had any trouble getting off the elavil.
I am currently taking neurontin which has helped my pain but I would really like to quit taking it because it seems to be affecting my memory.
Any info would be appreciated
thanks
[This message has been edited by charlotte1 (edited 06-13-2003).]
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I understand this to be an anti-depressant. I took it one time, and it wacked me out, and I went to the hospital after taking it. Originally posted by charlotte1:
My physician has ordered elavil to treat the pain, numbness and tingling in my arms and hands. I was wondering how much success this drug has. Has this worked for anyone? I also am curious has anyone had any trouble getting off the elavil.
I am currently taking neurontin which has helped my pain but I would really like to quit taking it because it seems to be affecting my memory.
Any info would be appreciated
thanks
[This message has been edited by charlotte1 (edited 06-13-2003).]
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