[Cocosurviving]

Hello Everyone,

I’m tapering off Zoloft due to serve stomach upset. I seen my pdoc Wednesday and she suggested Amitriptyline for SAD. I asked if upset stomach or weight gain could be caused. My pdoc said no. I have a few more days on Zoloft. Then I was going to possibly start Amitriptyline once I’m completely off Zoloft. So does anyone have experience on Amitriptyline?

[~Christina]

I took it years ago , it’s prettty ole school. I didn’t get good or bad out of it, I was given it after a workers company injury. Didn’t help my mood or my back.

[sub-dural]

I took this about 8 years ago for a short amount of time.

It's actually the anti-depressant that swung me out of unipolar depression into the bipolar stratosphere. I recall it helped me sleep really well and also it did give me a bit of an appetite but I also had lost a bunch of weight before hand so I think that played into it.

The kind of mania I experienced was the lashing-out rage that just blind-sighted me and everyone else. I have never felt that level of anger before or since.

So, if you are bipolar just watch out for any mood swinging.

[Gabyunbound]

A pain doctor wanted to put me on that for chronic pain and my pdoc said absolutely not, that it could send me into mania. It's only 1 pdoc's opinion, but I'd be careful.

[still_crazy]

id decline it, personally. never taken elavil, but ive taken tofranil, which is in the same category (tricyclic antidepressants). higher risk of agitation, hypomania, mania, and psychosis than many newer options. dry mouth, weight gain, constipation, sedation, sedation, cardiovascular risks...not the safest drugs around. also, tricyclics are -very- toxic in OD, and they have many drug-drug interactions, so...combined w/ other meds, its very possible to push the blood levels to toxic or near toxic levels.

there's other, newer, safer, less harmful drugs out there. even within the tricyclic class of drugs, there are other options besides elavil. tofranil is less popular than elavil, but its dosed 1x daily, at night, and its less sedating. there's surmontil, which is sedating and less toxic, less stimulating. there's also amoxapine. my former shrink suggested amoxapine, but i declined...its a tricyclic that does double duty as a tranquilizer/antipsychotic. apparently, a good option for some people w/ psychotic depression.

[liveforsummer]

Tried it about 10 years ago. Didn’t sleep for 3 nights so quit. But that’s just me.
Hope it works for you

[WildcatVet]

This was the first antidepressant I was ever on...back decades ago...so I don't remember it well. But I do remember I had no side effects because I never have had side effects from any psych medication...
I've read a lot of articles lately in journals that the older tricyclics are making a come back because they may be more effective in treatment resistant depression...