[nataliepatricia6183]

I was wondering if anyone here takes a tricyclics
AD and can tell me about their initial side
effects experience
I'm on day 5 and have some nausea
and sore throat
I also upped my dose of
trileptal this week so maybe that's effecting
it as well

[*Laurie*]

Tricyclics are the one class of psych drug I don't have experience with. I am on Trileptal, however. I'm at 900 mg and have not noticed any side effects at all. I just want to toss that out. Of course, everyone is different.

[Crook32]

I take nortriptyline. I have been on it for about three weeks now. I had slight nausea for about three days and after that it has just been a little dry mouth.

[Sad Mermaid]

I loved amitriptyline except for the huge weight gain.

[nataliepatricia6183]

Originally Posted by Crook32

I take nortriptyline. I have been on it for about three weeks now. I had slight nausea for about three days and after that it has just been a little dry mouth.

Is nortriptyline similar to amitriptyline
What does it help with

[*Laurie*]

Ugh, I mixed up tricyclicA-D's and MAO Inhibitors. Yes, I have taken tricyclics and did have some flu-like symptoms from them. My guess is that it's the tricyclic that giving you the side-effects, not the Trileptal. Or, maybe you're sick with a virus?

[Crook32]

Originally Posted by nataliepatricia6183

Is nortriptyline similar to amitriptyline

What does it help with

I think Nortriptyline is supposed to be better tolerated but they can have the same side effects. At least that is the little I read.

Nortriptyline can help with depression and sleep.

[still_crazy]

Tofranil (and the updated version, Tofranil-PM) was OK for me. I got dry mouth, losing pounds was impossible,despite dieting, and I was groggy for a while, but...for me, Tofranil is like taking Cymbalta or Effexor, with less apathy and you take it all at bedtime, so its an effective sedative for a little while.

Long term, I think TCA drugs can be a kinda tricksy. Some TCA drugs they can do blood level tests for, which might be a good idea if you're on multiple psych drugs, especially 2+ antidepressant drugs. Some doctors have issues about heart probs over the long haul (like my current doctor, who now has me on low dose lamictal+wellbutrin, instead of the Tofranil).

There are plenty of TCA drugs out there, that's for certain. Amoxapine might be good for you. Its one drug that partly metabolizes into loxapine, which is an older (and often surprisingly tolerable) antipsychotic. The antidepressant part lifts mood and energy levels, while the loxapine part helps with agitation, psychosis, (hypo)mania, severe anxiety, etc. According to what little I've read about it (I looked it up because my last doctor brought it up once), --if-- it helps, it often helps quickly. Also, higher doses have been used successfully in Schizophrenia, where there are often problems with depression, anxiety, etc.

OK. Other than that...I got nothin', lol. Oh, except that if Elavil proves too much to handle, some people do well adding Remeron to ongoing antidepressant treatment. Lower doses are densely sedating and can contribute to weight gain. Higher doses are less sedating and I think the weight gain becomes less of an issue, too.

I hope you can find a combination that gets the job done. Good luck.