Amitriptyline, Stomach Issues & Other Meds

Hi all!

My situation is that I have been diagnosed with IBS; we have looked at it and my physician, psychiatrist and psychologist all agree that this is the issue as to why I have these 'flare ups' of IBS symptoms.

I will discuss it with my psychiatrist as well, as I know the importance of the pdoc knowing what is going on with regards to all meds. It was suggested by my physician that if we do not see improvement, we can try amitriptyline for controlling the IBS symptoms. These symptoms have been around for a number of years, and whilst it frustrates me to a great degree that there is talk of another medication, I am willing to hear them out and consider it.

My questions are:
1. Has anybody else had these issues and have been put on this medication for IBS?
2. Are there known interactions between amitriptyline and the medication I am currently on? (venlafaxine, lamotrigine, quetiapine)

My physician did look at the medications I take and doesn't seem to think that they are exacerbating the symptoms.

Thank you!

I dont know anything about any of that but wanted to tell you to NEVER quit that medicine cold turkey because it is also a heart medication and if you quit cold turkey it can do some really scary things to your heart. I had to be hospitalized because I quit it cold turkey and everytime I fell asleep my heartrate would drop lower and lower. The only good thing was that startled me awake so I didnt croak. I am just saying way dangerous to quit cold turkey.

Thank you. I think I did once have the tendency to just stop taking medication because I absolutely hated taking pills everyday for an undetermined amount of time. I am now more content with it, and would not just quit cold turkey.

hi. id personally -not- want to take a tca with seroquel. person thing...heavy sedation, seems like it'd invite more weight gain, possibly do something not to nice to the cardio-system...I dunno.

effexor+elavil sounds...not good, either. but that's me. could you maybe take the elavil and -not- take the effexor, eventually? effexor was initially marketed as a cleaned up tca, anyway...i think they hit some of the same targets. id just be concerned, because with blood levels going up, toxicity seems a concern, but....maybe not? you're seeing specialists. im just some individual on a computer, lol.

Thank you @still_crazy:
I have had a change of meds as well in any case- am still taking Effexor, but now taking Abilify instead of Lamictal. I will bring this up with my psyche.

Hey TicTac...
Just wanted to say I have had a lot of luck with Amitriptyline over the years. It is kind of an old fashioned tricyclic antidepressant that is not used for that much. They use it off label for many things, such as chronic pain and to calm nerve type flares.

Originally I was put on a low dose of Elavil for the nerve pain in my fingers and arms after a spinal fusion that went bad. The first time I went off of it my nerve pain stuff came back. That happened a second time. Years later, I was still taking it (am still having more back surgeries!) because it seemed to have helped and pain seemed worse off of it.

I started with a new psych doctor and he and I decided I would go off of it and see what happened. Well, 9 days later I had the most horrendous IBS and Interstitial Cystitis Flare. I hadn't even thought abut the Elavil. I made an ER appointment with my urologist and the first thing she said was "go back on."

Sooooooooooooo.....who knows? None of us do! It might and might not interact with meds you are on. It can cause sleepiness, or help one sleep. It can cause constipation or none at all. It can help reduce the pain signals sent by the brain. All I can tell you is it's been an unintended life saver for me, for bizarre pain syndrome types of things.

Sending you much luck!!
FearLess47