All About Amitriptyline
Elavil and Endep are the brand names of the generic drug Amitriptyline. They are generally given to mental health disorder patients, thosed diagnosed with fibromylagia, and to some interstitial cystitis sufferers to help with their symptoms. It is good for chronic pain sufferers and in treating restlessness, nerves, and insomnia sufferers.
Amitriptyline is available as a generic and as a brand name prescription. It is an antidepressant used to elevate mood by increasing the level of the neurotransmitters in the brain that relates to depression. It is available in tablet form in the dosages of 10mg, 25 mg, 50mg, 75mg, 100mg and in 150mg. It can be taken with or without food and needs to be used with some care if you have any liver disfunction as it is metabolized by the liver. Its safety has not been established in young children or in pregnant women, so please check with your doctor if you are pregnant or think you may become pregnant and have been given an Rx for this drug. In a similar vein, those that are nursing shouldn’t take this drug as it is secreted in human milk and can be passed on to your infant. It will give a bit of sedative effect to the takers of this drug, so care should be taken to not operate a car or machinery until you know how you are going to react to it. Most patients take it at night, so that it can be a partial sleeping pill.
Amitriptyline is not without its side effects. (Speaking from experience, I gained 30 pounds in only 6 months on this drug. The pounds were hard to get off my frame and the drug was hard to get off of as well) The side effects listed from the makers include: fast heart rate, blurred vision, urinary retention, dry mouth, constipation, weight gain or loss, and low blood pressure on standing. Rash, hives, seizures, and hepatitis are rare side effects. They recommend that the antidepressant be reduced slowly over time if this drug therapy is to cease.
Drug interactions are plentiful, as with many antidepressants, and care should be taken not to add Amitriptyline if you are taking any of these interacting drugs. If you are taking an MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibiting drugs) you may get a high fever, convulse, or even die while on this drug. If you have seizures or are at risk for seizure, you should not take this drug. Neither should you take Epinephrine while on this drug as it raises your chance of severe high blood pressure. Epinephrine is what is in an Epipen and given when you have a severe allergic reaction, if you have risk factors for allergies severe enough that you carry an Epipen you need to let your doctor know prior to filling this drug prescription. This drug can increase paranoia and manic reactions in those prone to these conditions and cannot be used in patients with prostate enlargement.
Amitriptyline can increase eye pressure in glaucoma patients. Tagament can increase these effects and drinking alcohol can block the affects of this drug while increasing its sedative effects. Overdosing on this drug can create life threatening abnormal heart rhythms.
