Posted 3/8/2011 4:18 PM (GMT 0)
Hi All,
Thanks Jamiee. Yeah... migraines are definitely not fun in the least. That's really fantastic that you found something that's working for you now.
Yep, getting by. It's verrry closely related to elavil.
I've been on both (much much higher doses of the elavil), so if your interested for whatever reason I can tell you about either one. The amitriptyline (lets call it AMA) is a prodrug of nortriptyline (lets call it NRT). The body breaks down AMA into NRT, and the NRT is what does the job.
In general NRT is much more gentle on the body, so it is fantastic that they are going to that med first (before AMA). It can make you a little tired in the beginning, but your body gradually gets used to it and you get back to your normal (minus some of the depression.... that's why your taking the med :) self. You may find it actually helps to provide you with a really full nights sleep. The trick with the med is to take it early, especially in the beginning when your body is getting used to it, so you don't wake up too foggy. So for example, if you normally go to bed at 10 or 11pm, take the med at 7 or 8 pm.
I also found that the medication can make me kind of grumpy after a few days , if I don't eat my eggs (no...I'm actually serious!). One of the things the med does is antagonize the acetylcholine receptors (this is why it may give you dry mouth also... drink plenty of water). Eggs are high in choline, a precursor to acetylcholine. For me, 1-2 eggs once every 2-3 days does the job.
Like I said, it's not a drug they use to often anymore because they like to use the SSRI's or SNRI's. But it can work pretty darn well. I hope it works for you and best of luck! Congrats with the move again!