Elavil

I use Elavil and have for several months now. It's not a miracle remedy but it helps. When I first started it I did notice some dry mouth but not so much anymore.

I tried a couple of other Fibro meds that not only didn't help but made me feel worse & gain weight. Seems to me I pretty much just have to live with the pain and manage it as best as I can. The Elavil at night helps me stay asleep...or at least get a better sleep. Having a good night sleep is important. I still wake up during the night sometimes but Elavil allows me to get right back to sleep.

I ran out of it a week ago and I had 2-3 very miserable days afterwards - lots of pain - so I guess it does something for that too...hard to tell this time of year ! My prescription reads "for pain" right on it. I was amazed at how much more pain I had - I thought my pain was pretty big already !

It is probably like many of the drugs out there - works for some, not for others. Best of luck - I do think it's worth trying if you have sleeping problems (sometimes we don't realize how bad a sleep we are getting). I'm scared of trying other drugs too - so many side effects, no magic pill. Although, if this winter is too hard on me I might go looking for a tramadol prescription...never tried it though.

I was put on 50 mg of Elavil per night many years ago, due to chronic diarrhea (Elavil is very drying, so this side effect was why the gastro doctor put me on it).

Yes, I definitely gained weight. When I got a refill, it was in 25 mg tablets. I very, very seldom take it now, unless my "issues" come up, but when I do, I take it about an hour before bedtime. Nothing puts me to sleep faster, and I generally am very tired all the next day.

I don't know if everyone who take it has that problem, but it sure does it to me. I have to be dressed for bed when I take it, because within the hour, I'll be so sleepy I can't function. I think this is just a quirky thing for me, though. I avoid meds whenever I can.

Best wishes!

Hello, I also use amitriptyline (elavil) for sleep. I first started with a 10 mg cut in half and now I have a 25 mg cut in half.

It works good for during flare ups, so I can sleep through the pain. the bad effect for me was feeling groggy the next day. That is why I stopped taking every night . I discovered taking Gabapentin every night to sleep worked better with no groggy tired feeling the next day. But that is with everyday pains not flare ups. I still take amitriptyline for flares.

it has some good and bad but the good out weighs the bad when the pain is bad.

Also it takes a couple of hours to kick in. I hope you can get relief and sleep.

I have taken elavil for over 20 years and could not survive without it. I have attempted to go off it a number of times over the years and the pain is much worse without elavil. I am also on Gabapentin and will be speaking to my family doctor next week to get off it. I don't believe it has helped me at all.

I love elavil and wouldn't dream of going off it. It didn't cause me any untoward side effects other than sleepiness at bedtime, which is a good thing. :)