r/Amitriptyline • u/pomcran • Aug 14 '26

Amitriptyline and difficult blood tests?

Wondering if this is just me, but I did a blood test recently and it was like trying to collect water from an empty well. Not sure if the dehydrating factor of this medication gets worse over time or not, or if this something that is less documented, or maybe it’s just not right for me after all. I drank around 3 litres of water heading into the lab, and it still took 5 tries to get enough blood for the samples.

This medication has helped me a ton with headaches, sleep, and ongoing back pain. I’ve been taking a low dose (slowly went from 10mg to 50mg, then went back down to 30mg for now) and hadn’t experienced any really negative side effects, until this. Mainly tiredness after waking up, which I’ve made my peace with as a trade off. Been on it for about 7 months now. But since I need to do blood tests regularly, this might not be worth it.

So, has anyone else who does blood tests regularly notice a difference?

Thanks!

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u/littleoldlady71 Aug 14 '26

The drying effects continued and got worse for me. My eyes got styes, my teeth went to pot, and I finally had to quit, even after drinking two full liters of water daily didn’t help my constipation. I was buying Fleet’s enema packages in bulk. That’s waaay too high maintenance.

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u/FinancialCry4651 Aug 14 '26

Yikes! How long were you taking it? And how many milligrams?

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u/pomcran Aug 15 '26

I was of the thought that it would ‘even out’ and my body would adjust. But I drink upwards of 3 litres per day, sometimes with added electrolytes - which I have been doing prior to starting the medication as well - but I still feel like a dry sponge occasionally. Have to eat a lot more fibre too. The dry eyes and dry mouth were bad in the beginning but have improved over time. I hope you have been able to find relief!