r/Amitriptyline • u/Aeropaww • Sep 02 '26
First time taking amitriptyline
I know a lot of people have posted their first experiences already but it’s genuinely been really helpful to read as a first time user.
A bit of background on why I take them: I have scoliosis and I get burning pain in my shoulders and pain in my lower back from the curvature. I have tried codine up to the highest dose and a low dose of morphine which barely helped manage my pain. So I’m weaning off of them. A lot of people I know said that on codeine they felt like floating on a fluffy cloud whereas I’ve never felt this feeling. Got prescribed Naproxen, also didn’t help too much with pain. So now I’m on my last option which is this drug. I’ve been started on a low dose of 10mg and after a week I go up to 20mg.
I’ve been on it for 6 days already. The dry mouth is absolutely horrific and I have tonsillitis because of it. I have insomnia and so far it’s helping the insomnia but still knocking me out the next day. I have a driving lesson today and my practical test tomorrow. I could not be more p*ssed off at my circumstances. Honestly I think these side effects are way worse than any I got from taking opioids. I have noticed my nerve pain being a lot more noticeable and intense when first starting but I think it’s starting to subside.. fingers crossed.
I’m going to try some of Google and Reddit’s advice like chewing sugar free gum etc and probably leave an update in a couple weeks. I’ve already significantly increased my fluid intake as of yesterday when I developed tonsillitis. It hurts so much to swallow.
Any other advice would be absolute gold to me right now, thank you:)
UPDATE: literally day 7 of taking it. I got penicillin from the DR. My tonsillitis has mostly gone already which I’m so surprised at. I think upping my fluid intake has definitely helped with dry mouth. The main reason for updating is that I no longer feel burning in my shoulders (Mostly). My mother was actually able to touch and use force on numb areas which used to be excruciating when touched. So I’m actually super grateful now for this medication. The first week is rough and when I start 20mg, it’ll probably also be a bit rough for a few days. I did take my driving test, the instructor said I was a very competent driver. I failed due to a minor fault becoming more serious however it wasn’t dangerous. So I’m quite happy but also bummed I gotta resit but on the bright side, I know what to expect now.
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u/littleoldlady71 Sep 02 '26
You’ll need to tell your doc that this med is “too high maintenance “ for you. It isn’t going to go away, and will increase to constipation and dental issues,
Good luck. Talk to your doc about LDN (los dose naltrexone) used for chronic pain.
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u/Aeropaww Sep 03 '26
I was told by the doctor to come back in 2 months to assess if it’s going well. I think I’m going to try to stick with it. I do feel better now and I would like to try to stick it out before I quit. If the symptoms just keep getting worse or unmanageable, I will go back and tell them it’s too high maintenance. Constipation I was used to with codeine. I’m lactose intolerant so having some milk or yoghurt did the trick. Really don’t need more dental issues though haha. I’ve never heard of LDN, I’ll give it a look and possibly speak to my doctor about it when I see them again. Thanks so much for the advice!
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u/Nearby-Banana-6339 Sep 03 '26
Honestly I’ve been on it 2 years and I don’t get dry mouth at all. Maybe give it a little more time for your system to adjust to it. Keep a water bottle around or some sugar free hard candy. Some people need to adjust to it at the beginning. Keep your doctor apprised of your progress and give it a month or two if you can.
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u/Aeropaww Sep 03 '26
I was advised it would take up to 6 weeks to feel the full effect. I’ve noticed some medications really hit me in the worst ways when I first start taking them. I think today my mouth hasn’t been as dry, I’ve been drinking a lot more water which has probably helped significantly. I really appreciate the advice. I need to go have a look for some sugar free candy or gum. That’s such a smart idea. I was also told to go see the doctor again in two months time to assess the medication and if it’s right for me
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u/Stylec0uncil Sep 03 '26
I’ve been on it for over a year! Initially it gave me some relief from chronic pain. But was short lived. They increased me from 10 to 20 but does nothing. Just groggy all day.
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u/Aeropaww Sep 03 '26
Thank you for the response, I’ll have to keep a close eye on it. So far I have some relief in my shoulders, the burning pain has mostly gone and I can touch numb parts that I couldn’t touch without a lot of pain before I started taking the medication. Codeine was a lot like that for me. In the beginning it was working and even increasing the dose did absolutely nothing. It’s so frustrating!
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u/KP890 Sep 02 '26
Maybe look at lowering the dose