Kathryn Report post Posted November 7, 2004 My daughter has been on 50mg amytriptiline nightly for the past 3 months, more or less. It was prescribed mainly to help her sleep, which it has done, she now goes to sleep fairly easily and has an unbroken 8 hours plus. The rest of us sleep better too, as a result, because she isn't up and wandering around. The trouble is, she complains of tiredness throughout the day, and aches in her limbs. She seems to have balance problems at times as well, ie she holds on to the walls when coming down stairs, and her general stamina seems to be low. I don't know if this is related to the medication, has anyone else noticed anything like this? On occasions when we have forgotten to give it to her, or given it really late, she reverts to her previous pattern of staying awake till 5 am because she says her mind is racing and the muscles in her legs twitch so she can't sleep. It has been suggested by a specialist we saw a short while ago that she tries Fluoxetine (think I've got that right) which is prozac, apparently. I don't know what effect this will have on her sleep patterns. Trying to weigh up all the pros and cons - obviously we'd prefer it if she didn't have to take anything at all. Any personal experiences of either of these medications would be welcome. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tez Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Kathryn, I haven't got any experience of amytriptiline but my husband took prozac for a long period of time. It helped with his anxieties, frustration and anger but didn't help him to sleep at all. Also it caused him to sweat excessively and he felt that it caused him to lose his edge and that this put him at risk in some of the situations that he faced because he just didn't respond. I have also read that SSRI drugs, which include Prozac, are not suitable for treating young people because a possible side effect is increased suicidal tendencies, particularly among the young. If you are considering using Prozac I would ask the specialist to clarify the position with regard to this because the benefits your daughter mught gain from taking it could outweigh the possible side effects. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mossgrove Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Kathryn, Have you tried Melatonin? It seems to have far fewer side effects. Simon Earlier thread on Melatonin Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tez Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Kathryn, Ashleigh uses melatonin. He uses a combination of slow release and normal capsules. It does help him but he still spends long hours awake. What I do find is that he is much calmer whilst he is awake and he doesn't experience as much anxiety over all the noises that he can hear whilst he is taking it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Thanks for the replies. I've been reading the thread on melatonin with interest. It might be worth a try. Tez does it affect your son's alertness during the day? Lucy was on sertraline for a while which I think is an SSRI as well. That didn't help her sleep at all, in fact she seemed to be more agitated on it, and she had a skin reaction as well. Prozac does worry me, it seems risky in someone her age. The trouble is, you can't know in advance how someone will react to a particular drug, so everything is an experiment. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tez Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Hi Kathryn, No the melatonin doesn't affect Ashleigh's alertness during the day. The slow release version releases over a 6 hour period and then disperses completely in the same way that naturally produced melatonin does. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baileyj Report post Posted November 8, 2004 Hiya, many years ago I was prescribed Amytriptiline for migraines, I took 1 tablet and it knocked me out from 11 pm till 3 pm the next day, I was then tired and lethargic for another day. When I checked with a nurse friend, she advised this drug very strong, and used for treating disturbed mentally ill patients, bed wetting infants or migraines, and was in varying strengths. When I checked with my doctor he said I could have a reduced dose, but I didn't. It may be that your daughters dose needs to be reduced, would it be worth asking the GP? Jo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kazzen161 Report post Posted November 8, 2004 I took amitriptyline for a while, as an anti-depressant. It did help me to sleep. I started on 20mg, but that made me feel like I was drunk - nicely drowsy, a bit wobbly and nothing could upset me. I reduced my dose to 10mg cos I could not look after the kids feeling like that. I would ask about reducing the dose. Karen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 9, 2004 karen and baileyj, Your experiences seem to confirm what I have suspected, that the amytriptyline is causing a general slowing up especially, karen if you were only on 20mg. My daughter is on 50! She can get away with more sleep at the moment as she isn't at school, but there is no way she could live like that in the long term. I wouldn't mind if it was doing something for her anxiety, but it hasn't made a noticeable difference to that. I think I'm going to reduce the dose slightly for now: she is due to have it reviewed anyway next week. Tez, how can I get hold of this melatonin stuff and how much is it if we can't get it on prescription? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tez Report post Posted November 9, 2004 Kathryn, You can buy Melatonin over the internet, but Ashleigh gets his on prescription. It can only be prescribed on a named patient basis so you have to wait for the chemist to get it in. Put a link in below in case it helps but I haven't used the company. Alternatively if you know anyone going to America, ask them to bring you some back, it's sold really cheaply on supermarket shelves there. Supplied here Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mossgrove Report post Posted November 9, 2004 I get mine from the same place as Tez. Despite the .co.uk web site and the prices in pounds, the melatonin will be posted from california, and will take about 5-7 days to arrive. 180 3mg tablets will set you back about �20-25 including the postage, depending on the brand. Simon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 9, 2004 Thanks tez and simon, that's really helpful. My daughter has always had trouble taking pills though, can't swallow them and I always have to crush them up for her, so ideally a liquid would be better. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kirstie Report post Posted November 9, 2004 Hiyah!! I was prescribed Amitriptilyne years ago i was grieving and badly depressed at the time but it did knock me bandy! i slept most of the day away and felt so sluggish. i couldn't continue with them and look after my son.Apparently it's quite an old fashioned anti depressant. The last time i went to the consultant (Lewis's) she mentioned that Prozac given to pre-pubescents was being withdrawn, don't exactly know why i think it had something to do with the Prozac slowing up puberty! However i am thinking of trying melatonin for my boy, will let you know how it goes! Take care all, Kirstie Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 9, 2004 Thanks kirstie, Did the amytriptyline affect your balance when you wre walking? kl Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kirstie Report post Posted November 10, 2004 Hi Kathryn, I can't think if it did affect my balance as i'm going back 8 years. I just remember being really sluggish and couldn't get out of bed, which was defeating the purpose of taking them! I have taken Prozac (untill a few weeks ago) and was on them for around 15 months and they made a huge difference to the way i felt, from depression to PMT and i must say i was far more chilled out. I'm just hoping my feelings are more stableized what with Lewis having the all important diagnosis and the start of various therapies. However we have a long way to go with him, so watch this space i might end up back on them!! Take care, Kirst. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nellie Report post Posted November 11, 2004 Kathryn, My son doesn't go to sleep until around 5 am every morning, although he does sleep until midday. I would love him to try melatonin to try and alter his body clock, but he's not keen. I think he's had enough of pill popping. He started on prozac and even though he was suicidal they doubled, then tripled the dose. We weren't told this was a side effect. He is now off all medication, which is great as he's coping quite well. His sleep pattern is interfering with his life and if would be great if it could be altered. Nellie xx Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kaz Report post Posted November 11, 2004 I was prescribed Amitriptilyne a few years ago for migrains and all i can say is that it knocked me for 6 everything was effected........ the migrains went but i slept all the time i found it hard to do anything the next day, like your daughter it effected my balance and i was only on 20mg a night. My mum also uses this drug and i remember afew years back after i had come off it i had a really bad migrain and got a 50mg tablet of her to use......... i lost a whole weekend!! I would ask the Dr if you could drop the doseage down and see if that helps her any Karen Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 11, 2004 nellie, Your son's sleep patterns sound very similar to my daughter's. She has often argued with me about the wisdom of going to bed at a "civilised" hour and has said that, left to herself, she would prefer to go to bed at 5 am and sleep till afternoon, that's just the way her clock works. Of course there is no way the rest of the household could cope with that. Now she doesn't have to get up for school, though, it's tempting to let her sleep in, and I have occasionally done so, just to give myself a break, but if she gets used to that she will find it very hard to adjust later on when and if she goes to college. Thanks Kirstie, it's good to hear the experiences of people who have actually been on these drugs; there are so many pros and cons to weigh up. I hope things carry on getting better for you, K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mbrown Report post Posted November 11, 2004 I used to take amitryptiline a few years ago for depression it helped me sleep but generally slowed the brain down. My son has been taking melatonin for over a year now for his sleep problems, prescribed by his doctor. No ill effects to report just a decent nights sleep for everyone. Instead of lying awake fo r4 or 5 hours after going to bed he is generally asleep within the hour. No drowsiness during the day and he is just as lively as before. I would certainly recommend melatonin. It's certainly worth a try. Our lad refuses to take any medicine so we disguise it by breaking the capsule into a hot milky chocolate drink or something similar. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kathryn Report post Posted November 12, 2004 Thanks Mike. This slowing down of the brain is something that bothers me. She finds speech difficult and I'd like to see if stopping the medication makes a difference to this. She does say that amytryptyline stops the "jumping" feeling she gets in her legs so anything we replaced it with would have to tackle that symptom - she says that's the main thing that keeps her awake. I long for the day when she doesn't have to use anything at all. K Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
pookie170 Report post Posted November 14, 2004 (edited) Hi Kathryn, that jumping thing sounds like restless legs syndrome,I had it both times I was pregnant and boy howdy, does it stop you from sleeping!! Infojunkie supplied me with a link to a site called 'wemove', can't remember which topic its under, but there was a section on this there. Might be worth a gander...I'm sure I remember being told that some kind of vitamin supplement helps with this, but my brain aint that reliable! Hope her meds. get sorted out, it must be hard for her. Esther x Just had a look, the link is under Help & Advice, in the topic called 'Hallucinations/Night Terrors, any experiences?' Hope its of use. Edited November 14, 2004 by pookie170 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
