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How to take - Side Effects - Dosage - Things To Avoid - Pregnancy
While it’s often used as an antidepressant, its effects can help you make sure your day isn’t disrupted by nerve pain.
There are many ways to treat nerve pain, so talk to our doctors and see if amitriptyline could help you. They’ll talk through your symptoms, provide expert advice on what you should do next and even write you a prescription for amitriptyline if needed.
It’s important that you take amitriptyline exactly as your doctor tells you to. They’ll advise on the size and frequency of your doses and you shouldn’t change these without talking to your doctor first.
It can take up to a month for amitriptyline to have any effect, but you shouldn’t stop taking your medication or up the dosage even if you think you’re better. If you stop taking amitriptyline suddenly, it can cause harmful withdrawal symptoms.
If you accidentally miss a dose, you should take it as soon as you realise, unless it’s almost time for your next dose. If this happens, don’t take a double dose, as this could mean you’re more likely to experience side effects.
Talk to a Doctor About AmitriptylineThere’s a few side effects that are relatively common for people taking amitriptyline. They’re usually nothing to worry about and will typically stop when you’ve finished your treatment, but you can alway speak to a doctor if you’re concerned.
These common side effects include:
Younger patients are thought to be more likely to get side effects such as mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia. If you’re under 25, your doctor may want to monitor to this during your treatment.
In rare cases, serious side effects can happen. See a doctor if you notice:
If you have an allergic reaction to amitriptyline, you must call for an ambulance straight away. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include a swollen face, neck or lips, skin rash or trouble breathing.
See a Doctor About Your AmitriptylineAmitriptyline is not suitable for patients under 12 years old, or for people of any age with a history of heart attacks.
The drug can also react with other medication, so tell your doctor about anything else you’re taking, including MAO inhibitors. Your doctor will also need to know if you have:
All of these things could mean that amitriptyline isn’t suitable for you, so it’s important to provide your doctor with this information.
If you need surgery during your treatment, you must tell the surgeon that you’re taking amitriptyline.
It’s recommended that you avoid alcohol while you’re on amitriptyline.
It can make side effects such as drowsiness worse and affect your decision-making skills.
The effects of amitriptyline on an unborn baby aren’t known, so to be on the safe side, you should avoid taking it to avoid any pregnancy related issues, or planning to start a family.
We do know that amitriptyline can pass into breast milk and is potentially harmful for your baby, so it’s not suitable for breastfeeding mothers.
See a doctor about AmitriptylineIf you’d like to talk to a doctor about amitriptyline and get treatment for your neuropathic pain, our GPs are available from 7am until 8pm every day. If you need a prescription, they’ll be able to write you one straight away and you can collect your medicine from a pharmacy of your choice.