Lyme Disease Support Group

I have been having these REALLY annoying jerky, tremor, like things. Especially at night...so you can imagine how much sleep the hubby and I are getting...

So I got in with my doc today and was prescribed amitriptyline to help with the spasms and to help me sleep. (I am really restless despite being exhausted...)

Do/have any of you taken this and what was the result? My doc says it should help some of my nerve pain as well.

Any comments help guys! Thanks! Jenn

I went to www.drugs.com and read the reveiws on it, that may help you some with info. Some people use it for nerves, which it and other people I talked said it helped. Some people use it for sleep.

My daughter's teacher has been on it for over 20 years, she was dx with fibro and she has only needed to work up to 50 mg after all this time.

No solid info here, but hope it helped a little bit.

Brenda

Although I had alot of the side effects..I can say it did its job! It was a love/hate relaionship:/.....They will tell you its non addictive, that wasnt my experience..If I missed one dose I was sick..and when I came off it cold turkey..I was in bed 2 weeks wt the shakes

OH...I was 127 lbs when I started..craved sweets really bad..ended up gaining 25 lbs but that was a small price to pay I guess for functioning and nonfuctioning..lol

Been off it for 5 years...but would gladely go back if I had to!

Stephanie

Post edited by: stephne, at: 01/25/2010 06:06 PM

Anyone else with any info feel free to jump in here....

Post edited by: Tennesseemom7, at: 01/26/2010 04:41 AM

can't remember how long i was on amytriptyline ...

but either with it or 1 of the MANY other things i was on caused the following ..

a 4" x 6" patch of skin on my upper right shoulder came off 4-5 times!! it was very painful; it was during the time of the newly announced SKIN EATING thing going around.

i have biopsies every time for them. 2 showed UNKNOWN BUG BITE! well, i guess we know now WHAT it was.

they took me off that & some other stuff. med literature said there was 1 case in thousands or up to a million...i don't know but i was the 2nd case like that!

i'll never know ... didn't know i had chronic lyme then either of course.

Holy cow batman! I did have a little trouble going to sleep...I felt soooo tired but couldn't fall asleep. Hubby say I was talking and not making much sense during that time....

Once I got to sleep I had some very detailed, funky dreams. However-I will say I do feel a bit more rested today....

Guess we'll see. I am gonna try it for a few days and see what it gets me!

My daughter was dx NDPH Nov, given amitriptyline to control headache pain and be able to sleep. We were not even aware of or thinking about Lyme at this time.

The amitrip helped her sleep and she did feel better overall on it. It's other use is antidepressant. But about a month into it, she became very constipated, she began having increasing abdominal pain over a few days and wound up in the ER.

She was taken off amitriptyline and put on Topamax.

Over about a month, the topamax did decrease her headache pain, but it also changed her, she wasn't as bright or quick as she was before. But THEN as the dosage was increasing, she developed an itchy rash on both her hands, it got worse until her skin became very red, sore, she couldn't move her hands, they were in a "claw" position. She had to keep ice packs on her hands to keep the pain down. She was also having cranial nerve and neurological changes. Back to the ER. Taken off Topamax.

At this time she is not taking any neuro drugs, her headache is averaging 6-7, went up to 8-9 yesterday (nausea/vomiting from doxy), but today it was down to level 5!

She had postive lab findings for Bartonella, Lyme, Babesia a little over a week ago and began doxycylcine.

We're afraid to try any more neuro drugs, if she has any odd reactions we won't know if it's the antibiotics or the neuro drug or the disease.

She's been taking advil to take the "edge" of the headache only when it's unbearable, she really limits herself on the advil.

Best wishes and lots of HUGS!!

i know i was on it several years ago but for depression - now will be for pain...lets give it a go eh!

Well, quick update. I have been taking it for a few weeks now at bedtime and I will say that I think it's working!

I am only have a few of the jerky/tremor like things a day now and I am sleeping like a champ! Hubby says I am so out of it he could do anything and I wouldn't wake up! (Not sure if that a good thing!!! hehehe!)

Overall, I would recommend it for what I'm using it for. I haven't noticed any dramatic help with my pain issues but I am taking a very low dose....

Good luck to you Cmany!