ELAVIL Reviews (AMITRIPTYLINE HYDROCHLORIDE)Average Rating: 3.1 (585 Ratings)Filter ResultsCompare ELAVIL with similar:
Type: Brand name discontinued; available as generic
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Results are sorted by Date added. Key to Ratings: 1=LOW (I would not recommend taking this medicine.) Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 |
More on ELAVIL: Reviews Summary | Drug Safety Information
RATING | REASON | SIDE EFFECTS FOR ELAVIL | COMMENTS | SEX | AGE | DURATION/ DOSAGE | DATE ADDED |
2 | Migraine Prevenation | Constantly tired, no matter how much sleep I got the night before. Very bizarre dreams/nightmares. I am ALWAYS thirsty and feel like I cannot drink enough water. | I have only had 2 migraines since I have been on this medication (I would have typically had 6 by now), but I am not sure that all of the side effects are worth it. I am going to speak to my doctor about different options, I hate feeling like a zombie everyday! | F | 24 | 3 weeks 10mg 1X day | 2/3/2011 | 3 | depression anxiety and panic attacks | very tired dry mouth | F | 22 | 1 days 25 MG 1X day | 1/27/2011 | 4 | Burning Nerve Pain | Tired, weight loss, blurry vision, dry mouth, hard to urinate. Side effects did decrease over time. | Takes the edge off of burning nerve pain. Side effects decreased in about 3-4 weeks of use. Was surprised that I lost weight and continue to do so. Almost did not take it because of of the all comments about weight gain. Pamelor could be another alternative if the side effects from Elavil don't go away. | M | 35 | 7 weeks 50 MG 1X day | 1/19/2011 | 1 | migraines | rapid weight gain. | I have been the same size for the last 20 yrs virtually being able to eat whatever and whenever I want. While taking Elavil, I have gained just over 20 lbs. I crave sweets and salty foods which in the past, I only ate occasionally. My sex drive is pretty much gone. I would not recommend this medication to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary and if there are no other alternatives. | F | 41 | 3 months 25 MG 2X day | 1/17/2011 | 5 | interstitial cystitis | I felt extremely sedated and dizzy at first, but that symptom went away after a few weeks of use. I've experienced some weight gain and loss of libido as well as sensitivity to sunlight. | The side effects I'm dealing with are TOTALLY WORTH IT for the pain control elavil provides. I'd urge anyone to not give up on this drug; the side effects DO lessen with use. Taken along with Elmiron, my IC is manageable. | F | 55 | 13 years 75 MG 1X day | 1/11/2011 | 2 | Repetitive Strain injury | Disturbed sleep like I had taken caffeine (I call it hypersleep as not asleep but not awake). Next day felt ghastly and really out of it till noon and thought I had 'flu coming. Took it again that night but exactly the same, and felt even worse next day. Dry mouth. Mood change to being easily irritated which is not me at all. I've stopped taking until I can speak to my doctor, seeing how some people here say this is early stage effect. | I thought I was going to get a good night's sleep and eventually nerve pain relief so very disappointed. Two days after and I am still feeling the negative effects which I find surprising and makes me wonder what on earth this is doing to me. I don't react well to blood sugar changes, and rarely take any meds so perhaps I am more sensitive than most. Very glad it works for some people though, and very grateful to this site for the shared experiences. | F | 52 | 2 days 10 1X day | 1/7/2011 | 3 | Migraines | weight gain (15lbs in 3 weeks), increased appetite (always needing to eat), hard to wake up in the morning, zoning out and hard to concentrate on anything, no motivation anymore | I have only been on this drug for 3 weeks and although I have only had 1 migraine during this time, I do not think this is a drug for me due to the side effects I am dealing with and of course my doctor told me nothing about any of these, only said I would be sleepy. | M | 27 | 3 weeks 50mg 1X day | 1/6/2011 | 3 | headaches | Slight weight gain, 5 lb. Loss of stamina at gym, (Reduced strength and could not run as long, I normally run 2-3 miles per week on treadmill, now .5 to 1 until i get tired)Joint pain after lifting weights. | It reduced my headaches from 2-3 a day to 3-4 a week, and they only last 2-3 minutes vs. 2-3 hours. I only take it just before Bedtime...which changes since I work rotating shift work (12 hr). My doctor has suggested getting of this next month. | M | 46 | 2 months 10 mg 1X day | 1/5/2011 | 4 | depression and severe insomnia | Over the past 6 months I have started having short term memory lose. I also have cotton mouth so badly that I am always drinking something. I am have some blurred vision and concentration problems | I am beginning to get concerned because I am having major short term memory loss. I can be told a time to be somewhere and 5 minutes later I am questioning what time I was told. I can't concentrate to even read a magazine. I have also started experiencing heart palpations. It does help me sleep. I am a severe insomniac and if I am not on elavil I can stay up for days and days. The reason I haven't be put on anything different is because I have tried everything and nothing helps me in all the areas such as the insomnia, depression, and anxiety attacks the way elavil has. When i have been off of it for a few weeks in the past I go spastic. So I of course go back on it to become sane again. The last time I tried to get off of it I wanted to sleep all the time which is the exact opposite of the past times. I am not sure what I should do because I am in the fear that nothing else can cover my issues the way elavil has. | F | 29 | 8 years 150 1X day | 12/1/2010 | 1 | Migraines / Fibromyalsia | weight gain, insomnia, stomache distress, swelling, hair loss | I've been on this med for 10 yrs. I tried to come off it before but was so horribly sick from withdrawls that I had to go back on. This drug is one of the worst which is not what was thought yrs ago when I started it. It is highly addictive. Weaning off this med is a very very very slow process and a short term anti anxiety drug may be needed during that time. Do not let anyone tell you that you can wean off it in a matter of weeks. You will feel so sick that you will never want to come off it. I am trying to wean off it again. There are far too many other options out there these days. | F | 41 | 10 years 50 1X day | 11/24/2010 | 4 | sleep disturbances | I've been taking it so long that it just didn't occur to me to look up side effects. My doctor had told me when I started it at age 35 that I might get Cotton mouth and I did. I also have vaginal dryness which my husband and I manage. However, about two years ago, I began experiencing dry eyes as well (also swelling of the eye and the eyeball, confirmed by opthamologist, though he couldn't imagine what was causing the swelling. Followup with my optometrist 10 months ago also revealed my eye pressure had increased a bit). It did not occur to me that elavil might play a role in either my dry eyes or my memory problems (which have worsened lately, like where I parked the car or worse, like the wellknown author of a book I'm teaching--or sometimes, I can't complete a sentence. I've gained 20 lbs., as well, but don't know if that's the drug or my age and slow metabolism. I was most concerned though when I finally began researching side effects yesterday that hair loss was associated for som | I cherish the years of good sleep that this medicine has given me. If I miss a pill, I sleep for only 3-4 hours, at most. When I take the pill, I sleep well for 7-8 hours. Still, adding the dry eyes scares me, as glaucoma runs in my family. It has taken a year of eliminating and experimenting to finally realize that this added dryness may be the elavil. The only way to know is to wean off of it and see what happens. I have a doctor's appointment about this in two weeks. | F | 57 | 22 years 25 MG 1X day | 11/21/2010 | 3 | Fibro/Insomnia | Dry mouth, extreme sleepiness to almost unconsciousness, sleepwalking, lucid conversations while asleep. | While it has helped my fibro and apparently, helps me sleep, the sleepwalking scares me. I am on various other meds and the ONLY time I sleep walk is on this med. It started as my husband waking me up because I was kneeling in the center of my bed, pulling the chain to the ceiling fan, turning the light on and off. Then, it progressed to my kids waking me to ask if they could go to a friend's house and me waking up the following morning panicky because my kids are gone. Now, it has elevated to me sleep walking and being told about it from my 19 year old son. I am considering talking to my doctor to switch me to something different. My biggest fear at this point is going out and getting in my vehicle and killing somebody. The little bit of relief i get compared to something horrific happening...well, it really isn't worth it. | F | 41 | 1 years 10mg 1X day | 11/18/2010 | 3 | Anxiety | Weight gain, increased hunger, dry mouth, drowsy in mornings | Since starting this 7+ years ago I have gained around 14 lbs in weight ... since STOPPING it in July 2010 I have LOST that same weight with no effort ... I am absolutely certain that Elavil has a definite effect on weight. | F | 52 | 7 years 10 mg 1X day | 11/12/2010 | 2 | migraines | loss of sex drive and difficulty achieving orgasm, drowsiness while first taking it | It worked great for migraines for about 2 weeks and then it had only minimal effects. | F | 34 | 4 months 75 1X day | 11/1/2010 | 4 | Insomnia | Rapid Weight gain | I found out from someone else that had been taking it that they too, experienced rapid weight gain. After investigating, we found out that doctors prescribe this medicine to anorexics and bulimics-so that they will gain weight regardless of what they do. I stopped 3 weeks ago and have effortlessly lost 7 lbs. I'm hoping it will continue as I still have a bit more to lose that Elavil has put on me. Now I'm using a herbal combination with L-Tryptophene, melatonin, lemon balm and lavender. I follow these supplements with chamomile tea. Works great! Less weight :) | F | 39 | 4 months 25-50 mg 1X day | 10/22/2010 | 4 | migraines | Extreme weight gain. I have gained 25 pounds in three months. Also, I have cravings for sweets and previously I harldy even ate sweets. | F | 34 | 3 months 100 1X day | 10/17/2010 | 2 | vulvar pain | feeling lightheaded, excessive hunger, weight gain, sleepiness, dry eyes and mouth, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, mild urinary retention, mild hallucinations, occasional ears ringing | didn't help my pain. increased BP was possibly due to weight gain. i had strong cravings for sweets and i couldn't exercise much due to feeling lightheaded. sometimes i would see flickering movements in my peripheral vision (this was not bothersome, just weird). | F | 37 | 3 months 50mg 1X day | 10/12/2010 | 4 | Depression | I just submitted a review of this drug, but forgot to add some things that I think are important. I forgot to mention that this medication made me sweat a lot, too. I did mention the memory problems in my last post right? :o) Please take this forum for what it's meant for... the only one who can decide if this medication is right for you, is you. | I wanted to address the weight gain issue because I know when I first considered taking this drug, I looked into possible side effects, and that one really turned me off, but I'm really happy that I did try it. My quality of life has improved significantly, and I still feel like myself on this medication, which is very important to me. The others made me feel so flat and blah, and hurt my head to get off of. There was initial weight gain, but I think that was just poor diet. Since I've started watching what I eat again, and started adding more physical activity in my days... I have lost 6lbs in 3 weeks. I know that I have a choice of what food I put in my body, and I am feeling great for these simple choices. | F | 45 | 3 months 50mg 1X day | 10/6/2010 | 4 | depression, fibromialga, | That 300 mg is not a typo. I take that massive dose at bedtime, SE every single one they list.heart damage, memory,weight gain,...if it is a SE I have it | This medicine gives me quality of life over quantity. That is because my dose is so very high. I have chosen to live shorter over no life at all. I am the exception to normal dosing. I get 5 hours sleep a night b/c of this medicine that is a great respite to me. | F | 50 | 6 years 300 mg 1X day | 9/30/2010 | 4 | Depression | Dry mouth, memory affected a bit, very drowsy about 2 hrs after taking, slight elevation in blood pressure (okay now) Initial weight gain (not sure that was the drug though, as food is an emotional stabilizer for me) | I have tried Effexor (Venlafaxine) and Celexa (Citalopram) and felt very blah. Also had no desire for sex, and had trouble reaching orgasm on both those meds. My Dr. gave me the Elavil (Amitriptyline) I feel so much better now! Started at 25mg (at bed cause it does tend to knock me out most nights) but that only helped for a bit. 50mg so far seems to be good for me. I can still function (unlike the other meds I tried) and I still have the desire for sex. I so far think of Elavil as my 'happy pill', cause I am much happier now than 3 months ago! I do sometimes worry about my memory... but give me a few minutes, and I'll forget about it again. LOL | F | 45 | 3 months 50mg 1X day | 9/28/2010 |