jacqui in mo Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 My 13 yo dd has just been put on amatriptyline to try and help control abdominal migraines (A.M.) (Not depression related at all). She's only been on it a week & 1/2 so we can't necessarily see results for the A.M., but I'm wondering if the med is affecting her in other ways. She is sleeping until 11:00 a.m. now when she usually gets up between 7:00 or 8:00 a.m. (when she's feeling well). I'm wondering if others have noticed difficulty in waking up at normal time with antidepressants? I go ahead & let her sleep for now as I assume she is having to adjust to the medication & extra sleep sometimes helps with the A.M., but,boy, does this interfere with trying to get school done. Jacqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle in AL Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 Amitripytiline (sp?) is used at low doses (10-20mg) as a treatment for insomnia, so yes it will make you sleepy. Is it a once/day dose? If so, I would recommend having her take it 10hrs prior to when you want her to get up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted September 30, 2008 Author Share Posted September 30, 2008 Yes this is once a day and we've been taking it right at bedtime. Looks like we need to take it earlier in the evening. Thanks, I didn't know it was a tx for insomnia as well. That makes sense. Jacqui Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I used to take it and easily sleep 10-12 hours per night. And I never did find that the side effect went away. The best that you can do is have her take in earlier in the evening and then make sure she doesn't do anything that takes heavy brain power after that. My dh calls coma in a bottle. Unforatunately, I did not find it helpful for chronic pain at all. It also caused a 20 lbs weight can and an inability to have orgasms. It is considered a dirty med in that it can have lots of side effects and therefore is usually a med of last resort if something better can not be found. Hopefully her body will adjust and this will work out for her. If things don't start to improve within eight weeks then I would talk to the dr about a different med. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted September 30, 2008 Author Share Posted September 30, 2008 :eek:Wow, the possible side effects list only says "drowsiness", not "coma in a bottle" LOL.. When I think drowsiness, I think yawning a bit while you're trying to be awake, not completely knocked out (I know that's exaggerating, but still...). I'm glad to have your input. Her doctor did suggest taking it at night since it would make her "sluggish" and maybe said "sleepy". I'm surprised my Pharmacist Brother didn't point out the sleep aid part or the "dirty med" part. (although when I talked to him last, my dd had not started being such a late sleeper yet). I've been told it's an old drug that has been used a long time & is safe. The doctor (gastroenterologist) has said that she's had very good success for A.M.s with this med. We'd already tried something else that didn't work so this was the next step. We're not supposed to be on it for long, maybe until Jan. if it's helping, then come off of it to see if we've broken the cycle of her pain. We do have a follow up appointment in about 3 weeks as well to check on how things are going. So were you taking this for some kind of chronic pain? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacqui in mo Posted September 30, 2008 Author Share Posted September 30, 2008 forgot to ask you if you've experienced headaches with this med. My dd has had 2 so far in a week & 1/2. My db said it's too early to tell if it's caused by the med since she's had HAs before. I'm really wondering though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 :eek:Wow, the possible side effects list only says "drowsiness", not "coma in a bottle" LOL.. When I think drowsiness, I think yawning a bit while you're trying to be awake, not completely knocked out (I know that's exaggerating, but still...). I'm glad to have your input. Her doctor did suggest taking it at night since it would make her "sluggish" and maybe said "sleepy". I'm surprised my Pharmacist Brother didn't point out the sleep aid part or the "dirty med" part. (although when I talked to him last, my dd had not started being such a late sleeper yet). I've been told it's an old drug that has been used a long time & is safe. The doctor (gastroenterologist) has said that she's had very good success for A.M.s with this med. We'd already tried something else that didn't work so this was the next step. We're not supposed to be on it for long, maybe until Jan. if it's helping, then come off of it to see if we've broken the cycle of her pain. We do have a follow up appointment in about 3 weeks as well to check on how things are going. So were you taking this for some kind of chronic pain? Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this. Busy week. I actually started taking this for chronic headaches. It never really helped with the headaches but headaches are one of the side effect so :confused:. I took it for five years even though it never really helped. I was a very young adult at the time and my dr. said take it so I took it. I didn't really learn anything about the med until I quit taking it. I would not make the same choice now. I am still a chronic pain patient and I have used many other pain medications at this point. I would choose just about any other one given the choice. I also have serious insomnia and can only get about four hours sleep max with two Ambien. I would go without sleep before taking Elavil. Doctors are very reluctant to give children other pain medications options so you might not have any other choice. If my child had to take this I would proceed carefully. Things to consider are: weight gain (can be significant), change in moods (eitther way - mania or depression), headaches, urinary problems, sleep problems, concentration problems (can cause mental "fog" -spaceiness, forgetfulness, etc.) These are the main things that I can remember right now. Listen to your child's feedback and maybe keep a log daily or at least weekly. If your child reports that it is not working for them, trust her on this. I have never actually met a person that this medicine has worked for, for chronic pain. It has a high "drop" rate due to side effects. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 [quote name=jacqui in mo;564451 I go ahead & let her sleep for now as I assume she is having to adjust to the medication & extra sleep sometimes helps with the A.M.' date=' but,boy, does this interfere with trying to get school done. Jacqui Try giving it earlier in the evening. She will probably get accustomed to it. Perhaps doc will try a smaller dose and work up. It can do wonders for this kind of belly pain, is not addicting, etc. Doesn't work for everyone. Can make a person act loopy if woken in middle of night (or act normal but not remember anything the next day). Hide the bottle from visitors (don't leave in bathroom cabinet)....this is a tricyclic and is one of the more common drugs used in suicide attempts, and it is a real bear to get people through alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravelingChris Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 My dd 15 takes Lexapro for her migraines. SHe takes 10 mg. in the evening. It is one of the newer antidepressants and it doesn't give her excess sleepiness. It also hasn't caused any weight gain in 4 months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Is she seeing a specialists for the migraines? If not, and if this med doesn't work, I would see a specialist. My 20ds take Inderal for his migraines with no side effects. My 11dd takes Lamictal for her migraines, again with no side effects (actually the Lamictal helps many areas for her). There are other meds out there as well and a different med might be needed. Amatriptyline is Pamelor, right? If so, it is terrible to come off of---need to wean it very slowly. My 13dd was on it at age 3 but had terrible problems with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 Is she seeing a specialists for the migraines? If not, and if this med doesn't work, I would see a specialist. My 20ds take Inderal for his migraines with no side effects. My 11dd takes Lamictal for her migraines, again with no side effects (actually the Lamictal helps many areas for her). There are other meds out there as well and a different med might be needed. Amatriptyline is Pamelor, right? If so, it is terrible to come off of---need to wean it very slowly. My 13dd was on it at age 3 but had terrible problems with it. Not the exact same med but a closely related one. Amatriptyline is Elavil while Pamelor is Nortriptyline. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted October 7, 2008 Share Posted October 7, 2008 that this med can cause constipation which could be a problem for someone already suffering from gastrointestinal issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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