Pain medication tolerance?

[Poppy7402]

I was just wondering whether anyone here has developed a tolerance to Amitriptyline?  I'm trying to figure out whether I've just become tolerant to the level I'm on, or whether my pain has got worse.  Today the pain has been just awful, especially up into the base of my skull.  The burning pain in my arms and feet is also pretty bad.

Thanks for any input.

Poppy

[doublevision1]

I switched from ami to nortriptyline several months ago and no longer have a problem with urinary retention.  As for pain relief, I find it about the same, which isn't perfect but better than nothing.  I haven't had the appetite problem with either drug like I had with Lyrica, and stopped taking it for that reason.  Like Kyle I also take gabapentin, and find this combo to be more effective than either drug on its own.

I know the discomfort of the miserable vise-grip-like MS hug, sorry to hear that's happening for you, hope you ge some relief from that soon.  Definitely take Kyle's advice about increasing or adding a med if you're really suffering ..... kinda sounds like you are.  :(

[Poppy7402]

I went back to my GP today and have changed medication from Amitriptyline to Nortriptyline in the hope it might be better at controlling the old, and the new symptoms with less side effects.  Sleeping half the day and having to padlock the fridge to keep me out of it was also no fun LOL.  

I'm now getting a few episodes where it feels like I'm in a bear hug, it is awful!!

Poppy

[SarahL2491]

well, it would depend on how long you have been on it.  For example, I was on Inderal for 20 years and it wasn't working, so they took me off of it for about 10 yrs and now am back on it with good results.

I am sure that you reach a point where many drugs don't work and then sometimes combinations of drugs work, as Kyle says........It took me 6 months of trial and error for a "cocktail" of drugs that stop my stomach spasms.......all by trial and error.

Kyle gives you good advice, discuss it with your doctor, he needs to be totally on board with what is and isn't working for you in order to help you!

[kwarendorf]

Finding the right cocktail to deal with nerve pain can take time. In some cases an individual drug, at a particular dose, might work for a while and then stop working. If you have maxed out the dosage of one drug adding a second may work.

The max dose for amitriptilyne seems to be 150mg/day. What is your current dose?

I started with 300mg/day of gabapentin, to deal with pain in my feet. I worked my way up to 3600mg/day. I still had no relief. We then added 25mg amitriptilyne to the gabapentin and there was some relief. e bumped the amitriptilyne to 50mg/day and Bingo! No more pain!

Talk with your doc about bumping your dose or adding a second drug.

Kyle