Your dosage, drug form, and how often you take the drug will depend on:. Typical starting dosage: 10 mg three times a day with 20 mg at bedtime, for a total of 50 mg per day. The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. This can cause your body to process drugs more slowly. As a result, more of a drug stays in your body for a longer time.
This raises your risk of side effects. Your doctor may start you on a lowered dose or a different dosing schedule. This can help keep levels of this drug from building up too much in your body. However, because drugs affect each person differently, we cannot guarantee that this list includes all possible dosages. Always speak with your doctor or pharmacist about dosages that are right for you. You might experience an initial worsening of your depression, thoughts of suicide, and behavioral changes when you first start taking amitriptyline.
This risk may last until the drug starts working for you. Stopping it suddenly may cause side effects such as nausea, headache, and tiredness. Do not stop taking this drug without talking with your doctor. They will tell you how to slowly lower your dosage over time. Taking it again could be fatal cause death. The use of drinks that contain alcohol while taking amitriptyline raises your risk of serious side effects, including extreme drowsiness. For people with heart disorders: Taking this drug could cause heart problems, such as irregular heart rhythm, heart attack , and stroke.
Your doctor should do this because a major depressive episode is usually the first symptom noticed in people with bipolar disorder. This drug should not be used in people with bipolar disorder. For people with a history of seizures: Taking this drug raises your risk of seizures.
If you have a seizure while taking this drug, stop taking it and call your doctor right away. For people with a history of glaucoma or increased eye pressure: Taking this drug could increase the pressure in your eyes. For people who have schizophrenia: This drug can worsen certain symptoms of schizophrenia. If you have this condition, let your doctor know before starting this drug. For people who have urinary retention difficulty emptying your bladder completely : Taking this drug can worsen urinary retention.
For pregnant women: Amitriptyline is a category C pregnancy drug. That means two things:. This drug should only be used if the potential benefit justifies the potential risk to the fetus. For women who are breastfeeding: Amitriptyline passes into breast milk and may cause side effects in a child who is breastfed.
Talk with your doctor if you breastfeed your child. You may need to decide whether to stop breastfeeding or stop taking this medication. For seniors: The kidneys of older adults may not work as well as they used to. These side effects include fast heart rate, difficulty urinating, constipation, dry mouth , and blurred vision.
For children: It has not been confirmed that this drug is safe and effective for use in children younger than 12 years. Use of this drug in children must balance the potential risks with the clinical need. Amitriptyline oral tablet is used for long-term treatment.
If you stop taking this medication suddenly you may have withdrawal side effects such as nausea, headache, and tiredness. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily.
To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.
In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor may order certain lab tests to check your body's response to amitriptyline.
Do not let anyone else take your medication. Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription. It is important for you to keep a written list of all of the prescription and nonprescription over-the-counter medicines you are taking, as well as any products such as vitamins, minerals, or other dietary supplements. You should bring this list with you each time you visit a doctor or if you are admitted to a hospital.
It is also important information to carry with you in case of emergencies. Generic alternatives may be available. Amitriptyline pronounced as a mee trip' ti leen.
Why is this medication prescribed? How should this medicine be used? Other uses for this medicine What special precautions should I follow? What special dietary instructions should I follow?
What should I do if I forget a dose? What side effects can this medication cause? What should I know about storage and disposal of this medication? Brand names Brand names of combination products. Other uses for this medicine. What special precautions should I follow?
Before taking amitriptyline, tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to amitriptyline or any other medications. Your doctor will probably tell you that you should not take amitriptyline. Be sure to mention any of the following: antihistamines; cimetidine Tagamet ; diet pills; disulfiram Antabuse ; guanethidine Ismelin ; ipratropium Atrovent ; quinidine Quinidex ; medications for irregular heartbeats such as flecainide Tambocor and propafenone Rythmol ; medications for anxiety, asthma, colds, irritable bowel disease, mental illness, nausea, Parkinson's disease, seizures, ulcers, or urinary problems; other antidepressants; phenobarbital Bellatal, Solfoton ; sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors SSRIs such as citalopram Celexa , fluoxetine Prozac, Sarafem , fluvoxamine Luvox , paroxetine Paxil , and sertraline Zoloft ; sleeping pills; thyroid medications; and tranquilizers.
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you have stopped taking fluoxetine Prozac, Sarafem in the past 5 weeks. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
Your doctor will probably tell you not to take amitriptyline. Error Email field is required. Error Include a valid email address. To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information and to understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your e-mail and website usage information with other information we have about you.
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