Amitriptyline

CAUTION:
Studies have shown that children and teenagers who take antidepressants ('mood elevators') such as amitriptyline may be more likely to think about harming or killing themselves or to plan or try to do so than children who do not take antidepressants. Children younger than 18 years of age should not normally take amitriptyline.If your child’s doctor has prescribed amitriptyline for your child, you should watch his or her behavior very carefully, especially at the beginning of treatment and any time his or her dose is increased or decreased. Your child may develop serious symptoms very suddenly, so it is important to pay attention to his or her behavior every day.

General Information and Indications:

Amitriptyline is used to treat symptoms of depression. Amitriptyline is in a class of medications called tricyclic antidepressants. It works by increasing the amounts of certain natural substances in the brain.
 

Information For Users:

Amitriptyline comes as a tablet to take by mouth. It is usually taken one to four times a day. To help you remember to take amitriptyline, take it around the same time every day. Follow the directions on your prescription label, ask your doctor or pharmacist If you have any questions. Take amitriptyline exactly as directed. Do not take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed by your health care provider.

Your doctor will probably start you on a low dose of amitriptyline and slowly increase your dose.

It may take a few weeks or longer before you feel the full benefit of amitriptyline. Continue taking amitriptyline even if you feel well. Do not discontinue taking amitriptyline without informing your doctor. Stopping amitriptyline suddenly may cause withdrawal symptoms (upset stomach, headache, and lack of energy). Your doctor will probably decrease your dose gradually.

Amitriptyline is also sometimes used to treat chronic pain, eating disorders, and certain skin problems. Talk to your doctor about the possible risks of using this medication for your condition.

special precautions:

o Inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have allergy to amitriptyline or any other medications.
o do not take amitriptyline if you are taking monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitors, including phenelzine (Nardil) and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or have stopped taking them within the past 2 weeks; or if you are taking cisapride (Propulsid).
o Inform your doctor and pharmacist what other prescription and nonprescription medications, vitamins, nutritional supplements, and herbal products you are taking. Be sure to mention any of the following: antihistamines; cimetidine (Tagamet); diet pills; disulfiram (Antabuse); ethchlorvynol (Placidyl); 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. Your doctor may need to change the doses of your medications or monitor you carefully for side effects.
o Inform your doctor if you or anyone in your family has or has ever had depression, bipolar disorder (mood that changes from depressed to abnormally excited), or mania (frenzied, abnormally excited mood), or if you or anyone in your family has thought about or attempted suicide. Also Inform your doctor if you drink large amounts of alcohol; if you have recently had a heart attack; and if you have or have ever had glaucoma; an enlarged prostate; difficulty in urination; seizures; an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism); diabetes; or liver, kidney, or heart disease.
o Inform your doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking amitriptyline, call your doctor without delay.
o if you are having surgery, including dental surgery, Inform your doctor or dentist that you are taking amitriptyline.
o you should know that amitriptyline may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this medication affects you.
o remember that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this medication.
o you should know that your mental health may change in unexpected ways, especially at the beginning of your treatment and any time that your dose is increased or decreased. These changes may occur at any time if you have depression or another mental illness, whether or not you are taking amitriptyline or any other medication. You, your family, or your caregiver should call your doctor right away if you experience any of the following symptoms: new or worsening depression; thinking about harming or killing yourself or planning or trying to do so; extreme worry; agitation; panic attacks; difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep; aggressive behavior; irritability; acting without thinking; severe restlessness; and frenzied abnormal excitement. Be sure that your family or caregiver knows which symptoms may be serious so they can call the doctor when you are unable to seek treatment on your own.

Possible Adverse Effects:

Amitriptyline may cause adverse effects. Inform your doctor if any of the following symptoms are severe or do not go away:

o upset stomach
o vomiting
o drowsiness
o tiredness or weakness
o anxiety or excitemen
o difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
o nightmares
o restlessness
o headaches
o dry mouth
o constipation
o difficulty in urination
o blurred vision (Impaired vision)
o pain, burning, or tingling in the hands or feet
o changes in sex drive or ability, impotence
o excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis)
o changes in appetite or weight
o confusion
o unsteadiness

Some adverse effects could be serious. The following symptoms are uncommon, but if you experience any of them or those listed in the CAUTION section, call your doctor without delay:

o slow or difficult speech
o dizziness or faintness
o weakness or numbness of an arm or a leg
o crushing chest pain
o rapid, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
o severe skin rash or hives (Urticaria)
o swelling of the face and tongue
o yellowing of the skin or eyes, jaundice
o jaw, neck, and back muscle spasms
o hand tremor, shaking hands
o difficulty sitting still
o fainting
o unusual bruising or bleeding
o seizures
o seeing things or hearing voices that do not exist (hallucinating)

Possible Symptoms of Overdose:

o irregular hearbeat
o seizures
o coma
o confusion
o problems concentrating
o seeing things that do not exist (hallucinating)
o agitation
o drowsiness
o rigid muscles
o vomiting
o fever
o cold body temperature

Other Name(s):

o Limbitrol®containing amitriptyline and chlordiazepoxide
o Limbitrol® DS containing amitriptyline and chlordiazepoxide