Posted by Vanessa on July 12, 2002, at 23:00:00
In reply to Re: Need help with tricyclics question!, posted by oracle on July 10, 2002, at 23:55:33
> How long did you stay on this med before you decided
> the sedation was too much ? For me it took weeks
> for the sedation to go away. The first week was intense
> but if i was to just judge things by the first 2 weeks
> I would have never realized it would get managable.
>
> Hint: Start with micro doses, build up very, very slowly.
> TCA's are very long lasting (a month +) so if you take too much
> at first you could be out for several days !
> Taking the meds a few hours before bedtime (instead of at)
> helps also.
>
> Another hint: Micro dose is usually part of the smallest dose
> manufactured.Lis: I am no expert on tricyclics, but I have taken three of them. Amitriptyline and despipramine both knocked me out -- even after a month of taking them. I was sleeping l8 hours a day, and became even more depressed by the extreme lethargy they produced in me. It did not help to reduce the dose; they wiped me out on any dose. Taking them at bedtime didn't help; I still was very sedated the next day. However, the good news is that I did find a tricyclic that has produced no sedation at all. It's called Vivactil (protriptyline), and it has been mildly energizing instead of sedating, from the first day I took it. This reaction is apparently not nique to me; Vivactil is often described as "the energizing tricyclic." I don't know if it's used for pain, but you might ask your doctor about it.
poster:Vanessa
thread:111925
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020709/msgs/112174.html