Medication Review: Amitriptyline

[Paula]

I'm on 125mg Amitriptyline, soon to be increased to 150mg. I take it as an anti-depressant, along with others, and for pain relief. I too suffer from a dry mouth and need to drink more. I was told by my GP a couple of days ago that it causes bladder retention, which can be helpful if you have a problem in that area, but you need to seek medical help immediately if you stop urinating completely (hence the dry mouth). As an anti-depressant, although I'm still not at the required dose, I haven't crashed yet from the change from mirtazapine I was taking for many years so it is working. I'm a little weepy but, as I've said, I'm not at my required dose yet. It has offered some respite from the pain I am suffering, but that didn't happen until I was up to 100mg.

I initially suffered drowsiness in the morning, but my GP recommended I take it a couple of hours before going to bed, rather than at bedtime, and this instantly helped. I have not noticed any other side effects to date.