question about meds for nerve pain

[cherylstewart67]

i have been out of here for a while. my doc wants to put me on amitriptoline, o how ever its spelled. anyway i only have one thing i can do and that is lay out on my patio on the weekends. this med say no sun exposure. is there something more mild that i can try?

[annapurna]

Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant and I beleive that there are a number of drugs in that class. I don't know but there might be another that causes less of a problem or is better tolerated. On a side note, just because you're being treated with anti-depressant doesn't mean that your doctor has decided to give up on you. Many of the drugs have side effects or secondary effects that are the real reason they are now being prescribed. I don't know this drug very well but it's worth asking your doc why you're taking it and if another might work better for you.

[Harrison]

Hi Cheryl, what were your specific symptoms that you communicated to your doc that led to his recommendation? I am confused. This has proven to be a dangerous drug; well documented in younger people; less so, but still a problem for some adults. Suicide as a serious risk in taking this drug?! Yikes.

Are you depressed because you have pain? Or was this supposed to help with the nerve pain? Some docs prefer to palliate, rather than fix the root cause.

[laid up doc]

amitryptyline, aka Elavil, is frequently used for insomnia and as a pain adjunct. it is given in much lower doses than was previously used for treatment for depression. since the arrival of prozac and the other SSRI's and SNRI's - really not used for that.

elavil, like any other tricyclic antidepressant, absolutely will kill you if you OD on it - blocks the sodium channels of the heart. the therapeutic range used for pain/sleep trouble is far below the OD dose.

[cherylstewart67]

Originally Posted by Harrison

Hi Cheryl, what were your specific symptoms that you communicated to your doc that led to his recommendation? I am confused. This has proven to be a dangerous drug; well documented in younger people; less so, but still a problem for some adults. Suicide as a serious risk in taking this drug?! Yikes.

Are you depressed because you have pain? Or was this supposed to help with the nerve pain? Some docs prefer to palliate, rather than fix the root cause.

I have sharp shooting pain into my left hand between my thumb and for finger. Pins and needles sensations in both hands and sometims hard to control my finger movements. This is from the c6/7t1. My c2/3 is causing facial pain and sensations.

[Jessica]

You might ask about... Neurontin (gabapentin), Lyrica (Pregabalin sp?), Nortryptilene sp?. Sorry, not sure how most of these are spelled. I am on MS Conting and Neurontin, a very low dose of each, and it seems to work well for the nerve pain for me.