Who here has taken amitrip or notriptyline? Did it take your chronic headaches off line?
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Did not help at all. Made me so much worse in many ways I never would have imagined possible. Both were tried over time about 20 years ago, as well as other "cousins" of theirs.
For starters, they can cause dry mouth and that can lead to all kinds of gum and dental damage. But, mostly, they all made me just a zombie, so depressed, dizzy, and caused trouble with balance.
I could never stop crying - and would cry at the drop of a hat, no matter where I was when I was taking even a very tiny, TINY dose of these.
There are so many other better ways I found.
In addition to assessing / addressing infection connection with headaches,
SKULLCAP - tincture only (does not work in other forms)
MAGNESIUM
WATER - we are often dehydrated and that can cause headaches
GLUTEN - for myself, this was a major contributor and did not realize that until I was gluten free for about a week. While lyme and other TBD (tick borne disease just does cause a lot of pain, gluten and the INFLAMMATION it caused me also tipped the boat. Without it, while not the ultimate answer, pain was much less.
CHEMICALS - can cause INFLAMMATION, too. Be sure to avoid chemicals in foods & personal care products - and artificial scents in your home, car, etc.
POSTURE, ERGONOMICS - be mindful that your ears are straight over your body (side-view, of course). Neck really needs to be aligned whether standing, sitting, lounging. No slouching (which is really hard due to illness & fatigue.
MASSAGE can help. GENTLE osteopathic adjustments such as done by those trained in UPLEDGER INSTITUTE (go to their website to find those near you).
No sudden twisting ever for someone with lyme - very important to know this. No headstands!! (as if we need to be told that, eh?)
FELDENKRAIS also a nice site to explore for body awareness. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
Excitotoxins; MSG; Aspartame; & "Natural" Flavors (that are not likely natural at all).
GMO foods that destroy the GI Tract; Gluten; Dairy. -
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Back later - with some detail about Skullcap. I'd start this ASAP - and also Magnesium
Magnesium can take a while to get up to speed but Skullcap can offer some immediate tension taming so that muscles can relax and not be so tight as to contribute to pain. -
Posted by ALJ (Member # 39530) on :
Can I ask your story?
I mean no offense in saying this, but sometimes I need to know a person's story in order to see if their's is like mine, or relatable or comprehensible to me.
25k+ posts seems like a ton, that's like 25 posts a day for 3 years.
What has prevented you from getting better?
If you'd like to PM me, that'd be great, I tried to PM you but you dont have that feature.
Posted by faithful777 (Member # 22872) on :
**moving to medical**
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Sorry, my PM function is usually off because my energy is very limited and best focused on sharing what details I did post above in regards to the question of how this not just affected me but some others as well (and from research after the fact).
The reason why I posted the links for you should become clearer when you can read them. You'll find plenty of examples that may relate to your question.
You ask "What has prevented you from getting better?" (end quote)
I am better in some ways, yet still very ill. "Why?" you question:
Lack of access.
So I've learned what I can do for myself within a shoestring budget - and, this is just so very complex . . . so many variables. Were severe symptoms not so much a part of the deal, I'd be better able to dig myself out but that's another catch.
You wonder why I have so many posts? (though it's not 25 a day, more typically 4 or 5 a day over about 8 years)
Well, because I have some inane need to try to solve a few basic puzzles and write something each day (former journalism instructor just won't let go of that hunt, gather & share tendency -- and interest in learning more about certain topics) -
then I share that information with others who may be in the same position - or have some interest.
And that's all I've got to give. It's much harder to answer some questions than others. My brain just can't write that way.
"On demand" questions are torture for me. Sorry. But when I see certain questions in posts that I've experienced (for good or worse) &/or studied, I share. Mostly to try to prevent pain for others.
So many decades of torture before I learned some of the most helpful points. But that was before the web was even around, when all this started for me.
My posts are often repeated links postings - to share years of my personal research.
You will find others who can share their "story" but I just can't be one of them. We all do what we can and hope everyone can find what they need.
Again, though, if you can read the links, you will see why the suggestions were made.
My first suggestion would normally be:
Find an ILADS educated LLMD or LL ND.
However, I usually look at those new here and in your posting history, it was clear that you have posted in "seeking a doctor" -
I wish you the very best of luck. Take care. -
[ 02-16-2015, 02:22 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by MannaMe (Member # 33330) on :
My husband tried the Amitriptyline twice. He took it just before he went to bed. half an hour later he got up and crawled over to the door.
Then sat there and looked around. I asked what's wrong? What do you want? He didn't say anything crawled back and got into bed again.
Next morning he knew nothing about it. That night after he took his pill, he told me to watch him. Sure enough, half an hour later he tried getting up again. This time I told him its okay, just lay down. and he did. Thankfully!
We told the doctor what is happening and she said to stop taking it. That was a waste of money! And a scary med!
At the time hubby had really bad headaches and the Lyme and Babesia was not diagnosed yet.
Later we learned his severe headaches were caused by a delayed egg allergy. 48 hours after eating egg he would get a severe headache.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
It's hard to know if those drugs will help your headaches. It all depends upon what is causing the headaches.
Have you tried magnesium (lots of it) or Curcumin??
Posted by cottonbrain (Member # 13769) on :
ALJ -- like Keebler, I tried those drugs and was much worse on them.
Have you tried rubbing peppermint oil on your forehead? I know this sounds like shooting an elephant with a pea, but it really does help!
At the first sign of a headache I apply the peppermint oil, then I follow that up with either 3 ginger capsules or 2 aspirins with 100 mg of caffeine.
This is the home remedy that works best for me -- though not always one hundred percent effective.
Posted by jkmom (Member # 14004) on :
When my daughter was very young, before we knew she had Lyme, she was put on amitriptyline for her headaches. She took a low dose of 10 mg at night since it also helped her get to sleep. It worked at first.
Probably a year later, we were trying to treat her OCD and the psychiatrist wanted her off from it because he thought it would interact with his meds. The neurologist disagreed but we followed the psychiatrist's advice.
Treating the OCD did not go well and we tried to put her back on the amitriptyline. It never controlled her headache after that.
A few years later, she went in the hospital to try to get some headache relief and they gave her a 40 mg dose. She said she was afraid she would hurt herself on that dose so it was discontinued.
Her headache is mostly gone now from treating Lyme, bartonella, and babesia.