I have a mother who keeps complaining about her headaches for many years. When I got bored with her and her problem, we take her to the doctor. There we realized there was excuse for her non-stop complaining because she has migraine. Her doctor prescribed her some pills called Nortriptyline. I want to know if this medicine should be used in this purpose, and is it good.
Nortriptyline is one of tricyclic antidepressants, which are used to relieve clinical depression. They are also being used, with some success, as Migraine preventives. Some another forms of the same drug is used to treat obsessive-compulsive disorders. Tricyclic antidepressants may be used for other conditions as determined by doctor. Nortriptyline is dosage differently of patient’s age and form of this medicine. For capsule or solution dosage forms, adults should take 25 milligrams three to four times a day. Doctor may increase dose gradually as needed, but the dose is usually not more than 150 mg a day. Teenagers should use 25 to 50 mg a day, children 6 to 12 years of age 10 to 20 mg a day, and older adults 30 to 50 mg a day. Side effects may occur with Nortriptyline as with any other medicine, but that usually do not need medical attention. However, she should check with her doctor if any of side effects became bothersome, such as dizziness, dryness of mouth, headache, and increased appetite.
i've been taking nortriptyline for 2 months and i'm not noticing any difference other then i've started becoming dependent on it. i was prescribed for severe migraines that i have 24/7 and have had for the past 2 months straight. i've never had a migraine before and this is killing me. they hurt so freaking bad. my neurologist said that everyone gets them and that i'm fine but i started having really bad seizures and blackouts. i'm no rocket scientist, but even a 1st grader would know that this isn't normal. so he has me on 5 pills of nortriptyline a day for the next year and told me to get used to it. i hate the pills. they taste nasty and the side effects make it almost not worth it. the ones that are most noticeable is the dry mouth and weight gain. then you lose your hair (not tons, but definitely noticeable to the pill taker), and extreme tiredness. plus if i take the pills i can't drive and forget everything. my husband says that i stop in the middle of sentences and don't remember what i'm going to say.
Some of the side-effects that you're describing don't sound like they have anything to do with the nortriptyline and it sounds like you need to see a different doctor if they're really expecting you to go a year on a drug that's having no effect. My experience with nortriptyline has been entirely different. I take a low dose of it daily at bedtime (50 mg). It helps me sleep through the night and does an amazing job of blocking my migraines. I used to get them almost daily and now it's more like once a month. My doctor advised that I was probably at a good dosage when I started to experience slight dry mouth. That never happened but I didn't see the point of increasing my dosage when this was working. I haven't gained any weight. Actually, I've lost weight since I'm able to exercise more now that I'm not getting migraines all the time, and no hair loss. I've never heard of people losing hair from nortriptyline (but, then again, I'm not a doctor). I encourage people to try nortriptyline. I've taken it for several years now and am very pleased with it. No side effects at all, only good sleep and greatly decreased migraines.
I agree with kmwaters' comments. Nortriptyline has definitely helped me. I was suffering for years with daily migraines and unable to sleep at night because of the pain. A small dose of Nortriptyline (10mg), along with avoiding (as much as I can, but still enjoy) foods containing caffeinated coffee, chocolate, msg, preservatives, etc., allows me to sleep at night. Consequently, I feel better during the day. I find it difficult to believe that seizures and blackouts are a side effect of Nortriptyline. It sounds like the person who is experiencing those symptoms needs help of a different kind.
I am taking N now for two months. I had a hemorraghic stroke 3 months ago and I was getting headache and pain in left eye. So my neurologist told me to take N to monitor the pain that he believes is migraine.
Anyway i have gain weight, sleep 12 hours a day, am very constipated and can not find some words when talking. My headaches are better but is it worthed?!
Anyway i have gain weight, sleep 12 hours a day, am very constipated and can not find some words when talking. My headaches are better but is it worthed?!
I have been taking it now for 2 months and i have had sever joint pain. i have a newborn and it gets so bad that i can not pick him up and it has not helped my headaches i think its made them worse
I take pain meds for my back (oxycontin) and I also can take 10-20 mgs of apo-nortriptline before bed prescribed to help with my dull headaches. I do and it works... I know what works and the drug is also good for chemical balance (or imbalances) It should not be prescribed to people with exist mental imbalances such as bi-polar disorder or manic depression. Its a light anti-depression med but not in the SRI family (old school depression meds) I find Im a bit drowsy in the morning from it but other then that, no side effects except for the positive one (stops the brain pain). I also find I sleep better because my mind doesn't stop with the other pain meds so the nortiptline makes for a deeper rest. If your taking a low dose like me it wont make any change other then a bit drowsy (thats why you take it before bed)
I recently went back to taking Topomax 100 mg. x 2 each day after trying Nadalol with bad results, my blood pressure went too low. I love Topomax but it doesn't work on my migraines as well after 7 years. Now my thought is to discuss increasing the dosage with my doctor which I'm not even sure is an option or changing again. The Nortriptyline might be another option but I don't want to gain weight again like I did on the Nadalol. Another one of my biggest concerns with these types of medications is the sexual side effects??? Nobody has mentioned that.
I have been taking Nortriptyline for about 4 years now for headache and it works good. I tried some other meds before and they didn't work, and then tried Nortrip and it did the trick. I have gained about 35 pounds over the past 4 years but I was pretty under weight before so it actually helped me. I crave sweets and especially ice cream in the evenings. The biggest side effect for me is that it makes me really tired. If I forget to take it or take it at the wrong time of day, I get tired. If I stick to taking it the same time every night before I go to bed, it helps. I have had to adjust the miligrams to balance between the headache and the tiredness. 50mg is a good balance for me. Just recently I have been forgetting to take it and wake up at 3 or 4 in the morning and then remember that I had not taken it, and then I take it then. But then when the afternoon comes, I get so tired and I have to take a nap for a couple of hours.
I just now set my alarm on my smartphone for 9:30pm so that will remind me to take it at the same time every night to help me get back on track and keep from getting too tired in the afternoons.
As for the headaches, triggers can be: lots of caffeine (coffee and soda), not eating, MSG, and nitrates (sodium nitrite) that they put in hot dogs and lunch meats and beef jerky. So I try to stay away from all of that.
I've been using Nortriptyline for 2 weeks. I have severe dry mouth that doesn't get better even with drinking water non-stop. Also have been constipated and sleepy and foggy all day - almost to the point of slurring my words. Have also had trouble sleeping and have gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks. When I do sleep I dream funky dreams and wake up not feeling rested. I feel as though I'm getting some relief from the headaches but not enough to make up for these horrible side effects.
I am a 64 year old female who has been suffering from severe "sick" migraines since I was 11 years old. I had been to numerous neurologists and have taken any number of drugs for relief, nothing helped. I finally found a neurologist last year who gave me nortriptyline. I take two at night (a total of 40 mgs.) I am thrilled to tell you I have not had a "sick" migraine for at least 5 months. It wasn't given to me for depression. The doctor told me that people taking this drug for depression and also suffered from migraines found relief from these horrible headaches. He was right!
I was taking topomax too for my mingraines and I too was pleased with the outcome and how it afftected me, but my neuroligist was concerned with my depression so hshe put me on Divalproex which is a mood stablizer too, along with mingrine controler, but it didn't work as strongly as I would have liked it too and I was experiancing great hair loss so I went back to my neuroligist and she decided for me to try Nortriptyline and I personaly don't like it at all, it hasn't helped with my headaches, it makes me drowsy, nusiated, and seems like my mingraines are getting wrose, the other day I had an episoide and blacked out and went into a seizure. So I personaly wouldn't recomend this and soon as possibul I'm going back to my neuroligist and asking to be put back on topomax. If it don't give me the same results I'm going to ask for my doseage to be higher, I'm not going to risk the aweful side effects of the other medications.
twelve years ago I was stopped on the freeway in LA when I was hit from behind by a car going 75 MPH. I had debilitating migraines the next day and all day for years after. I could not function all day without taking a "break" to cover my eyes in a quiet place for an hour or so. I had massive migraines all day every day from an extreme case of whiplash. I finally was sent to a neurologist that prescribed 25 mg of nortriptylene to raise my pain threshold. This helped so now I was only non functional 40% of the day with extreme migraines. Side effects - dry mouth, I still Cary water 12 years later and other minor issues. The biggest issues are I used to have a photographic memory, but now can't remember anything more than 3 days ago. After 2 years taking nortriptylene I started waking at 2 am 5 nights a week in some kind of terror for one to two Hours. I stopped taking nortriptylene May 2009 but still have no memory and now have "stress" in sometimes debilitating amounts several days a week. I would suggest you stop taking nortriptylene as soon as the pain lessens. while nortriptylene gave me my life back in a small measure for 6 1/2 years it has taken more from me I may never get over.
what a asssss....poor mom