New To Elavil. Any Feedback Would Be Great (Top voted first)

Today I went to the dr. She switched my Effexor and Buspar to Elavil. I have never taken this medication before. Its 25mg x 2 daily. I'm very interested in this medicine because I have a very hard time gaining weight and I've read blogs on yes it can cause weight gain. I'm also interested in how tired and sleepy it will make me. That's one negative effect I don't want. I'm more interested in energy and good mood lift... Any feedback would be appreciated, thx

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I think all these meds for mood and anxiety cause sleepy and no energy feelings. I've had to take many and all them make you tired and no energy

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Be very careful with elavil. It has really bad side effects and is very dangerous. I was put on it and woke up a week later in the hospital in a recovery room with no memory of what happened after, but I was in ICU with machines keeping me alive. I am very lucky to be alive. The doctors said they didn't think I was gonna make it and if I did I would be brain dead, basically a vegetable. Insurance wouldn't pay anymore more so they pulled the plug and told my mom that I probably won't live but miraculously thank God I pulled through. About 75% my brain works a lot slower than it used to and gets real cloudy and forgetful, but other than that I'm great. Well there's so other things, I just can't remember them right this second... even the doctors said its a miracle im doing so well after the trauma I went through of having to be resuscitated then kept alive with machines... truly scary when I look back and think about it all, but do some research. The same thing that happened to me has happened to a bunch of others and some did not survive. The medication should actually be pulled from the market, it's so dangerous... I had just about every major/deadly side effect you can possibly have that is listed in the side effects of this medication. Be careful and always research new medications fully before taking them. Also, there's a bunch of lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company because of this medication. I've been truly thinking about suing them also because of the trauma and damage it caused me.

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I took it for a few days and didn't like it. I felt like a zombie and slept most of the day. They used to give it to kids with attention deficit disorder. I would get something different

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Re: Analu (# 1)

I agree with you on this. I just started elavil 25mg before bed..I find myself sleeping later each morning. Which I don't like. Thank god I'm still on my effexor I believe it gives me more energy. However I have read alot on blogs about elavil and it works great for depression anxiety. Plus I read some compliments about weight gain. Now I definitely want this I'm small..

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Elavil is an antidepressant that has been used to help treat chronic pain. It has some bad side effects at higher doses like dry mouth beyond belief which can cause dental problems and exreme weight gain. The sleepy tired effect will go away the longer you take it. Even at higher doses. I've been on as much as 300mg in the far past and I no longer take it at all because of the weight gain causing my back pain to increase dramatically!

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I was prescribed Elavil years ago for fibromyalgia. I didn't take it long; it caused me to experience road rage and other mood fluctuations. Since this was out of character for me, it alarmed me enough to ask for a different medication.

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Elavil has a tendency to make me super tired, and have that numb lethargic feeling that i hate! But for some reason my Dr prescribed 50mg first, so am going to try to cut in half and see if that eases lethargy.It did not effect my appetite in particular other than i would say i was less hungry if anything. Mine was prescribed for insomnia and would work half the time, but being tired and actually getting good sleep are two different things! Good luck!!

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Been on Amitriptyline for years, I have gained weight and it does have a sedating effect, a lot of doctors prescribe it off label for sleep, but it does in fact work on relieving depression. It may take a week or two to start seeing signs of the depression subsiding, but that goes with most anti depressants on the market. Good luck.

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So it's been a good week of my elavil treatment for anxiety, and nerve damage along for sleep I'm on 25mg for now I dont go back to the dr.for a few weeks I'm sure she will increase my dose. I used to take remeron and buspar. She deleted the two for this one..yes it helps me sleep so far..I'm small and got sick and the weight I gained and was so proud of Iost it all..so I have high hope in that department because I read the horror stories about weight gain..I'm ready for that bring it on...I also read eventually your mood will increase in time. The only thing I've noticed so far is I sleep atleast and hour and a half longer than before. I read all this will pass to...but I gotta say I miss my buspar

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Re: Diana (# 8)

Hi diana, I have been on my elavil for a mo th now. My dosage was 25mg x 2 every evening. Along with my 60mg of seroquel. I found myself sleeping later and later each morning to me that's a side effect I did not like. I found out that should fade away in time..so I continued the use I went back to the dr. Yesterday and I actually asked her for an increase dosage to 75mg...my plan was to delete 3 meds I take and combine them into one pill.the other meds I used to take was buspar 30mg x3, effexor 150mg x2, and seroquel 50mg..bedtime..since I have some nerve damage in my facial area. In the meantime I learned elavil works for nerves so that's why I asked to increase it... it's only been a few days of the new dosage and again I slept alittle later..but then again I also know it's just a side effect for now...I sometimes find myself missing my buspar and effexor,, they both gave me energy like they are supposed to do...I did mention it to my doc..she said alot have been satisfied with elavil..now she never asked me to take any of it..I brought it up to her because my sister has taken it for years..not to mention in the long run it has less side effects than the others. As far as effexor goes when you discontinue use or jump off you will feel brain zaps again I didnt know what those were until I read a different page in one of these blogs..so I'm tapering down this time..I feel elavil is a much safer drug to use. The others I think except buspar are psychic meds and I watch a utube vidio of this older man ex doctor telling you about those kind of meds and what some dont know. Tgats me alright I believe I have been ok on this new med as far as all over mood. But I cant help but think is do you get more Energy from buspar, effexor?? Does anything have experience??

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Re: Jake (# 3)

So Jake did you and your family ever find out for sure it was the elavil? Or something else, or possibly a combo of something..I have only read good results with the use of this med. Qnd I did my homework as usual when a new med involves me to take..its kinda how I bumped into elavil because of the nerves in my face... their is a diagnosis for what its called but I don't have it in front of me now..but it's not the bone, it's more skin. I describe it to my dr. As if I have a bad sunburn on my face all the time..with this one medicine i was able to bump 3 out

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Re: Mark (# 4)

Well darn that's my answer, my mouth is always dry, cotton mouth. I alway brush my teeth several times for many reasons one being I also take buprenorphine 8mg( subutex ) and have taken it for 15 yrs now and I have read some say will that it might effect your teeth because it's taken sublingual. I have never had any problems I dont know if it's a real side effect or just opinions but either way it doesn't matter I have always kept up on my teeth and am not looking for problems in that area I like a nice white smile..

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Re: kennyatw (# 6)

Yes I heard elavil can be somewhat helpful in adhd. I have adult adhd and take adderall..but idk maybe you should have given it more time. I was very questionable about it. I found myself sleeping later in the morning, but that passed by within going into my 2nd week..its still hard to say because I do have the adderall for that bump up feeling. I now after a month take 75mg again I slept later in the mornings but I know it was pass by just like my first dose I've taken

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Re: Joseph (# 7)

Thx Joseph for the good advice, that is exactly what I experienced and within 2 weeks it faded..as far as weight gain goes,..bring it on lol I can use as much a I can since I'm a very small framed.all my life I wished I would gain . When I was searching for a pill to take and was also trying to delete 3 I bumped into this one and I noticed complaints about weight gain it's part of the reason why I chose this one thx

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Re: Diana (# 8)

Thx again diana, btw did you continue to take it?? I did I took my 25mg x2 every evening and was more tired the next morning but that faded in 2 weeks so I decided to take 75mg and try to delete 3 other meds by taking just this one. So far so good.it has helped my mood termenesly. The doctor told me I can take it how ever I want because they come to me from the pharmacy in 25.mg doses so if I want I can just take 2 or 3 what ever feels comfortable my doc said..so my choice is open. I like that idea alot.

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Ok everyone I'm now at 75mg at night, they come in 25mg each from the pharmacy so I can take whatever I choose..my goal was at first to delete 3 pills in my life my choosing one pill..and I did it I bumped effexor, buspar, and remeron the last one is seroquel 50mg which I can bump oot or continue to take. She left that option to me..so far it's good. I did get extra tired in the a.m. but it gradually passes..when i was looking for one pill to replace the 3, i found elavil and choose it to research it to see if it fits my needs, mild depression, and my sleep and nerve damage under my shin facial area i described it to my dr. As feeling like a had a bad sunburn constantly. It's been great i hardly notice it anymore, my sleep is i guess better I alway too a sleeping antidepressant so,...and hopefully I will gain some weight with this med. Since I hear complaints it a complaint that I want lol. Thx for all the feedback guys it great let's keep it up and inform each other. You all helped me alot so if we can help someone else out there looking for answers to there questions like me it helps alot thanks

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Re: Analu (# 1)

Since I have been to the doctor she has increased the dose to 75mg at bedtime along with seroquel 50mg. And it dose make me sleep very good. Problem is now its going take me at least another month to get used to tha added 25mg. It may sound low but to me it knocks me out. She let me stay on the effexor just half the dose I has wayy more energy on the effexor. So I'm still not sure what I'm going to do, again I will give it another month to see. The big difference I noticed is the mild nerve damage dosen't hurt as much, I barely feel it. So that's a plus

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