Table of contents:
- Use
- What is the function of amitriptyline?
- How do I use amitriptyline?
- How do I store amitriptyline?
- Dose
- What is the dose of amitriptyline for adults?
- Adult dosage for depression
- What is the dose of amitriptyline for children?
- Children's dosage for depression
- Children's dosage for nocturnal enuresis
- In what dosage is amitriptyline available?
- Side effects
- What side effects can be experienced due to amitriptyline?
- Precautions & Warnings
- What should be known before using amitriptyline?
- Is amitriptyline safe for pregnant and lactating women?
- Interaction
- What other medicines may interact with amitriptyline?
- Can food or alcohol interact with amitriptyline?
- What health conditions can interact with amitriptyline?
- Overdose
- What should I do in an emergency or overdose?
- What should I do if I miss a dose?
Use
What is the function of amitriptyline?
Amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant drug used to treat psychiatric problems such as mood swings and depression.
This medication can help improve mood and feelings of pleasure, reduce anxiety and tension, help you sleep better, and make you more energized.
Amitriptyline works by affecting the balance of natural chemicals (neurotransmitters such as serotonin) in the brain, which are usually imbalanced in someone suffering from depression.
Other functions of amitriptyline are to treat nerve pain (eg peripheral neuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia), eating disorders (bulimia), other psychiatric / mood problems (such as anxiety, panic disorder), or to prevent migraine headaches.
How do I use amitriptyline?
The best way to use Amitriptyline is to take this drug 1-4 times a day or as directed by your doctor. If you only want to consume it once a day, use it when you go to bed at night to reduce daytime sleepiness.
To reduce the risk of possible side effects (drowsiness, dry lips, dizziness), your doctor will recommend that you start using this drug at a low dose and increase the dose gradually.
Use this remedy regularly to get its benefits. To make it easier for you to remember when to take the medicine, take this medication at the same time every day.
Do not increase your dose or use this medication more often than your doctor prescribes, as it will not speed up your healing process and actually increase your risk of side effects.
This medicine should be taken continuously even though you feel better. Do not stop taking this drug without advice or consulting your doctor first.
Some conditions can get worse if the use of this drug is stopped suddenly. Symptoms such as mood swings, headaches, fatigue, and changes in sleep patterns may also occur.
To prevent the appearance of these symptoms, your doctor will advise you to reduce the dose gradually. Consult your doctor or pharmacist for more details. Report immediately if new symptoms develop.
This medication may not work right away. It may take a week to feel the benefits of this drug. In fact, it can take up to four weeks to feel the full effect of this medication.
Tell your doctor if your condition does not improve or if it gets worse, such as your mood is getting worse or if you are thinking about suicide.
Follow the rules given by your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment. If you have any questions, consult your doctor or pharmacist.
How do I store amitriptyline?
This medication is best stored at room temperature and kept away from direct sunlight. Also keep away from damp places. Store this drug at a temperature of 20-25 degrees Celsius.
Do not store this medicine in the bathroom and do not freeze it. Pay attention to the storage instructions on the medicine package or ask your pharmacist. Keep all medicines away from children and pets.
Do not flush medicines down the toilet or down the drain unless instructed to do so. Discard this medicinal product when its validity period has expired or when it is no longer needed.
Consult your pharmacist about how to safely dispose of your product.
Dose
The information provided is not a substitute for medical advice. ALWAYS consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting treatment.
What is the dose of amitriptyline for adults?
Adult dosage for depression
Outpatients:
75 mg orally daily divided into separate doses. This dose can be increased to 150 mg per day if needed. The maintenance dose is 40 to 100 mg orally every day. The maximum daily dose is 150 mg.
An alternative dose for outpatients is 50 to 100 mg orally as a single dose taken at bedtime. This dose can be increased by 25 to 50 mg as needed and can be taken up to the maximum limit.
Inpatients:
The initial dose is 100 mg orally every day. As for maintenance, the dose of amitriptyline is 40 to 100 mg orally taken before bed. The maximum dose is 300 mg per day.
Increasing the dose should be done in the afternoon or at bedtime so as not to cause a drowsy effect during the day The effects of this drug may not be felt after 30 days.
The dosage for maintenance should be reduced to a minimum once the patient has seen progress. Meanwhile, maintenance therapy should be continued for up to three months or longer to avoid recurrence of the disease.
Meanwhile, the usage for the elderly is slightly different:
10 mg orally taken three times a day and 20 mg orally once a day before going to bed. The winning effect that results from using amitriptyline may take 30 days to fully work.
The elderly or the elderly must be monitored for use and the dose given must be adjusted to the patient's health condition.
What is the dose of amitriptyline for children?
Children's dosage for depression
Age 12 years and over: 10 mg orally, three times a day and 20 mg to be taken once a day before bed.
The calming effect produced by this drug may not work fully after 30 days of use. The dosage used should be adjusted to the child's health condition.
Children's dosage for nocturnal enuresis
Ages 6-10 years: 10-20 mg per day
Ages 11-16 years: 25-50 mg per day.
The dose is given at bedtime and the maximum use is three months.
In what dosage is amitriptyline available?
Tablets, Oral: 10 mg, 25 mg, 50 mg, 75 mg, 100 mg, 150 mg.
Side effects
What side effects can be experienced due to amitriptyline?
Side effects that may arise after taking amitriptyline are:
- Sleepy
- Dizzy
- Dry lips
- Constipation
- Weight gain
- Difficulty urinating
- Blurred vision
If the mentioned side effects occur or get worse, contact your doctor or pharmacist immediately. To reduce the risk of headaches, get up slowly from a sitting position and sleep.
To treat dry mouth, eat chewing gum, drink lots of water, or consume anything that can replace or help produce saliva so that your mouth doesn't dry again.
To prevent constipation, maintain a diet rich in fiber, drink plenty of water, and exercise. If you experience constipation while using this medicine, consult your pharmacist for help in choosing a laxative.
Consult your doctor right away if any of the side effects are rare but quite serious. Among others are:
- easy bruising or bleeding
- heartburn
- Shaky
- muscle spasms
- severe stomach pain
- decreased sexual desire
- enlarged breasts
Get medical help right away if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur. Among them:
- black stools
- vomit that looks like coffee grounds
- severe dizziness
- passed out
- seizures
Very serious allergic reactions to this drug are rare. However, get medical attention immediately if any of the symptoms of a serious allergic reaction occur, including: rash, itching / swelling (especially face / tongue / throat), severe dizziness, difficulty breathing.
Not everyone who takes amitriptyline experiences the side effects mentioned above. In fact, there are some unspecified side effects that may occur in users of this drug.
Always try to consult your doctor about any side effects that may appear to you in accordance with your current health condition.
Doctors prescribe this because the doctor has examined your body and your health condition and assesses that the benefits you get from using this drug will outweigh the risk of side effects.
Precautions & Warnings
What should be known before using amitriptyline?
The things you should pay attention to before using amitriptyline are:
- Tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to amitriptyline or any other medications
- You may need to change the dose of your medication or monitor you carefully for side effects
- Tell your doctor if you have recently had a heart attack. Your doctor will probably tell you not to use amitriptyline
- Tell your doctor if you drink large amounts of alcohol and if you have or have ever had glaucoma (an eye condition), an enlarged prostate (male reproductive gland), difficulty urinating, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism), diabetes , schizophrenia (mental illness that causes disturbed or unusual thinking, loss of interest in life, and easily provoked emotions); or liver, kidney, and heart disease
- Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. If you become pregnant while using amitriptyline, call your doctor. Do not breastfeed while you are using amitriptyline
- Talk with your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medication if you are 65 years of age or older. Elderly people are usually discouraged from using amitriptyline because it is not safe or effective as long as other drugs can be used to treat the same condition
- If you are having surgery, including dental surgery, tell your doctor or dentist about using amitriptyline
- Amitriptyline may make you sleepy. Do not drive a car or operate machinery until you know how this drug affects you
Is amitriptyline safe for pregnant and lactating women?
Heart problems, irritability, seizures, difficulty urinating, muscle spasms, and respiratory problems can affect the fetus if a mother takes antidepressants before giving birth.
However, there are not adequate studies regarding the risks of using this drug in pregnant or breastfeeding women. Always consult your doctor to weigh the potential benefits and risks before using this medication. This drug is included in the risk of pregnancy category C according to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The following references the pregnancy risk categories according to the FDA:
- A = Not at risk
- B = No risk in several studies
- C = Maybe risky
- D = There is positive evidence of risk
- X = Contraindicated
- N = Unknown
Meanwhile, it is recommended that a mother who is breastfeeding immediately stop using this drug or if she has to take this drug then she should stop breastfeeding because the substances in this drug can reach the baby she is breastfeeding.
Interaction
What other medicines may interact with amitriptyline?
Drug interactions can change the performance of your medications or increase the risk of serious side effects. Not all possible drug interactions are listed in this article.
Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription / non-prescription drugs and herbal products) and consult your doctor or pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dose of any medication without your doctor's approval.
Medicines that may interact with amitirptyline are:
- amiodarone (Cordarone, Pacerone)
- antihistamines
- aripiprazole (Abilify)
- chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
- cimetidine (Tagamet)
- cisapride (Propulsid)
- citalopram (Celexa)
- clozapine (Clozaril, FazaClo)
- delavirdine (Rescriptor)
- disopyramide (Norpace)
- disulfiram (Antabuse)
- dofetilide (Tikosyn)
- dronedarone (Multaq)
- phenobarbital (Bellatal, Solfoton)
- flecainid (Tambocor)
- fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem)
- fluphenazine (Permitil, Prolixin)
- fluvoxamine (Luvox)
- guanethidine (Ismelin)
- haloperidol (Haldol)
- ibutilide (Corvert)
- ipratropium (Atrovent)
- isocarboxazid (Marplan)
- isoniazid (to treat tuberculosis)
- chloroquine (Arelan)
- methimazole (Tapazole)
- mexiletine (Mexitil)
- nicardipine (Cardene)
- quinidine (Quinidex)
- quinine (Qualaquin)
- paroxetine (Paxil)
- perphenazine (Trilafon)
- phenelzine (Nardil)
- diet pills
- procainamide (Pronestyl)
- propafenone (Rythmol)
- pyrimethamine (Daraprim)
- ritonavir (ritonavir, Kaletra)
- ropinirol (Requip)
- selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar)
- sertraline (Zoloft)
- sotalol (Betapace)
- St. John's Wort
- thioridazine (Mellaril)
- ticlopidine (ticlid)
- tranylcypromine (Parnate)
Can food or alcohol interact with amitriptyline?
Certain drugs should not be used with meals or when eating certain foods because drug interactions can occur. Consuming alcohol or tobacco with certain drugs can also cause interactions to occur.
Food or substances contained in food that can interact with amitriptyline is ethanol. Talk to your doctor if you are taking amitriptyline together with ethanol as their interactions can increase your risk of side effects.
What health conditions can interact with amitriptyline?
The presence of other health problems in your body may affect the use of this drug. Tell your doctor if you have other health problems while taking medication.
Health problems that can interact with amitriptyline are:
- Bipolar disorder (mood disorder with alternating periods of mania and depression), or risk
- Heart attack, recent - Should not be used in patients with this condition
- Diabetes
- Glaucoma
- Heart disease
- Hyperthyroid (thyroid gland disorder)
- Schizophrenia
- Seizures, or history
- Urinary retention (difficulty urinating), history - Use with caution. It might make things worse
- Liver disease - Use with caution. The effect can be increased because the cleansing of the drug slows down the body
Overdose
What should I do in an emergency or overdose?
In case of an emergency or overdose, you should contact the local emergency services provider (118/119) or immediately to the emergency department at the nearest hospital.
Symptoms of an overdose that may occur after taking amitriptyline are:
- Irregular heartbeat
- Seizures
- Coma (loss of consciousness for a short period of time)
- Confusion
- Concentration problems
- Hallucinations (seeing things or hearing voices that are not there)
- Agitation (irritability, irritation, aggression)
- Sleepy
- Stiff muscles
- Gag
- Fever
- Cold body temperature
What should I do if I miss a dose?
One of the things that may happen when you are taking amitriptyline is forgetting a dose. If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as possible.
However, when it is nearing the time of your next dose, all you have to do while taking amitriptyline is skip the missed dose and take the dose as usual. Don't double the dose.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
