Amitriptyline for Migraine prevention
Are any other Migraine sufferers taking Amitriptyline for migraine prevention? I’m currently taking 50mg and I’m getting less severe migraines - I think but should I be getting any migraines on this if it’s a preventative? I’d love to hear other people stories on this and what Amitriptyline dosage worked.
Hi, even with my preventative Emgality, I still get migraines but it has reduced severity and duration. Most months it prevents the headache that used to wake me from sleep. Hang in there
Several years ago a Dr. put me on amitriptyline, and I quit after 3 months because I still got migraines.
I now have a different Dr and a new outlook on things. I have taken it for about 2 years now, but he has combined it with other things and changed dosage levels.
YES I still get migraines, but less often and shorter. We are all different, so nothing fixes everyone.
In my opinion learning about yourself and your own triggers is as important as the medication you take, and this site can help with that.Several years ago I was put on amitriptyline and I only had 5 or so migraines/month. My neurologist put me on propranolol also. They seem to make the migraine less intense but I don't know that they made them less frequent. I am up to a migraine every day. This January I had to take 31 eletriptans! Worse ever. From July to December I was having ~25/month. I am wondering if I am experiencing medication overuse. In the past I could take 7 in a row then not need them for another 7-14 days so I didn't think medicine overuse was an issue but now I am not sure.
I decided the amitriptyline wasn't helping at that point so I tried to discontinue it. I am on 20mg so just dropping should have been ok. I spent 4 days w/out sleeping a minute. It was terrible! After the 4th day I went back on them and slept like a baby. I decided to wean off them by taking 10mg for a week then 5mg for a week then dropping them. Same reaction! I guess I am hooked and will stay on them.
Since I couldn't get off the amitriptyline I thought maybe I could drop the propranolol. I am taking 80mg of that so my doctor gave me a couple weeks of 40's. When I was done with them the migraines seemed to be more intense so I am back on the 80mg propranolol.
He was going to have me try Qulipta but it got rather bad reviews on Migraine.com one of them being their abortive medicine quit working after taking Qulipta. It was also going to cost over $1,000/month. I told my doctor I was doing ok with the eletriptan so I would continue as I was.
I think the reason for the bad migraines that past several months is my wife has had to go to ER twice and both she and my son are having surgeries in the next 2 months. Stress is my big trigger so I have a feeling I know what is causing them!You're going through a lot, Stuart. I hear how frustrating all of this has been for you, and the added stress doesn't help at all. I hope all goes well for your family and that the time passes quickly so you can get past these major stressors. Overuse is such a tricky situation to navigate, especially when making any changes can throw you into chaos. Here is one of our articles about it if you're looking for a place to start exploring: https://migraine.com/headache-types/medication-overuse-rebound
I'm not an expert, but everyone has different sensitivities to medication -- maybe you needed a slower taper off the amitriptyline than you thought. Have you talked about this with your doctor? I'd hate to see you stuck on something that you didn't want to be on, especially if it's not helping.
I respect your decision to skip Qulipta, especially with that ridiculous price tag. That said, keep in mind that every person is unique, so even though there were some negative experiences from community members here, it's not the case for everyone. It's all about finding what's best for you.
One more not about stress. Have you ever heard of biofeedback? It's a psychological practice that helps you tune into what's going on with your body when you're feeling stressed. It helps you learn to keep your body relaxed instead of constantly tensed, which could be useful.
Keep us posted on how everything is going, and try to take time for yourself when you can. We're here whenever you want to vent. -Melissa, team member
