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Amitriptyline

Hi all,

I'm new to the forum thing but I wanted to start a thread about one of the popular antidepressant medications that's prescribed to prevent migraines. I've had episodic migraines for about 10 years that have just recently seemed to transform into chronic migraines. I think I also have a muscle tension component involved in these headaches (my doctor suspects with my neck). Anyway, I've had two different episodes of very long standing headaches (migraine mixed with TTH). Along with these episodes I've experienced severe nausea, to the point where I can't even eat as the smell of food worsens my headache and makes me feel sick. During the first episode, my doctor ended up prescribing prednisone to try and halt the headache, as I couldn't seem to find relief with anything else (sumatriptan worked but the headaches would return after it wore off). That seemed to really do the trick. I was absolutely fine for about a week, and then the headaches returned. My doctor tried the prednisone again, but this time it barely helped. So he decided to prescribe amitriptyline 10 mg to prevent the headaches. The first night I took the amitriptyline I slept like a rock, and experienced some relief for the majority of the next day. Last night was my second night of taking it and I haven't had a headache yet today. I feel kind of out of it (probably a side effect), but I can at least function enough to get out of the house and do something besides sleep all day. Has anyone else been on this medication for prevention of chronic migraines? Did it work for you? I'd love to hear any input you might have. Thanks!

-Whitney

  1. Hi whitneyjp,

    Welcome and thanks for your question! Yes, many people with migraine take amitriptyline for migraine prevention with good results. Typically it's one of the first medications that is tried for migraine prevention.

    It can take up to 90 days, at the correct dose, before we see a reduction in our migraine frequency and severity. During this time potential side effects, like fatigue, can lessen during this time. Here is information on this medication; https://migraine.com/migraine-treatment/elavil/.

    Nancy

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