Amitriptyline...as migraine treatment?

Has anyone ever used this med to treat their migraines? My Dr. just prescribed it to me (along with Zomig), but I am leery of med.s, especially when they are anti-depressants. Any advice? I'm scared that the Amitriptyline will make me all loony acting and if thats the case, I'd much rather just deal with my migraines...
Thoughts?

[Janet]

I get headaches not and again, but don't think they are bad enough to be called migraines. I don't know anything about this treatment, but maybe you can google it to learn more. I sure hope you can find something that can help.

Thanks for the sweet reply
I've googled it and I really do not like the side effects of the med! (i.e. mania? scarey much!)
Luckily, my friend's SIL is a pharmacist, so hopefully she'll have some insight?

[Forgivenmom5]

Good luck on getting your migraines under control.

[DianaB]

Sorry, but I don't know anything about migraines. I was going to say that you need to talk to your pharmacist to find out about side-effects. They're usually pretty helpful and it's really handy that your SIL is one.

[Emmsmom]

My husband went through a period where he was hit with migraines all the time. THey gave him an anti-depressant to take to prevent them. He isn't fond of taking meds so won't do it unless he is dying or thinks he is. For whatever reason he hasn't had a migraine in years. I think stress has a lot to do with them. He changed jobs and things started to easr up.I hope they work for you.

[Marilyn]

I haven't had any experience with that particular medication. I have had migranes since I was 7 years old. They are not as bad now that I am older. I had one once when I was in my late 30's that was so severe they did an MRI to find out if I'd had a stroke. I had numbness and tingling on one entire side of my body & had trouble walking. The effects did not last more than an hour or so, fortunately. I did take some medication several years ago that, if taken as soon as you felt one coming on, it would interrupt it, but not sure what it as called.

The migranes I have now are manageable with Advil, but can last for several days. I've found that taking medication quickly, and resting quietly for 10 to 15 minutes as soon as I begin to feel one coming on can significantly reduce the severity, but sometimes they come on so quicly and ferociously, that there is nothing you can do to stop their development.

Hope you find some relief soon. Have you looked for dietary triggers? or medications. I could not take birth control pills because they were extremely strong triggers.

[Dobie]

I've gotten migraines since I was 9 or 10 years old - I've always hated the meds I've taken because they seem to leave me feeling hung over.
I'm lucky enough that I always get the aura a day or 2 before the migraine hits, so for the past 3 years whenever I get the aura I call the acupuncturist - he's amazing, I go in for a treatment and it never develops into a full blown migraine.

[pearl]

Originally Posted by MsFamousHepburn

Has anyone ever used this med to treat their migraines? My Dr. just prescribed it to me (along with Zomig), but I am leery of med.s, especially when they are anti-depressants. Any advice? I'm scared that the Amitriptyline will make me all loony acting and if thats the case, I'd much rather just deal with my migraines...
Thoughts?

it's an old antidepressant so it's been around for years; it's used also for diabetic neuropathy (pain and tingling in extremities) and for sleep.
main side effects are dry mouth and constipation. and, urinary retention (i sure could use that at my age.)
so, it may be worth a try i think. all drugs have side effects and antidepressants all CAN have side effects effecting emotions, but you can try it and if it doesn't agree stop it.
it would be good to read up on it too like janet said, education is always good.

Thank you all for your replies! I took my first dose last night, and it definitely made me sleep well! Although, it did make me feel a little doped up, no headache so far today ! To Dobie & Marilyn: I am so glad you have found things to help your guys migraines!!! How I wish Advil would make mine bearable! To Pearl: Thanks for the info! It echoed everything my friend's SIL said about Amitriptyline. Education is always key!

[judy]

I've been on just about every migraine med there is. Luckily, they have pretty much gone away - one of the happier things I am grateful for! I was very often put on a tricyclic antidepressant. They do something to the brain that helps prevent headaches.

I hated the meds. There were times I was just in a whole other zone but I had to take them because I had cluster headaches. The best med I found was the Imitrex injections. Took the headache away within minutes. They did scare me, but they made life much better.

Good luck with your headaches.

[pearl]

sometimes the doped up feeling goes away, or not. imitrex is another migraine med i was trying to remember.

Judy: I am SO happy for you that your migraines have mostly went away! That is so awesome!

Pearl: You are right! The "doped up" feeling has went away! And am I ever glad! Zomig, come to find out, is almost the exact same med as Imitrex.

Its going on 5 days since I've started taking my meds and so far NO migraines! I've had to take a few doses of Zomig, but luckily it stopped the migraines in their tracks! I am so happy to have found something that works!

[judy]

What good news! Which Zomig are you on? The pill or the nasal spray?
What else are you on? 5 days is terrific....I hope it continues.

I used to take the injections of Imitrex - I got so good at it, I could be teaching, feel a headache coming on and give myself a quick injection without my students ever knowing. I did it while driving, on the train, walking in the street, anywhere. What a skill, huh? But they saved my sanity!

[pearl]

glad it's working!