• Basic Info
• Top Questions
• Clinical Info
• Interactions

What is amitriptyline?
Amitriptyline is in a group of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants. Amitriptyline affects chemicals in the brain that may become unbalanced. Amitriptyline is used to treat symptoms of depression. Amitriptyline may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

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What is the price of this medication and similar alternatives?

This pricing information is subject to change at the sole discretion of DS Pharmacy. For the most current and up-to-date pricing information, please visit drugstore.com.

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What are the possible side effects of amitriptyline?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Call your doctor at once if you have any new or worsening symptoms such as: mood or behavior changes, anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically), more depressed, or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself.

Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• fast, pounding, or uneven heart rate, chest pain or heavy feeling, pain spreading to the arm or shoulder, nausea, sweating, general ill feeling;

• sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body;

• sudden headache, confusion, problems with vision, speech, or balance;

• hallucinations, or seizures (convulsions), feeling light-headed, fainting;

• restless muscle movements in your eyes, tongue, jaw, or neck, uncontrollable shaking or tremor;

• skin rash, severe tingling, numbness, pain, muscle weakness;

• easy bruising or bleeding;

• extreme thirst with headache, nausea, vomiting, and weakness; or

• urinating less than usual or not at all.

Less serious side effects may include:

• nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea, loss of appetite;

• dry mouth, unpleasant taste;

• feeling dizzy, drowsy, or tired;

• trouble concentrating;

• nightmares;

• blurred vision, headache, ringing in your ears;

• breast swelling (in men or women); or

• decreased sex drive, impotence, or difficulty having an orgasm.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

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How should I take amitriptyline?
Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label. If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking amitriptyline. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time. Do not stop using amitriptyline without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely. Stopping this medication suddenly could cause you to have unpleasant side effects.

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What is the most important information I should know about amitriptyline?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to amitriptyline, or if you have recently had a heart attack. Do not use amitriptyline if you have taken cisapride (Propulsid) or used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.

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What happens if I miss a dose?
Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at the next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

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What other drugs will affect amitriptyline?
Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold medicine, pain medication, muscle relaxers, medicine for seizures, or other antidepressants). Before taking amitriptyline, tell your doctor if you have used an "SSRI" antidepressant in the past 5 weeks, such as citalopram (Celexa), escitalopram (Lexapro), fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), fluvoxamine (Luvox), paroxetine (Paxil), or sertraline (Zoloft). Before taking amitriptyline, tell your doctor if you are currently using any of the following drugs:

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Can I take this if I am pregnant or trying to get pregnant or if I am breastfeeding?

Amitriptyline has not been formally assigned to a pregnancy category by the FDA. In animals, amitriptyline produces a variety of congenital malformations when administered in doses 8 to 33 times the maximum recommended human dose. Several cases of congenital malformations, including limb reduction defects, in infants whose mothers took tricyclic antidepressants during pregnancy have been reported, although no firm association has been established. Neonatal withdrawal symptoms have also been reported. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Amitriptyline should only be given during pregnancy when there are no alternatives and benefit outweighs risk.

Amitriptyline and its active metabolite nortriptyline are excreted in small amounts into human milk. Infant serum analysis failed to find detectable concentrations. The American Academy of Pediatrics classifies amitriptyline as a drug "whose effect on nursing infants is unknown but may be of concern".

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Who should NOT use this medication?

• Concurrent or recent (i.e., within 2 weeks) therapy with an MAO inhibitor. (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)
• Concurrent therapy with cisapride. (See Specific Drugs under Interactions.)
• During the acute recovery phase following MI.
• Known hypersensitivity to amitriptyline or any component in the formulations.

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What happens if I overdose?
Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. An overdose of amitriptyline can be fatal. Overdose symptoms may include uneven heartbeats, extreme drowsiness, confusion, agitation, vomiting, blurred vision, feeling hot or cold, sweating, muscle stiffness, feeling light-headed, fainting, seizure (convulsions), or coma.

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What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking amitriptyline?
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to amitriptyline, or if you have recently had a heart attack. Do not use amitriptyline if you have taken cisapride (Propulsid) or used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take amitriptyline before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body. Before taking amitriptyline, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

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Can I stop taking the medication if I feel better?
As a general rule, you should always take your medications exactly as prescribed and do not change the dosage or stop taking the medication without first discussing it with your healthcare provider.

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I am on so many medications; do I have to take them all?
This is called polypharmacy—many different medications being used at the same time by one person. Sometimes, being on multiple medications is acceptable and appropriate but at other times it may be problematic. If you are receiving your medications from multiple physicians you need to ensure that they all know what medications you are taking. The best way to do this is to make a list of all the medications you are currently using, including all nutritional supplements, homeopathic remedies, vitamins and over-the-counter drugs (if possible, also include all the diseases you have been diagnosed with). Give a copy to every doctor who takes care of you so they have it on file, this way they can avoid duplicating medications and perhaps even try to consolidate some. After every doctor's visit remember to update the list accordingly. Also, as much as you possibly can, try to use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions, this way any potential drug interactions can be caught and averted.

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Where can I get more information?
More Information

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