Amitriptyline
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Amitriptyline, an antidepressant (mood elevator), is
used to treat depression. This medication is sometimes
prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist
for more information.
How To Use:
Take amitriptyline tablets by mouth.
Follow the directions on the prescription label. Swallow
the tablets with a drink of water. You can take the
tablets with or without food. Take your doses at regular
intervals. Do not take your medicine more often than
directed. Do not stop taking except on your prescriber's
advice.
Contact your pediatrician or health care professional
regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special
care may be needed.
Adolescents, 12 to 18 years old, and elderly patients
over 65 years old may have a stronger reaction to this
medicine and need smaller doses.
Side Effects:
Side effects that you should
report to your prescriber or health care professional as
soon as possible: abnormal production of milk in
females; blurred vision or eye pain; breast enlargement
in both males and females; confusion, hallucinations
(seeing or hearing things that are not really there);
difficulty breathing; fainting spells; fever with
increased sweating; irregular or fast, pounding
heartbeat, palpitations; muscle stiffness, or spasms;
pain or difficulty passing urine, loss of bladder
control; seizures (convulsions); sexual difficulties
(decreased sexual ability or desire, difficulty
ejaculating); stomach pain; swelling of the testicles;
tingling, pain, or numbness in the feet or hands;
unusual weakness or tiredness; yellowing of the eyes or
skin.
Side effects that usually do not require medical
attention (report to your prescriber or health care
professional if they continue or are bothersome):
anxiety; constipation, or diarrhea; drowsiness or
dizziness; dry mouth; increased sensitivity of the skin
to sun or ultraviolet light; loss of appetite; nausea,
vomiting; skin rash or itching; weight gain or loss.
Precautions:
Visit your prescriber or health
care professional for regular checks on your progress.
It can take several days before you feel the full effect
of amitriptyline.
If you have been taking amitriptyline regularly for
some time, do not suddenly stop taking it. You must
gradually reduce the dose or you may get severe side
effects. Ask your prescriber or health care professional
for advice. Even after you stop taking amitriptyline it
can still affect your body for several days.
You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use
machinery, or do anything that needs mental alertness
until you know how amitriptyline affects you. Do not
stand or sit up quickly, especially if you are an older
patient. This reduces the risk of dizzy or fainting
spells. Alcohol may increase dizziness and drowsiness.
Avoid alcoholic drinks.
Do not treat yourself for coughs, colds or allergies
without asking your prescriber or health care
professional for advice. Some ingredients can increase
possible side effects.
Your mouth may get dry. Chewing sugarless gum or
sucking hard candy, and drinking plenty of water will
help.
Amitripyline may cause dry eyes and blurred vision.
If you wear contact lenses you may feel some discomfort.
Lubricating drops may help. See your ophthalmologist if
the problem does not go away or is severe.
Amitriptyline may make your skin more sensitive to
the sun. Keep out of the sun, or wear protective
clothing outdoors and use a sunscreen. Do not use sun
lamps or sun tanning beds or booths.
If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar more
often than usual, especially during the first few weeks
of treatment with amitriptyline. Amitriptyline can
affect blood glucose (sugar) levels. Call your
prescriber or health care professional for advice if you
notice a change in the results of blood or urine glucose
tests.
If you are going to have surgery or will need an
x-ray procedure that uses contrast agents, tell your
prescriber or health care professional that you are
taking this medicine.
Drug Interactions:
Amitriptyline can interact
with many other medicines. Some interactions can be very
important. Make sure your prescriber or health care
professional knows about all other medicines you are
taking. Many important interactions are listed below:
Do not take amitriptyline with any of the following
medications: astemizole (Hismanal®); cisapride
(Propulsid®); probucol; terfenadine (Seldane®);
thioridazine (Mellaril®); medicines called MAO
inhibitors-phenelzine (Nardil®), tranylcypromine
(Parnate®), isocarboxazid (Marplan®), selegiline
(Eldepryl®); other medicines for mental depression (may
be duplicate therapies or cause additive side effects).
Amitriptyline may also interact with any of the
following medications: alcohol; antacids; atropine and
related drugs like hyoscyamine, scopolamine, tolterodine
and others; barbiturate medicines for inducing sleep or
treating seizures (convulsions), such as phenobarbital;
blood thinners, such as warfarin; bromocriptine;
bupropion; cimetidine; clonidine; cocaine; delavirdine;
diphenoxylate; disulfiram; donepezil; drugs for treating
HIV infection; female hormones, including contraceptive
or birth control pills and estrogen; galantamine; herbs
and dietary supplements like ephedra (Ma huang), kava
kava, SAM-e, St. John's wort, valerian, or others ;
imatinib, STI-571; kaolin; pectin; labetalol; levodopa
and other medicines for movement problems like
Parkinson's disease; lithium; medicines for anxiety or
sleeping problems; medicines for colds, flu and
breathing difficulties, like pseudoephedrine; medicines
for hay fever or allergies (antihistamines); medicines
for weight loss or appetite control; medicines used to
regulate abnormal heartbeat or to treat other heart
conditions (examples: amiodarone, bepridil,
disopyramide, dofetilide, encainide, flecainide,
ibutilide, mibefradil, procainamide, propafenone,
quinidine, and others); metoclopramide; muscle
relaxants, like cyclobenzaprine; other medicines for
mental or mood problems and psychotic disturbances;
prescription pain medications like morphine, codeine,
tramadol and others; procarbazine; seizure (convulsion)
or epilepsy medicine such as carbamazepine or phenytoin;
stimulants like dexmethylphenidate or methylphenidate;
some antibiotics (examples: erythromycin, gatifloxacin,
levofloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, sotalol,
sparfloxacin) ; tacrine; thyroid hormones such as
levothyroxine.
Tell your prescriber or health care professional
about all other medicines you are taking, including
non-prescription medicines, nutritional supplements, or
herbal products. Also tell your prescriber or health
care professional if you are a frequent user of drinks
with caffeine or alcohol, if you smoke, or if you use
illegal drugs. These may affect the way your medicine
works. Check with your health care professional before
stopping or starting any of your medicines.
Notes:
Prescriber needs to know if you have any
of these conditions: an alcohol problem; asthma,
difficulty breathing; blood disorders or disease;
diabetes; difficulty passing urine, prostate trouble;
glaucoma; having intramuscular injections; heart disease
or previous heart attack; liver disease; over active
thyroid; Parkinson's disease; schizophrenia; seizures
(convulsions); stomach disease; an unusual or allergic
reaction to amitriptyline, other medicines, foods, dyes,
or preservatives; pregnant or trying to get pregnant;
breast-feeding.
Missed Dose:
If you miss a dose normally taken
at bedtime to avoid daytime drowsiness, it may be better
to miss that dose. If you take more than one dose a day
and miss a dose, take it as soon as you can. If it is
almost time for your next dose, take only that dose.
Follow your prescriber's advice on missed doses. Do not
take double or extra doses.
Storage:
Keep out of the reach of children in a
container that small children cannot open.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30 degrees C
(59 and 86 degrees F). Throw away any unused medicine
after the expiration date. |
