Anyone take an anti depressant for pain?

[joenali]

My neurologist prescribed nortryptiline for me today. Anyone have success with it? Also, anyone ever have rhyzotomy?

I'm still in pain you guys! it's better, but not great. I'm getting another facet injection and if that doesn't work I'm getting a rhyzotomy. And I will keep going to Pt.

Boo!

[sitnspin]

I actually have.  When I was about 22 (I am 35 now), I had recurrent UTI's and we could not figure out the cause or how to cure them.  I tried the usual antibiotics, then a long term (90 day, low dose) and nothing would help the pain.  After numerous tests, I was diagnosed with a bladder disease (interstitial cystitis) and prescribed an antidepressant for pain.  I was on it for about 2 years and it relieved the symptoms totally.

I went off them when I was around 25 and haven't had any issues with IC since.

Sorry, that was probably TMI.

[joenali]

Oct 22, 2014 12:44:26 GMT -5 sitnspin said:

I actually have.  When I was about 22 (I am 35 now), I had recurrent UTI's and we could not figure out the cause or how to cure them.  I tried the usual antibiotics, then a long term (90 day, low dose) and nothing would help the pain.  After numerous tests, I was diagnosed with a bladder disease (interstitial cystitis) and prescribed an antidepressant for pain.  I was on it for about 2 years and it relieved the symptoms totally.

I went off them when I was around 25 and haven't had any issues with IC since.

Sorry, that was probably TMI.

That's a positive story! I don't care about the tmi!

[sitnspin]

Oct 22, 2014 12:47:16 GMT -5 joenali said:

Oct 22, 2014 12:44:26 GMT -5 sitnspin said:

I actually have.  When I was about 22 (I am 35 now), I had recurrent UTI's and we could not figure out the cause or how to cure them.  I tried the usual antibiotics, then a long term (90 day, low dose) and nothing would help the pain.  After numerous tests, I was diagnosed with a bladder disease (interstitial cystitis) and prescribed an antidepressant for pain.  I was on it for about 2 years and it relieved the symptoms totally.

I went off them when I was around 25 and haven't had any issues with IC since.

Sorry, that was probably TMI.

That's a positive story! I don't care about the tmi!

It was a very low dose AD, and really did help me out when I needed it.  The only issue was tapering off of it when I thought I was done with the IC pain.

[joenali]

Yes. Mine is a low dose as well, and I will have taper after a few months.

[joenali]

Oct 22, 2014 12:49:12 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I'm interested in this. I'm not, but can see myself ending up on one soon due to a disc tear I have.

i had never heard of it until today. I asked like three times, is this a narcotic? Lol! That's the last thing I want to take for pain.

[Deleted]

Not personal experience, but yes I've seen TCA's prescribed with success in several patients for a variety of diagnoses that have to do with pain. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've seen more TCA's prescribed for pain than depression as they're not used as commonly for depression anymore.

Anyway, I hope that you feel some improvement with it because it definitely can help!

[joenali]

Oct 22, 2014 13:35:13 GMT -5 @wandering said:

Not personal experience, but yes I've seen TCA's prescribed with success in several patients for a variety of diagnoses that have to do with pain. In fact, I'm pretty sure I've seen more TCA's prescribed for pain than depression as they're not used as commonly for depression anymore.

Anyway, I hope that you feel some improvement with it because it definitely can help!

Thank you! This is very promising. My dr was saying that non-debilitating pain is almost worse to deal because you can function somewhat normally, but you just have a lingering pain and can't really do everything you want.

[emilyinchile]

YES IT'S MAGICAL. I had amytriptiline, same class of drug, prescribed for a non-stop headache (literally, 6 weeks of dull to raging pain). It was determined to be a tension headache that had my muscles all screwed up, and two months of half a pill per day fixed me. The doctor said the same thing that wandering has said, that these pills have become more common for their off-label pain usage these days.

My main side effect was crazy intense dreams that made it harder to wake up because I felt like I'd been up all night doing things, but once I was awake I didn't feel more tired than normal. I also felt like I did get a touch of the AD property in the sense that I approached stressful things as "eh, I'll do my best, and that's all I can do," but that could have been a placebo effect or an effect of having had a headache for 6 weeks and being pretty much over everything.

[tammyandjake]

Sorry, I am late to respond to this. I take Nortriptiline for chronic migraines. I went to the pain treatment program at John Hopkins. This is the first medication they tried. It works great for me. I hope you get the same results.

[taratru]

I know nothing, except I hate you have to deal with this. *hugs*

[sjh722]

Yes, I've taken elavil (amytriptyline) for nerve pain in my back. It helped. I hope you get some relief!

[zoidberg]

I think I was given that once for migraines. It made me sleep. A lot. Like, A LOT. I had to stop taking it because I was late for work several days due to sleeping through my alarm for 2 hours.

I recommend starting it on a weekend so you know how you function.

[zoidberg]

And I'm not better, either. Solidarity.