Re: Antidepressant: Amitriptyline (generic of Elavil)

From: LNewman@milbank.com
Wed Feb 23 07:33:18 2000


Boy, she sounds great!!!! Where (what state) is she in?

> -----Original Message-----
> From: olddad66@runestone.net [SMTP:olddad66@runestone.net]
> Sent: Sunday, February 20, 2000 9:20 PM
> To: Multiple recipients of list ADHESIONS
> Subject: Antidepressant: Amitriptyline (generic of Elavil)
>
> I was prescribed amitriptyline (generic of Elavil) in the fall of 1975.
> I was prescribed the lowest strength of amitriptyline - 25mgs to start
> with. Then my doctor increased the strength of the amitriptyline
> gradually by 25mgs every 2 weeks until I had reached a level which was
> giving me the therapeutic help I needed.
>
> He also spent alot of unpaid hours counseling me. He recognized that I
> was in a lot of pain and also very depressed. Amitriptyline has been
> recognized as a medication which is helpful for both depression and pain
> relief. Depression plays a big part in the sensation of chronic pain.
> Depression can increase the sensation of pain; so it is important to get
> help for depression too.
>
> A person's amitriptyline level can be monitored by having periodic blood
> levels drawn. When I first started seeing my psychiatrist in January
> 1997, she wrote a prescription for me to have a blood level of
> amitriptyline to be drawn by my doctor. At that time I was taking
> 225mgs of amitriptyline.
>
> As a result of that test, my blood level of amitriptyline was 525mgs!!
> My amitriptyline level was at a toxic level! So gradually over several
> weeks she lowered the number of milligrams I was receiving so that I
> currently take only 100mgs at night.
>
> She also started me on carbamazapine (generic of Tegretol) -starting at
> a low level and gradually increasing over several weeks. Currently I
> take 200mgs in the AM and 400mgs before bedtime. My psychiatrist
> specializes in pain management -so she knows what she is doing.
>

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