Amitriptyline and Weight Loss

Raenydyne

I've had a little weight gain, but I was at the peak of fitness & nutrition when I started. That has went to Hell lol I've been NOT exercising at all and eating tons of sweets BUT it could be like alcohol or anything else with me. My metabolism always sucks so if I'm not balls to the wall with diet & exercise (and staying away from any alcohol or drug/OTC or otherwise, I will get fat). I'm really glad for the benefits though. It's the best drug I've tried for anything really. Everything else has left me really tired all day (btw I ONLY take this at night,nothing in the daytime) and there are MUCH WORSE drugs that will make you gain weight and turn you into a nervous wreck/make you suicidal and all kinds of stuff, believe me. I usually hate antidepressants, but this one is good. I might go off it and see if I can get back in shape though. I'm not as motivated to exercise, but I almost don't even care because I'm pain free & can concentrate better than I have in years.

Onegirlrevolution

I joined to say my story is about the same as everyone else 's, however cutting out gluten from my diet helped tremendously. My almost daily migraines are now limited to headaches with changes in the barometric pressure or "that time of the month". It's obviously a rough diet nowadays but at least many foods now have a gluten-free alternative. I have been on Elavil, went up from 30 to 60mg and overall I do feel so much better. I am sad to report 2 months later I am up 10 pounds after working hard all last year to lose 25 pounds. I have an appointment with my neurologist later on and will bring this up to see what he says. Unfortunately topomax didn't help me, and neither did Imitrex. I take relpex as needed but once I upped the dose of Elavil I haven't taken any since. I am very curious to know what his response will be! I don't mind the fatigue, I can counter that with caffeine and I'm completely fine. I do workout a minimum of 5-6 days a week. 2 times a week I workout with a personal trainer. I cleaned my diet up starting a year and a half ago. I go for a gluten-free "balanced" diet, but have reduced my calorie intake as well as limited the source of "bad" foods. There is NO WAY I can choose going back to the migraines. I love having more energy to play with my 5 year old and my focus on my studies have improved greatly. My productivity at my high demanding job has greatly increased and great things are happening to me there.

Tammyhiles

I suffered with chronic pain for about seven years. Went to many specialist who told me either nothing was wrong or I had fibromyalgia. I tried all medications out there for pain, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants and medication for epilepsy. As well as meds for fibro. Nothing helped. Finally I found a new Nerologist who put me on a combo of Amitriptyline and Prozac. I am on both the smallest doses. It has been a miracle for my pain. I wish I would have known about this 7 years ago. My biggest problem with it is weight gain like 13 pounds.

QuietBloom

Never took amitryptiline, but I took Topamax for several years. It didn't completely eliminate my headaches, but it slowed them down considerably. Maybe once or twice a week instead of all the time. I can guarantee you will not gain weight on it! My doctor increased my dose at one point and I literally got to the point where I would forget to eat.

One thing with Topamax though is it can cause brain fog and I definitely had a tendency of stuttering and not being able to find the proper words for what I wanted to say in conversations.

Yeah, I went off it because that side effect was intolerable. I was put on a low dose of amitrytiline for headaches, and it definitely increased my appetite big time. I was hungry ALL the time. I believe that is why it causes weight gain.

QuietBloom

I suffered with chronic pain for about seven years. Went to many specialist who told me either nothing was wrong or I had fibromyalgia. I tried all medications out there for pain, muscle relaxers, anti-depressants and medication for epilepsy. As well as meds for fibro. Nothing helped. Finally I found a new Nerologist who put me on a combo of Amitriptyline and Prozac. I am on both the smallest doses. It has been a miracle for my pain. I wish I would have known about this 7 years ago. My biggest problem with it is weight gain like 13 pounds. Want to know more side effects visit here http://www.internationaldrugmart.com/amitriptyline.shtml

Wow, so glad you found something that worked for you! :flowerforyou:

marciemartin1

I've been on a very low dose of amitriptyline(30mg) for the last 2 months and I have not gained any weight. In fact I have lost 9 lbs in the last 4 weeks.
I don't feel tired at all and the pain in my leg is almost completely gone.
I was worried about the weight gain but luckily it's not happening to me. My sister is the same as me, has not gained at all.

andiechick

I was on Amitriptyline twice for Nerve Damage and I it definitely put weight on me - I hadn't realized the first time, I put it down to being a new mum and irregular eating habits, but the second time I was prescribed it I realized the link. I have since changed my meds (3rd attempt got it ok)

When I used to suffer from regular migraines years ago I was advised by an alternative therapist to try taking Feverfew each day and it worked a treat. I stopped taking these while trying to get pregnant with my son over 7 years ago and the migraines definitely haven't come back to the extreme I used to get them. I suffered for over 20 years from the age of about 9 so for me this is a major thing.

Just something to think about, could your headaches be caused by something you're eating? My mam suffered migraines for years thinking they were hormone related and it was only in the last 10 years or so she has realized its connected to eating anything orange related, even an orange sweet or dessert with a smattering of orange in it!!

Good luck ;0)

andiechick

Never took amitryptiline, but I took Topamax for several years. It didn't completely eliminate my headaches, but it slowed them down considerably. Maybe once or twice a week instead of all the time. I can guarantee you will not gain weight on it! My doctor increased my dose at one point and I literally got to the point where I would forget to eat.

One thing with Topamax though is it can cause brain fog and I definitely had a tendency of stuttering and not being able to find the proper words for what I wanted to say in conversations.

Yeah, I went off it because that side effect was intolerable. I was put on a low dose of amitrytiline for headaches, and it definitely increased my appetite big time. I was hungry ALL the time. I believe that is why it causes weight gain.

This is the problem I had, I was like a woman possessed!!

babber1170

I have been on Ami for around a year, gained weight and have now been dieting and exercising like a loon and nothing is coming off. The Ami was prescribed for better sleep patterns and to aid my back which is essentially a bit knackered!! I asked my rheumatologist about whether or not it could be the Amitryptaline that is slowing my weight loss to a stop and she said that it most likely is. Side effects suck!

QuietBloom

Amitriptyline made me super HUNGRY. Unfortunately, it does have the side effect. Not sure there is an easy answer for that.

englishrose1974

I was on amitripyline for over a year for migraines and lost weight on it - however, I took topirimate which is supposed to help weight loss and gained weight so I seem to have had the opposite experience to most people.

I'd advise caution if you do choose to stop taking the amtrip - I had terrible side-effects as I came off it and it seems to be common for people to struggle for a while when they stop taking it. I would suggest reducing the dose gradually and with the supervision of your doctor.

Topirimate caused me to lose the central vision in one eye - another known side-effect. My vision is mostly back to where it was prior to taking the topirimate but for some the effects are longer lasting. I would advise caution initially and to stop taking it if you do try it if there is any doubt about your vision at all. Aside from that topirimate may well be a good option especially as most people experience weight loss with it.

I hope the right medication can be found for you.

Sara

k5jackie

I gained 30+! My neuro put me on a yet a different medication, but I definitely feel the loss of craving sweets all day. Phew!

mechalas

I was also on amitriptyline for migraines. I ramped up to 100mg over a month, was on it for about two or three weeks, and when it wasn't helping ramped down over about two weeks. In that time I lost 4 pounds.

However, that was not easy as it does cause weight gain and it's hard to fight.

The big problem is the cravings, which most people experience. I got them within three days on just 25mg. They were their worst when I was at 50mg and faded as my dosage increased, but that could just be that I got used to the feeling of always wanting to eat something and learned to separate craving from truly being hungry. Either way, that second week was torture.

I lost weight by radically changing what I was eating: drastically cutting back on empty carbs and sugars by having sodas only a night or two a week when we were eating out, no sweets and desserts after meals, reducing or eliminating breads and crackers and chips and such. Not quite Atkins but certainly in the spirit of less carbs, less processed & packaged, and more "real" food. I have a terrible sweet tooth and always have, so I ate high-fiber fruits like apples and pears to manage the cravings, as many as 2 to 3 per day. And it worked.

Of course, these are good dietary changes in general, so when I went off ami I kept the dietary changes. And 4 more pounds fell off in less than two weeks. So with ami it was more than just the cravings. There is just something about it that makes you gain and hold on to weight.

A few people mentioned topomax. The brain fog that comes from that should not be underestimated as it can be very severe. It is not nicknamed "dope-amax" for nothing. If you can get migraine relief at moderate dosages with no side effects, then OK, but I personally would not want to put up with the mental fog. There are other drugs in the same class, such as zonisamide, that are newer and have fewer and less severe side effects. And in particular, no hit to your mental functioning. However, topomax is a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, and this makes carbonated drinks taste flat. If you are a person who has weight trouble and are addicted to sugary sodas, topamax will certainly put a stop to that because soda will taste absolutely terrible while you are on it, which might help you lose weight. As long as you don't substitute soda with something equally sugary, of course.

ScotDan

I have just started Amitriptyline on a 25 mg dose at night, I am also on Pregabalin 4 x 75 mg for Fibromyalgia and 8 x 50 mg Tramadol and Trazadone Hydrochloride 100 mg capsules for chronic pain
I am sticking to my 1200 calories every day as best as I can but my average is 1200, I am finding it very hard to lose weight so I don't want to gain any with Amitriptyline, I can't get about a lot and exercise is limited due to chronic pain and severe dips in energy
I don't want to much below the 1200 cal as I don't think it would be healthy for me, I don't eat any processed food, mostly raw vegetables and steamed chicken, never drunk any alcohol or smoked. I have trained all my life and lived a very healthy life style so this is a real downer for me now weighing 13 st 7 lbs

asciiqwerty

I take amitriptyline as an antispasmodic in combination with synthetic opioid and NSAIDS for spinal damage.

I find that the fatigue from the amitriptyline affects my actvity levels, so when I take it I am less active, and unless I adjust my calorie intake to my reduced activity level, then I gain weight.

Like many such drugs, I don't think it's the meds that make me gain weight, but more how they affect either my mood, my appetite, or my activity.Once I noticed this, I found it a lot easier to manage, expecially with mfp, to help track my net calories.

melbod151

3-4 years ago I was on amitriptyline for about 8 months to relieve chronic (daily) headaches. It helped. Was sleepy and dry mouth. Gained weight. Went off and eventually my headaches started to come back. Decided to try a chiropractor. Got a little worse at times before it got better. After 3 months of recommended adjustments, I now go once every two months and only get cyclical headaches most months -maybe one or two days and not as severe. Still experience the side effects of the dry mouth from the meds. I hated the weight gain, but I hated the headaches more. Glad I tried it, but my preferred treatment is the chiropractor - no meds- its a good thing.

Agatefairy

There are a few herbal supplements proven to help with migraines/tension headaches they are: Feverview and Butterbur. I take Butterbur when I feel a migraine coming, and it seems to stave it off. I've also done acupuncture to help with tension headaches and I use a TENS unit which helps immensely. Here's a link to information on Butterbur and Feverview (clinical study results etc as well for some empirical evidence). Good luck to you! Chronic headaches are evil!

Nicolelmoyer

I started taking 50mg of amitriptyline for neuropathic pain on April 17, 2017. In the beginning, it was difficult to move because I was exhausted. After adjusting, I have lost 30lbs (by September 12, 2017) by using My Fitness Pal, drinking a TONNE of water to fight hunger pangs caused by dehydration, and MOVING a lot more than I was. No matter how tired I was, I forced myself to push through it. It can happen; you can lose weight. I promise! I was terrified to take the med because of all of the negative reviews regarding weight gain. If I never started taking it, I would not be jogging again (pain is considerably reduced) and I would be taking my migraine pills 3x per week instead of once every couple of months!