Amitriptyline and Weight Loss

rosah2

I saw several post on here talking about Topamax. I would like to share my experience with it. My neurologist prescribed it for me about 4 years ago because I get daily migraines. I was on it for three months before begging him to take me off. Turns out I wasn't on it long enough to have to be weaned off. That was the good part.

The bad part was that I had every listed side effect, including brain fog, stuttering, not being able to think of words, interrupting conversations without realizing it, making inappropriate comments without realizing I was doing so, etc. I also gained weight on it. But the absolute worst side effect for me is that it destroyed my immune system. For almost 3 years after taking it, I caught everything that went around. My doctor had never seen so much of me as during that time. We have been working on building me up again and hopefully it will work. I still don't allow any of my grandchildren around me when they are sick because I can't afford to be back in the hospital.

I know that doesn't happen for everyone but it did for me.

prlady9

I thought i was the only person gaining weight....I been on Amitriptyline for about 6 months and gained about 10-13 lbs. I continue to eat the normal amount however, the scale continues to go up...I am so scared that i total went off it and i rather have a headache everyday than gain weight. I just wondering how long it is going to take to lose the 10 lbs, since i already lost 3 lbs since i stopped taking it.

Please help me!

QuietBloom

Oh gosh, been there, done that! For me, it made me crave sweets uncontrollably! Topamax has been found to work as well as a preventative with the added benefit that it tends to lead to weight loss. I couldn't bear it though, because of the brain fog and difficulty finding the words I wanted to use during conversations. Led to some awkward conversational pauses, that's for sure. I don't take any migraine preventative anymore - I got tired of being on a bunch of meds and just weaned myself off with a 'let's just see what happens' attitude. Fortunately I got away with it, and now just take a rescue if I need it.

Definitely speak with your doctor. I'm linking the study on Topamax vs. amitriptyline here. I find it helpful to bring published studies when I am trying to persuade my doctor to try something else! Good luck!!

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19393844

QuietBloom

I thought i was the only person gaining weight....I been on Amitriptyline for about 6 months and gained about 10-13 lbs. I continue to eat the normal amount however, the scale continues to go up...I am so scared that i total went off it and i rather have a headache everyday than gain weight. I just wondering how long it is going to take to lose the 10 lbs, since i already lost 3 lbs since i stopped taking it.

Please help me!

The good news is, the weight does come off once the medication is discontinued. I don't know how long it will take to lose all of it - I imagine you will need to track your calories and eat at a slight deficit until you get there, if you want to be sure.

How are your headaches since you stopped taking it?

XxAngry_Pixi

I thought i was the only person gaining weight....I been on Amitriptyline for about 6 months and gained about 10-13 lbs. I continue to eat the normal amount however, the scale continues to go up...I am so scared that i total went off it and i rather have a headache everyday than gain weight. I just wondering how long it is going to take to lose the 10 lbs, since i already lost 3 lbs since i stopped taking it.

Please help me!

The good news is, the weight does come off once the medication is discontinued. I don't know how long it will take to lose all of it - I imagine you will need to track your calories and eat at a slight deficit until you get there, if you want to be sure.

How are your headaches since you stopped taking it?

I gained 15 kilos on Amitriptyline. (33 pounds) and to scared to take topamax because of the side effects. (I am being treated for Chronic daily migraine) I have stopped taking it cause I couldn't stand to keep gaining weight on it, I was already big to begin with, But I am on sandomigran metaprolol and maxalt which seems to be helping a little. However after 3 weeks of watching what I am eating and doing cardio for 60 to 120 mins every morning to have worked better than all the meds I have been on over the last 9 years to treat my migraines.

boarderbabe13

I've been on ami since 2009. I didn't take it regularly like I was supposed to, so I didn't have any real side effects. However in last 2011 my migraines started getting worse. I started taking it regularly at only 10 mg and only saw a 10 lb weight gain. At the beginning of this year I started having issues with anxiety and the psychiatrist recommended upping my dose to 75 mg as well as prescribe Xanax. After 2 weeks I couldn't function, and after talking to the dr went back down to 10 mg. unfortunately after that the 10 mg dose wasn't working. We went to 20 mg and that still wasn't working as I was having 5-6 migraines a week. We finally settled on 50 mg, which is working well. I've been on the higher dose for 6 months now and have gained almost 40 lbs. I've tried other migraine meds with no success and this was a life saver but I HATE the weight gain and nothing I do seems to stop it. I'm at a point, do I live with the weight gain or do I deal with chronic headaches that leave me bedridden.

k5jackie

I am chronic, non-aura, with nausea and photophobia. After no success with Imitrex, Reglan, or Butalbital, I started on Topomax 25 mg for a year and a half. The next 6 months I was up to 125 mg. My neuro decided that the Topomax was a likely cause of the increasing migraines and switched me to Elavil with no withdrawal time from the Topomax. 3 months later, I'm still tired all day and do not have much relief from the severity of my migraines, but there are far less of them. I can handle being tired more than being in pain. However, I am definitely gaining weight. I'm sure it is in part to sleeping more and therefore being less active. I wonder if the Elavil lessen inhibition regarding food intake . . . does anyone know about that? My neuro wants to up my dosage of Elavil, but I think I'd be sleep-walking. I am also on Relpax and Frova.

crash_aly

I'm not sure what else you have tried... but I used to get headaches daily, some to the point where my vision would go blurry or light would hurt.

I started seeing a chiropractor and now rarely get headaches. I am at the point where I go in for an adjustment once every three weeks or so (I have other issues that we were working on as well and sometimes my shoulder will flare up so I will make an extra appt.)

QuietBloom

How accurate are you in your logging. Do you use a scale? Sometimes drugs cause weight gain by decreasing the amount we move around. Sometimes through increased appetite. Both these things can be combated through calorie control and exercise. You have my sympathies.

fitchickarw

From one migraine sufferer to another (and from a wellness/lifestyle coach/personal trainer perspective) . . . there are a ton of different reasons you may be suffering from migrains. The truth of the matter is the medications only mask the symptoms (the headache) but do NOTHING in terms of solving whatever is causing them and often have terrible side-effects.

If you have tension headaches, I would suggest accupuncture, massage, and/or chiropractics (in extreme cases, Botox). For others, you may be experiencing a food sensitivity or allergy issue. I have a client that has a long history of headaches and we have been able to get her off the meds by adjusting her diet.

A couple of things to look at:
1) Processed foods - most packaged foods (even the ones that say they are healthy) are full of gluten (plant proteins) and GMOs (genetically modified organisms). The first thing I remove from a client's diet is gluten - GONE! This takes care of about 60% of people's digestion, bloating, and headaches.
2) Dairy - unless it's a certified organic dairy product, chances are that it's full of GMOs and hormones.
3) Artificial sweeteners - aspartame, nutra sweet, etc. can be a major contributor of headaches . . . even in very small amounts.

Hope this helps.

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.