Amitriptyline and Weight Loss

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!