Psycho-Babble Medication Thread 637752

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Amitriptyline vs. Nortriptyline and side effects!

Posted by ben on April 28, 2006, at 7:32:08

Hi

I am taking 30 mg of Amitriptyline at night against chronic tension type headache. It`s working for about 50% but I can`t go up withe the dose because of side effects. Especially the anticholinergic side effects - obstipation, dry mouth - aren`t going away after 3 weeks now.
What about switching to Nortriptyline which should have fewer anticholinergic side effects. Probably I could go higher with the dose then? But the effectiveness isn`t as good as Amitriptyline.
Who knows Noveril = Dibenzepin(e)from Novartis? It is a TCA too but I can`t find any data on receptors.

Many thanks

ben

Re: Amitriptyline vs. Nortriptyline and side effe

Posted by SLS on April 28, 2006, at 8:08:25

In reply to Amitriptyline vs. Nortriptyline and side effects!, posted by ben on April 28, 2006, at 7:32:08

I don't know that nortriptyline is truly less effective than amitriptyline. It just so happens that amitriptyline drew the most attention early on. Thus, most of the subsequent studies were designed to replicate the findings of the preliminary obsevations regarding amitriptyline. There are a few studies of nortriptyline that indicate it is also effective.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=11325322&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_docsum

In my experience, nortriptyline is much milder with regard to side effects.

- Scott

.

> Hi
>
> I am taking 30 mg of Amitriptyline at night against chronic tension type headache. It`s working for about 50% but I can`t go up withe the dose because of side effects. Especially the anticholinergic side effects - obstipation, dry mouth - aren`t going away after 3 weeks now.
> What about switching to Nortriptyline which should have fewer anticholinergic side effects. Probably I could go higher with the dose then? But the effectiveness isn`t as good as Amitriptyline.
> Who knows Noveril = Dibenzepin(e)from Novartis? It is a TCA too but I can`t find any data on receptors.
>
> Many thanks
>
> ben
>

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