Amitriptyline for Insomnia User Reviews (Page 3)

• Anonymous
• November 7, 2010

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I have a very high tolerance for a lot of pain medications due to pain issues. Your body always needs more and more to produce the same effect until almost nothing works. Fortunately, this type of medication doesn't affect me that way. Although I guess it is mainly used for depression. It has worked like a charm for me to get my body to sleep much longer. And I have never had to increase the dose. The only drawback for me with this medication is that when I do wake up I am pretty groggy for about 45 minutes."

• Colacat
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 2, 2017

"I don't remember since when I started to have insomnia, usually it takes me 2+ hours to fall asleep, and I always wake up a few times at night. I tried to do exercises to make myself tired, still no improvement on my sleeping. Things even got worse recently, I went to my doctor and he put me on Amitriptyline 10mg. Omg, it works so well, the first day I took it, I had slept like 10 hours (was on the weekend). I am on my third week with Amitriptyline; my doctor prescribed it to me for only a month. I don't know if I can sleep well without it after a month. But this medicine makes me very calm and happy every day because I can sleep well and wake up every morning refreshed."

• Amnes...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 3, 2015

"I have had sleeping issues since a teenager and was finally diagnosed with Childhood Onset Insomnia. At times less than 1 hour total sleep a day for 3-4 days in a row. At the age of 42, my Dr. prescribed Elavil (Amitriptyline) and it changed my life. It's really cheap, about $30 CDN per month, doesn't store in your fat cells and is non-addictive. I take 50mg at around 9 pm, fall asleep around 11, and get a great sleep straight through until 6-7 am. No grogginess, some slight dry mouth. For me, it doesn't make me drowsy but it does help me stay asleep which was my problem - waking regularly through the night. Good luck, hope it works for you as well as it has for me!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 28, 2016

"I was prescribed this for restless leg syndrome, which was affecting my sleep. I've now been taking it for 3 years, 10mg initially. It allows me to slip into sleep if taken about 2 hrs before I go to bed. If I do wake up, it allows me to get back to sleep easily. The initial dry mouth etc. soon went away, and I am delighted with the ongoing ease with which I can sleep."

• Gem
• October 30, 2018

"I've been a severe insomniac since I was about 11, being awake for days and then barely sleeping when I could sleep. Severe night terrors and PTSD didn't help matters. Diagnosed with PTSD, rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, acid reflux disease, and hiatal hernia when I was 21; I personally believe it's to do with the fact that I spent 10 years getting zero to maybe 2 or 3 hours of restless sleep a night. I started Amitriptyline at 21 and have been taking it almost every night since, I'm 37. This med saved my life. I would be up for so long that I would start hallucinating and would randomly pass out or fall for no apparent reason, and the pain from my illnesses was becoming uncontrollable. I still have trouble shutting down to sleep sometimes and when the med stops working it's a nightmare all over again, but I swear by this medication. I've tried everything and nothing has ever worked except this. The 5 plus hours a night I get now has made it WORTH IT! No side effects for me."

• Dagon...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 25, 2013

"I have been on quite a few different sleep meds because of my head injury. I now have 'Alpha Wave Intrusion', so my brain won't shut down. Been this way for 16 years now. Amitriptyline is the only med that is able to get me to sleep and let me fall back to sleep if I wake up. I'm on 200mg and right now it seems to be okay. In a few months I'll probably have to adjust, but that's okay, I can deal with that. This is definitely an excellent choice for me."

• CP343...
• March 9, 2013

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I was put on Elavil to treat sleep deprivation and for pain relief. Took it for four days. It did not help with the pain, and it kept me up instead of putting me to sleep. For the first two days, I slept for maybe 3 hours total (slept for one hour, woke up for about an hour, fell asleep for an hour, up again, etc.), then the last two days, I went for two days straight with no sleep. Very frustrating."

• AAano
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 8, 2020

"I was taking 25mg for insomnia. It didn't work at all. I was still up until 2 or 3 am every night. I was still waking up in the middle of the night about 5 or 6 times between the time I fell asleep and when I woke up at 6 am."

• Nelly...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 4, 2014

"I have tried many OTC sleep aids, to no avail. My doctor started me out at a 10mg dose, so my body would have time to adjust before we started increasing the dosage. I think that this was a good tactic because when I first started out on this medication, I felt zombie-like the following day. He gradually increased the dosage on weekends until a month and a half later I started taking 75mg. I get a full 8 hours sleep with my new 75mg dosage, however I was waking in the middle of the night with the smaller dosages. I'm happy with this medication, and no longer experience the post-sleep-zombification. I think however it deserves only an 8 because it takes me 6 hours after taking it to feel sleepy enough."

• dawnf...
• February 25, 2015

"Nothing I tried helped me at all. But when I went to my doctor for sleeplessness and bad headaches with migraines, I was given Amitriptyline 75mg before bed. I sleep so soundly now. This stuff was a Godsend to me."

• Anony...
• July 22, 2019

"I started taking amitriptyline in my early 30's. At first just 10 mg/night as an experiment for connective tissue pain. I told the doc "Don't know if it helps my pain, but I had the first solid night of sleep in my l life EVER!" I've been a light sleeper since childhood. I've gradually ramped up and now take 40 mg/night. Been on this dose for over a decade. Can't sleep without it, so I expect I will be on it for life. The sleep is worth it to me. I tried to wean myself off of it once and lasted about a month, then I could not sleep AT ALL. Worse than before I started the drug. So in that sense it is addictive for me. For the last decade I have also taken trazodone and a tiny dose of klonopin or lorazepam, in addition to the amitriptyline. If I take the amitriptyline only, I feel dizzy but don't sleep solidly. So all three are necessary for me."

• Cath...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2019

"I've been put on 50mg amitriptyline for my bad insomnia . I've been suffering with not sleeping for the past 7 years on and off since my 23 year old son died and been on different anti depressants. Last year it got really bad, actually chronic. I'm 52 and also going through the menopause which can also cause bad sleep problems. My doctor put me on zopiclone, this worked very well, but doctor won't prescribe anymore because of the addiction side of the pill. 1 week ago, after I had done a lot of research about it, I asked my doctor if she could prescribe me amitriptyline, it's really honestly worked for me. I'm so so grateful for it. I take 50mg about 2 hours before I go up to bed, the first night I took it and went to bed way too early it didn't work so that's a good tip if you need this drug to help you get off to sleep. One side effect I get at the moment is a dry mouth which I can tolerate. Hopefully after a while my doctor will reduce the dose and one day I won't have to take it."

• sharer
• April 6, 2015

"I stopped sleeping totally at some point in my life, and after a lot of struggle, my doctor put me on amitriptyline. I hated the thought of being on a psychotic drug, but with my body clearly denying me sleep, I had no choice. Amitriptyline felt like a miracle. My first night, I slept a deep volume of dreamless sleep. My eyes wouldn't even open. Aside from having a dry mouth and having a really irritating taste in my mouth, it was perfect. Four years down the line, I am still on amitriptyline. The 50mg dosage works well for me. I have increased dosage and reduced it over the years, but 50mg has remained my regular dose."

• SML
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 6, 2021

"This drug has really improved my sleep. I’ve had horrible insomnia since high school and amitriptyline helps me fall asleep and stay asleep. I feel refreshed and energized during the day. It’s definitely worth a try if you have chronic insomnia."

• Trisha...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 12, 2015

"After trying many different antidepressants and sleep aids with little to no results, my doctor put me on 75mg of amitriptyline for severe postpartum depression and anxiety with insomnia. This was the miracle I needed. I sleep really well now and am back to my happy, healthy self. I have dry mouth as a side effect, but I have learned to chew gum and use Biotene at bedtime. This regimen has made that one side effect tolerable, and I don't mind it, considering what this medicine has done for me. I work out regularly and watch what I eat, so I have not experienced any weight gain."

• Bassy
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2019

"Dr gave me 20mg of Amitryptiline for sleep. I also take on Zopiclone and clonazepam. Slept the first night great. Next night wide awake on and off all night and then bad panic attacks. Upped it 50 mg but still not sleeping. They added Trazadone but still not sleeping and still getting panic attacks. Has anyone else had this issue"

• Gaitero
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 20, 2016

"I've been on 20 mg of amitriptyline at bedtime for insomnia for 6 years now. I had been on Valium after a bout with acute stress disorder, but found it highly addictive and found myself going to my shrink not for therapy, but just to get my Rx renewed. I knew then that I had to get off the Valium. My GP suggested the amitriptyline, and it is great. No side effects, and it lets me sleep, it doesn't make me sleep. It also lets me get back to sleep if I have to get up at night to use the bathroom. My doc told me to start with 10 mg and move up by 10 mg increments until I found a dose that worked but that didn't leave me hung over the next day. 10 mg worked. 30 mg put me in a fog until noon the next day. 20 mg has been perfect!"

• Dutch...
• August 16, 2017

"I have been taking amitriptyline for about 9 years now. I always take 10 mg. I read there are people who take a very high dosage. In a high dosage it does not work for insomnia but for depression. It is better to start with 10 mg. When you start taking them you can have side effects, but these will disappear in time. When you are very busy in your head, it is possible that it won't work that night. But don't give up. I take it about 2.5 hours before going to bed. But don't use a high dosage, it won't work for your insomnia. It is an excellent pain killer as well, in a lower dosage. And with 10 mg it is very easy to stop taking it, I did that a couple of times without any problems."

• sleep...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 10, 2019

"Didn't work except for the first night. Then back to insomnia. Also, it gave me an irregular heart beat. I stopped taking the tablets, no irregular heart beat. Then I went back on them and the irregular heart beat started again. I stopped taking them."

• Fourth
• November 1, 2016

"I have a depressive disorder called disthymia, post traumatic stress disorder and have been struggling with sleep/insomnia for a while. I was on zopiclone and tamazepam often put could only take them 3 days at a time with a break as to not become addicted to them etc. After a few months of this my doctor gave me Amitriptyline and it also boosts my anti depressant. I have a couple of pills at about 8 or so and its been great. I fall asleep at the right times - start yawning around 11pm, jump into bed and get to sleep. I wake up about 7 or 8 and im able to get up. It has also been great for my moods. I love it"

• Mr Mal
• March 21, 2014

Endep (amitriptyline) "I took Endep 25 for headaches. I felt drowsy even the next day. So I went to Endep 10. I need to to take it about 2 hours before sleep. Side effect - ear noise which is going on for over 1 week now after 1 tablet. Going to stop it for a while due to side effect."

• Bundac
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 29, 2019

"I only take a pill when I really want some sleep. I have trouble staying asleep due to my arms falling asleep at night and waking me up. It works great, I sleep much better, but the next day I'm useless. I feel groggy for hours after I wake. I have to work, so I don't take them during the week."

• sleep...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• September 15, 2016

"I slept well as a young adult, but by my mid forties I was only sleeping about 4 hours per night, and only 2 or 3 hours if I was under stress. It finally got to where I having a lot of anxiety, grinding my teeth at night (with a sore jaw in the morning), and even started showing symptons of ocd. I started Elavil (Brand name in Canada) 10mg at bedtime six years ago, and it has made my life so much better. I sleep a solid 6.5 hours every night, and feel great. The teeth grinding and the ocd symptoms both stopped within the first 2-3 weeks. It took a few days to start taking effect. I also had a slight tremor during that first few days only. I had a somewhat dry mouth for the first two years or so, but not at all now. 10mg still works for me.."

• 5mg...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 11, 2024

"I have been an extremely light sleeper since having children 30+ years ago. This developed from the odd night waking up and struggling to sleep to more often than not struggling to get back to sleep. I usually got to sleep but would wake up at least three times and then lie awake from 3 am. I have a hectic job and was fed up feeling tired and grumpy. The menopause made things even worse. A colleague of mine was prescribed Amitriptyline. I literally rang my doctor and told him that I had done my research and wanted it. He duly prescribed me 10 mg on a month’s trial. I felt drowsy the next day but did sleep well. I am a small person, just over 8 stone. I don’t know if weight comes into it but I decided to cut my tablets in half. This works for me. I have no trouble getting up and no dry mouth. I’ve been on them six weeks now and my anxiety around going to bed because of my night time wakefulness has gone. I still wake up for a wee but I go back to sleep."

• Lis
• December 7, 2016

"I have had insomnia and chronic pain for 24 years. I've seen every specialist imaginable and no one could seem to help me. But I was still taking sleep aids every night, sometimes doubling up on the dosage. At my worst I was taking a handful of pills just to fall asleep and my family worried that someday I would not wake up. I went to a lung specialist and he prescribed Elavil. I have been on it for about 4 months now at 100 mg and I RARELY need to take a sleep aid. I just get sleepy and go to bed, like "normal people". =) I also noticed a great reduction in my pain levels. So it's either the Elavil that is helping the pain directly or its the restful sleep. Either way I am thrilled w the medication!"