Amitriptyline for Migraine Prevention User Reviews (Page 3)

• gal...
• August 30, 2009

Amitriptyline "I have used Elavil for about two years, on and off. I was prescribed this medication for a condition called Cluster headaches. Well, this medicine worked like a miracle! The next morning after taking Elavil, I didn't have a migraine, and I had been having them like clockwork for about two weeks!! Although this is an antidepressant (I wasn't depressed), this medicine did boost my mood and made me feel much better throughout the day. It also gave me a very restful night's sleep. This medicine has been claimed to make some people gain weight, but I work out at least three to four times a week and have not gained any weight. Works wonders, and if you eat healthy and work out, you shouldn't see that drastic weight gain that everyone mentions!"

• Ger...
• September 20, 2013

Amitriptyline "I started getting migraines at 18. I'm now 46. Vomiting so bad I used to go to the hospital 1-2 times per month to go on a drip to rehydrate. This made a professional career virtually impossible. I've been on Sandomigran for 25 years and had every possible treatment. Then, 5 years ago, a hospital locum prescribed Endep. That was the end of my migraines. I was suicidal for 2-3 weeks, but then I was back to normal. I now take 1 x 50 mg tablet every second night. Endep is brilliant!"

• nom...
• April 24, 2014

"I'm 59 years old and have suffered with migraines as well as hard-to-get-rid-of 'regular' daily headaches since my early teens. A three-day migraine would lose 9 pounds for me. I had been to countless doctors and a neurologist with no triggers found. No one ever tried a preventive medication for me. Finally, four years ago, my VA doctor suggested Amitriptyline. It's been a lifesaver. He suggested building up to 30 mg per day at bedtime. I developed dry mouth, eyes, and throat, as well as nosebleeds. I reduced to 10 mg with good results as far as the headache and migraine relief, but still the side effects. Cut the pills in half with good results. So, now I'm taking 5 mg per day, with virtually no side effects and NO headaches at all."

• meg...
• May 31, 2013

"Amazing medicine. I had migraines for 20 years, and they had worsened to twice a week with no relief from Axert, which had worked relatively well in the past. I tried Topamax and experienced horrible mood swings, anger, and hyperactivity. I went on Amitriptyline and gradually moved up to 50 mg as it wasn't fully effective at lower doses. Once I reached 50 mg, my migraines went down to twice a month. Even better, the Axert works much more effectively when I do have a migraine. I had dry mouth early on, but this went away. The only other side effect is occasional dizziness when I stand up (but this only happens about once a week and clears after a few seconds), which is common on this medicine. It has totally changed my life."

• nsp...
• November 17, 2013

"I've been a chronic migraine sufferer my entire life. Literally, I even had migraines as a young child, which my neurologist informed me was very rare. I was diagnosed with chronic complicated migraine, averaging 20 plus headache days a month. I'd get migraine attacks where I'd repeatedly get slammed with migraines lasting up to 15 days where I couldn't function in a row. She put me on verapamil twice a day, which helped slightly for a few months then did nothing, so she put me on the amitriptyline a few days ago. I started at 25 mg at night and in a few days up to 50 mg. It does help me sleep, and my migraines today are substantially less. Hoping it keeps getting better!"

• Smo...
• May 9, 2017

"I have had insomnia, anxiety, and migraines since I was 7 years old (I'm 47). I've been taking 10 mg every night for the past 7 months to prevent migraines, and it has helped immensely. Migraines have virtually stopped (previously, migraines were almost daily). Insomnia has gone - this was an unexpected positive side effect. Anxiety seems to have improved, but this could be because of not being in pain and sleeping well. I don't seem to be suffering from any side effects, and I'm usually very sensitive to medication. Perhaps a little groggy in the morning like a normal person - coffee fixes it."

• Mer...
• April 30, 2014

"My doctor prescribed a migraine prevention medication for me yesterday, for the first time in literally years. I did not wake up with pain in my head that was a level 2 (out of 10 for pain) which would either drop to a 1 for pain or become a migraine. I can't tell you how weird it feels to wake up with zero pain."

• Deb...
• September 27, 2017

"My first migraine came at 16 years of age. Extreme headache pain, optical halos that would move over my eyes for 45 minutes, vomiting, serious aversion to light and smell. At age 32, the migraine events became a daily experience. My doctor prescribed 25 mg of amitriptyline at bedtime. The headaches disappeared, and very rarely does one break through. However, when it does break through, all I get is the optical side of the headache, which lasts 45 mins. I have tried to wean myself off the medication, but after a week, the headaches start again. Today, I have been on the medication for 29 years, and I am very happy that this low dosage of this drug allows me the ability to have a great life, free of that horrible pain and suffering."

• Ind...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 17, 2017

"For 10 years, I've had the most severe chronic hemiplegic and classic migraines. The condition robbed my life. I tried Topamax, Effexor, but they were awful. I felt worse. Then I took this, and the effect was immediate. My years of pain, gone...migraine attacks, down 95%. I swear by it."

• Dia...
• February 7, 2017

"I started this medication for hemiplegic migraines. I was also experiencing bad anxiety and dizziness. I started at 25 mg, and I saw an immediate decrease in my anxiety and dizziness. I did suffer a bad migraine, and my doctor increased my dose to 50 mg at bedtime. It has worked wonderfully, with the added bonus of getting a great night's sleep."

• KMM...
• January 28, 2010

"I have had increasing migraines for several years now, usually triggered by stress or light. Two years ago, I started amitriptyline. I am now at 50mg once daily at night and have many fewer migraines. I used to be drowsy in the morning. Now I take it about 2 hours before bedtime and am not drowsy in the morning. I hope this helps someone."

• Mil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 4, 2021

"Only started amitriptyline January 1st. Only taken half a 10 mg tablet about 4:30 pm once per day, and I have only had 3 headaches in 1 month. This has been life-changing as I was getting a migraine headache every other day and sometimes every day for over 10 years. Wish I had known about this simple solution 10 years ago. All those days of agony, and now I can plan my day without a blinking headache and feeling very ill with it. Take as low a dose as feel necessary... unbelievable... good luck. No side effects that I have noticed. I am from the UK, so get this on NHS."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 8, 2025

"The only drug that has worked for my migraines! Not only do I not have daily migraines anymore, I haven’t had a single episode since starting this medication. I can truly tell a difference whenever I forget to take my meds."

• She...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 22, 2018

"I have suffered migraines for many years. Having started menopause, I was given 25 mg of amitriptyline to help with sleep at night. My neurologist also gave me Migravent (natural product supplement), which I have taken twice per day for three years. My migraines were substantially reduced. I would go an entire month without a migraine. I, however, was hospitalized twice in three years due to increased liver enzymes in the thousands. Very painful, resembles what you would imagine a heart attack would be. Therefore, I eliminated one half of my dosage of Migravent. And in hoping that I could eliminate some of the prescription drugs in my life, I stopped taking the 25 mg of amitriptyline three weeks ago. In that time I have suffered five migraines. I have had to treat them with Fioricet. Sometimes twice, still not believing the headaches for several days. I truly believe that the 25 mg tablet of amitriptyline is the key. I hope this helps."

• Amo...
• March 26, 2015

"I have been diagnosed with migraines since I was 9. I am 33 today. My migraines are acute and chronic. As I got older, they increased in frequency and severity. At a certain point, I was hospitalized weekly. I could no longer function as a normal person. School, exercise, relationships, friendships were impossible. It made me even more depressed that no one understood my pain and some thought I was faking it. I was finally pronounced 'disabled' a few years ago, which made getting a job nearly impossible. I wanted to end my life because of this many times. Then, 6 months ago, an ER doctor suggested Tryptizol. To me, it is a miracle drug. I only have migraines once a month with my period. I am proof that hope exists. I wish I had used it sooner."

• Pau...
• November 3, 2019

"1 month in on my 2nd stint on amitriptyline for migraines, anxiety, low mood, 25 mg/day. I feel it's starting to have a good effect, symptoms have gone from a 7-8 to a 2-3. At first, it seemed to be making things worse, the side effects the first week were horrific: headaches, confusion, brain fog, anxiety. But around week 2-3, I started to feel some improvement and have continued slow but steady improvement since then. Last time I took it was a few years ago for about a year and a half, eventually, I weaned off of it and was fine for a while, but then the migraines came back. I have seen some studies where amitriptyline has been shown to increase neurogenesis in the brain, so it helps to rebuild and rewire the brain. Hopefully, I will be able to wean off of it again in time. Happy to have found something that works, I would give it a 10, but some minor side effects that have to be dealt with: constipation, dry skin, mouth, weight gain."

• Deb...
• November 23, 2012

"I'm 43 and have had migraines since I was 23. I've tried everything, even preventatives (Topamax - hated it), and finally found Frova to be really effective. Then I recently got one migraine that Frova couldn't keep away for more than 12 hours. After 8 weeks of undulating pain, I tried amitriptyline, and my migraine finally disappeared after only 2 days. I was also able to get a full night's sleep. Been on 10 mg for two weeks now and feel almost back to my normal self again. The drowsiness subsided after about a week. I will occasionally get the sensation that I'm getting a migraine, but it dissipates quickly. No issues with weight gain yet - I actually lost about 10 pounds, but it could be because I've been doing more sleeping than eating lately."

• san...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 22, 2019

"I got my first migraine when I was in fourth grade, and every year it became more frequent. By tenth grade, I was having severe migraines with aura at least twice a week. I was started on 10 mg amitriptyline, and I've gone up by 10 mg every 6 months. I now get a migraine with aura maybe once a year. However, now I'm constantly tired, still worth it, though."

• Hep...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 20, 2019

"Prescribed 10 mg amitriptyline 2 months ago for chronic daily migraines. Gone from having 5-7 migraines a week to one migraine once every 2 weeks, it’s completely changed my life for the better. The only side effect I get is increased appetite, which is actually a positive."

• Lit...
• March 21, 2015

"My daughter is 16. She started getting migraines around age 12. At first, they were every 3 months for a year, then once a month, and this last year at age 15, they became two or three times a week! We tried Imitrex nose spray, and once the urgent care gave her Fioricet. Nothing worked. She had severe aura, loss of vision, then the headache followed by vomiting. Also, once she was given Topamax, which had too many bad side effects. She will be going to Germany for one year as a foreign exchange student, and I was going to have to cancel that if we couldn't find a way to get this under control. I took her to a children's neurologist, and she gave her amitriptyline. It has been an absolute miracle for us! No side effects & NO more migraines!"

• eye...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• November 7, 2018

"After trying propranolol and then topiramate for prevention of migraine, I settled on amitriptyline as it was the only one that didn't make me feel either physically exhausted (propranolol) or mentally handicapped (topiramate...), although these other drugs did work. I'm currently on 10 mg nightly, the pain has stopped and I feel myself again. I did experience some initial anxiety at night, but I'm able to keep that in check by thinking rationally about things. Amitriptyline is a strong anticholinergic which has been linked to an increased incidence of neurodegenerative disease in the long term (BMJ 2018;361:k1315, BMJ 2018;361:k1722), but the alternative for me (eye pain) has an increased risk of gouging my eyeballs out with a spoon, so it's a fair swap."

• Nes...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 15, 2015

"I have been experiencing severe migraines 2 times per month over the last 3-4 years that include terrible vertigo and would last about a week. The vertigo was more debilitating than the migraine. Couldn't work or drive. In between migraines, I experienced regular daily headaches. Started seeing a neurologist who initially prescribed beta blockers (propranolol) with little result. Then changed tact to amitriptyline, which I am on 10 mg per day taken at night. Started about a month ago and am yet to have a migraine, and headaches have also significantly improved to maybe 2 light headaches (more tension headaches really) per week. I am more than satisfied with the result and couldn't believe how quickly it had an impact. Early days yet though."

• Kel...
• November 9, 2019

"I have tried this medication, amitriptyline, twice now, a year apart, for vestibular migraine (dizziness/vertigo). I have tried all other migraine prophylaxis medications, and either they didn’t help or side effects too severe to continue taking them for more than a few weeks. Amitriptyline did stop my daily dizziness, and I did feel less foggy, however, the antidepressant component of this medication does not work well for me. I was having intrusive thoughts and nightmares, scary stuff, similar to The Shining! It made my anxiety worse. I know they say there is an adjustment phase of a few weeks on this type of medication, but when you feel so bad three days in, you do wonder how bad it has to get. I stopped taking the medication because of the effects it was having, but it did work. The only other small side effect I had was dry mouth, which was nothing. I am now looking at trying the last available option for me for migraine, which is a calcium channel blocker."

• Aty...
• January 4, 2016

"After many wrong diagnoses and many RXs that did not solve the problem, I was finally diagnosed with atypical migraines at 24 years old and given this medication to take daily. It solved the problem almost immediately. I was having daily migraines before I took it for about 2 months and didn't have a single one while on it. I then decided to go off of it, and to my surprise, I was mostly migraine-free for about 6 months after (aside from that time of the month). Then, stress peaked and I found myself with almost daily migraines again. So, I've started taking it again. Because I take it at night to avoid daytime drowsiness, it is harder to wake up in the morning. I don't feel any difference in my mood. But I am pain-free, hurray."

• Jel...
• March 12, 2017

"I have been dealing with anxiety/panic attacks and migraines for 10 months and have tried about everything out there (Prozac/Buspirone/Sertraline/Ativan), and NOTHING seemed to work but Ativan. Everything else gave me really bad reactions, from burning skin to heartburn, palpitations, shortness of breath, insomnia, just to name a few, and even worsened my anxiety and led to more panic attacks. The only problem with Ativan was that, because it is a benzo and it is highly addictive, my doctor did not want to prescribe that anymore. My migraines got so severe that I was seen by a neurologist last week, and he prescribed amitriptyline, so far, it's working wonders. I am able to sleep through the whole night, and my panic attacks are gone!!!!!"