Pamelor User Reviews & Ratings

• Anonymous
• February 2, 2011

For Pain "For several years I have lived with spine and disc damage. I have been on a controlled narcotics program for quite a while. It saved my life. Chronic pain scrambles the brain. I was already on fluoxetine, but felt I was losing ground. Then my doctor put me on nortriptyline. GREAT results. I feel better mentally, and the medicine somehow 'soothes' inflamed spinal cord areas. NOT my imagination - over the years, doctors tried several medicines for this, none worked. This one helped both the depression AND nerve impulses at the discs/spinal cord."

• brn...
• April 28, 2011

For Panic Disorder "Pamelor works great for anxiety panic attacks. It calms you down and helps you to be able to think clearly to calm yourself down. You need to make sure that your doctor is giving you the proper mg amount for your panic attack disorder. I will not stop taking this. I highly recommend this for people to try."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 12, 2012

For Pain "I have calf pain (mainly when sitting) due to small fiber neuropathy. I tried Neurontin, Lyrica, Cymbalta...without any luck. Tramadol provided limited relief, but not nearly enough. Finally, I tried Pamelor and after a few weeks, the calf pain started to dissipate. I take 100mg/day, and the side effects have been pretty mild. The drowsiness tapered off after a few days, but the dry mouth and constipation go with the territory. I get occasional tinnitus as well."

• Vio...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 18, 2020

For Depression "I had been taking Trintellix for a couple years with success until eventually my anxiety/depression started to creep back. My doctor added 75 mg of nortriptyline every day and I swear I felt major relief in just 3 days. I have been on the Trintellix/Pamelor combo now for over a year. No side effects, and the Pamelor is cheap. As an added bonus, I have chronic hip pain due to bursitis and the pain has almost completely gone away. I am so thankful for this medicine, it has truly helped me."

• Anonymous
• April 24, 2009

For Migraine Prevention "I had taken almost everything for migraines and came up with a combination of Topamax and Elavil. I work in intensive care and started having memory problems. I also started sleeping almost constantly. I scheduled an appointment with the neurologist at my hospital and started on nortriptyline. This is the first time I've had total control. I'm not sleepy and I have more of my old self back. It feels good not to have any pain."

• RLZ...
• September 13, 2014

For Depression "My neurologist prescribed Nortriptyline for Neuropathy. It did not help much for that condition. However, at the time, I was suffering from severe depression due to having to place my husband in a nursing home. The medication did wonders for me and I have been a daily user since that time."

• Pat...
• March 19, 2013

For Migraine Prevention "I have been taking Pamelor for close to 4 years now. After a coiling procedure for an inoperable brain aneurysm, I suffered constant migraines. The doctor who performed the coiling did not offer any solution, but a local neurologist in my hometown prescribed it for me. It changed what was to be my new life of pain into a much more tolerable existence. A little dizziness is easy to live with. I take 50 mg every morning. Life is good again!"

• Nee...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• March 12, 2023

For Depression "I have to give this drug the best review possible. No exaggerating, this medicine saved my life and helped me to learn about how much I don't know about depression, and the self-medication I resorted to was no longer needed. This self-medication that was destroying my life was no longer needed or desired. It helped me to understand that's what I was doing because of mental health struggles and that I was deserving of a better life. All I can say is thank you!!"

• bir...
• October 17, 2010

For Migraine Prevention "I've suffered from migraines for 14 years and have taken numerous medications for prevention including Topamax. Topamax caused MANY bad, undetermined health issues. My Internal Medicine physician took me off Topamax and put me on 25 mg of Nortriptyline for migraine prevention. Almost immediately, I had relief from migraines, had clarity of mind even better than ever before, had a great attitude. I felt 'normal' for the first time in my life. This medication caused noticeable urinary retention, constipation, and increased appetite which caused weight gain. Due to weight gain, I was changed to Pristiq. Migraines have returned. I intend to ask to be put back on Nortriptyline and will have to alter diet and exercise."

• Anonymous
• October 28, 2009

For Pain "Cycled off opiates after a severe multi-trauma accident onto a Pamelor/amitriptyline combo. Worked very well. Definitely get yourself some eye drops, though. Needed the brand name, because the generic gave me cardiac arrhythmias. I am very impressed with this drug."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 30, 2012

For Migraine Prevention "This is month 3 and the headaches I lived with for many years have vanished with a 30 mg dose every night. I sleep well. Dry mouth is tolerable and treated with an oral rinse. I never thought I could feel this good!"

• chi...
• January 10, 2012

For Neuralgia "28 years ago, a car on an overhead lift fell on me. After 5 years of recovery, I did pretty well. Then, it all fell apart 6 years ago. I ended up on lots of medicines, including Nortriptyline. My only comment is, try it. I use it for burning in my legs that feel like burning ice water running down my legs, and it really helps."

• Che...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 26, 2020

For Depression "I landed on the ER twice because of this medication, Pamelor. I never felt so sick in my entire life. I thought I was dying. It took me more than a week to get it out of my system. I was agitated, my heart racing at 150 per hour. Horrible experience."

• Anonymous
• January 26, 2012

For Migraine Prevention "I have been on Pamelor for the past 6 months or so, and I suffer from severe headaches and migraines. After being prescribed 25 mg, I have felt I'm in control of my life, going from 15 headaches and multiple migraines a month to a manageable 3-4 headaches and a couple of migraines a month. My doctor and I are now trying to drop these numbers even lower by doubling my dose. The side effects I have experienced are dry mouth and odd vivid dreams, which are very manageable compared to before."

• Anonymous
• October 4, 2009

For Smoking Cessation "I had smoked for 36 years and had tried to give up with patches etc. After taking this drug for less than 3 weeks, I was well on my way to stopping, and have since given up completely. It stops the desire, but also the anxiety."

• Ned...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 30, 2020

For Depression "I was 13 years old when I started taking Pamelor. My doctor and mother decided to put me on this medicine. I had a very bad experience with these pills. Whenever I had an episode, they would up the dose. I started at a 25 mg tablet every morning, within the year, I was taking 5 25 mg tablets a day. Because of this, I missed out on a lot of things. I was wandering around so much that I was getting lost, didn't know who I was, or where I was going, or where I was supposed to be. I was just blah. Stuck in my thoughts, and I hated every minute of it. But it was not my choice. I have a nerve problem to this day, sometimes I shake so bad that I drop anything in my hands. It's very hard to eat soup or drink coffee when I spill it all over myself. When I turned 18, it then was my choice, and I stopped taking them altogether. A lot of my childhood was missed because of the pills, but on the flip side, I didn't get beat for having an episode as much as I did when I wasn't taking them."

• Suz...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 4, 2018

For Depression "25 years ago. I took Pamelor for postpartum depression. It worked for the depression but had to stop taking because my stools became hard as rocks and were difficult to pass. I have had irritable bowel syndrome since as a result. I also gained about 40 pounds, and no matter how much I diet or exercise, I cannot lose the weight."

• the...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 8, 2017

For Depression "I was tried on this for major depression. After 2 weeks on 50 mg per night, I couldn't handle it anymore. I ended up going to the ER because my heart was racing. I was at 125/130 beats per minute. I'd only been getting a few hours of sleep each night in those 2 weeks, and experienced the heart racing, brain short circuits, insomnia, anxiety, severe constipation, extreme thirst, and an overall feeling of disconnect from aliveness. As a teenager, I took Doxepin and Elavil too, and they were slightly better, but not much. These TCAs should be a last resort, like Thorazine and Lithium. Seroquel is much better. Good luck to my fellow sufferers!"

• Sil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 16, 2016

For Depression "Nortriptyline isn't a very good medication for chronic headaches. My neurologist put me on 25 mg, 2 tabs at bedtime. It's supposed to make you sleepy, however, it's quite the opposite. It keeps you awake and makes you very irritable, and you still have a headache and causes weight gain. Medication, especially."

• Rkp...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 23, 2019

"I have plantar fasciitis, so to walk was killing me. I could barely walk. It sidelined me for simple outings with my family. Had to sit with my feet up all the time. Nothing but pain. My doctor gave me Pamelor, and he told me it would help the nerve pain. I was up and going after taking Pamelor for a week, no pain. I’ll take the low ringing and the constipation over not enjoying life again."

• Kat...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 9, 2025

"Historically, I have taken the brand, Pamelor, which has worked quite well for me. I had tried other medications, including the generic version, Nortriptyline. Some of the alternate meds produced intolerable side effects, while the generic, Nortriptyline, never provided the pain relief that the brand drug, Pamelor, did. However, I have been told by numerous nationwide pharmacies that Pamelor is on back order indefinitely. They speculate it may have been discontinued. I called the pharmaceutical company, Mallinckrodt, that makes it. I am told they are still manufacturing it, but cannot tell me where to get it. I worry that going forward the generic may not provide the pain relief I need to function well."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 15, 2023

"My gastroenterologist started me on this medication last summer when she diagnosed me with CVS. It has been a life-saver. My attacks are less frequent and less severe. Whenever I have an attack creep up now, I am usually able to control it with as-needed Zofran. This medication gave me my life back. I was able to finally start eating real food again, and I was able to go back to work. Plus, it has the added benefit of making me sleepy, so I take it at night, and I fall asleep within 45 minutes."

• Anonymous
• September 19, 2008

For Migraine Prevention "Nortriptyline has worked well for preventing my headaches for two months now."

• Jsm...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 2, 2013

For Migraine Prevention "Very effective as long as it is taken like clockwork."

• wda...
• October 23, 2011

For Pain "This medication made my ears ring which they have been doing for about 20 years now. My doctor advised that this is a less than 2% side effect. Nevertheless, be careful."