Will Elavil still work for me?

[jjt001]

I did the clinical trial for Elavil and was clearly on the placebo because when I started taking the real thing two weeks ago I definitely noticed a difference. I started at 25 mg and on the third day started feeling terrific -- no pain for the first time in five months. That lasted about three days, then the pain came back and I went up to 50 mg. The pain is pretty good (certainly better than it was for months!) but I feel it creeping back, so am thinking about going up to 75mg. I seem to have adjusted to the drowsiness okay, I am definitely sleeping more but I figure I'd rather sleep more if I can actually function during the hours I'm awake. Pain is my worst symptom, though I find that when I'm pain free the frequency also goes way down.

Did anyone else have it work for a while, then have the pain come back? It was soooooo nice to have those pain-free days, I was getting ready to write my success story when it started coming back, lol. I'd appreciate knowing if some have had similar experiences -- do you think it CAN still work for me? Thx!

[jjt001]

I guess I should say, "CAN it still work for me?"

[petrie86]

I'm on 30mg at night. I started at 10mg. It tooke me some time to get used to waking up in the morning! I had to practically roll onto the floor to get myself up to go to work. It seems to be working for the time being. Well I still go get flares but they're not as severe as they used to be. I did notice that I gained weight being on elavil. Did you gain weight? I might as to increase my dosage too. Maybe that will work??

[jjt001]

I haven't gained any weight on Elavil, but I've only been on the "real thing" for about two weeks. I've lost about 20 lbs recently and want to keep it off, so I'm trying to pay attention to what I'm eating, though with all the Halloween candy in the house, I can't say I've done a great job in the last few days! I haven't noticed any particular cravings for sweets, etc., though I'm always craving sweets, so maybe that's why!

During the clinical trial I was instructed to go up to 75 mg per day, and that's also what my doctor has written my prescription for. I was instructed to do 25mg for a week, then if I tolerated that well go up to 50mg, then if I tolerated that for a week, then to go up to 75 mg. I am much better at 50 than I was at 25, haven't had really serious pain for a week or so. I imagine I might be even better at 75, but want to get used to the "sedation" side effect first, though it hasn't been too bad (though, as I said, I'm sleeping probably 9-10 hours a day!). For me, the worst side effect has been the dry mouth.

I'm feeling MUCH better, I got through a busy Halloween day yesterday without even needing my bed buddy! I was surprised, as I generally am in pain by evening, especially if I haven't watched my diet closely. I am still hoping this will be the miracle for me that it has been for some others!

[Lisa_S]

I didn't notice the pain coming back after taking Elavil, but I did notice that I tend to "get used to" my current pain level, so it's easy to forget how much more pain I had before Elavil. I started at 25mg many months ago, went up to 50mg for a few weeks, then went back down to 25 due to constipation issues, and a few months ago went back up to 50mg. I gained a few pounds when I first started it, and I noticed I had a bigger appetite (the weight was probably a result of this). Once I got a little more used to it I was able to lose the weight again plus a few more pounds through exercise and watching what I eat.