Normal Dose?

[amylr]

Hi all,

I just have a very brief question. My doctor would like me to try Elavil for 2 weeks to see if it is affective at all or if my body will tolerate it. He is starting me out on a dose of 25mg for one week and if that seems to be helping at all, then he is going to bump the dose up to 50mg. I dont have pain, just extreme frequency/urgency. Does this seem about right to yall? He seems to be a very knowledgable doctor and I really do trust his judgement, I just wanted some feed back. How long will it typically take to work?

[SharonA]

My doctor started me off with just 10mg for the pain I was in. Then slowly upped the dose to 50mg and then back down to 25mg. I noticed a big difference the next day after the first dose. Most report that it becomes effective after about 2 weeks.

I suggest that you pay very close attention to how you are feeling after the first dose. You could very well have some dizziness and feel very tired about 20 minutes after taking it. I made sure I was in my bed very quickly after taking it the first time since I did not know how it would effect me. I did fine.

You might also feel "hung over" the next morning. That is pretty normal in the beginning. This side effect usually goes away after a few days of taking it.

Hope it help you as much as it does me. :):):)

[colleenco]

I also noticed changes pretty quickly after starting Elavil. I started at 25mg in the am and 25 mg in the pm. I can go up or down from there however I wish. My doctor says that I know my body and how I feel and it is up to me. If I back off too much and start feeling symptomatic then I can bump it up again.

Either way, the dosage sounds right and you will notice the first week, if not the first couple days a decrease in your frequency/urgency. That is my main symptom, too, and it helped me for that right away.

I almost wish the pill didn't work so well for me bc it is making me eat SO much! I crave sugar and carbs constantly. I really need to get control over myself.

Good luck with your "trial" weeks!

[amylr]

Hi all,

Thanks for all the quick responses! Im really hoping this medication will work well for me, but I am slightly worried about its reaction with my current antidepressent. I have been on antidepressents for OCD/depression for 10 years of my life. After trying many,many different medications, I finally had success with Luvox. I am on 200mg per day, which is the highest possible dose to perscribe. Do you think it would be ok to take two different types of antidepressents, meaning I would be on about 250mg total combined antidepressents?

Ive also had retention issues with past medications, so Im hoping the same wont happen again.

[KarenAnne]

Amy: I was started out on 10 mg. & told to titrate up by 10 mg. a week till I reached a dose of 50-75 mg. My doctor said not everyone can tolerate the higher doses. I leveled off at 20 mg. , where I am now, & had success with it for my urgency & frequency. I sleep through most nights & have less bladder spasms. Amitriptyline (the generic for elavil) is an older tricyclic antidepressant. It was used in the past at much higher doses for depression, aroung 300 mg. Your doctor, & especially your pharmacist, should know if there are any drug interactions with your Luvox. You should ask your doctor &/or pharmacist.

[Briza]

Hi Amy
I have experienced both extreme frequency and urgency, as well as mild to severe pain.
Elavil has been VERY effective with few to no side effects for me for frequency, nocturia, and sleeping thru the night, with at most usually just one nighttime trip to the RR (which isn't unusual even for those who do not have any bladder issues).
I believe that I have had few to no side effects b/c I was started on a very low dose of 10 mg, remained on that for some time. Starting on 25mg is not unheard of, but jumping from 25 to 50 mg may be cause for more side effects that could be avoided if the increase in dose was done by increasing just 5-10 mg at a time over an extended period of time.
I have seen many posts here by others that it is very effective for their pain, but I have not gotten pain relief from Elavil. But I have other meds for pain relief that work very well so I am content with the very good results I get w/ Elavil for frequency and nocturia.
I started and have remained on 10 mg and only increase to max 30 mg (with permission from my dr) when experiencing extreme frequency. Elavil works for me very fast for frequency, no more than 1-3 days to get relief from those symptoms, so I am now able to take it only as needed. This may not be the case for all patients, but for me I have been successful taking it as needed when I have frequency issues or my frequency spikes! So, similar to what colleenco posted, I can adjust my dose as needed and also take it only when needed, same as she said, because I and my dr both know that I know my body best and he is comfortable with my taking it as needed and adjusting my dose to as much or as little I feel I need. Reaching this point did not come overnight obviously...rather after 2-3 yrs of taking Elavil and learning and feeling how it works for me.
Amy,it seems like your dr is willing to work with you on your dose, so if you ever feel like you are taking too much or too little please address your concerns with your prescribing dr. If you are feeling extreme side effects that are not uncommon to Elavil such as morning groggies, daytime drowsiness, mild or major retention issues, that may be a sign that you need to lower the dose.
Often starting on a lower dose is very helpful, and then any side effects are less extreme, more manageable, and for many who take elavil with success these side effects are temporary and go away pretty fast with continued use. Once side effects, if any, are conquered at a lower dose, then the dose may be increased.
From the many posts I have read on this board it is not uncommon to start on a really low dose such as 10 (or even 5) mg, and week by week slowly titrate up by 5-10 mg til patient finds the lowest effective dose. If you are feeling extreme side effects such as those I listed above, possibly a lower starting dose would be more helpful. I know that starting on 25 mg and then jumping to 50 mg would pretty much knock me out!
Also, both my drs and my pharmacists have assured me that it is safe to split my Elavil tablets. Of course, please consult your dr and pharmacist before doing so, but in my experience it is safe to do so and that way I have better control of the dose I want to take.
Take care and I hope that you find success with this med. There are many who may not be able to tolerate it for whatever reason, but just as many are able to and get great results, whether it be for pain or frequency.

[Briza]

Amy: Amitriptyline (the generic for elavil) is an older tricyclic antidepressant. It was used in the past at much higher doses for depression, aroung 300 mg. Your doctor, & especially your pharmacist, should know if there are any drug interactions with your Luvox. You should ask your doctor &/or pharmacist.

Amy,
I believe Luvox is an SSRI antidepressant and so is in a different class from the older tri-cyclic antidepressnts like Elavil, like Karen mentioned. Many of us here do take both a LOW dose of a tri-cyclic (i.e. Elavil) to help w/ symptoms such as frequency and/or pain, as well as taking an SSRI or SNRI antidepressant for anxiety, depression, OCD disorders, without issue.

There are documented cases of tri-cyclics interacting with the SSRIs and SNRIs, but it seems from what I have read and what my drs and pharmacist have told me that the VERY low doses of meds in the class of Elavil such as IC patients take should be of rare concern for interaction w/ the SSRI and SNRI meds that are more commonly used now to treat depression and anxiety.

So yes, many of us take meds from both of these families w/ much success and without issue and with assurance from our drs and pharmacist that the benefits far outweigh any risks. For most of us there is no problem, but of course it is always best to discuss any and all concerns with both your drs and pharmacist!

Hope this helps...:)