How Is It Used?
Take amitriptyline tablets by mouth. Follow
the directions on the prescription label. Swallow the tablets
with a drink of water. You can take the tablets with or without
food. Take your doses at regular intervals. Do not take your
medicine more often than directed. Do not stop taking except
on your prescriber's advice.
Contact your pediatrician or health care professional
regarding the use of this medicine in children. Special care
may be needed.
Adolescents, 12 to 18 years old, and elderly
patients over 65 years old may have a stronger reaction to
this medicine and need smaller doses.
What should my health care professional
know before I take Amitriptyline?
They need to know if you have any of these
conditions:
- An Alcohol problem
- Asthma, difficulty Breathing
- Blood disorders or disease
- Diabetes
- Difficulty Passing Urine, Prostate trouble
- Glaucoma
- Having Intramuscular Injections
- Heart Disease or Previous Heart Attack
- Liver Disease
- Over Active Thyroid
- Parkinson's disease
- Schizophrenia
- Seizures (convulsions)
- Stomach Disease
- An unusual or allergic reaction to amitriptyline,
other medicines, foods, dyes, or preservatives
- Pregnant or trying to get pregnant
- Breast-Feeding
Are There Possible
Side Effects?
Side effects that you should report to
your prescriber or health care professional as soon as possible:
- Abnormal production of milk in females
- Blurred vision or eye pain
- Breast enlargement in both males and females
- Confusion, hallucinations (seeing or hearing
things that are not really there)
- Difficulty Breathing
- Fainting Spells
- Fever with increased sweating
- Irregular or fast, pounding heartbeat, palpitations
- Muscle stiffness, or spasms
- Pain or difficulty passing urine, loss of
bladder control
- Seizures (convulsions)
- Sexual difficulties (decreased sexual ability
or desire, difficulty ejaculating)
- Stomach pain
- Swelling of the testicles
- Tingling, pain, or numbness in the feet or
hands
- Unusual weakness or tiredness
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin
Side effects that usually do not require medical
attention (report to your prescriber or health care professional
if they continue or are bothersome):
- Anxiety
- Constipation, or Diarrhea
- Drowsiness or Dizziness
- Dry Mouth
- Increased sensitivity of the skin to sun
or ultraviolet light
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea, Vomiting
- Skin rash or itching
- Weight gain or loss
What drug(s) may interact with Amitriptyline?
Amitriptyline can interact
with many other medicines. Some interactions can be very important.
Make sure your prescriber or health care professional knows
about all other medicines you are taking. Many important interactions
are listed below:
Do not take amitriptyline with any of the following medications:
- Astemizole (Hismanal)
- Cisapride (Propulsid)
- Probucol
- Terfenadine (Seldane)
- Thioridazine (Mellaril)
- Medicines called MAO inhibitors-phenelzine
(Nardil), tranylcypromine (Parnate), isocarboxazid
(Marplan), selegiline (Eldepryl)
- Other medicines for mental depression (may
be duplicate therapies or cause additive side effects)
Amitriptyline may also interact with any of
the following medications:
- Alcohol
- Antacids
- Atropine and related drugs like hyoscyamine,
scopolamine, tolterodine and others
- Barbiturate medicines for inducing sleep
or treating seizures (convulsions), such as phenobarbital
- Blood thinners, such as warfarin
- Bromocriptine
- Bupropion
- Cimetidine
- Clonidine
- Cocaine
- Delavirdine
- Diphenoxylate
- Disulfiram
- Donepezil
- Drugs for treating HIV infection
- Female hormones, including contraceptive
or birth control pills and estrogen
- Galantamine
- Herbs and dietary supplements like ephedra
(Ma huang), kava kava, SAM-e, St. John's wort, valerian,
or others
- Imatinib, STI-571
- Kaolin; pectin
- Labetalol
- Levodopa and other medicines for movement
problems like Parkinson's disease
- Lithium
- Medicines for anxiety or sleeping problems
- Medicines for colds, flu and breathing difficulties,
like pseudoephedrine
- Medicines for hay fever or allergies (antihistamines)
- Medicines for weight loss or appetite control
- Medicines used to regulate abnormal heartbeat
or to treat other heart conditions (examples: amiodarone,
bepridil, disopyramide, dofetilide, encainide, flecainide,
ibutilide, mibefradil, procainamide, propafenone, quinidine,
and others)
- Metoclopramide
- Muscle relaxants, like cyclobenzaprine
- Other medicines for mental or mood problems
and psychotic disturbances
- Prescription pain medications like morphine,
codeine, tramadol and others
- Procarbazine
- Seizure (convulsion) or epilepsy medicine
such as carbamazepine or phenytoin
- Stimulants like dexmethylphenidate or methylphenidate
- Some antibiotics (examples: erythromycin,
gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, linezolid, moxifloxacin, sotalol,
sparfloxacin)
- Tacrine
- Thyroid hormones such as levothyroxine
Tell your prescriber or health care professional
about all other medicines you are taking, including non-prescription
medicines, nutritional supplements, or herbal products. Also
tell your prescriber or health care professional if you are
a frequent user of drinks with caffeine or alcohol, if you
smoke, or if you use illegal drugs. These may affect the way
your medicine works. Check with your health care professional
before stopping or starting any of your medicines.
What should I watch
for while taking Amitriptyline?
Visit your prescriber or health care professional
for regular checks on your progress. It can take several days
before you feel the full effect of amitriptyline.
If you have been taking amitriptyline regularly for some time,
do not suddenly stop taking it. You must gradually reduce
the dose or you may get severe side effects. Ask your prescriber
or health care professional for advice. Even after you stop
taking amitriptyline it can still affect your body for several
days.
You may get drowsy or dizzy. Do not drive, use machinery,
or do anything that needs mental alertness until you know
how amitriptyline affects you. Do not stand or sit up quickly,
especially if you are an older patient. This reduces the risk
of dizzy or fainting spells. Alcohol may increase dizziness
and drowsiness. Avoid alcoholic drinks.
Do not treat yourself for coughs, colds or allergies without
asking your prescriber or health care professional for advice.
Some ingredients can increase possible side effects.
Your mouth may get dry. Chewing sugarless gum or sucking hard
candy, and drinking plenty of water will help.
Amitripyline may cause dry eyes and blurred vision. If you
wear contact lenses you may feel some discomfort. Lubricating
drops may help. See your ophthalmologist if the problem does
not go away or is severe.
Amitriptyline may make your skin more sensitive to the sun.
Keep out of the sun, or wear protective clothing outdoors
and use a sunscreen. Do not use sun lamps or sun tanning beds
or booths.
If you are diabetic, check your blood sugar more often than
usual, especially during the first few weeks of treatment
with amitriptyline. Amitriptyline can affect blood glucose
(sugar) levels. Call your prescriber or health care professional
for advice if you notice a change in the results of blood
or urine glucose tests.
If you are going to have surgery or will need an x-ray procedure
that uses contrast agents, tell your prescriber or health
care professional that you are taking this medicine.
What If I Miss A Dose?
If you miss a dose normally taken at bedtime to avoid daytime
drowsiness, it may be better to miss that dose. If you take
more than one dose a day and miss a dose, take it as soon
as you can. If it is almost time for your next dose, take
only that dose. Follow your prescriber's advice on missed
doses. Do not take double or extra doses.
How Should It Be Stored?
Keep out of the reach of children in a
container that small children cannot open.
Store at room temperature between 15 and 30
degrees C (59 and 86 degrees F). Throw away any unused medicine
after the expiration date.
NOTE: The above
information is intended to supplement, not substitute for,
the expertise and judgment of your physician, pharmacist,
or other healthcare professional. It should not be construed
to indicate that the use of the product is safe, appropriate,
or effective for you. Consult your healthcare professional
before taking the product. |
