Tension Headache Medication Elavil/Amitriptyline....

[Terry36]

The Neurologist just prescribed 25mg of Amitriptyline for my DD12's tension headaches. She's been experienceing them for the past 4 months. They occur from the moment she awakes, all throughout the day, and seem to worsen at night. The pain is in both temple areas. I'm not sure what the causes are of it however I know she has difficulty sleeping at night and don't drink enough water. Both of these can cause headaches...

It's been prescribed to aid with migraines and chronic pain; however, after reading the pharmacy pamphlet and online articles I'm getting worried about the side affects especially snce it's an antidepressant with the possiblity of dangerous side effects.

I would really appreciate any experiences or advice you can provide on this drug.

Worried mom....

 

[Art 1]

I cant' help you with your question. But you may want to try excedrin tension or excedrin pm at night, I know it's not as strong as your prescription but it seems to work for us. Good luck.

 

[TheEpicPancake]

I can't help you with that medication either but as a frequent recipient of my own headaches, when it gets really intensely bad, have her place a pen or pencil in her mouth and bite down JUST enough so that it doesn't fall out but that she isn't actually biting. It relaxes the jaw and relieves some of the pain.

Hope someone can help!

 

[DebbieB]

The Neurologist just prescribed 25mg of Amitriptyline for my DD12's tension headaches. She's been experienceing them for the past 4 months. They occur from the moment she awakes, all throughout the day, and seem to worsen at night. The pain is in both temple areas. I'm not sure what the causes are of it however I know she has difficulty sleeping at night and don't drink enough water. Both of these can cause headaches...

It's been prescribed to aid with migraines and chronic pain; however, after reading the pharmacy pamphlet and online articles I'm getting worried about the side affects especially snce it's an antidepressant with the possiblity of dangerous side effects.

I would really appreciate any experiences or advice you can provide on this drug.

Worried mom....

Has she had a brain MRI? Did the doctor give an explanation for the headaches? If you are not comfortable with it, I would get a second opinion.

 

[JessicaR]

Are the headaches sudden? Is she grinding teeth in her sleep? Have they done any tests? I would get a second opinion.

I was put on that medication when I was 16 after a car accident for migraines - I didn't react very well and was told I needed to adjust to it. The side effects were awful and I stopped taking it. I would think it would be much more desirable to find out WHY she is getting the headaches and treat the cause rather than mask the pain if at all possible.

edited to add - the side effects I suffered were confusion, dizziness and unable to concentrate. I also just wanted to sleep. I had a constant floaty feeling.

 

[emer95]

I get frequent, severe migraines, so I can sympathize with your daughter. I tried Amitriptyline to start and it didn't help for me. I don't recall any side effects whatsoever. Now I'm on Topomax (started at 25mg, now I'm on 100 mg). It helped for a while but now the migraines are back almost daily. I hope your daughter finds something that works for her, because this is no way to live.

 

[minkydog]

Christian has be on Amitriptyline 40mg for the past 12 months. He has had no side effects. His neurologist does an EKG periodically to make sure there have been no changes to his heart rhythm. As a bonus, the medication helps him sleep--Christian is severely autistic and sleep is an issue for him, like a lot of kids with autism.

Good luck. I hope it helps. I have a history of migraines and when they come on it's just like someone has hit me in the head with an axe. My eyes water, I get light sensative, have auditory hallucinations, nausea and sometimes i throw up. If I can go to sleep in a dark room with an ice pack on my head, I can usually break it. But I'm hungover for 8-12 hours afterward, so i'm just useless. I wouldn't wish a migraine on anyone, especially a child.

 

[brittsmum1998]

I am on 50mg of Amitryptalin nightly. I have been on it for years. I got shingles over my eye and will have neuralgia for life(or so they say) I also have RA. Ami allows me to sleep thru the night comfortably and not wake up numerous times during the night w/ pain. I have had no side effects but I am a 46 year old female.

While I wouldn't have a problem putting my 12 yr old on it, I would look into a 2nd opinion while she is still taking it.

I wish you luck w/ your dd.

 

[shortbun]

The Neurologist just prescribed 25mg of Amitriptyline for my DD12's tension headaches. She's been experienceing them for the past 4 months. They occur from the moment she awakes, all throughout the day, and seem to worsen at night. The pain is in both temple areas. I'm not sure what the causes are of it however I know she has difficulty sleeping at night and don't drink enough water. Both of these can cause headaches...

It's been prescribed to aid with migraines and chronic pain; however, after reading the pharmacy pamphlet and online articles I'm getting worried about the side affects especially snce it's an antidepressant with the possiblity of dangerous side effects.

I would really appreciate any experiences or advice you can provide on this drug.

Worried mom....

Hey Terry-

Definnitely get on the hydration. My son's neurologist requires 90 to 120 oz of fluid a day. We are also treating the insomnia with an old time anti-depressant, Trazadone which makes my son sleepy but still doesn't put him to sleep. The doc has us combining it with Melatonin-6mg. We have him on a strict schedule regarding when he gets up and when he goes to bed which is extremely difficult with a teen. I give him a very good head rub almost every night and he's learning other relaxation techniques from a yoga instructor and a massage therapist. We are down to maybe three half day headaches a week and he was having them all day for 5-6 days straight. Stress and insomnia are obviously a large part of his problem. Even the slightest stressor seems to set him off but he's becoming more aware and acting pre-emptively to relax when he knows something he doesn't care for is coming. This kid was an active, mentoring, good student, perhaps too much of a perfectionist but has moved into high anxiety and some OCD type behavior. We don't know his biology as he was adopted but a pediatric psychiatrist believes it is his biological destiny and he must learn to work it out. Great, huh? Good luck. We tried many, many meds and combination of meds before we found some that seemed to work a little and had no complicated side effects. The sleep thing seems to be the biggest trigger for my son.

 

[Terry36]

Thank you everyone.

I failed to mention she took a CT scan it came back fine.

 

[ohiomom28]

I have been prescribed Elavil for migraines, but it was given with a blood pressure medicine as well. It seemed to work but it made me want to eat non-stop and I gained weight so I stopped. I finally found relief at the chiropractor's office. I found I have lost all of the curvature of my cervical spine. I use a traction device at home to keep them under control now. I use Excedrin when I need it. Watch using Excedrin close to bedtime as it contains caffeine. Hope she can find some relief!

 

[ElaineMarch]

I have taken this for 16 years for tension headaches and it was a lifesaver. I started after a 4 month long headache! It does make my mouth dry, but I sip water alot and chew sugarless gum. It does make me sleep at night. I started at 30 mg, but worked down to 20mg which works for me. I hope it helps with her headaches.

 

[Terry36]

I have taken this for 16 years for tension headaches and it was a lifesaver. I started after a 4 month long headache! It does make my mouth dry, but I sip water alot and chew sugarless gum. It does make me sleep at night. I started at 30 mg, but worked down to 20mg which works for me. I hope it helps with her headaches.

Do you remember how long it took for you to start feeling relief? I keep reading a week to 2 weeks to lessen or stop the pain.

 

[horseshowmom]

My daughter suffers from severe cluster headaches. As a pharmacist, she keeps up with trends and discussed oxygen with her doctor. He agreed that was a good idea and said he should have thought about it earlier. It helps her greatly.

I don't know whether it would work in this case but might be worth asking about.

 

[ElaineMarch]

I don't remember exactly how long it took to work. I was going to the Dr pretty regularly at that point, so probably 2-4 weeks.