Has anyone taken Nortriptyline(pamelor)?

I have been having terrible pain in feet, which I wrote about in repetitive injury thread, and this doc wanted me to try nortriptyline for the pain. I am a nurse and work nights. It is a tricyclic antidepressant and the first two side effects I see is dizziness, and drowsiness. The last thing I need is more drowsiness. Evidently they use nortriptyline for peripheral type pains. In clinical practice I can only remember giving it to LOL's(little old lady's) to sleep.

Yesterday they gave me a Rx for vicodin and they are making me feel a little loopy....

Sooooo, did nortriptyline help anyone with their pain?

How did it make you feel?

-- Anonymous, July 26, 2000

Answers

I have not taken one but I know numerous people who have. Most Pain Clinic uses tricyclic antidepressant to break the cycle of pain->insomnia due to pain > depression due to pain. Tricyclic antidepressant causes heavy drowsiness and also helps depression. This is a short solution and most doctors would prefer using better anti-depressant than the tricyclic antidepressant variety.

This is not a medical advice.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Karen,

I took pamelor for pain relief years ago for a short period of time, I think for about six or eight weeks, at a very low dosage. It did cut my pain in half. I might have had more pain relief on a higher dosage but couldn't try taking it higher because I had bad side effects. For some reason, instead of making me drowsy, it made me hyperactive. I had terrible insomnia and a constant headache the whole time I was on it. Was also uncontrollably crabby and had trouble concentrating. After I went off it, I slept for two days straight! My particular side effects were unusual, though, so I can't say that you'd have the same experience. It might relieve your pain, but I wouldn't recommend staying on it for long.

-- Anonymous, July 27, 2000

Nortriptyline for pain?! I took it for four years about four years ago, as an anti-depressant; never heard of it being used for peripheral pain. Anyway, has the doc eliminated using 600 mg of ibuprofen at night (or whatever your sleep schedule may be)? That's worked well for me so far with diabetic neuropathy. BTW, get that checked, even if you think it's RTI too. That was my only symptom of Type II diabetes for the last 18 months before my blood glucose showed I was indeed diabetic.

Also, this may sound strange, but check to see if it's plantar fascitis too. That flared up on me last year while wearing flat flat sandals; I now have to wear a tiny heel (at least 3/8") and do some stretching.

Good luck, sweetie. Hope you feel better soon.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

I can only comment on the Vicodin, which is what they gave me 2 weeks ago with my wisdom teeth removal....

'...made me loopy...' You said it sister! I was high - seriously high. In fact, someone in my office called and I couldnt' hold a conversation with her because I was so high. I thought of the words, usually, but I couldn't make them come out. Sleepy. YES! Apparently after that conversation, I knew I wanted to call someone else to help flesh out the issue in my absense, but somewhere between hanging up with co-worker #1 & calling co-worker #2, I lost an entire hour.

But I was NOT in pain, so at least it did its job.

Have you tried any alternative treatments like meditation? You might be really pleased with the results. Meditation is wonderful.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Thanks you guys for the response!

There is always a plethora of information on this forum, I am not going to take the pamelor, going to try PT again. The NSAIDs aren't working to well. Think very hard before you get your feet operated on! It made my pain worse.

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

I am taking both Nortriptyline and Vicodin, along with a plethora of other meds. (trazadone, ametryptaline, prozac, zanaflex, ambien) While the pain is not gone totally, they help a lot. I am sleeping a bit now. While I experience a short period of "loopiness" around a half hour of taking my first vicodin of the day, the only other side effect I have is dryness of the mouth. Hopefully your diziness will subside after you adjust to the meds. Good luck!

-- Anonymous, July 28, 2000

Kat, What are you taking those pain meds for? The docs I have dealt with are very reticent to Rx them, the doc I got the vicodin from wasn't my doc, he was on call, and was the first person I talked to that actually was thinking of different things I could take to help my pain while we were on the phone. I have a feeling a lot of people are having trouble finding adequate solutions to their pain, because of docs fear of Rx pain meds in general in this country anyway.

-- Anonymous, July 29, 2000