Amitriptyline - how with it.

uses of Amitriptyline Amitriptyline is used to treat mental/mood problems such as depression. It may help improve mood and feelings of well-being, relieve anxiety and tension, help you sleep better, and increase your energy level. Amitriptyline belongs to a class of medications called tricyclic antidepressants. It works by affecting the balance of certain natural chemicals ( neurotransmitters ) in brain.

how to use of Amitriptyline Read Medication Guide available from your pharmacist. Consult your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.

Take Amitriptyline by mouth, usually 1 to 3 times daily or as directed by your doctor. If we take it only once a day, take it at bedtime to help reduce daytime sleepiness. The dosage is based on your age, medical condition and response to therapy. Your doctor may start you at a low dose and gradually increase your dose over several weeks. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully.

Amitriptyline doesn't work right away. It may take up to 2 to 3 weeks before you experience full benefits.

Use Amitriptyline regularly in order to get most benefit from it. To help we remember, take it at same times each day.

It's important to continue taking Amitriptyline even if we feel well. Don't suddenly stop taking Amitriptyline without consulting your doctor. Some conditions may become worse when the drug is abruptly stopped. Muscle aches, headaches and worsening anxiety may also occur. Your dose may need to be gradually decreased.

Tell your doctor if your condition persists or worsens ( e. g. , your feelings of sadness get worse, or you have thoughts of suicide ) .

other used of Amitriptyline This section contains uses of Amitriptyline that aren't listed in the approved professional labeling for drug but that may be prescribed by your health care professional. Use Amitriptyline for a condition that's listed in this section only if it has been so prescribed by your health care professional.

Amitriptyline may also be used to treat other mental/mood problems ( e. g. , anxiety, bipolar disorder ) , certain types of pain ( e. g. , peripheral neuropathy, neuropathic pain ) , eating disorders ( e. g. , bulimia ) , and trouble sleeping, or to prevent migraine headache.

side effects of Amitriptyline See also Warning section.

Drowsiness, dizziness, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation, fast heartbeat, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, changes in taste, weight gain, tiredness, or trouble urinating may occur while use Amitriptyline. If any of these effects persist or worsen, notify your doctor or pharmacist promptly.

To relieve dry mouth, suck on ( sugarless ) hard candy or ice chips, chew ( sugarless ) gum, drink water, or use a saliva substitute.

Remember that your doctor has prescribed Amitriptyline because he or she has judged that benefit to we is greater than risk of side effects. Many people using Amitriptyline do not have serious side effects.

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these unlikely but serious side effects occur:

Tell your doctor immediately if any of these rare but very serious side effects occur:

A very serious allergic reaction to Amitriptyline is unlikely, but seek immediate medical attention if it occurs. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction may include:

This is not a complete list of possible side effects. If we notice other effects not listed above, contact your doctor or pharmacist.

precautions of Amitriptyline See also Warning section.

Before taking Amitriptyline, tell your doctor or pharmacist if you're allergic to it, or to other tricyclic antidepressants ( e. g. , nortriptyline ) , or if you have any other allergies.

Amitriptyline should not be used if we have certain medical conditions. Before using this medicine, consult your doctor or pharmacist if we have:

Before using Amitriptyline, tell your doctor or pharmacist your medical history, especially of:

Amitriptyline may make we drowsy or dizzy or cause blurred vision; use caution engaging in activities requiring alertness or clear vision such as driving or using machinery. Limit alcoholic beverages.

To minimize dizziness and the risk of fainting, get up slowly when rising from a sitting or lying position.

Before having surgery, tell your doctor or dentist that we are taking Amitriptyline.

Amitriptyline may make we more sensitive to sun. Avoid prolonged sun exposure, tanning booths, and sunlamps. Wear sunblock ( SPF 30 or greater ) and a hat when outdoors.

If you have diabetes, Amitriptyline may increase your blood sugar levels. Check your blood sugar levels regularly as directed by your doctor. Tell your doctor immediately if we have symptoms such as increased thirst/urination, shakiness, unusual sweating, or hunger. Your anti-diabetic medication or diet may need to be adjusted.

Depression can lead to thoughts/attempts of suicide. Tell your doctor immediately if you have any suicidal thoughts, worsening depression, or any other mental/mood changes ( including new or worsening anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, irritability, hostile/angry feelings, impulsive actions, severe restlessness, rapid speech ) . Keep all medical appointments so your doctor can monitor your progress closely and adjust your medication if needed.

Caution is advised when using Amitriptyline in the elderly because they may be more sensitive to its side effects, especially dizziness, drowsiness, confusion, and difficulty urinating.

Caution is advised when using Amitriptyline in children. ( See also Warning section. )

Amitriptyline should be used only when clearly needed during pregnancy. Discuss risks and benefits with your doctor.

Amitriptyline passes into breast milk and may have undesirable effects on a nursing infant. Breast-feeding while using Amitriptyline is not recommended. Consult your doctor before breast-feeding.

interactions of Amitriptyline Your healthcare professionals ( e. g. , doctor or pharmacist ) may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for it. Don't start, stop or change dosage of any medicine before checking with them first.

Amitriptyline should not be used with following medications because very serious ( possibly fatal ) interactions may occur:

Avoid taking MAO inhibitors within 2 weeks before and after treatment with Amitriptyline. In some cases a serious, possibly fatal drug interaction may occur while use Amitriptyline.

If you're currently using any of these medications listed above, tell your doctor or pharmacist before starting Amitriptyline.

Other drugs besides Amitriptyline that may affect heart rhythm ( QT prolongation in the EKG ) include pimozide, cisapride, halofantrine, disopyramide, grepafloxacin and sparfloxacin, among others. Before using Amitriptyline, report all medications you're currently using to your doctor or pharmacist. QT prolongation can infrequently result in serious ( rarely fatal ) fast/irregular heartbeat and other symptoms ( e. g. , severe dizziness, fainting ) that require immediate medical attention. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more details and for instructions on how you may reduce the risk of this effect.

Before using Amitriptyline, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all prescription and nonprescription/herbal products you may use, especially of:

If we have been taking fluoxetine, wait at least 5 weeks before starting Amitriptyline.

Cigarette smoking decreases blood levels of this medication. Tell your doctor if we smoke or if you have recently stopped smoking.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if we also take drugs that cause drowsiness such as:

Check the labels on all your medicines ( e. g. , cough-and-cold products ) because they may contain drowsiness-causing ingredients. Ask your pharmacist about the safe use of those products.

Also report use of drugs which might increase seizure risk ( decrease seizure threshold ) when combined with Amitriptyline ( e. g. , bupropion, isoniazid ( INH ) , theophylline, tramadol, among others ) .

Consult your doctor or pharmacist for details.

This document does not contain all possible interactions. Therefore, before using Amitriptyline, tell your doctor or pharmacist of all products we use. Keep a list of all your medications with you, and share the list with your doctor and pharmacist.

Shipping options for Amitriptyline

Combining Exercise With Hormone Could Prevent Weight Gain

Heralded as a promising obesity treatment, the hormone leptin lost its fat-fighting luster when scientists discovered overweight patients were resistant to its effects. But pairing leptin with just a minor amount of exercise seems to revive hormone's ability to fight fat again, University of Florida researchers recently discovered.

The combination of leptin and a modest dose of wheel running prevented obese rats on a belt-busting, high-fat diet from gaining weight, even though neither tactic worked alone, say UF researchers, writing in the journal Diabetes.

" They don't run enough to use sufficient energy to prevent weight gain, " said Philip Scarpace, Ph. D. , a professor of pharmacology and therapeutics in UF College of Medicine and senior author of the study. " What act of running appears to do is allow the leptin to work again. It's a demonstration that this simple act can reverse leptin resistance. "

More than 34 percent of American adults - about 72 million people - are obese or overweight, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Scientists had hoped to wield leptin, a hormone that sends the body chemical signals to stop eating and use stored energy, as a weight-loss weapon. Studies in lean animals were promising, but overweight animals and people don't respond the same way, likely because their bodies already overproduce leptin, causing them to develop resistance to the hormone, Scarpace said.

" Obese animals and humans don't respond to leptin at all, " he said. " Our lab is interested in elucidating why this is case. We know that often single-entity treatments aren't successful. The concept was maybe a dual-entity treatment would work. "

To test this, researchers decided to pair leptin with exercise, comparing the effects on both normal-weight and obese rats kept on high-fat diets, which simulate the type of fast-food-filled fare many Americans eat.

The rats were further separated into three groups to test three approaches. One group received leptin, another group got an exercise wheel and the third group got both leptin and a wheel. In normal-weight rats, leptin and exercise both worked to prevent weight gain. The normal-weight rats ran significantly more than their bulkier peers, logging in about two and a half miles a day on their wheels, and kept off weight proportionally to how much they ran. The rats were allowed to run as much as they chose.

In obese rats, which ran six to eight times less, neither running nor leptin alone kept the weight from accruing. Giving rats leptin actually caused them to gain more weight than eating a high-fat diet alone, study shows.

" This is a startling finding. Leptin is expected to reduce body weight, not promote weight and fat gain, " Scarpace said.

But obese rats that ran and took leptin kept extra weight off, Scarpace said. More research is needed to understand exactly why this combination works, but the scientists speculate that low level of running triggered a metabolic change in rats that cleared way for leptin signal to get through.

" They should have been gaining weight, " Scarpace said. " They do not run enough to make any difference. "

Christopher Morrison, Ph. D. , an assistant professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center at Louisiana State University who wrote a commentary about UF study in Diabetes, said he thinks discovery has potential to help combat obesity in humans.

" That's hope and reason for doing this type of work, " he said. " The study raises many questions. If we can improve leptin sensitivity and enhance ability of signal to get through, maybe it'll lead to weight loss. "

UF researchers are now aiming to team with doctors and test leptin and exercise combination in humans. They also are working on additional studies to better understand leptin's effects and its signaling pathway. Scientists still can not pinpoint exactly why overweight people develop resistance to leptin and what role hormone really plays in obesity.

" Leptin may be cause of obesity rather than a cure, " Scarpace said. " Unless you run. "

Collaborating with Scarpace on study were Alexandra Shapiro, Ph. D. , Michael Matheny, Yi Zhang, Ph. D. , Nihal Tümer, Ph. D. , Kit-Yan Cheng, Enda Rodrigues and Sergei Zolutukhin, Ph. D.

The University of Florida Health Science Center - the most comprehensive academic health center in the Southeast - is dedicated to high-quality programs of education, research, patient care and public service. The Health Science Center encompasses colleges of Dentistry, Public Health and Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy and Veterinary Medicine, as well as the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital and an academic campus in Jacksonville offering graduate education programs in dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy. Patient care activities, under banner UF&Shands, are provided through teaching hospitals and a network of clinics in Gainesville and Jacksonville. The Health Science Center also has a statewide presence through satellite medical, dental and nursing clinics staffed by UF health professionals; and affiliations with community-based health-care facilities stretching from Hialeah and Miami to the Florida Panhandle.

University of Florida Health Science Center

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