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Hi,
I suffer from regular bad headaches and migraines. I was prescribed Amitriptyline to help me. They do help a bit but I am gained a lot of weight. Over the last year I have worked really hard to loose weight and I am now deverstated that it is going back on. I have gained almost half a stone in a few weeks. What can I do? I am extremely unhappy x
I think a lot of meds cause weight gain that are not generally reported.everyone is going to have different side effects.
Wikipedia entry and others say it is related to weight gain. There are better medications than anti-depressants for migraines: I've been using 1 temazepan plus 2 panadeine forte at the first sign of a migraine for years and that combination works better for me than the newer specifically for migraine drugs, most of which I can't take anyway because I've had a heart attack.
I'd be slowly weaning myself of amitriptyline if I were you, unless of course you do need them for depression
Amitriptyline has other uses besides just being an anti-depressant, as in this case.
I use it in a low dose for nerve pain after a back injury (with no effect on weight)
Doctors are much less likely to prescribe an often abused benzo like Valium when there are safer alternatives.
OP says headaches are frequent.
Both codeine & benzo addictions are nasty...
I only use them when a migraine is pending or just the temazepan VERY occasionally when I can't sleep: I'm aware of their potential for addiction and that's why every GP who's ever prescribed them for me has warned me of that and kept records of how often they're prescribed, which has always been well within safe limits.