Suggest Dosage For Amitriptyline

Posted on Wed, 20 Jan 2016

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 20 Jan 2016 Answered on

Tue, 16 Feb 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been prescribed Amitriptyline to give me pain relief from a very painful hip joint but I see that it is actually an antidepressant. I’ve not noticed that effect but have increased the daily dosage to the maximum of 50mg. What are the effects of taking an antidepressant for pain relief, are there any negative effects such as addiction? I was tried on Tramadol but had an allergiic type reaction to it.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Discussed below

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome and thanks for your query.
Amitriptyline is a a tricyclic antidepressant which is also helpful in chronic painful condition. It does not produce addiction or withdrawal effect. You can take it if it is helping you bear the pain better. Tramadol has addiction potential. The side effect of amitriptyline that you may want to avoid would be constipation and urinary retention.
Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar