Crazy meds! What do I do?

answersfound

Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2014
Messages
991
Age
31
My dad has taken amitriptyline for over 20 years at about 200mg every night. And he said it saved his life. My doctor recommended I take it and thus far, it has also been great for me. I have been taking about 75 mg a night for the past week. I am so much calmer and less stressed. My mood is better and I don't have racing thoughts. I wish I had taken this drug 10 years ago. I had been taking cyproheptadine on and off for over a year and really didn't notice any improvement in mood and symptoms, yet that drug is known to lower serotonin.

I also read on this page as well as countless other resources that it increases serotonin which is obviously an unwanted effect:

http://thelastpsychiatrist.com/2009/01/ ... _less.html

He says:
"Elavil is not a good choice, because there's really no way to dose low enough that you'll avoid the other stuff (serotonin.)"

So what do I do? Should I take them together and hope that the cyproheptadine negates amitriptyline's inhibition of serotonin? Ray said not to. I don't get what is going on! This is very confusing, haha.

Here is my correspondance with Dr. Peat:

Hi Dr. Peat,

Do you believe that taking Amitriptyline can be effective for reducing serotonin?

Thanks.

Dr. Peat:

The structure is so similar to cyproheptadine, that seems likely; the tricyclics generally are antihistamines and antiinflammatory.

“Hi Dr. Peat,

I wanted to know if amitriptyline would be a safe option for treating depression/anxiety in your opinion. My doctor is recommending that I take it.

Thanks.
Ray:
I think it’s safe. Compare the structure with cyproheptadine. Have you tried niacinamide, pregnenolone, and thyroid?

Me:
I currently take cyproheptadine. From my understanding, amitriptyline and cyproheptadine have opposing effects on serotonin. Is this true, and could this be problematic, if so?

Thanks.

Ray:
Both of those are appetite stimulants that tend to cause weight gain. Serotonin tends to cause anorexia. The drug industry generates noise in the process of selling drugs, and “serotonin” is one of their favorite noises.”

I posted this a while back, but I am still torn on this:

viewtopic.php?t=3023
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom