Patient/caregiver was educated on how to take amitriptyline as follows:
- Take the medication at the same time, every day, to avoid forgetting the medication.
- Maintain strict compliance with intake of the medication as ordered, with regards to dosage and frequency, to derive the benefit of the medication.
- Do not change the dose on this medication without consulting your physician.
- This medication can induce some nausea and vomiting, when taken on empty stomach. Taking the medication with a glass of water and some food or snack can help avoid these unpleasant gastrointestinal symptoms. Amitriptyline can also induce extreme dry mouth and constipation. Sucking on a sugar free hard candy can help with symptomatic relief of dry mouth. Proper hydration measures and compliance with daily fluid intake recommendations can help with relief from constipation. If you experience any further bothersome constipation, report it to your physician for a recommendation on laxative/stool softener use.
- Amitriptyline can induce some dizziness and make one drowsy. Starting the medication at a low dose and gradually increasing the dose, to help optimum control of your symptoms, can contribute to reducing the risk for drowsiness and dizziness due to the medication. If the dizziness becomes bothersome, report it to your physician and other health care personnel, for any change in plan of care to be considered. Stay away from activities, such as, driving and operating heavy machinery, until you are used to the side effects caused by amitriptyline intake.
- Do not take amitriptyline with alcohol or opioid pain medications, such as, hydrocodone and codeine, as these products can add to the confusion caused by amitriptyline. A number of OTC cough medications, antihistamines, and antianxiety medications, can potentiate the confusion caused by amitriptyline and so, must be avoided taking along with amitriptyline.
- Take the regular tablet as a whole. If you encounter difficulty swallowing the whole tablet, you may cut the tablet and swallow it in pieces with a glass of water. You may also crush the tablet and sprinkle the powder on a spoonful of soft jelly or applesauce and swallow the jelly or sauce along with the medication.
- When taking amitriptyline as an oral syrup/suspension, use a measuring spoon/cup to measure the correct dose being taken, in order to avoid risk for over/under dosing. Also, do not forgot to shake the suspension well before you use it.
- Amitriptyline takes some time to fairly balance the chemicals in the brain, before any improvement in mood and behavior are noted. It could take about 3 – 6 weeks to see this change in mood. So, do not discontinue taking the medication without your physician’s consult, as you failed to see the improvement with depressive symptoms immediately after taking the medication.
- Amitriptyline only helps with managing the depressive symptoms, by affecting the fine balance between the chemical neurotransmitters in the brain and is not a permanent cure. So, continue taking amitriptyline, even if your mood feels better. Discontinuing the medication abruptly can result in disruption of this chemical balance in the brain, resulting in onset of severe withdrawal and depressive symptoms. Individuals can present with listlessness, lack of energy, exacerbation of depressive symptoms, anxiety, sleep disturbances, appetite changes, hallucinations, and mania. Discontinuation on amitriptyline use must be slow and gradual, using tapering doses, and only on your physician recommendation.
- As the balance between the chemicals in the brain has to be finely regulated to help relieve the anxiety and depressive symptoms and experience feelings of well-being, the dose of amitriptyline also needs to be finely regulated, in order to accomplish this goal. Your physician could change the dose of amitriptyline, based on the response and side-effects developed. Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Your physician could change the dose of amitriptyline, based on the response obtained and side-effects developed. Notify your doctor of any continuing or worsening symptoms of depression, aggression, abnormal thought processes, sleep disturbances, and neuropathy, so that, your dosage on the medication could be appropriately Maintain compliance with follow-up physician appointments and be accommodative to the plan of dose changes, until you show an optimum response.
- Periodical labs could be ordered to evaluate the blood levels of potassium and magnesium ions and to evaluate cardiac function with amitriptyline use. Observe compliance with any labs and cardiac function tests ordered.
- If you miss a dose, try taking it at the earliest notice of noncompliance. If it is time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take the dose scheduled. Do not take an extra dose to try making up for the missed dose. Notify your doctor and other health care personnel regarding your dose noncompliance.
