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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Does Amitriptyline Help In Relieving Depression?

Hi! Doctor, I am a 65 yr old black woman that has Scleroderma since 1983. I have had difficulty sleeping and staying asleep and was prescribed Surmontil for about 20 yrs and it worked. But due to my insurance I had to change to Lunesta and it worked well, but now I have to change yet again due to insurance cost and coverage. Do you thing Amitriptyline can help me with both sleep and depression and what dosage would you suggest?
Mon, 16 Mar 2015
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Psychiatrist,  's  Response
hello friend,
amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant, which is also used to treat peripheral neuropathy.
so it can help you in depression but it also has side effects like postural hypotension, dry mouth, constipation, sedation. at the age of 65years these will trouble you more.
as you have scleroderma also, before starting amitriptyline you should do renal function test. if its normal, you should start tablet amitriptyline 10mg at night.
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Does Amitriptyline Help In Relieving Depression?

hello friend, amitriptyline is a tricyclic antidepressant, which is also used to treat peripheral neuropathy. so it can help you in depression but it also has side effects like postural hypotension, dry mouth, constipation, sedation. at the age of 65years these will trouble you more. as you have scleroderma also, before starting amitriptyline you should do renal function test. if its normal, you should start tablet amitriptyline 10mg at night.