Taking Elavil for about 6 years. Want to quit. Do I need to cut off gradually?

Answer 1

Probably not enough information is contained in the question for you to get answers valid enough to act on them.

Depends on what dosage you are taking and what for, as Elavil can be used for other conditions other than depression, and at different dosages.

What other medications are you taking?
Do you have other physical or mental condiitons that need to be considered?
Do you use or abuse alcohol?
What are your reasons for wanting to be off it? I suspect I know, and there are other meds to help with that (little blue diamond shaped, if you know what I mean).
Has it been effective in treating the condition for which you were taking it?
What weight/percentage body fat are you?
Have you ever changed this kind of medication or taken a med "holiday"?


You should never go cold turkey off high dose tricyclics. Even tapering off should be done with fairly close doctor's scrutiny. Not in hospital, but with his/her knowledge and advice. There may be some intermediate meds they give you to smooth out the transition.

See what I mean? The people answering would like to help, but you really need to see a doctor in a real world situation and do as they advise.

Best wishes.

Answer 2

Elavil, which is amitriptyline hydrochloride, is a tricyclic antidepressant that increases the amount of norepinephrine and serotonin in the CNS by blocking their re-uptake by the presynaptic neurons. I am not sure what your dosage is at the present time, but the answer is yes you need to gradually taper off them. Watch for malaise, nausea and headache and consult with your doctor before doing so. If you are taking them for depression, your doctor might want a switch to something more tolerable such as Paxil, Zoloft, Celexa, Lexapro,Effexor,etc.

Answer 3

If you don't you might have trouble sleeping. Remember it took two or three days to stop being and feeling like a zombie. That's when you started to feel functional. The body got used to it after that. Did you have a little drowziness for a week or two?

If so, you should ease off about one week at a time. Otherwise you may put your body into shock.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Yes you do, and let your doctor know FIRST