Amitriptyline for Insomnia User Reviews

• Sleep...
• January 24, 2014

"I was just put on 50 mg of amitriptyline for extreme insomnia, anxiety, and depression. I have suffered from insomnia my entire life and my job is very stressful as a nurse working rotating shift at a hospital. I would stay up for 3 days at a time while working crazy 12 hour back to back shifts. I was at my wit's end, so exhausted, delirious, and beyond stressed. I have tried so many different medicines to help with sleep and anxiety. None have even come anywhere as close as Amitriptyline has, to giving me good sleep. I had lost hope that I would ever be able to sleep good again. Amitriptyline has SAVED me. I can fall asleep easily, I don't wake up every hour, and I sleep like a BABY! I can now function at work again. This medicine saved me."

• Thomas
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 23, 2019

"Been on 25mg Amitriptyline for about a year now for chronic insomnia as my doctor did not want me dependent on the "z drugs" or benzos. The Amitriptyline works well but the issue I have is when I try to give it up to see if I can sleep naturally without it I simply can't not matter how relaxed I feel. So after a couple of nights of no sleep at all I end up going back to taking the Amitriptyline. I hate being reliant on a drug to sleep but I guess it's better than not sleeping."

• The...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 26, 2020

"Amitriptyline has been like heaven sent for me, I was just never able to sleep, I could stay awake literally almost 72 hours I’d be tired but out of nowhere this burst of energy came and I knew it was gonna be another sleepless night so I told my doctor about my racing thoughts and how I just needed them get up or could not sleep an entire night, so she prescribed this wonderful medicine and I literally sleep 8 hours uninterrupted and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night and you’re still coherent it’s not habit forming that’s what I love most ❣️"

• Oldhat
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 29, 2013

"I take 10mg 11 hours before I want to wake up. It helps me sleep through the night. I've always been a light sleeper. I do not have problems falling to sleep, but in the last five or six years I wake up about every hour or so, once I've been asleep more than 2-3 hours. I was tired throughout the day. This really helps me stay asleep through the night. Not always, but so much better than before. I'm much more alert during the day. I'm taking a very low dose, and it is not very expensive. My doctor noticed my symptoms and recommended I try this, as it is non-narcotic, non-addicting and relatively inexpensive. I'm in my mid 50s, and I thought I was just going to have to live with sleepless nights."

• Anonymous
• December 20, 2018

"I have been on Amitriptyline since 2000! 18 years. Best medication I have ever taken . My doctor prescribed this because I couldn’t sleep at all at night. He started me with 25mg. I take 1 every night before bed. The next morning I am ready to start a full busy day. It improved my thinking, my anxiety, and my knee pain. What better drug is this? Love it! It also improved my bad dreams at night. Once I am sleeping, I get up to use the bathroom and get right back to sleep. I find that this drug puts me in a deep sleep with no side effects. Best medicine that has been prescribed to me ever!"

• TheyR...
• June 1, 2013

"I have to say this medicine was a lifesaver for me, and I do not use the term lightly. Before I took these tablets I had got to the point where I thought NOTHING could help me and every sleepless night was a living hell. These tablets finally allowed me to sleep but also had a true restorative effect on my depleted brain which carried over to the next day. I know there are side effects, especially on a higher dose, but these side effects were worth it for the benefits they gave me. I know it's hard but amitriptyline can give you a crutch to lean on and please don't dismiss them. If they can help me, and I was really at the end of the line, they can help somebody else."

• Scooter
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 10, 2019

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I was originally prescribed Elavil for a chronic cough, and it was amazing. Within about one hour after taking the first 10 mg tablet my cough was gone. I have, just like my grandfather and my mother, always suffered from insomnia. My Doctor mentioned that it was also a really good medicine for insomnia. I had been taking 75 mg of Benadryl for many years to help me sleep. I was able to completely stop taking benadryl and the Elavil has cured my insomnia too. I have not suffered any side effects at all."

• Vic
• May 1, 2020

"Hi! I'm 57, healthy fit male. I struggle with insomnia and have since 2010. It got really bad, wouldn’t sleep consistently for 3-5 days at a time. On the 4th-5th day I’d fall asleep .. sleep for 6-7 hours and then do it all over again. My doc gave me Amitriptyline, 10 mgs. I sleep like a baby! And the dreams are incredible. However, at the 4th day mark I start feeling very achy, a bit depressed, and mentally groggy. I don’t “wake up” mentally until 1-2 pm the following day. (So, I just use it 2-3x week.) So, of the prescribed sleep drugs I’ve been given I do like Amitriptyline... it does help me sleep and the dreams are unreal! It’s like I’m in a wild, crazy, adventure movie every night! But, even at a very low dose it causes me to feel a bit depressed, groggy, brain fog, and achy. Oh, almost forgot. It increases my libido a wee bit (hence the wild dreams!) ;-) So, I use it sparingly .. 2-3x a week. Say hi! Share your thots. "

• Manic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 2, 2014

Elavil (amitriptyline) "Amitriptyline has helped my insomnia by a ten fold. I have issues staying asleep due to my fibromyalgia and anxiety. I sleep all night for once. Unfortunately it has side effects: - No Appetite - Impotence - Daytime Drowsiness - Constipation"

• Nick
• January 19, 2014

"I have been suffering with sleepless nights for over 8 years. Nothing seemed to work. Since I have been prescribed a small dosage of amitryptiline my sleep has very much improved. I fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. I actually look forward to going to bed now."

• Sam
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 30, 2019

Elavil (amitriptyline) "This is a terrible drug. Took Elavil 25g as was prescribed arthritis pain which would also help with insomnia. Put me in a hazy not a full sleep with vivid scary nightmares which were very disturbing and terrifying. My heart was pounding loudly in my chest, sweating, unable to feel anything, felt totally spaced out until six the following evening. Shaky, nervous and very anxious. Could not safely drive as I felt drunk. Take my advise keep away from this drug it’s scary and frightening."

• Much...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2013

"I've only been on Elavil for a couple weeks at 10mg but I have to say it has been a VERY positive experience thus far. I have been in a bad loop by not sleeping well and then my days were going downhill as well. Now if I do wake up in the middle of the night I seem to be able to just roll over and get back to sleep. This versus waking up in full panic mode and then laying there with my heart and mind racing. I'm optimistic it will continue to work. I'm a 51 year old male."

• Anonymous
• April 22, 2008

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I was prescribed Elavil to help me sleep. I use to toss and turn and think about the day, the next day, and the day after. I take this medication and I am asleep within 20 minutes. I sleep all night without waking up. I also take it to get a complete night sleep to refresh my body to fight the next day with fibromyalgia."

• dezeag
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 8, 2014

"I currently take 25mg and sleep just fine. Remember that lower dosages 25-50mg are for insomnia, the more you take you move into the antidepressant effects and become less effective for sleep. So 300mg isn't going to help your insomnia and may increase it."

• Paul
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 3, 2019

"Been taking this for about 10 months now primarily for sleeping issues. But it's also been good for my hayfever as it has antihistamine actions. I take 25mg at night & can feel it kick in about 45 mins after ingestion, I feel a bit drowsy & my limbs get a bit heavier. Then I get in bed & fall asleep easily. The only issue I have is if I try to stop this drug I just don't sleep at all. Maybe I'm dependant on it but that's ok as long as it works it's better than looking at the ceiling all night."

• Ryan
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 27, 2019

"I was in a four wheeler crash in 2017. Lot of tissue and nerve damage on my left side. Nothing major but the pain was minor enough I just could never get comfortable and would wake up 20+ times throughout the night and was never getting a good sleep. Asked my Dr about it last October and he put me on a dose of 25 mg of amitriptyline to help calm my nerves. It took a couple of months but now when I lay down I get comfy easily and I fall asleep within 30 mins of laying down . I sleep all through the night and don't wake up until my alarm goes off. Lately I've been waking up at 8 before my alarm goes off. Best sleep I've had in a decade."

• Anonymous
• September 1, 2014

"I have taken this medication during certain times in my life due to events and change of time zones for long periods of time when my sleep pattern is broken. It is great. I have been able to stay at 25 mg without increase for more than a year and work myself off when fully recovered. Be prepared to wait for it to kick in up to 2 weeks after starting it. It needs to fully get into your system. Everyones body is different. Recently I tried zolpidem for a more immediate sleep and found I could only get 4 hours a night. I read about the addiction of it and possible rebound insomnia after weaning yourself off. I am going back to that old model medicine, Amitriiptyline. It is great and I get back to a 7-8 hour sleep pattern."

• Matvei
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 19, 2020

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I've had insomnia almost every way you can have it, so I've tried the whole raft of sedatives and hypnotics. Only three have worked: diphenhydramine (Benadryl), doxepin/Silenor, and this. Just the fact that it keeps me asleep is such a godsend that I can't give it a bad review, but ... Of the three drugs that work, this is the worst. It has more neurological side effects, it puts me in a lousy mood that lasts most of the next day (not terrible, but maybe 25% grumpier than usual), and it leads to weight gain even at the lowest dose (10mg). If my hormones are out of whack (high cortisol) amitriptyline doesn't make me groggy, but if they're in line it really does, leaving me wool-headed until the middle of the afternoon. It also has negative interactions with a bunch of other drugs, so be careful to check it against your other prescriptions/recreational drugs."

• Tony
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 18, 2019

"Since I was prescribed amitriptyline by my doctor a few years ago I feel it's the only thing that works for me I've been prescribed Somas, Valium, Xanax, Tramadol, Percocet, Vicodin even though I like the way these make me feel when I take the amitriptyline I don't feel withdrawal I am able to fall asleep and stay asleep. I've gained an appetite again back pain is minimal I really don't see any negatives to this drug. A lot of people say they have bad dreams so on so forth I feel this is the best drug 4 me. I was diagnosed with sciatica degenerative disc disease a cracked disc in my back bulged discs in my neck and rheumatoid arthritis but with a little bit of exercise and stretching. Now I do not take any other medication besides 10 mg amitriptyline do not wake up feeling groggy still able to function I definitely recommend this drug to anybody with the same conditions plus depression and insomnia in my eyes this is a miracle drug for me."

• Anonymous
• December 11, 2023

"I probably tried every prescription drug; every natural remedy... everything. I suffered from brutal insomnia for 30 years. After 2 years on Amitriptyline, I can honestly say this medicine has given me my life back. I'm shocked to sleep well every night. Incredible relief."

• sirius
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 5, 2018

Elavil (amitriptyline) "I'm 65 years old so when the benzo stop being effective, I used Amitriptyline ( elavil) to sleep. I have to take 3 X 10mg with half of a banana to make it smoother on the empty stomach, to make it work. It has some nasty side effects but they tend to go away after a while. Constipation will not be a problem anymore after a 1 months, drink a lot of water early in the evening to prevent constipation. Dry mouth will always be there, but will become less severe after a while, so chew some gum to fix this problem. Sex will also take a low profile :-) This drug can also be use to make the withdrawal of the benzos much easier to do. You will still sleep and will only need a small dosage of benzo which you can lower slowly but surely. I get a better sleep pattern than the benzos. Waking up ready to drive my car if I need to , unlike the Ambien. Cheap to buy also. My old mother still use it after almost 50 years of usage. She is 85."

• Anonymous
• November 6, 2012

"Took it for depression, anxiety and insomnia. It has taken just under 2 months at 75mg daily to kick in properly, but when it did, I found it to be a God send! I've been taking it for 4 months now, and cannot remember last time I felt anxious, and my sleep is best its ever been. Side effects are dissapearing slowly, and I feel very happy, and look forward to the future again. Highly recommend."

• Psuep
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 26, 2020

"I was getting up every night between 1 and 4am. Nothing seemed to help me stay asleep. Sometimes I could not even fall asleep, laying in bed watching the clock....10, 11, 12, 1:00. Finally I tried Elavil and despite being skeptical, it worked. I take it about 20 minutes before I get into bed. It’s been very helpful. I can sleep thru the night now and wake up without feeling drugged."

• Colle...
• October 26, 2014

"I have been on 10 mg. Amitriptyline... for a month and am really getting a good night sleep. I must say the first weeks, I was really tired and and exhausted . After 3 weeks my body adjusted quite well. I have a low tolerance to medication so 10 mg. Is good for now."

• Jandal
• February 2, 2015

Endep (amitriptyline) "I have been taking Endep 10 for approx 3 weeks and have I used a variety of sleeping meds. Endep is the best by far. I take it 3 hours prior to sleep and have no problems getting to sleep and if I do wake during the night I go back to sleep straight away. It can make me a little drowsy in the morning but nothing like other meds."