Elavil and Tiredness: What Users Say

• LLT...
• September 20, 2011

For Depression "I just got my prescription filled for the 3rd time and wanted to write a review to help others. I was so scared to take this after having a bad experience with Zoloft. I remember coming here and reading all the reviews and still didn't take the medicines prescribed until a month later. The first two weeks I was so tired and had extreme dry mouth. I thought I would have to quit because I was so tired and couldn't work. I had two weeks off between Christmas and the New Year and decided to stick with it. I'm so glad I did. I feel like myself again and with zero side effects now except for when I don't take it for a few days. If I ever do come off, I will wean slowly. I was also so scared to gain weight which, thankfully, didn't happen. Love it!"

• bro...
• June 5, 2010

For Migraine Prevention "I have been taking Elavil for a month now, and I am almost migraine-free. I was started on 25mg at bedtime. My headaches lessened, but I still had them. Maybe one out of 4 was really bad. So my MD doubled the dose to 50mg a night, and boy, that did the trick, but I stayed tired all the time. I went back to 25mg every night, and now it seems to be working very well for me. Just takes time to adjust. So if you have just started, hang in there, it will get better!"

• sma...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 6, 2019

For Pain "I started this drug as a migraine prevention treatment, beginning with 10 mg and moving up to 50. I also have fibromyalgia. This medication did not help me whatsoever with the migraines or the fibro. Thankfully, it does help with insomnia, but I was really super disappointed that I didn't get any headache relief. It also makes me feel stupid because I'm constantly hungover and tired during the day."

• Anonymous
• July 14, 2008

For Migraine Prevention "No more migraines since I've been taking Elavil. I use only 12.5 mg per day, taken at night. I have tried millions of other medicines. This is the best. The first few weeks you will be very tired, it goes away, then all will finally be normal with no more head throbbing. I cocktail with 10 mg Lexapro. It's been 1 and 1/2 years of no migraines."

• Anonymous
• November 15, 2008

For Migraine Prevention "I'm a 16-year-old girl. I have been on tons of medicines for migraine prevention, and nothing seemed to help. One day, I ended up in the E.R. and missed much school. When I started on Elavil at 10 mg, it seemed to not do much, but when my dose was increased to 30 mg, I tend to have less frequent (2-3) migraines a week. My migraines are less intense, and I'm able to do my studies. The dry mouth is much less when I chew gum, but I tend to be tired all the time. This medication has worked the best for me, although not perfect."

• dav...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 21, 2023

For Insomnia "In my younger years, I was plagued with depression and anxiety, and none of the tricyclic antidepressants seemed to work on me other than make me tired. I am now on Zoloft, and though it seems to work well, it has put my libido in the garbage. My doctor does not want to put me on Elavil because she thinks I have dementia and that will make it worse. If I have dementia now, then I was born with it! It is a great med for getting to sleep."

• Anonymous
• January 6, 2010

For Migraine Prevention "This made me so tired that I had to stop taking it. I felt drugged 20 minutes after taking it (I took it at night), and then I was groggy the entire next day. Plus, the first night that I took it, I woke up with a migraine that wouldn't go away after my Imitrex Statdose injection. So now my doctor put me on a beta blocker. It makes me a little dizzy, but I can actually function!! Guess it works for some people, but I couldn't drive, and there's no way I could go to work on this..."

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 28, 2019

"I had a terrible experience with these pills. I've never experienced side effects on a medication before, and I trusted my doctor who told me that I was taking such a low dose I shouldn’t have side effects. This medication made me feel like a zombie all day, no matter how much I slept. It caused me to feel spaced out and exhausted and also caused me to experience visual hallucinations before bed one night. Awful pills I would never try again. There are a million people online desperately trying to taper down their dose and get off the pills but having withdrawal symptoms. To each their own, but I wish I never even tried it at all. By the way, I was put on this for functional dyspepsia."

• Anonymous
• May 23, 2009

For Interstitial Cystitis "I take 25 mg at bedtime for interstitial cystitis, and it works great for me. It does take some time to get used to, and it makes you tired but after a month or so, I had no complaints."