Hi, I take Amitriptyline. I originally was prescribed it to help with the insomnia caused by prednisone, but I found that Amitriptyline helped me sleep so well and also helped me mentally, so even now I'm off prednisone my doctor continues to prescribe it for me.
I've heard people say that antidepressants make them numb, that they stop feeling all emotions, good and bad. Amitriptyline doesn't do that to me; I still feel good and bad emotions, but now I'm able to stay calm and cope with the bad feelings without getting overwhelmed by negativity. I'm able to think clearly rather than having my thoughts determined by depression.
Amitriptyline can reduce stomach pain in some people, though it doesn't seem to do this for me. What it does do is slow my bowel right down. Before I had an ileostomy, Amitriptyline made me very constipated (I'm on a high dose). Since for years all I'd had was diarrhoea, even with anti-diarrhoea meds like Lomotil and loperamide, I was surprised to find that Amitriptyline stopped the diarrhoea far more effectively than the drugs prescribed for that purpose had ever done. Now I have an ileostomy, so constipation isn't an issue. I have very little output from my stoma though (which is a good thing!), and I'm not sure whether this is due to still taking Amitriptyline or whether my bowel's just working slowly anyway - possibly it's both.