Elavil for Depression User Reviews
Elavil has an average rating of 9.2 out of 10 from a total of 21 reviews for the treatment of Depression. 90% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 5% reported a negative experience.
Reviews for Elavil
- ladybug
- Taken for 1 to 2 years
- June 20, 2016
"I am a mother of 3 kids 33 and have anxiety/depression I was on Effexor 150 mg " this should be illegal! " didn't work and If a dose was missed it felt like few hours of a drug "rush" like speed or cocaine...intense night sweats highly addictive AVOID! , Celexa " had bad sexual side effects", zoloft "robot drug". I am getting back to Elavil 10 mg. Elavil is great I feel happy on it . It makes me enjoy life and little things again. I don't need to take much for it to work and I have no side effects at all on a 10 mg daily dose. I felt sleepy for two weeks when I started but it resorbs and you can then feel its full beneficial effects quickly general mood elevation and good feeling". Anxiety is under control on it and I sleep better."
- CatLady
- Taken for 10 years or more
- August 2, 2018
"It was the only antidepressant that worked for me way back in the 80's. They tried everything else but MAOI's. It has had no side effects for me in past 35 years. BUT, in the 90s a doctor (an MD) wanted to see if the newer SSRIs would work also so I said OK. Well, about 3 weeks into this venture, I got a headache so bad that I called her and said I can't live with this pain. Needless to say, she immediately got me back on the Eavil. Don't try going off this medicine because it has a very bad side effect. That is OK for me though. I'm now 79 and figure I will always take it. Told my doctor if I ever go into a coma, please always give me this medicine until I die! I do take the generic now because of the price and it works just as well."
Frequently asked questions
- Jomama
- January 7, 2021
"Elavil makes me poo my britches. I feel really good when I use it but then out of nowhere I poop my pants or sometimes I poop the bed in my sleep. This is embarrassing and frightening to experience. One night while on elavil I went dancing with some friends. I wore my favorite dance pants which are a tight stretchy material and very thin fabric. I refuse to wear underwear with these particular pants as I enjoy how they accentuate my shall I say “fruits and vegetables “. Anyhoo you can imagine the sheer terror and embarrassment when I dropped a steamy, extremely foul smelling deuce right there on the dance floor. I ran out the door crying and was banned from ever going back. I couldn’t completely get the stain out of my favorite dancing britches and that makes me very sad."
- Anonymous
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- November 4, 2014
"I'm 16 years old and I started taking Zoloft for depression about a year ago. I started off at 25mg then 50mg and things still didn't seem to be "right." I was constantly sick and throwing up, and I just felt like it wasn't working. So they bumped me up to 75mg of Zoloft, and then to 100mg. For my body and age, 100mg was a lot for me to take but it finally made me feel better. I wasn't as down, but I had awful side affects. I couldn't sleep, eat, or do anything but lay in bed and I had awful migraines. I was so sick of changing meds but I couldn't deal with being this sick so on top of the Zoloft I was prescribed Elavil. It was like night and day. Helped me sleep and took all my side effects away!"
Are you taking this medicine?
- Wen
- Taken for less than 1 month
- August 14, 2019
"I have been depressed for a very long time. I took everything and nothing worked. My doctor gave me Elavil I'm scared to take it. This whole summer I never went out. All the things I used to love to do. I don't do them no more. I feel so alone. I don't know if I should try it. I never heard of it"
- KLOQW...
- October 28, 2011
"I've taken Elavil for 14 yrs for irritable bowel syndrome and depression. I suffered with IBS for 5 yrs and had every test possible and even had my gallbladder removed. It really makes me sleep but after taking it the 1st night, I KNEW it was the magic medicine for my irritable bowel syndrome. As long as I take 25mg each night, I have zero irritable bowel symptoms. It saved my life."
- Cat...
- Taken for 10 years or more
- July 8, 2013
"I have been on Elavil for depression for 20 years. I did have some problem with not remembering that I had told someone something already. This has gotten better as I made a conscious effort to remember things. I still have some problems with memory in forgetting where I put things. The best thing that happened is I have not had a headache in 20 years. I used to have bad headaches 2-3 times a week so this has been well worth putting up with side-effects."
- Brando
- July 17, 2013
"I suffer an array of chronic pain / low back and leg issues - My doctor, after many failed attempts of finding the right medication for me, used this in conjunction with the muscle relaxant Robaxin and in the first three days there was notable significant relief of virtually all pain. I continue to take 75mg twice a day and I feel like I have my life back again. This medicine has been a blessing."
- Perfect...
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- December 30, 2015
"I've tried about every medication out there for my anxiety and depression; welbutrin Zoloft Paxil , Cymbalta, Emsam, Xanax , etc.. At 75mg Elavil helped me sleep, I had more energy, I didn't feel restless, and I rarely got upset. I thought I had found the perfect cure until I started to gain weight. I decreased my calorie intake increased my exercise and the weight just kept coming. In 4 months I had gained 26 pounds. I also started to such severe dry mouth my throat was dry and my voice was hoarse, I also started to have blurred vision. I really like this medicine but know if I can handle the side effects."
- Maharis
- Taken for 6 months to 1 year
- January 23, 2023
"I was diagnosed with major depression in the early 1990's and my MD put me on Elavil (amitriptyline). It worked great, although I put on quite a bit of weight. Over the years, I've been on virtually every other class of depression medication, as well as ECT, and none of them worked as well as Elavil. I take it for depression and anxiety and it's amazing. It is an old, old drug, with lots of side effects, but it has pulled me back from the precipice every time. I currently take 150mg at night, which is the max dose for outpatient treatment. I have an rx for clonazepam for breakthrough anxiety, and feel pretty good."
- biagina
- June 10, 2008
"I was on Elavil for many years to help ward off migraines and it did great. Then my neurosurgeon prescribed ultram and I had a tachycardia incident. I am very sad that I can not be on Elavil. I used to take 10mg at bedtime and it was helpful."
- Migra...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- April 26, 2017
"I was prescribed Elavil for depression and migraine prevention. After taking only two 10mg doses of elavil, I had a severe manic episode. (Note: I am not bi-polar.) I was shaking, pacing, unable to sleep, talking a mile a minute but making no sense, full of anxiety and rage, unable to eat or keep anything down and in a total panic. My husband took me to the ER when my heart rate went through the roof and I became short of breath. The hospital kept me overnight on a heart monitor and gave me sedatives to calm me down. My doctor wants me to try another medication but I am terrified at the prospect. Honestly, I'd rather be depressed and have migraines than try another anti depressant. One bad experience was ENOUGH."
- Jeni
- Taken for 10 years or more
- August 20, 2023
"It worked great for my depression and helped me sleep, but the effect is now not as strong as it was. While it lasted 15 years, it was amazing, a miracle! Now I'm on Prozac and my panic attacks are crazy. I think I will go back to Elavil!"
- Indig...
- Taken for less than 1 month
- November 17, 2015
"Elavil works in my case as a pain killer/anti depressant. I does have some cons that I was not warned about. I was told by my doctor to take 150mg before bed so I did as told and woke up only when my wife shook me for a second I would eat and go right back to sleep this happened for the first 24 hours the next I had no choice but to stay awake. being awake I had problems with balance and depth perception. my mind was racing with what felt like hundreds of thoughts. my ability to speak was reduced to short sentences. it felt like my jaw was not moving fast enough to make more than a few sentences. after taking that dosage down from 150mg to 37.5mg I am able to speak clearly but my mind is still a little foggy. and the back pain is not as bad"
- edward
- March 9, 2023
"I have been diagnosed with depression since college. Since then I have tried every anti-depressant and had no luck. My doctor put me on elavil, and boom depression is gone though I have IBS-C big time. Tried to taper down from 100 mg, and got down to 60 mg, but am still constipated. It's a nightmare, I am now taking Linzess290, Motegruty, miralax, and coconut oil which helps a little bit. Has anybody else had the same problems?"
- Dorma...
- January 29, 2011
"Since going back to this med, my morning tiredness is gone, as well as weakness in general. I love it."
- Anonymous
- April 9, 2008
"This medication not only helped my mood to pull me out of my depression but it also decreased my migraines which could last for several days at a time."
- Headc...
- October 26, 2009
"Been taking for 15 yrs. Started as antidepressant but also helps back pain and sleep."
- Philg...
- December 1, 2009
"Happy thoughts once again."
- Ann246G
- Taken for 1 to 6 months
- May 12, 2018
"This helped me tremendously in the matter of a few weeks. I was so hopeless that nothing would work and that I would never be myself again. I’m so thankful for this medicine. It changed my life."
- Anonymous
- January 19, 2011
"Have tried many others: zoloft, citalopram, nortriptyline. Other than side effects this medicine works great. Just have to be careful with the sedative properties."
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or to remove inappropriate language and content. Reviews that appear to be created by parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any particular medication. While these reviews may be helpful, they are not a substitute for the expertise, knowledge, and judgement of healthcare professionals.
Learn more about Depression
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More about Elavil (amitriptyline)
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- Drug class: tricyclic antidepressants
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"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!"