Tricyclic Antidepressant

[Kellen]

I've been reading up on the benefits of tricyclic antidepressants. I know they are much older than the more commonly used medications today. But looking at them they seems to be prescribed for a number of things that are certainly effecting me.

They are prescribed for

Headaches

IBS

Depression

Anxiety

Joint pain

I know a lot of HPPD symptoms are co morbid

anxiety leads to an increase in visuals and dp/Dr. For me it does anyway. Head pressure/ brain fog can be attributed to headaches which I also get. I also have bouts of ibs that can last for months and months

Of course there are side effects the main being weight gain but I can live with that

Has anyone had any experience with these meds? I'm really curious to try them but obviously don't want to get burned

[DonDraper]

Yep, I take imipramine. Only impact on my visual snow seems to be that it's smoother, which I think is a positive.

 

Interestingly, tricyclics are also prescribed for persistent migraine aura without infarction, which sometimes produces HPPD-like symptoms. I have read of amitryptiline being prescribed and successfully treating the visual symptoms of persistent migraine aura, including visual snow. Anecdotally, I've also heard that some doctors prescribe it for HPPD but I'm not aware of any published evidence for its efficacy in our condition. The best tricyclics for migraines are amitryptline and nortryptiline. Nortrip has fewer side-effects.

 

The nice thing about tricyclics is that you can start on a very low dose, as low as 10mg, and work your way up to a maximum dose of 100-200mg (depending on the specific drug). That way you can take things slow and hopefully minimise side-effects. Some people find that even only 10mg is enough to provide symptom relief (depending on what they are taking it for - the therapeutic window varies by condition). The downside is that there is a reason why, despite their excellent efficacy in treating a number of conditions, they are only infrequently prescribed these days: the side-effects at medium to high doses can be severe, and many people discontinue taking the meds as a result.

[Kellen]

Thanks for the comment!

It seems a lot of hppd'rs haven't given these a try

Are there any other benefits you get from taking it?

What do you take it for ?

I think I'm going to try desperimine.

It has significantly helped my father with his depression.

Its used for the treatment of headaches which I get all the time. Even as a kid I would get extreme headaches frequently.

And I'm hoping if it reduces my anxiety and depression and helps the pressure in my head it will limit the other persisting symptoms that I have.

Worth a shot

[DonDraper]

I take it for ADHD - can't take stimulants for obvious reasons! Was actually going to try desipramine myself, but I can't get it in my country. I take a very low dose of imipramine and the only effects seem to be that I feel calmer and more focussed. No improvement in mood, but then I'm taking less than a fifth of the usual dose for depression.

 

I remember reading on a visual snow forum that some people found TCAs made their symptoms worse to begin with, much as bupropion seems to make HPPD visuals worse for the first couple of weeks. I haven't found this to be the case, personally, though.

 

Out of interest, do you see a psych, a neurologist or a PCP? What's their take on HPPD?

[umit]

hi iam taking deaxnit anti-psygotic/anti-depressant 1.5/30mg for now 1.2 years i can say i didnt feel an effect the first 6 months only the anti psygotic help me what did before with the same effect wit risperdal buth when i started with sports i gues wat only did work for me waiting for meds kick is a russian roulette

better dont loose time with meds and do some realy a sport its the best way to create like dopamines and all other good stuff in the brain