What is the Reality of Amitriptyline Withdrawal Symptoms?

ByPrimary Researcher

Executive Summary

  • Amitriptyline is an addictive drug.
  • Amitriptyline addiction and Amitriptyline withdrawal symptoms are deliberately minimized by pharmaceutical companies and the overall medical establishment.

Introduction

A primary method used by pharmaceutical companies, MDs, and the overall medical establishment is to minimize addiction. This article covers the gaslighting of patients, the public, and patients on Amitriptyline withdrawal symptoms.

What the Medical Establishment Says About Amitriptyline Withdrawal Symptoms

Let us review the following quotation from the Recovery Village recovery center on Amitriptyline withdrawal symptoms.

Despite being one of the earliest antidepressants to be used, it is nowadays mostly prescribed for pain, mainly since other antidepressants with fewer side effects are now available.

As is the case for most antidepressants, Elavil can cause withdrawal symptoms upon discontinuation. While the withdrawal effects from amitriptyline are not as bad as those for some other antidepressants, they can still be quite severe and incapacitating.

The following quotation is from the article from Recovery Village on Amitriptyline addiction.

Patients have also reported increased feelings of anxiety and depression, particularly at the start of treatment. As with most antidepressants, Elavil carries a black box warning — the most severe warning offered by the FDA — because of the risk of developing suicidal thoughts.

Right — a black box warning basically means the drugs is not safe.

There is anecdotal evidence that large doses of amitriptyline can cause a ‘high’ or hallucinations; however, there have been no formalized studies around this. Trying to reach these large doses is extremely dangerous and can significantly worsen side effects as well as lead to a potentially fatal overdose. Signs of an amitriptyline overdose can include:

Fast or uneven heartbeat
Dizziness
Enlarged pupils
Nausea
Agitation
Drowsiness
Muscle stiffness
Convulsions

There have been no studies on this, and there will never be any studies no this — because pharmaceutical companies don’t fund these types of studies that show the harm of antidepressants. Recovery Village leaves out this point from readers, so the reader will simply assume that there is not evidence of these issues. The term “anecdotal” means that the stated item is firmly established through observation of patients. Anecdotal is used to minimize the issue.

As I cover in the article How Antidepressants Create Dependency Called Discontinuation Syndrome, the pharmaceutical companies created the term “Discontinuation Syndrome” to hide the addictive nature of antidepressants like Amitriptyline.

Recovery Village’s claims about Amitriptyline and other antidepressants not being addictive is false. Amitriptyline, like other depressants, is addictive, even when used as prescribed. This is explained in detail in the article How Antidepressants Produce Addiction Through Altering the Neurotransmition Process. (Subscription required)