Amitriptyline

On July 5th I decided to take less Amitriptyline for one night and see how it felt. I have been suspecting some side effects being caused by it. After talking to one nurse practitioner about my issues with body temperature regulation she said she thinks if it is caused by medication, that it would be Amitriptyline more so than Gabapentin.

Another side effect I believe is drug-induced is water retention. That is common with Gabapentin but I am taking much less Gabapentin than I used to and still having water retention. Apparently, that can happen with Amitriptyline now that I looked closer at the side effects. I feel like damn near every medication has that listed as a side effect, they have to cover their bases and list everything under the sun.

Antidepressant Used Off-Label for Migraines

I take Amitriptyline at night for migraines. It helps. I planned on trying less of it for one night just to see. I have been taking 50 mg, but tried 25 mg. I had a headache (a slightly different-than-usual headache) every day since cutting the dose in half. It was a piercing, tightening sensation in my temples, around my eyes and around the periphery of my head. It is very normal for me to have headaches every day. It would be surprising if I found myself headache-free for many days in a row. That does happen, but not often. These headaches where mild enough so that I could still function. My thinking felt slightly clearer than normal.

A Week Out

It is now 7 days later and I’m still doing 25 mg… I kept thinking that maybe if I keep going with this lower dose that I’ll feel better the next day, when the withdrawal effects go away. Amitriptyline has a half-life of 10-28 hours. Most drugs are out of your system after 5 of their half-lives. Amitriptyline would be eliminated from the body in 2-6 days. This varies from person to person, it is just an average. I am still taking Amitriptyline but I am hoping the withdrawal effects should be wearing off right about now…

Music

I haven’t been “into” music in years. Music has always been very important to me plus, I’m a musician and have taken some time off. One of my favorite times to enjoy music is while I’m driving. I use an FM transmitter to stream music in my car, but someone stole it a year or two ago. I bought a replacement one but it wasn’t as good as the previous one. I put off looking for a better one, plus my car radio has been acting funny for a while so I assumed it was my radio and not the transmitter.

The music wasn’t as full as it used to be. It sounded like the treble and bass were fine but something in the middle was missing or too quiet. Since I found some music I LOVE I decided to try the better transmitter and holy shit it is better!!

Music Rut

Have you ever been in a “music rut”? You don’t have any that excites you or makes you feel. I’ve been in this rut for years. I attributed a lot of that to my car radio not being as full as it once was. I know that contributed, but I’m thinking Amitriptyline might have been the initial cause.

Amitriptyline is an antidepressant that I use for migraines. They say the amount I’m on is probably too low to help with depression, but everyone responds differently so it could have been affecting my mood. I am thinking it could have been making me feel “dead”, flat, nothing. Perhaps lowering the dose has made me feel alive again.

Alive with headaches is better than being dead with headaches

Sleep Token – a Gateway to Bad Omens

I stumbled upon the band Sleep Token a few weeks ago. Their costumes caught my attention and I don’t remember the first song I heard but it was low, droning, spooky, creative, beautiful. I wasn’t obsessed and listening to everything I possibly could but it was exciting to find something I really liked and that caught my attention. Fast forward to this Wednesda, 4 days post Amitriptyline lowering. I saw a YouTube thumbnail of an interesting looking “cutie patootie” singing in a concert. I clicked on it just thinking what the hell, not paying much attention to it.

The first song was Concrete Jungle, nothing caught my attention there. The next song was V.A.N. The sounds I heard confused me. I turned it up to figure out what I was hearing. It was amazing. I had never heard anything like it. The combination of how he was dressed and the weird music happening completely blew my mind.

The background visuals, his mannerisms, the lyrics, everything. I couldn’t believe it. I thought to myself, “I didn’t realize things like this were happening in the world.” Things that I enjoy, things that catch my attention, creative mind-blowing life altering art. I didn’t think there were things in the world that I enjoyed anymore.

I know that sounds depressing but it hasn’t been an overpowering thought or feeling, I just literally didn’t think I liked things anymore. I like some things but not to a great degree.

The band is Bad Omens

I will admit, every song of theirs is not my ultimate favorite but the ones that are… are.

For the next song, Drain, he took off his mask. It was just a youtube video someone shot while in concert so I wasn’t entirely sure if it was the same artist. Plus, the way he sang and the way he looked did not match the previous song. But I realized it was the same guy.

Girl. The vocal range of this guy is utterly astounding. It was 100 degrees on Wednesday and my body temp runs hot these days. The goosebumps I get from this music makes me feel freezing cold on 100 degree days.

Wednesday when I found their music I was up so late watching their live shows. I desperately needed sleep but couldn’t peel my eyes and ears from the screen. Looking at this from an outside perspective, it sounds a little manic. I have rarely if-ever experienced mania especially like what people with bipolar disorder experience. I for sure am not bipolar. I think changing up the medication caused it. But it is not problematic. Just the one night I got less sleep than usual, plus it was a full moon. I was surprisingly able to function the next 2 days. I wasn’t at the tip top of my game because of less sleep, but I still did alright!

Headaches

Headaches are still there but less intense. Being busy can distract me from the headaches, which is helpful for being able to function. While remembering to tune into how I’m feeling and take care of myself of course.

In conclusion, I love music again and it has literally been years.