About 12 years ago, when I was first diagnosed with IBS, I was put on a different tricyclic AD. Desipramine and then imiprimine, at 25 mg twice a day, with my doctor at the time thinking it would help with IBS and help me gain some weight. Well, that dose was way too high for me and taking it along with Donnatal was a big mistake. I always felt heavily sedated, either I was like a zombie or I'd sleep an entire day at a time; the AD caused my jaw to lock and I experienced "difficulty urinating." (It was very difficult to start peeing! I sat on the toilet once for fifteen minutes or so just trying to go. Scary!) My IBS symptoms didn't improve and I didn't gain weight. I actually lost some weight during that time. That was a horrible experience for me and for years I refused to take any medication, other than the BC pill.
So, recently, when my current doctor recommended Elavil to help me sleep, manage pain from lupus and IBS symptoms, I wasn't too happy. But she started me at 5 mg and after a month increased it to 10 mg. Fortunately, that's been working for me, but if I were to become tolerant to it I'm not sure I'd want to increase the dose.
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