Amitriptyline

I have held back from adding this entry for a few weeks as for once I wanted to give something a chance before reporting back.

Amitriptyline is a drug that has been prescribed to me following on from some advice I got at the recent MS Life exhibition in Manchester. I got the chance to speak with an MS nurse and I was surprised at how easily she was able to relate to my symptoms.

For over a year now, I have had 2 lingering symptoms of the full blown attack of last year. The 2 symptoms are a constant pins and needles/numbness in my right hand and also a lack of control over my left leg when I walk for any great distance.

The nurse gave me answers to both of these.

With regards to the numbness. Its horrible. It does not stop me from doing anything but it is uncomfortable and causes me to feel somewhat defeated every now and then. The feeling increases when I lie down and most mornings when I wake, it is rife in my hand and I have no feeling at all in the hand. Once I wake, there is no going back to sleep and sometimes it likes to wake me nice and early!! Its a good job that I am not a wriggler in bed for Kerris!!!

Amitriptyline was prescribed by my doctor after I told him that the MS nurse recommended it to reduce the sensation in the hand. Our doctor is great, in his own words......"anything to help". So I have now been taking them for 2 weeks.

The result is a reduction!!! The effects can take up to 4 weeks to be fully felt so hopefully it will continue to reduce the feeling so I am happy that although it does not take the symptom away, it does make it more manageable.

My only other concern now is dependence on medicine to control a symptom. Well, its going to be a test to see if I can keep it up. Perhaps I can get to a stage where I take a lower dose or one every other day but at the moment, I am happy getting it into me!!!

As for the leg control, well that's another story for another entry!!!