Nortriptyline

If you suffer from depression, getting through everyday can be a chore. What may be more upsetting is finding a medication that takes care of the problem. The media has done a good job at advertising hundreds of medications that will supposedly make you feel better than ever. If you are like many people today, you may not be too sure that the medicine will produce the results they claim. And if they do, it may come with a hefty price tag, your heath.

There are many variations of drugs to treat depression disorders; however the two most commonly prescribed kinds of medications are benzodiazepines and tricyclic antidepressants. Nortriptyline is one of these tricyclic drugs.

Nortriptyline is effective in the treatment of bipolar disorder in some people. However, it appears to be more effective in milder cases of depression and anxiety. It is also used as an effective treatment in the prevention of migraine and tension headaches and other cases for long term pain relief. It is even being tested as a method for treating vaginal dryness, although this has yet to be proven.

What To Expect

The side effects of nortriptyline are mild in most cases, however no one person is alike and neither are the side effects. It is important to use nortriptyline under the care of your physician, as withdrawal symptoms can occur if you stop use of the medicine. The most commonly reported side effects are light-headedness, dizziness, fatigue, blurred vision, insomnia, muscle weakness, loss of muscle control and coordination, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, weight changes and minor skin problems. The more severe side effects include uneven heart beat, chest pain, and numbness on one side of the body, confusion, hallucinations, seizures, restless muscle movements, tremors, urination problems and fainting spells. And like all drugs for depression, there is a chance that you may have suicidal thoughts or tendencies. If you experience any of these problems tell your doctor who may decrease your dosage. The normal nortriptyline dosage amount is 25mg.

As with all drugs, before starting nortriptyline, be sure to tell your doctor about any medications, herbal treatments or vitamins you are taking, as some can have potentially harmful effects when taken in combination with nortriptyline. This is even more important now that people are looking to natural alternatives more than ever. Furthermore, there are herbs that you can take that mimic nortriptyline, none of them however have been proven effective.