I just started Nortriptyline 10 mg, and today will be my 6th dose. I have had very few side affects. I cried for a few days and had a couple of panic attacks, but by dose 4 it cleared up. It has done wonders for my IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), however, I’m incredibly dizzy on it, and it has done nothing to help stop my migraines. I like it so I want to give it chance to work, and I know the dizziness should go away after a couple weeks, but should I have seen more improvement for migraine prevention by now? Is it just a matter of upping the dose to 20 mg, or may this not be the preventative for me? Any input would appreciated. Thank you!
Don’t throw in the towel yet. Do 10mg for one more week and wait for the extra dizziness to die down. Then bump up to 20mg.
1 Like
Yep that’s what I think I am going to do. There’s no way I can take 20 mg right now. I actually feel like it would be dangerous (sedation wise) for me to do so. The 10 mg hits me like a ton of bricks when I take it, but I decided to take the 10 mg until everything leveled out, even if it takes 2 more weeks, and then I’d go up to 20 mg and see what happens. Thank you for your response!
1 Like
Kari, these drugs are from a family used for treating depression originally and doses were prescribed well above 100mg … so don’t worry, I very much doubt there is any danger unless you intend to drive or use machinery (don’t!)
My therapist used to laugh and call my 20mg (of sister drug Amitriptyline) ‘positively homeopathic’ lol.
Wishing you better health!
Lol! I’m such a light weight. I rarely take anything - even over the counter meds. Thank you for the support, and the laugh! 
1 Like
I’m on it. My doctor’s instructions were to take 10mg/day (at bedtime) for 3 days, and if I tolerated it, to then bump it up to 30mg. I decided to be more cautious so I took 10mg for a week, then 20mg for a week, then 30mg.
It never made me feel dizzy but it did make me sleep soundly and a few times made it hard to get up in the morning. So I started taking it at dinnertime, around 6:00pm, and that seems to work better for me.
2 Likes
How high did you get? My neurologist wants me to stop at 100mg and I’ve read in a migraine book that one can go as high as 200mg. I may call a neurologist from a drug trial I was almost in and see if he agrees as he seems quite experienced
I’m also on the waitlist to do a yearlong trial where they give you one bhv 3000 (a cgrp) at 75mg for each day and you take when needed . The study is for people that get up to 14 migraines a day I think but I read cgrp should help with dizziness too though I’m sure they’d say ten weeks is enough time to know if it works
Just 20mg 