People's Pharmacy

Elavil

Generic Name:amitriptyline

Revised:4/1/2000

Table of Contents

Side Effects and Interactions

Side effects associated with Elavil and many other TCAs include dizziness, drowsiness, constipation, weight gain, dry mouth, blurred vision, super sensitivity to sunlight, sexual difficulties, urinary retention difficulties, heart palpitations, low blood pressure, confusion, forgetfulness, weakness, disorientation, or hallucinations. Some of these adverse effects may disappear over time.

Less common complications to watch out for are changes in blood sugar, anxiety, irritability, sleep disturbances, twitching, tremors, tingling of arms and legs, seizures, skin rash, digestive upset, or breast enlargement in men and women. Report any symptoms to your physician promptly.

Elavil and most other TCAs interact with quite a few other medications.

Combining different categories of antidepressants (TCAs and Tagamet (cimetidine) and Tegretol (carbamazepine) may also produce an overdose effect if combined with Elavil or other TCAs.

The blood pressure medicine Catapres (clonidine) may lose its effectiveness if taken with Elavil or other TCAs. In fact blood pressure could soar out of control and lead to hypertensive crisis.

Estrogens may also interact with TCAs, though this effect is somewhat unpredictable.

There is a concern that ginkgo biloba could possibly make a person more vulnerable to seizures, so it probably should not be taken together with other drugs known to increase the risk of seizures, such as Elavil.

Interactions between the herb St. John's wort and Elavil are possible. Switching between antidepressants and herbal treatment calls for medical guidance (physicians can find a suggested protocol for gradual substitution of St. John's wort in Hyla Cass's book, St. John's Wort: Nature's Blues Buster).

Check with your pharmacist and physician to make sure Elavil or any TCA is safe in combination with any other drugs and herbs you take.