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Paul, I was diagnosed with PD as I was completing my Ph.D. in Behavioral Medicine; so what I'm sharing is from clinical training and from personal experience. When I was first diagnosed I have severe sleep problems. I took amitriptyline for 6 months and it worked great! It is a very safe, low dosage med which did not cause problems with my other meds. Yes, it technically is considered antidepressant, but you are taking it in subtherapetic doses. You could even increase it and still be OK. The only side effects I experienced as dry mouth and a tendency to put on weight. Stabilizing your sleep is very critical to improving your PD symptoms. I encourage you to keep working on the problem. I also had stiff neck related to a car wreck. Through exercise (stretching, biofeedback relaxation, and special chiropractic care that has also completely resolved for me. Don't be discouraged. Just take one thing at a time and I think you will see improvement. Beverly -----Original Message----- From: Paul Lauer <[log in to unmask]> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> Date: Tuesday, March 07, 2000 5:49 PM Subject: amitriptyline >I have had a stiff neck now going on a year. Neither my neuro, my orthopedist >and now a physiatrist(sp?) think it is PD related and I think I that it is >most likely arthritis. I won't bore you with the various things which have >been attempted since that is not my current subject. Add to the neck >problems, problems sleeping which are probably in some way PD related. As a >result of both problems, my physiatrist is prescribing amitriptyline, 10 mg, >which he says is a mild dose and should work both as a sleep aid and a >painkiller. He further says that in larger doses it is an antidepressant, >which I don't need. > >I found the drug in Kathryn Holden's drug database but it doesn't mention one >way or the other whether it is contraindicated for PD or not. Experiences >anybody? > >Paul H. Lauer