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RTK.NET Mail 116742 Jan 22 19:05:16 1996 I know you didn't address this question to me, Cathy, but since I've been on Amitriptyline for awhile and have a friend who is taking it for fibromyalgia, I though I would answer anyway. I take it to prevent migraines. From talking to others on Amitriptyline (Ellavil), I have found a tremendous variety of side effects and tolerance for different dosages. It's effects include drowsiness and dry mouth, which could be an advantage for someone looking for a drug to help them sleep and to combat depression. Of course, if your mother is already on medications that give her dry mouth, that side effect will probably add to that problem. On the other hand, when I am smart enough to carry a bottle of water with me wherever I go, I think it's not so bad to have a condition that reminds me to drink more of it. I take 75 mg and I have been on as much as 100 mg per day. My friend with fibromyalgia takes about 15-20 mg per day and had to work up to that since it made her profoundly sleepy the next day as well. I find the extra drowsiness the next day is only real bad for a week or two after I make a 25 mg or more increase in the amount I'm taking. My friend takes months to adjust to a 5 mg increase. I never lose the dry mouth, although it is most severe during the weeks following an increase. Both of us were originally told to take it just before we went to bed, probably because its an easier time to remember to take a pill. For getting the most out of the drowsiness, though, it's much better to try to begin taking it a couple hours before you want to sleep and then play with it to find the time that helps you get to sleep the fastest and gives you the least drowsiness in the morning. I think my time is about two hours, but my friend's is almost five. As you can guess, there's tremendous variation in Amitriptyline's effects. I haven't always loved being on it, but I do find it helpful for insomnia and preventing migraines, and it has definitely helped my friend's fibromyalgia enough so that she can do some of the exercises she's supposed to be doing, and she'd been in pretty severe pain before that. I hope your mother will find something that works for her. Sherri Cave [log in to unmask]