Congratulations, you are both correct. Elavil as you might guess from this ancient antidepressant’s brand name sort of says “Elevated level “in Slurm, the advertizing science of naming. A lot of depressed alcoholics noted that their sclerotic pancreas and to a lesser degree liver didn’t hurt, on amyltriptyline. In fact Elavil is an effective treatment for alcohol addiction so many uses have been discovered for it.
For some unknown reason it is often quite effective for relieving pancreatic/liver pain so yes it is a pain medication and no you don’t have depression. Elavil is a first generation antidepressant drug and we are using seventh generation of antidepressants possibly trying Elavil if nothing else works. Elavil is sometimes a dual drug, especially for alcoholism, but it isn’t often a first choice antidepressant drug.
Tricyclic antidepressants and benzodiazapam classes of drugs are grouped as types as neuroleptic drugs. Neuroleptic’s have a wide range of uses which span from mental health to muscle spasms and Elavil in particular has no particular label pointing at pain or other uses so don’t take this the wrong way. To a large extent Elavil is prescribed by different doctors for different uses.
I was so misdiagnosed as a kid and Elavil is right in the middle of screw ups magnificent. My non diagnosed CF father was said to have a “nervous stomach” or “neuro-gastric disorder” or just about anything but CF and I was his miniature in a patient form. Since he was on what they called tranquilizers or Librium a benzodiazapam drug, when I started showing IBS and gastritis, I was put on Librium.
This was 1962 and it may sound like the dark ages but tranquilizers or anti-anxiety drugs today, were a cure in a bottle or as close to. After a while being on tranquilizers, they appeared to be depressing me, like that was possible, so he gave me Elavil. I went from Liberating my “um” or worries I guess, to Elevating my "il" or whatever.
I found out fairly quickly that some people can’t take amyltriptyline and I started developing symptoms of tetany or lock jaw. This is a reaction to watch out for with any drug and it is a specific set of symptoms beginning with the feeling your teeth won’t mesh when you clench your mouth. A sardonic grin or the sense you have a cramping grin and NOTHING in the least is at all is funny. Usually talking becomes difficult and if you aren’t at your doctor’s office of the ER, you should be on your way by now. The cramping moves quickly into the neck and paraspinal muscles. This is when you find if you are truly left or right dominant because the stronger side of my body won at the expense of the weaker. Resembling a pretzel when my father carried my torqued body into the ER, my doctor and his nurse injected epinephrine into each arm and it ten minutes I was ready to rumble. Actually I was caught with no energy filled with adrenaline that was running in place. This reaction took exactly four days of a fairly low dose to turn bad. If I had any idea to look for a reaction it was probably noticeable on the second day but I made no association with my odd feeling and the drug.
I honestly wish I could take Elavil because certain types of pain are resolved so well taking it. With the multiple pain sources you are being treated for, it is known to be effective on the different tussue types (i.e. broncial and muscle) as a cluster of regional pain. Your back pain very likely is referred pain from the pancreas and bile ducts. They both could be atrophied or removed and leave all the worst pain in memory so their absense isnt a guarantee the pain is too. Elavil nails this type of pain and as you know your lungs refer pain to your back and ribs. If Elavil is not effective, possibly Klonipin, a benzodiazapam has been known to relax muscles while reducing nerve agitation. From there you are open to a wide range of directions to go with chronic pain. From acupuncture to trigger point injections and meditation to wearing a fentanyl patch it is so personalized this is a journey best explored in person and with an open mind.
Elavil won’t put weight on you. It doesn’t change your metabolism or your ability to absorb food nutrients. It can engender the desire to eat. Think of it as giving you the munchies. It isn’t sedative and it doesn’t cloud the mind like narcotic analgesics can and there is nowhere the degree of risk for habit forming patterns needing exponentially more and more with time. Don’t knock the drug, when somebody wigs out over its original market, educate them and smile.
LL
P.S. Slurm is somthing I just made up. The rest is accurate to the best of my knowledge.
