Side Effects Of Amitriptyline For Depression

Like all medicines, amitriptyline can cause side effects in some people, but many people have no side effects or only minor ones.

Common side effects of amitriptyline for depression

Some of the common side effects of amitriptyline will gradually improve as your body gets used to the medicine.

These common side effects happen in more than 1 in 100 people. There are things you can do to help cope with them:

Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if the advice on how to cope does not help and a side effect is still bothering you or does not go away.

Serious side effects

It happens rarely, but some people have a serious side effect after taking amitriptyline.

Call a doctor or call 111 now if:

• your heartbeat becomes fast or irregular
• the whites of your eyes turn yellow, or your skin turns yellow, although this may be less obvious on brown or black skin, or you have dark pee - these can be signs of a liver problem
• you have constant headaches, you feel sick (nausea) and weak, and you get frequent muscle cramps - together, these can be a sign of low sodium levels in your blood. In severe cases low sodium levels can lead to a fit or seizure
• you have eye pain, a change in your eyesight, or swelling or redness in or around your eye
• you have constipation that lasts a long time, a swollen stomach, a high temperature and you're being sick (vomiting) - these can be signs of intestine problems
• you have problems peeing which are causing stomach ache, or you cannot pee at all
• you have a high temperature with shivering or chills and sore throat that lasts a long time, or you're bleeding or bruising more easily than usual - these can be signs that the medicine has affected your blood or bone marrow

Call 999 if:

Call 999 or go to A&E if:

Serious allergic reaction

In rare cases, it's possible to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to amitriptyline.

Call 999 now if:

• your lips, mouth, throat or tongue suddenly become swollen
• you're breathing very fast or struggling to breathe (you may become very wheezy or feel like you're choking or gasping for air)
• your throat feels tight or you're struggling to swallow
• your skin, tongue or lips turn blue, grey or pale (if you have black or brown skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of your hands or soles of your feet)
• you suddenly become very confused, drowsy or dizzy
• someone faints and cannot be woken up
• a child is limp, floppy or not responding like they normally do (their head may fall to the side, backwards or forwards, or they may find it difficult to lift their head or focus on your face)

You or the person who's unwell may also have a rash that's swollen, raised, itchy, blistered or peeling.

These can be signs of a serious allergic reaction and may need immediate treatment in hospital.

Other side effects

These are not all the side effects of amitriptyline. For a full list see the leaflet inside your medicines packet.

Reporting side effects

You can report any suspected side effect using the Yellow Card safety scheme.

Visit the Yellow Card website for more information about reporting side effects.

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