Elavil etc. (Amitriptyline)
Elavil etc. (Amitriptyline) is an antidepressant with strong sedating properties. As Amitriptyline for insomnia also has pain-relieving properties, it may be especially useful as a sleep aid for individuals whose sleep problems are caused by chronic pain conditions.
Amitriptyline for insomnia belongs to the group of drugs called tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs). TCA’s work by increasing levels of serotonin and norepinephrine, two of the neurotransmitter chemicals that carry messages between brain nerve cells (Amitriptyline for insomnia affects the two neurotransmitters almost equally, having a 1.6:1 norepinephrine to serotonin balance). Neurotransmitters are secreted by one cell and picked up by receptor proteins on the surface of another cell. Once the message has been delivered, a neurotransmitter is either destroyed or absorbed into the cell that made it. This process is known as re-uptake. When re-uptake is inhibited, the effect of the neurotransmitter is amplified. Neurotransmitters like serotonin and norepinephrine are involved in the regulation of pain, pleasure, anxiety, panic, arousal, and sleep behavior (the sleep-wake cycle).
With the introduction in 1988 of Prozac etc. (Fluoxetine), a new type of antidepressant called the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s) began to replace the TCA’s as the preferred course of treatment for mood disorders. Though the TCA’s have been shown to be as effective as the SSRI’s (and other newer types of antidepressants) in affecting mood, they also tend to be less selective in the brain receptors that they block, and thus tend to cause greater side effects - like sedation, weight gain, dry mouth and constipation.
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