HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

Does Amitriptyline And Imipramine Help Cure Nerve Pain?

Posted on Wed, 10 May 2017

Question: Yes, looking for information re the use of Imipramine or Amipramine or Amipramine HCL that can be used off label for pain helping block nerve endings? These are given to elderly people and have been over 20 years in use and also now used as off label for the elderly to block nerve pain. Please help obtain any information re these substances in use for helping block the pain in nerve endings. Two vets have told me that I must be spelling it wrong or another one told me it was in use only for depression. It is really in the off-label field that I am looking for the answer. The drug names were given to me to look into by my psychologist. She loves dogs and know what my dog means to me. Thank you. Barbara Tanguy, email; is: YYYY@YYYY

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (46 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
amitriptyline and imipramine

Detailed Answer:
Hi, thanks for using healthcare magic

Amitriptyline and imipramine are TCA anti depressants that are used to treat chronic pain in humans.
Chronic pain is thought to be due to abnormal function of the nerves or increased nerve sensitivity

If you check for these medications with use in chronic pain , you would see a lot of articles pointing to their successful use in people which should translate to dogs though your vet can clarify.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other questions

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)

Thank you Dr. XXXXXXX for confirming what my psychologist recommended re that this medicine is being used for treatment of chronic pain (especially in the elderly).

If I check these medicines for chronic pain, do you mean with a PDR as they do not show up when I printed out chronic pain meds in WebMD and I do not have access to a PDR.

In addition to your valuable insight and resource, where else could I obtain these articles that you mentioned pointing to successful use in people?

Thank you.
Barbara Tanguy

Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (24 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
if you use the terms..chronic pain plus the medications

Detailed Answer:
Hi

No need for a PDR, if you use a search engine (google, yahoo,bing etc) and use the terms amitriptyline and chronic pain or imipramine and chronic pain, articles and information siting the use of these medications in chronic pain.

Please feel free to ask anything else

Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar