Elavil is a brand name for amitriptyline. The generic is amitriptyline, which is widely available.
Key points:
- Forms and strengths: tablets (commonly 10, 25, 50, 75, 100, 150 mg) and oral solution.
- Uses: approved for depression; often used off-label for nerve/pain conditions, migraines, and sometimes insomnia.
- Dosing: highly individualized. A clinician usually starts low (for example, 25 mg at night) and gradually adjusts. Daily total can range widely (often up to 150–300 mg/day in some cases), but your doctor will determine the right dose for you.
- Common side effects: drowsiness, dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, dizziness, weight gain.
- Serious risks and precautions: may affect heart rhythm and blood pressure, can cause urinary retention and glaucoma-related issues, and has anticholinergic effects. Contraindicated with MAO inhibitors. Use with caution in older adults, people with heart disease, seizures, or glaucoma. Avoid alcohol and be cautious with sedatives.
- Interactions: can interact with other antidepressants, sedatives, anticholinergic drugs, and alcohol.
If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific condition (depression, neuropathic pain, etc.), or check typical prices or availability at your pharmacy. What would you like to know next?