Amitriptyline (Elavil)

What the word means

Amitriptyline is the drug. Elavil is the old brand name.

It’s a tricyclic antidepressant, part of a generation of medications that came before SSRIs. Tricyclics work, and they aren’t obsolete, but they’re strongly anticholinergic, which means dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, and mental fog are common. Newer antidepressants do a similar job with a lighter touch, so amitriptyline stopped being a first choice for depression.

Where you’ll actually meet it now is at low doses, prescribed off-label for sleep, migraine prevention, or nerve pain. Many people take it without ever being treated for depression at all.

Where to read the full guide

Shrinktionary handles the word.

Read the full amitriptyline guide at PsychiatryRx, which covers its uses, its side effect profile, and its cautions.

Related terms you’ll see next

• Tricyclic antidepressant
• Anticholinergic
• Off-label
• Doxepin

When to seek professional care

Tricyclics are more dangerous than newer antidepressants in overdose, which is a reason prescribers are careful about who gets them and how much. Tell your prescriber about heavy grogginess, confusion, an inability to urinate, or a fast, irregular heartbeat. In older adults, new confusion after starting this deserves a hard look at the medication rather than being blamed on age. If you have thoughts of harming yourself, get help right away by calling 911, or call or text 988 in the US to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>Amitriptyline (Elavil):</strong> Amitriptyline is an older tricyclic antidepressant, sold as Elavil. It's now used mostly off-label at low doses for sleep and for chronic pain, because its side effects are heavy.</p>
  <p>&mdash; <a href="https://shrinktionary.com/terms/amitriptyline/">Shrinktionary</a>, a plain-English mental health dictionary, medically reviewed by a board certified psychiatrist.</p>
</blockquote>