Am I ready for tricyclics?

So I was diagnosed with V back in September and tried hydro cream for like, 2 days before quickly giving that up due to the pain.. since then I have only used lidocaine gel, which has been semi helpful for me. Went for another hospital visit this week and I am now being prescribed amitryptaline.
I am just wondering if this is a big jump? Having researched tricyclics, the side effects and inability to drink alcohol etc are worrying me - I'm only 20, and committing to taking a drug conceivably for life, or at least for a few years if it works, is worrying me quite a lot.
Are there any steps that should come before this? Or is it really time for me to take this medication? To be honest, if I got to be pain free.. I wouldn't care what else I had to give up.

(Please no personal stories about how ami didn't work for you - everyone is different, I'd like to go into this positively if it is the right option for me! Thanks )

hi i am also 20 and suffering from a v disorder that ive had for over a year..i have inflamation and irritation of my vulva (vulvitis) and when my inflamation goes down i am also going to be going on a tricyclic to treat the irritation. I've also had the same concern about not being ready to commit to not drinking/smoking since we are both sooo young and aren't even 21 year ya know? just letting you know youre not the only one and i think if it helps itll be worth it I've also read that taking ami only makes you a light weight when you drink and you get more dizzy? im not sure though lol if you end up going on it please keep us posted id like to know if it works!

I would say ami isn't necessarily a big jump. It was the first thing I was offered & the first thing I tried. The only other major thing I can think of is maybe physio but you could always do that at the same time as taking ami. It's a difficult decision but on the balance of things, wouldn't it be wonderful if it worked for you? After all, if you get up to the highest dose and it doesn't help you can just come off it and try something else, or give your body a break for a while. I probably shouldn't admit this but I'm sure I had the odd sneaky drink when I was on ami...

Hope it works for you if you go for it! xx

Amitriptyline was one of the first things prescribed for me too. I think it's pretty standard to go for it early on, although I'm not too sure why, I don't know if there's a high-ish success rate for it or not???

As for it being a big jump... My GP, and every other doctor I've spoken to, was more concerned about me having Pregabalin than Ami, so I don't think it's too much of a big deal. But I guess it depends how high you go up. I tried it for 3 months at 30mg a day, which was a lot more than they were happy to give me, and came off it cold turkey without any problems. And no one told me not to drink on them (this is the first I've heard about it!) and I didn't notice any difference when I was drinking.

I wouldn't worry about it too much though. I just ask for whatever they'll possibly give me, regardless of concerns, anything to get this gone!

I hope it works for you!

P.S. I'm 22...