What are amitriptyline and nortriptyline used for?
Amitriptyline and nortriptyline are useful in reducing the symptoms of chronic pain in the following skin conditions: • Vulvodynia (vulval pain) • Vestibulodynia (pain with sexual intercourse) • Dyaesthetic vulvodynia (neuropathic pain) • Shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia Pain arising from these conditions is defined as sympathetically maintained pain (SMP). The pain is usually described as having a burning sensation and is often in response to stimuli that does not ordinarily cause pain. This pain originates from the nervous system. Amitriptyline appears to be effective in reducing this type of neuropathic pain in doses lower than those used to treat depression.
