Amitriptyline: opiate potentiator?

[John_Burrows]

My new pain doc wrote me up for Amitriptyline today and said it would potentiate my dilaudid (I'm having a bad month).

I've never even heard of this stuff before, nor ever seen it mentioned here. The research I did said it was an antidepressant.

Anyone have experience with this stuff?

 

[Psychedelic Jay]

Anticholinergic action is what aids in the analgesia. And it helps the itching.

Why didn't he just give you a strong sedating anti-histamine? Because this is gonna change you mood, it could be blunted, or you will be very happy. But seriously an TCA?