I took Elavil for pain when I herniated two of the discs in my back and it was the only thing that brought me relief. Fast forward 15 years and the orthopod I'm seeing for my hip arthritis won't prescribe and the tramadol he did prescribe wasn't helpful. :(

My mother was prescribed Cymbalta for pain I always thought that was strange because I new it was an antidepresent. But I've noticed lately on Tv they're advertising it for pain now. Back then, they were advertising it for depresion. It was new then. I also have osteo and take Mobic but am beginning to think that it's not helping anymore. I also take Plaquniel. Not sure it's helping much either. But I'm afraid to try it without it because it may even be worse. It must be a new thing that they are prescribing antidepresants for pain. Let us know it amitriptylin works. At least it's cheap.

I have had osteoarthritis in both knees for many years now. I have daily, constant pain. Current treatment consists of 2400mg of Ibuprofen which just takes the edge off the pain. The pain in my left knee increased considerably starting yesterday. Im unable to do anything; just limping around my apartment. I have been researching Synvisc online. Ive been reading about other people's experience with it and Im surprised that more people dont use it. I will make an appt with an ortho doctor and request the Synvisc. I had a cortisone injection about two years ago which helped for about two weeks. I didnt go back to that doctor because he was so disinterested. He didnt do an xray even though he had facilities in his office. He just gave me the injection, never said anything about followup. I was painfree for about two weeks; it was wonderful! I never went back to him because I didnt like the way he treated me. Im hoping to find a more caring doctor who will relieve my chronic knee pain. I am a pretty stoic person who can and has dealt with a lot of pain (broken femur, bilateral posterior tibial tendon repair, arthritis in lower back, knees, ankles and feet, and shingles) but I am really tired of being in pain all the time.

rosaneB i feel so bad for you and all of the rest of you...This pain from arthiritis is so bad and frustating. And some drs r so good about trying untl right medicatons r bein used but some drs I just dont know about...god loves us all though and we have ech other to lean and cry on so lets all hang in there. Hugs to everyone!

Thank you for your kind thoughts, mommycares. Ive stayed off my feet for the weekend so the pain is somewhat better. I will be trying today to get an appt with an ortho ASAP, hoping that I can get the Synvisc at the first visit. My anxiety to get this done is due to the fact that one of my daughters is having a baby in September and I need to be fairly active in order to chase my 4 yo grandson around!

Ive done some research online but I would like to hear from anybody who has had the Synvisc injections to find out if the Synvisc One is better or less tolerated than the three injection Synvisc. Since I need both knees done, the cost of the six injections would be astronomical and there are time contraints. But I would pay it if I would get a better result from the three.

Try it and see if it works. They are prescribing other antidepressants for pain-Cymbalta and Savella are two that come to mind. Elavil is much older and probably a lot less expensive. I would just as soon try those before getting into any heavy pain meds until you have to. If it does not work, just tell your doc you want to try something else.

Hi debbi98, I've had OA for nearly 26 years and I'm just in my mid forties. I know how discouraging it can feel when our bodies start breaking down on us. Over, the years my biggest self-help has been MSM, glucosamine sulphate & advil. A physical therapist can show you different exercises that will strengthen those muscles that run vertical along your knee. I've noticed taking a lot of stairs (making sure not to over-do it) has helped tremendously. My knees are considered 'severally' effected. There is some new emerging theories on diet, eating vegetables high in sulfur and drinking LOTS of water are supposed to help. Try what the doc offers. . . if it doesn't help, stop taking it. I had great help from Celebrex, but stopped taking it for personal reasons. Hang in there. . . you're going to learn how to take care of yourself even better! : )

The elavil will help you to sleep also so i guess the doc killed two birds with one stone so to speak. Jen

Thank you all for the suggestions but Im kind of leery about starting new medications on top of the ones I already take.

I saw an orthopedic surgeon today and he did xrays of both my knees. He says that I have bone rubbing on bone (yes, it is as painful as it sounds, as Im sure most of you are aware.) and "significant" arthritis. Duuuh, doctor, tell me something I dont already know!

We discussed my options and I decided to try the Synvisc injections. We are going with the Synvisc One and I will have both knees injected on the same day.

Unfortunately, I have to wait for approval from my insurance company which the doctor's insurance person told me has been taking about a month. I hope I can hold out that long!

Arthritis sure sucks.

I had synvisc for my knee. I did the one dose variety. It helped tremendously the first time round - good relief for about 6 months. THen I went back and we did it again. Didn't work so good the 2nd time round. ONly worked a little bit, and only for about a month maybe 2 - i forget now. Then we went to steroid injections. They work too, but not as long. I've had 2 now and I think I'm about due again. I need to get the knee replaced, but it's in line after the ankle fusion, and then there is the neck that needs surgery .. . . . . who keeps up? I need a new skeleton. Who can afford any of it???

As for the antidepressants - they are used quite a bit for pain these days - the older ones, and a couple of the newer ones. It seems the old tricyclics work the best for pain - particularly neuropathic pain, but sometimes arthritic pain too. It is not that new a thing, it just hasn't been advertised much. They use a much lower dose than they use for depression, but you will probably still get the side effects - which are dry mouth and constipation, feeling quite groggy at first but that wears off. They also use some seizure medicines for pain, like neurontin. Again, usually for neuropathic pain, but sometimes arthritic pain too. Part of it is because none of these doctors want to prescribe narcotics. They think everyone will get addicted and abuse them. Anyway, elavil, and nortriptyline and amitriptyline all have pretty good track records for pain. Cymbalta doesn't work so well. Neurontin is hit or miss. But, if you aren't getting relief from tylenol or NSAIDs, they are worth a try.

OTC and herbals seem to help some people. THe research on them shows little to no effect however. So, try them if you want to. My wife swears by glucosamine. It does nothing for me. MSM gets good press, but again, research shows no effect. Turmeric is a good OTC anti inflammatory.

Vanyel the bleary eyed . .. .. .. . . .

Yes, van, arthritis sucks big time! It sounds as if youve tried every medication known to man in pursuit of pain relief. As I said previously, I am hesitant to try any new meds. I get an exaggerated response to most meds. Tylenol, as mild as it is, puts me right to sleep. One half tablet of a muscle relaxant put me on my back for two days, even though I had only had one dose. A second generation antibotic gave me severe diarrhea for six days; I had only taken it for two days. So you can see why I really dont like to try new meds.

Ive done a lot of research online and it seems that even though the literature says Synvisc will relieve pain for six months, some people, such as yourself, get relief for less than that time period but others get relief for as long as two years. I guess its an individual thing.

I am pinning all my hopes on the Synvisc. Ive been praying really hard that my insurance company will give me approval sooner than the one month it usually takes. At least, thats the time period I was told by my doctor's office. Its going to be a long month.

i take glucosomine 1500 a day,wasn't too impressed till i stopped them after a year and within weeks my arthritis was much worse,,,i'm back on them again now,and try swimming to excercise your knee,it will help.good luck and best wishes

i never took that antidepressant because i cant take them. but have osteo in both knees the right is the worse.i also started a live arthritis chat on 24/7 were we can help each other if interested contact me at annie 1953@ymail.com

I have been taking the generic form of Elavil for about 15 years. It was prescribed by an orthopedic surgeon to help with pain/sleep at night. I take 75 mg about 2 hours before bedtime. My ortho told me that it would take at least this dosage to help with pain in my back.

Still waiting for approval from my insurance company for the Synvisc. (I hate insurance companies!). I called the ortho drs office because my knee pain was very bad and I didnt know if I could hold out till I got the approval. My dr suggested cortisone injections which I got the next day. I got a lidocaine injection before the cortisone so I had no pain whatsoever from both injections. However, the next day, my knee pain was so bad I could hardly walk. But the day after that, my pain was almost completely gone and hasnt come back yet. Im hoping the cortisone effect will last until I can get the Synvisc.

For those of you complaining of back pain, I have to tell you what worked for me. I sleep on an airbed; have been for 7-8 years. Its 24 inches high so its just about as high as a regular bed. Its so comfortable; I wake up in the same position I went to sleep in which helps my sleep apnea and I dont have any back pain when I get up. I usually have to replace it about every three years. It can be a little expensive but well worth it since it helped my back pain so much. If you shop around online, you can probably find one at a reasonable price; it depends on what size you need.