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This page shows a quick schedule for this drug. For the guided path — pre-taper risk quiz, formulation-aware steps, and email delivery — start from the main calculator.
Amitriptyline (Elavil) Tapering Guide
Amitriptyline (Elavil and generics) is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) used for depression and, at lower doses, for chronic pain, migraine prevention, and sleep. This guide and medication taper calculator help you plan how to taper off amitriptyline safely with your prescriber.
Dosage
Amitriptyline tablets commonly come in scored 10 mg, 25 mg, and 50 mg strengths. In the UK a 2 mg/mL oral liquid is also available; elsewhere a compounded liquid can cover small final doses.
Strong anticholinergic effects mean stopping too fast can cause cholinergic rebound (sweating, cramps, nausea, restlessness) as well as mood or sleep changes — taper gradually whether the indication is depression, pain, or sleep.
Amitriptyline taper schedule
Choose a common starting dose to preview the full hyperbolic schedule — free, no email required. This schedule has 35 steps and takes about 136 weeks in total; your prescriber may adjust the pace based on how you feel.
Starting dose
- Selected start
- 50 mg/day · 1× daily
- Taper speed
- Slow
- Region (formulations)
- US
- Tablet/liquid products used for dosing tips — not your location. Example uses US formulary; change region in the custom builder.
- Modelled occupancy at start
- ~66.7%
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Step | Daily (mg) | How to take it | Per dose × 1/day | Hold (weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 50 | Your current dose — hold steady before step 1. | 50 mg × 1 | — |
| 1 | 40 | Take 4 × 10 mg generic tablets (40 mg active ingredient total). | 40 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 2 | 30 | Take 3 × 10 mg generic tablets (30 mg active ingredient total). | 30 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 3 | 25 | Take 2 whole 10 mg tablets + half of a scored 10 mg tablet (5 mg) ≈ 25 mg active ingredient. | 25 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 4 | 20 | Take 2 × 10 mg generic tablets (20 mg active ingredient total). | 20 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 5 | 18.4 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 18.4 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 6 | 16.95 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 16.95 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 7 | 15.65 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 15.65 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 8 | 14.45 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 14.45 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 9 | 13.4 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 13.4 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 10 | 12.4 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 12.4 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 11 | 11.5 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 11.5 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 12 | 10 | Take 1 × 10 mg generic tablet (10 mg active ingredient total). | 10 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 13 | 9.3 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 9.3 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 14 | 8.65 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 8.65 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 15 | 8 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 8 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 16 | 7.4 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 7.4 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 17 | 6.85 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 6.85 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 18 | 6.35 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 6.35 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 19 | 5.85 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 5.85 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 20 | 5.4 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 5.4 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 21 | 4.95 | Take half of a scored 10 mg tablet (5 mg) ≈ 5 mg active ingredient. | 4.95 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 22 | 4.55 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 4.55 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 23 | 4.15 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 4.15 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 24 | 3.8 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 3.8 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 25 | 3.45 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 3.45 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 26 | 3.1 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 3.1 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 27 | 2.8 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 2.8 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 28 | 2.5 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 2.5 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 29 | 2.2 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 2.2 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 30 | 1.95 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 1.95 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 31 | 1.7 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 1.7 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 32 | 1.45 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 1.45 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 33 | 1.2 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 1.2 mg × 1 | 4 |
| 34 | 1 | GPSee liquid / compounding note below | 1 mg × 1 | 4 |
Rows highlighted: larger occupancy drop than target — consider smaller steps or longer holds. If symptoms are intolerable, return to the previous dose and talk to your prescriber.
Steps that cannot be made from whole or half licensed tablets point to the liquid / compounding note below — ask your prescriber before changing how you take your dose.
Want a copy to keep?
The full amitriptyline schedule is already shown below. Enter your email to also receive a PDF and HTML copy you can save or share with your prescriber — optional, and we never gate the schedule behind it.
It's not a substitute for medical advice. This calculator can help you visualise a tapering schedule but before making any changes to your medication plan it's necessary to consult a medical professional. Ask a psychiatrist — available after you request your protocol.
Dose vs occupancy
This taper is spread across 35 gradual steps. The curve below shows why the last few milligrams matter most: at low doses, small dose changes produce large drops in serotonin-transporter occupancy.
What this shows: the non-linear relationship between dose and serotonin transporter (SERT) occupancy. The curve is flat at high doses — most transporters are already blocked, so a dose cut has little biological impact — and much steeper at low doses, where even a 1–2 mg reduction causes a disproportionately large drop in occupancy. Your taper steps are spaced along this curve so each step removes a similar amount of occupancy.
Hill curve of modelled receptor occupancy versus dose. Current dose near 50.0 milligrams per day.
Modelled Hill-curve occupancy — illustrative only. PET-derived parameters vary by study; your prescriber may use different clinical targets. Small mg changes near zero can still produce large occupancy shifts.
How to Taper Off Amitriptyline (Elavil) Safely
How to taper off amitriptyline (Elavil) safely must cover anticholinergic rebound as well as antidepressant withdrawal. Amitriptyline is a tricyclic with a half-life around 10–28 hours (nortriptyline metabolite longer) used for depression, migraine prevention, and neuropathic pain — often at lower doses than classic antidepressant targets. Coming off amitriptyline needs a gradual taper schedule planned with your prescriber.
People searching how to wean off amitriptyline or get off antidepressants / pain TCAs commonly report sweating, diarrhoea, insomnia, and restlessness after fast cuts. Slow hyperbolic or stepped reductions fit Maudsley deprescribing practice and NICE NG222 caution against abrupt stops.
What coming off amitriptyline actually feels like, week by week
Cholinergic rebound can dominate: sweating, abdominal cramps, diarrhoea, nausea, and insomnia, sometimes with flu-like aches. Mood irritability and vivid dreams also occur. Onset is often within a few days of a large cut.
Pain or migraine may flare temporarily when amitriptyline was helping those indications — track timing versus your original depressive symptoms. Well-sized steps settle over one to two weeks for many people.
“Dropping too quickly gave me days of sweating and stomach cramps I did not expect — nothing like the zaps people describe with other tablets.”
“I only took 25 mg for sleep, so I assumed stopping would be nothing. My sleep fell apart for a fortnight until I tapered it properly.”
Withdrawal or relapse — how to tell them apart
TCA withdrawal / rebound is early and often autonomic/gut-heavy and eases with reinstatement. Relapse of depression, migraine, or neuropathic pain usually evolves over a longer period (Cosci & Chouinard, 2020).
Amitriptyline taper schedules by starting dose (150, 75, 25, 10 mg)
Tablets commonly include 10, 25, 50, and 75 mg (availability varies). Notes high → low.
From 75–150 mg: how to taper off amitriptyline at antidepressant-range doses can use larger early milligram steps while monitoring sedation, orthostasis, and cholinergic rebound.
From 25–50 mg: an amitriptyline taper schedule in the pain/migraine range should shrink; many people are surprised that “only 25 mg” still needs staging.
From 10 mg: how to taper off amitriptyline 10 mg may need halves or liquid/compounded doses — stopping from 10 mg is not always trivial after long use.
If it gets worse: pausing and reinstatement
Hold or reinstate if sweating, gut distress, or insomnia are severe. Partial reinstatement often settles cholinergic rebound within a day or two.
Resume more slowly. ECG and interaction review matter more with TCAs than with SSRIs — involve your clinician when you come off amitriptyline.
Small doses of amitriptyline
Low-strength tablets (10 mg) and careful splitting help; compounded liquid covers sub-tablet steps after long courses.
Keep the last reductions proportional. Sedation may lift as you wean off — plan sleep supports if insomnia rebounds.
The bottom line
Amitriptyline tapering is as much about cholinergic rebound and indication (pain vs mood) as about mood relapse. Use a staged taper schedule, expect sweat/gut symptoms if you go too fast, and stop only with a plan.
Milligram scale guidance (advanced — prescriber/pharmacist approval required)
When a dose is below what you can split from a licensed tablet, some people weigh crushed tablet powder. This is not exact chemistry — it is a last resort. Liquid or compounded formulations are safer when available.
- Resolution: at least 0.001 g (1 mg) — not a kitchen scale.
- Include a calibration weight and use a draft shield if possible.
- Weigh on a stable surface; tare your container first.
- Crushed tablet weight ≠ exact active ingredient — drug may not be evenly distributed; prefer liquid or compounded specials when available.
- Never split enteric-coated (EC) or extended-release (XR) products — discuss with your pharmacist.
Example searches (confirm specs before buying):
Key facts about hyperbolic antidepressant tapering
The calculator algorithm is based on peer-reviewed research and has been reviewed by our medical advisors to ensure the accuracy of the tapering model.
72%
discontinued their antidepressant using hyperbolic tapering strips in a real-world study
71% of the same people had previously tried to stop at least once and been unsuccessful; the study did not record which method those earlier attempts used. Figures come from tapering-strip research and may not generalise to every taper.
Source: Groot et al., Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2021
56 days
median taper length in that tapering-strip study — not a target; many people taper over 6–12 months or longer
This median reflects tapering-strip use in one study. Your timeline depends on how long you have taken the medication, your withdrawal symptoms, and previous attempts — slower is often safer.
Source: Groot et al., Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2021
10%
serotonin transporter occupancy per tapering step
This linear reduction prevents withdrawal. Slower, more gradual tapering over several months has shown greater success in reducing withdrawal symptoms than short tapers.
Claro — tapering companion
A protocol isn’t enough — you need support.
Tapering can take months, sometimes years. Claro helps you track each step, log symptoms, and spot when a reduction was too fast — with psychiatrist-reviewed guidance. Join early access while we launch the app.
Frequently asked questions about amitriptyline
Common questions about how to taper off amitriptyline, hyperbolic schedules, and withdrawal — written for people who want to come off antidepressants safely with their prescriber.
How do you taper off amitriptyline?
What is cholinergic rebound when stopping amitriptyline?
Do you need to taper low-dose amitriptyline for sleep or pain?
What is an antidepressant tapering calculator?
Why use a tapering calculator?
How does an antidepressant taper calculator work?
What is hyperbolic tapering and why is it recommended?
What is the safest way to taper off antidepressants?
How slowly should antidepressants be reduced?
What are common antidepressant withdrawal symptoms?
What is the difference between antidepressant withdrawal and relapse?
Is it dangerous to stop antidepressants cold turkey?
Why are the last antidepressant dose reductions often the hardest?
Which antidepressants are hardest to taper off?
Need a different dose or speed?
Use the guided builder to enter your current dose, region, and taper preset — then email your personalised protocol.
Request custom protocol →Clinical references
- [1]Horowitz MA, Taylor D. Tapering of SSRI treatment to mitigate withdrawal symptoms. The Lancet Psychiatry 2019.doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(19)30032-XProposes hyperbolic dose reduction based on receptor-occupancy curves; the methodological basis of every modern taper calculator.
- [2]Horowitz MA, Taylor D. The Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines. Wiley 2024.doi:10.1002/9781394291052Per-drug operational manual for hyperbolic tapering across SSRIs, SNRIs, benzodiazepines, gabapentinoids, and antipsychotics.
- [3]Davies J, Read J. A systematic review into the incidence, severity and duration of antidepressant withdrawal effects. Addictive Behaviors 2019.doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2018.08.027Systematic review: 56% of people who discontinue antidepressants experience withdrawal effects; 46% rate them as severe.
- [4]Henssler J et al. Incidence of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Psychiatry 2024.doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(24)00133-0Meta-analysis of 79 studies (≈21,000 patients): pooled incidence of discontinuation symptoms ~31%; severe symptoms ~2.8%.
- [5]Groot PC, van Os J. Successful use of tapering strips for hyperbolic reduction of antidepressant dose: a cohort study. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2021.doi:10.1177/2045125321103932772% of patients successfully discontinued antidepressants after switching to the hyperbolic model; 71% had previously failed to come off without tapering strips.
- [6]Groot PC, van Os J. Antidepressant tapering strips to help people come off medication: real-world outcomes. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2023.doi:10.1177/20451253231171518Of 1,194 patients using hyperbolic taper strips after previous failed attempts, ~71% successfully discontinued their antidepressant.
- [7]Framer A. What I have learnt from helping thousands of people taper off antidepressants and other psychotropic medications. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2021.doi:10.1177/2045125321991274Describes the "windows and waves" pattern of withdrawal recovery and supports patient-led pacing.
- [8]Hengartner MP et al. Protracted withdrawal syndrome after stopping antidepressants: a descriptive quantitative analysis of consumer narratives. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2020.doi:10.1177/2045125320967183Descriptive analysis of 69 protracted withdrawal cases: median duration 79 weeks; 47% report suicidality during withdrawal.
- [9]Cosci F, Chouinard G. Acute and persistent withdrawal syndromes following discontinuation of psychotropic medications. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics 2020.doi:10.1159/000506868Taxonomy distinguishing new withdrawal symptoms, rebound, and persistent post-withdrawal disorder; the standard framework for withdrawal vs. relapse.
- [10]Kalfas M et al. Incidence and Nature of Antidepressant Discontinuation Symptoms. JAMA Psychiatry 2025.doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2025.1362Recent meta-analysis: dizziness was the most common discontinuation symptom in the first 2 weeks after stopping antidepressants, followed by nausea, vertigo, and nervousness.
- [11]Gabriel M, Sharma V. Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome. Canadian Medical Association Journal 2017.doi:10.1503/cmaj.160991Clinical review of antidepressant discontinuation syndrome: onset within days of dose reduction, typical symptom course, and management.
- [12]Papp A, Onton J. Brain Zaps: An Underappreciated Symptom of Antidepressant Discontinuation. The Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders 2018.doi:10.4088/pcc.18m02311Characterises "brain zaps" — brief electric-shock sensations — as a common antidepressant discontinuation symptom.
- [13]Wang J, Cosci F. Acute and persistent withdrawal syndromes following discontinuation of antidepressants in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2025.doi:10.1177/20451253251404780Systematic review of acute and persistent antidepressant withdrawal syndromes; reinforces reducing only when stable and under supervision.
- [14]Horowitz M, Taylor D. Distinguishing relapse from antidepressant withdrawal: clinical practice and antidepressant discontinuation studies. BJPsych Advances 2022.doi:10.1192/bja.2021.62Frames how clinicians can distinguish antidepressant withdrawal from relapse of the underlying condition.
- [15]Sørensen A, Ruhé HG, Munkholm K. The relationship between dose and serotonin transporter occupancy of antidepressants — a systematic review. Molecular Psychiatry 2021.doi:10.1038/s41380-021-01285-wSystematic review of dose–SERT-occupancy relationships across antidepressants; confirms the hyperbolic curve underlying proportional tapering.
- [16]Reeve R, Turner JR. Pharmacodynamic models: parameterizing the Hill equation, Michaelis-Menten, the logistic curve, and relationships among these models. Journal of Biopharmaceutical Statistics 2013.doi:10.1080/10543406.2012.756496Explains how the Hill equation, Michaelis-Menten, and logistic models relate — the mathematical basis for the occupancy curve used here.
- [17]Preskorn SH. The use of biomarkers in psychiatric research: how serotonin transporter occupancy explains the dose-response curves of SSRIs. Journal of Psychiatric Practice 2012.LinkShows how SERT occupancy explains the non-linear dose–response curves of SSRIs.
- [18]Cohrs D, Shapiro B. The relationship between SERT occupancy and extracellular serotonin concentration is hyperbolic, not linear: implications for safely tapering SRI antidepressants. SSRN (preprint) 2026.doi:10.2139/ssrn.6176553Argues the SERT-occupancy to serotonin relationship is itself hyperbolic, reinforcing proportional (hyperbolic) tapering.
- [19]Moncrieff J et al. Evidence on antidepressant withdrawal: an appraisal and reanalysis of a recent systematic review. Psychological Medicine 2025.doi:10.1017/S0033291725100652Reappraisal of recent withdrawal-incidence evidence; relevant to how withdrawal rates are interpreted.
- [20]Wilson E, Lader M. A review of the management of antidepressant discontinuation symptoms. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2015.doi:10.1177/2045125315612334Practical review of how to manage antidepressant discontinuation symptoms, including tapering and reinstatement.
- [21]Groot PC, van Os J. Outcome of antidepressant drug discontinuation with tapering strips after 1–5 years. Therapeutic Advances in Psychopharmacology 2020.doi:10.1177/2045125320954609Long-term follow-up (1–5 years) of patients who discontinued antidepressants using hyperbolic taper strips.
- [22]Gury C, Cousin F. Pharmacokinetics of SSRI antidepressants: half-life and clinical applicability. L'Encéphale 1999.LinkHalf-life data for SSRIs — explains why short-half-life drugs (paroxetine, venlafaxine) provoke faster withdrawal.
- [23]Mayo Clinic. Antidepressant withdrawal: Is there such a thing?. Mayo Clinic — Expert Answers 2024.LinkPatient-facing explainer on antidepressant discontinuation symptoms and gradual tapering.
- [24]NHS Scotland — Right Decision Service. Antidepressants — quality prescribing: difficulty withdrawing from an SSRI/SNRI. NHS Scotland 2024.LinkNHS Scotland guidance on recognising and managing difficulty withdrawing from SSRIs/SNRIs.
- [25]The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Clinical pearls for hyperbolic tapering of psychiatric medications in older adults. The Carlat Report 2024.LinkPractical clinical pearls for applying hyperbolic tapering, including in older adults.
- [26]Royal College of Psychiatrists. Stopping antidepressants — information for patients and carers. Royal College of Psychiatrists 2024.LinkRCPsych patient-facing guidance on coming off antidepressants safely.
- [27]National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Depression in adults: treatment and management. NICE guideline [NG222]. NICE 2022.LinkUK national guideline endorsing proportional (hyperbolic) tapering and the use of liquid formulations to enable small final doses.
- [28]Royal College of Psychiatrists. Stopping antidepressants — position statement (CR225). Royal College of Psychiatrists 2020.LinkRCPsych acknowledges withdrawal can be severe and long-lasting; recommends slow, individualised tapers.
- [29]NHG et al. Multidisciplinary document: Discontinuation of SSRIs and SNRIs (2018; revised 2023). Multidisciplinary Document (Netherlands) 2018.LinkFirst national guideline to explicitly endorse hyperbolic tapering and the use of taper strips (compounded by Regenboog Apotheek).
- [30]Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Summary of Product Characteristics — SSRI and SNRI products (UK). electronic Medicines Compendium (emc) 2023.LinkAuthoritative UK formulary data (tablet strengths, oral solutions) used to validate the UK region in the calculator.
- [31]U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Prescribing information (Structured Product Labeling) for SSRI/SNRI products. FDA / DailyMed 2024.LinkAuthoritative US formulary data (tablet strengths, oral solutions/concentrates) used to validate the US region in the calculator.
- [32]Health Canada. Health Canada — Drug Product Database. Health Canada 2024.LinkAuthoritative Canadian formulary data used to validate the Canada region in the calculator.
- [33]Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). Therapeutic Goods Administration — Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). TGA / ARTG 2024.LinkAuthoritative Australian formulary data used to validate the Australia region in the calculator.
- [34]College ter Beoordeling van Geneesmiddelen (CBG-MEB). CBG-MEB — Medicines Information Bank (Netherlands). CBG-MEB 2024.LinkAuthoritative Dutch formulary data; cross-checked with Regenboog Apotheek taper-strip availability.
- [35]Regenboog Apotheek, Cinetto. Taperingstrip.com — Regenboog Apotheek. Patient resource (NL) 2024.LinkPioneer of standardised taper strips referenced in the Dutch national guideline.
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