Q: I 35 years old male, and am taking Tryptomer 10 mg for the past 1 week as suggested by my doctor. I read somewhere that this would become a habit and I may not be able to get sleep without taking it. Is it true? My doctor suggested this drug as she felt I would be having fibromyalgia. I am having pain in my muscles especially legs and hands. I have constant headache too. Please advise.

A:Tryptomer is the brand name; the name of medicine is amitriptyline. It is approved for use as an antidepressant. However it is also useful in cases of confirmed fibromyalgia but lowest possible dose usually 10 mg should be prescribed and increased if required. It is true that one can get addicted to this drug if used for long duration and withdrawal symptoms may occur when the drug is discontinued. Hence it is very important that the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is accurate. Since you have not given the signs and symptoms of your problem in detail, I am unable to review the diagnosis. However, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia should only be made if there is history of widespread body pain (pain on left and right side of the body, pain above and below the waist and pain on chest or back or neck), and pain on moderately applying pressure to at least 11 specified points on the body. In addition thyroid function should also be tested since its inadequate activity can trigger fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is not very common in men (incidence 1 in 200 men) though quite common in women (about 3.5%). It is not a serious disorder though it is troublesome.