About this information
This NHS content is written for people in England. Medicine names, availability, prescribing and services may differ in other countries.
Amitriptyline is a medicine used for treating pain. You can take it:
- to treat nerve pain (neuralgia) and pain that lasts a long time
- to help prevent migraines
Amitriptyline is only available on prescription. It comes as tablets and as a liquid that you swallow.
Amitriptyline is also used to treat depression. The doses used to treat pain are lower than the doses for depression. Taking amitriptyline for pain will not have the same effect as taking it for depression.
View the original NHS website page ↗. Refreshed 19 August 2026.
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