Want to let everyone know about my good experience with Elavil, an antidepressant often prescribed for chronic pain.
I have interstitial cystitis (an inflammation of the bladder lining) or peudendal neuralgia or vulvodynia or maybe all three. My doctor is starting me off on a low dose of 10mg of Elavil. I haven't had to wait for it to help; the first tablet really knocked the pain down, EVEN THE PAIN FROM MY AF, a true miracle. I really think it helps stop the endless circle of pain-sphincter spasm.
I, also, have tingling/numbness in my arms and legs and Elavil has worsened that slightly, but I wouldn't discount it because of that. Each person is different, as you know.
If my side effects get much worse, I'm going to ask to try Cymbalta, the drug with which Lecia has had so much success. Since it's for nerve pain, it might work even better.
Miralax-have tried it for 3 nights and so far so good - poo-poo is much softer. Yipppeee! Instructions on the bottle say to use it for one week maximum. Has anyone ever heard differently?

For Miralax - I have definitely used it for more than one week. Others on the board have also said that their doctors said it's safe to use for the longterm on and off and that it doesn't cause dependency for bowel movement. Some on the board have used it for children too so I'm guessing it's pretty safe. I have been using it for a while because it really helps me have more painless BMs because of the softness. This means, of course, that the fissure will get less irritated during BMs as compared to painful or sharp/hard BMs.
Take care & thanks for sharing.
xo