Amitriptyline

The granddad of antidepressants. Amitriptyline is technically a tricyclic, but in 2025 the NHS mostly hands it out for pain and sleep. At low doses it knocks you out cold; at higher doses it’s a full antidepressant, but with so many side effects most people never last that long. Dry mouth, constipation, weight gain, morning grogginess — it’s like being wrapped in a wet blanket. Still, for nerve pain or stubborn insomnia, it’s quietly become the go-to “antidepressant that isn’t really for depression anymore.”