Amitriptyline, which is commonly used at low doses for a range of health concerns, has been found to improve irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms too, according to the results of the ATLANTIS trial. 

Led by researchers at the Universities of Leeds, Bristol and Southampton, and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the study was conducted in primary care. GPs prescribed the drug and patients managed their own dose based on the severity of their symptoms, using an adjustment document designed for the trial. Most people with IBS are seen and managed in primary care by their GP, which means that the results of this trial are likely to be applicable to many people with the condition. 

The results showed that patients taking amitriptyline were almost twice as likely to report an overall improvement in symptoms as those taking a placebo. Now the trial team is recommending that GPs support their patients with IBS to use amitriptyline to manage their symptoms – and has made the dose adjustment document available for clinicians and patients. 

Read the University of Bristol news item

'Amitriptyline at low-dose and titrated for irritable bowel syndrome as second-line treatment in primary care (ATLANTIS): a randomised, double-blind, placebocontrolled, phase 3 trial' is by Alexander C Ford, Alexandra Wright-Hughes, Matthew J Ridd, Amanda J Farrin, Hazel A Everitt et al. in The Lancet [open access]