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moess87: Tapering clomipramine


moess87

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Hello to all of you 

 

First of all I want to thank all of you for the information posted on this page.

 

I am a guy living in Copenhagen, and I'm currently taking clomipramine. In a couple of months I will turn 30, and by that time I will have spend the last 12,5 years of my life on antidepressants. I am diagnosed with OCD, which most of all manifests in GAD like symptoms today. The first 10 years I was on 20 mg of citalopram, and it was only increased a couple of times during this period. Last year I was seeing a psychiatrist, and we tested a lot of different medicine (paroxetine, pregabalin, mirtzapine, sertraline, escitalopram), but none of it helped with my symptoms. I wanted to try clomipramine as a last resort, which my doctor prescribed me. It felt good for a couple of weeks as all the other drugs have, but I simply can't stand the feeling of being doped any more. I feel like I have to get back to me in some way, but talking about me is also kind of crazy after being on antidepressants for 12,5 years.

 

I was taking 25 mg of clomipramine which I cut in half about a month ago. It's been kind of a tough month. The anxiety and anger overtakes me, and today I have made a water solution and taken 20 mg instead of 12,5 mg. Hope the symptoms will improve! I do have some worries now. The whole water solution makes me really nervous. Like do I get enough, will the solution get stronger as I get near the bottom of the glas etc. Like doing the whole water solution is agony, when you suffer severe anxiety.

 

Do you guys have some calming words or any suggestions to combating the anxiety? I have made my mind up about wanting to stop the medicin, and I'm planing to do the 10% method etc. That make me drug free in 2020 or something, but just decreasing the drug slowly will be a reward in it self. I'm so tired of feeling numb, apathy and not being able to love like I once did!

 

Greetings

 

Henrik 

29-year-old guy living in Copenhagen

 

2005-2015: Citalopram (20-40 mg)

 

2016: Tried different drugs at psychiatrist: *Paroxetine (20-40 mg) *Paroxetine (20 mg) in combination with Pregabalin (75-300 mg) *Paroxetine (10-20 mg) in combination with Mirtazapine (15-45 mg) *Sertraline (25-50 mg) *Escitalopram (5 mg)

 

2017 January-April: Clomipramine (12,5 mg-25 mg)

2017 10. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg) 

2017 18-25 April: Fluoxetine (40 mg)

2017 26. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg)

2017 21. maj: Escitalopram (10 mg) 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Welcome Henrik,

I'm sorry you've been experiencing unpleasant side effects for so long. Unfortunately, antidepressants often cause unwanted effects, these tend to worsen over time. They also can increase the risk of other illness, so its great you have decided to come off your medication and even better that you found us. There's a lot of friendly help and support here.

 

It would be great if you would put your drug and withdrawal history in your signature. Doing this helps people understand your context, it appears below each of your posts. Here are instructions for how to do it:

 

Please put your withdrawal history in your signature

 

Cutting your dose in half was not a good idea. We suggest reducing by no more than 10% of the current dose every 4 weeks, this reduces the risk of withdrawal symptoms arising. Please read through this which will explain why:

  

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Reinstating back to a higher dose was what we would have recommended, so that was a wise decision. It will take about 4 days for this new dose to become stable in your system. Here is some information about what to expect.

 

About reinstating and stabilizing to stop withdrawal symptoms

 

When you are stable again, you can resume tapering at a slower, safer rate.

 

We don't have a specific topic for tapering clomipramine, but you will find a lot of useful information here including tips about using water to taper.

Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

Here you will find some ideas about how to manage anxiety in more natural, safer ways: Non-drug techniques to cope with emotional symptoms

 

You can use this thread as your ongoing journal to track progress, write about symptoms, ask questions and communicate with the community, add to it whenever you want. Its a good idea to bookmark it or follow it, so its easy to find again.

 

This is the best place for good information about how to successfully and safely taper from psychiatric drugs, I'm glad you found us.

Petunia.

I'm not a doctor.  My comments are not medical advise. These are my opinions based on my own experience and what I've learned. Please discuss your situation with a medical practitioner who has knowledge of tapering and withdrawal...if you are lucky enough to find one.

My Introduction Thread

Full Drug and Withdrawal History

Brief Summary

Several SSRIs for 13 years starting 1997 (for mild to moderate partly situational anxiety) Xanax PRN ~ Various other drugs over the years for side effects

2 month 'taper' off Lexapro 2010

Short acute withdrawal, followed by 2 -3 months of improvement then delayed protracted withdrawal

DX ADHD followed by several years of stimulants and other drugs trying to manage increasing symptoms

Failed reinstatement of Lexapro and trial of Prozac (became suicidal)

May 2013 Found SA, learned about withdrawal, stopped taking drugs...healing begins.

Protracted withdrawal, with a very sensitized nervous system, slowly recovering as time passes

Supplements which have helped: Vitamin C, Magnesium, Taurine

Bad reactions: Many supplements but mostly fish oil and Vitamin D

June 2016 - Started daily juicing, mostly vegetables and lots of greens.

Aug 2016 - Oct 2016 Best window ever, felt almost completely recovered

Oct 2016 -Symptoms returned - bad days and less bad days.

April 2018 - No windows, but significant improvement, it feels like permanent full recovery is close.

VIDEO: Where did the chemical imbalance theory come from?



VIDEO: How are psychiatric diagnoses made?



VIDEO: Why do psychiatric drugs have withdrawal syndromes?



VIDEO: Can psychiatric drugs cause long-lasting negative effects?

VIDEO: Dr. Claire Weekes

 

 

 

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Thank you for the reply Petunia

 

I was at the doctor yesterday, and after an argument over what I called withdrawal symptoms, which he didn't believe could be the case, as I had been on the lower dose for a month, he prescribed me fluoxetine which I have started taking two days ago. I'm feeling kind of messed up right now. Have a lot of school stuff the coming weeks, so I hope the fluoxetine will kick in soon.

 

The reason I switched to Fluoxetine is because of the longer half-life. I have tried to make liquid solutions to taper in the past, but a couple of days in and my head explodes with worries about the liquid solution. I have to stick to tablets, if this is going to work for me. My plan is a follow:

 

10. April 2017: 20 mg (one pill)

1. August 2017: 17,5 mg (One pill every second day, ¾ pill the opposite day)

1. Oktober 2017: 15 mg (¾ pill every day)

1. December 2017: 13,3 mg (¾ pill two days, half a pill one day

1. Februar 2018: 12,5 mg (¾ pill one day, half a pill one day)

1. April 2018: 11,6 mg (¾ pill one day, half a pill two days)

1. June 2018: 10 mg (half a pill each day)

1. August 2018: 8,3 mg (half a pill two days, ¼ pill one day)

1. Oktober 2018: 7,5 mg (half a pill each day, ¼ pill opposite day)

1. December 2018: 6,6 mg (half a pill one day, ¼ two days in a row)

1. February 2019: 5 mg (¼ pille each dag)

1. April 2019: 3,6 mg (¼ pill two days, no pill one day)

1. June 2019: 2,5 mg (¼ pill every second day)

1. August 2019: 1,66 mg (¼ pill every third day)

1. Oktober 2019: 1,25 mg (¼ pill every fourth day)

1. December 2019: 1 mg (¼ pill every fifth day)

1. February 2020: 0,83 mg (¼ pill every sixth day)

1. April 2020: 0,71 mg (¼ pill every week)

1. June 2020: Jump!!! 

 

Any advice or positive thoughts is very welcome. I would prefer the 10% method, but I know by experience that the liquid solution isn't going to happen for me. Most of all I have questions about how long it should take. This plan is three years, and I have done everything I could to put a lot of patience in the plan. How do you guys think it looks?

29-year-old guy living in Copenhagen

 

2005-2015: Citalopram (20-40 mg)

 

2016: Tried different drugs at psychiatrist: *Paroxetine (20-40 mg) *Paroxetine (20 mg) in combination with Pregabalin (75-300 mg) *Paroxetine (10-20 mg) in combination with Mirtazapine (15-45 mg) *Sertraline (25-50 mg) *Escitalopram (5 mg)

 

2017 January-April: Clomipramine (12,5 mg-25 mg)

2017 10. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg) 

2017 18-25 April: Fluoxetine (40 mg)

2017 26. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg)

2017 21. maj: Escitalopram (10 mg) 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

SA's recommendation is to take the same dose daily.  Even though Prozac has a longer half life, skipping days, especially multiple days, could end up causing issues.

 

You might find that making your own liquid from Prozac may be okay.  If you have issues with calculating water and tablet to get dose, we have people here who can help with that.  The other alternative might be to weigh your doses.

 

Tips for tapering off Prozac (fluoxetine)

* NO LONGER ACTIVE on SA *

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED:  (6 year taper)      0mg Pristiq  on 13th November 2021

ADs since ~1992:  25+ years - 1 unknown, Prozac (muscle weakness), Zoloft; citalopram (pooped out) CTed (very sick for 2.5 wks a few months after); Pristiq:  50mg 2012, 100mg beg 2013 (Serotonin Toxicity)  Tapering from Oct 2015 - 13 Nov 2021   LAST DOSE 0.0025mg

Post 0 updates start here    My tapering program     My Intro (goes to tapering graph)

 VIDEO:   Antidepressant Withdrawal Syndrome and its Management

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Thank you for the reply ChessieCat

 

I understand what your are saying. I have tried to make some changes to the plan, so I take the same amount every day. It is still a very long taper and it will not be a full 10% taper, but instead with longer periods of stabilizing after every cut. Hope it works, but if not, I will perhaps use the weighing method when I get to the lower doses (hopefully if it becomes a problem it will not be so before I get in the 0-10 mg range).

 

So switching from a short half-life tricyclic antidepressant (clomipramin/Anafranil) to a long half life SSRI (fluoxetine/Prozac) is kind of tough. Have taken four doses since monday, so it will take some time before there has been a build up in my system. AND I feel it! Saw the last episode of the series "Thirteen reasons why" yesterday, and I simply can't shake the emotions of me now. Cry like every hour or something. It is pretty awful. It is a very interesting series, but just to real for me now.  

 

I feel everything is kind of messed up! School, meds, a lot of my relations and on top of that I have an alcohol problem, which I do get help with through AA, but it's just tough. Hope things will get better, and this is definitely the last time I do drastic changes when it comes to my meds. Only slow decreases which is according to the plan!

29-year-old guy living in Copenhagen

 

2005-2015: Citalopram (20-40 mg)

 

2016: Tried different drugs at psychiatrist: *Paroxetine (20-40 mg) *Paroxetine (20 mg) in combination with Pregabalin (75-300 mg) *Paroxetine (10-20 mg) in combination with Mirtazapine (15-45 mg) *Sertraline (25-50 mg) *Escitalopram (5 mg)

 

2017 January-April: Clomipramine (12,5 mg-25 mg)

2017 10. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg) 

2017 18-25 April: Fluoxetine (40 mg)

2017 26. April: Fluoxetine (20 mg)

2017 21. maj: Escitalopram (10 mg) 

 

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  • 1 month later...

Hi Moess87,

I came across your thread since I am planning to stop Clomipramine which I have been taking for a long time. I didn't understand why you switched from Clomipramine to fluoxetine. Let me know how are you going with your tapering.

Regards,

Sundeep.

2007 - Sorest (100mg)

2008 - Sorest (50mg)

2009 - 2011 - Frext (50mg)

2012 - 2014 Frext (50mg) and few other tablets to treat IBS.

2014 - Clofranil (Clomipramine) - 100mg, 50mg, 25mg progressively.

2015 - till date (Clofranil) (Clomipramine) - 25mg.

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus

Hello Moess,

It does sound like you have a lot of stuff going on right now, so it's going to be important for you to give yourself as much rest and care as possible.  There are many good ideas here:  Non-Drug Techniques to cope with emotional symptoms.  Little by little things will start to ease up.  And don't watch any more distressing tv!  Watch some nice comedies or romances instead:).  Right now you will be much more vulnerable and emotional than normal - so take good care of yourself. 

I'm glad you are going to keep your dose the same each day - it will prevent a lot of suffering.  Give yourself a good amount of time to stabilise on the fluoxetine before you think about reducing your dose.  The more stable you are, the better it will go. 

 

Karen

 

2010  Fluoxetine 20mg.  2011  Escitalopram 20mg.  2013 Tapered badly and destabilised CNS.  Effexor 150mg. 

2015 Begin using info at SurvivingAntidepressants.  Cut 10% - bad w/d 2 months, held 1 month. 

Micro-tapering: four weekly 0.4% cuts, hold 4 weeks (struggling with symptoms).

8 month hold.

2017 Micro-tapering: four weekly 1% cuts, hold 4 weeks (symptoms almost non-existent).

2020 Still micro-tapering. Just over 2/3 of the way off effexor. Minimal symptoms, - and sleeping well.
Supplements: Fish oil, vitamin C, iron, oat-straw tea, nettle tea.

2023 Now on 7 micro-beads of Effexor. Minimal symptoms but much more time needed between drops.

 'The possibility of renewal exists so long as life exists.'  Dr Gabor Mate.

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