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Sanu: Coming off of Clomipramine


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Hi all,

 

As my signature shows, I have been on medication for the past 10 years and I must say I have only made my life from bad to worse.

It all started when I started getting headache due to tension at work after I found a job with great difficulty. I consulted a GP for general headache which he suspected as tension headache and referred me to a psychiatrist. He diagnosed my OCD symptoms and related my headache to OCD and started off with high doses of antidepressants right away. It was a living hell in the initial days until I got used to the medicine. My OCD symptoms were not intruding my normal life as much as the side effects the antidepressants are causing. However my psychiatrist never agreed to go off of the antidepressants and I could never argue with him.

 

Everybody on the internet suggested me to trust my psychiatrist and so I have continued with my medicines till date. I tried going off of the medicines abruptly once and I suffered with withdrawal symptoms for a long time and I am not sure if I still have withdrawal symptoms or is it my depression.

To start off with, I only had slight OCD which I think I could have managed without medicines and the side-effects caused by the anti-depressants are multifold. I have a range of side-effects which affects my daily life. Following are some of the side-effects that i have been noticing from a long time but not sure whether its my depression or my medicines or withdrawal symptoms and I am in a catch22 situation and I feel petrified to go off of the medicines this time.

 

I suffer from IBS (woken up every morning with an urge to pass stool ), the longer I resist the terrible I feel. After I return from the toilet, I feel terribly tired and sleepy.

For the rest of the day, I suffer with headache, body pain, lack of concentration (affects my work to a large extent), feel drowsy all day long, anxiety, irritability, find it hard to focus on work.

This has been happening from 2014 and I have not complained this to my psychiatrist so as to avoid him from prescribing me from more drugs. So, I have chose to suffer with these symptoms than to get into more problems. I am 34 years old and havent got into a relationship due to uncertainty about a lot of things, my depression and anxiety.

But this time I have decided to get rid of the medicines the safer way so as to lead a normal life. Luckily, I have found this forum to get assistance and go off the medicines systematically this time.

 

 I have planned to do it the 10% reduction method. Yet my major concern is, whether I'll get back my OCD which I have got rid of now, after I stop the medicines? Will I have more problems etc.

Any suggestions and help is welcome.

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

Sanu -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

I'm sorry that you've had a rough go-round with these medications.  Everyone here shares that experience.

 

I don't know if your OC symptoms will arise as you taper or once you're fully off clomipramine. Tapering slowly and attentively will allow you to make dose adjustments if any obsessions or compulsions surface. A slow taper will also afford you time to develop non-drug techniques (such as CBT) to deal with the OC symptoms.

 

I see you've read at least one of our tapering topics: Why taper by 10% of my dosage?. Some others that will be helpful:

Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know.

Tips for tapering off Anafranil (clomipramine).

 

I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.

Edited by scallywag
delete inactive link; reported below by Sanu

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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  • scallywag changed the title to Sanu: Coming off of Clomipramine
16 hours ago, scallywag said:

Sanu -- Welcome to Surviving Antidepressants (SA)

 

I'm sorry that you've had a rough go-round with these medications.  Everyone here shares that experience.

 

I don't know if your OC symptoms will arise as you taper or once you're fully off clomipramine. Tapering slowly and attentively will allow you to make dose adjustments if any obsessions or compulsions surface. A slow taper will also afford you time to develop non-drug techniques (such as CBT) to deal with the OC symptoms.

 

I see you've read at least one of our tapering topics: Why taper by 10% of my dosage?. Some others that will be helpful:

Before you begin tapering -- what you need to know.

Tips for tapering off Anafranil (clomipramine).

 

I hope you'll find the information in the SA forums helpful for your situation. I'm sorry that you are in the position that you need the information, but am glad that you found us.

 

Thanks @scallywag for your kind words.

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

Welcome from me too Sanu.  We don't get many Kiwis here, so I always try to pop in and say hello when we do.  Let us know if you have any more questions.  Getting pretty cold here lately eh? 

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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Scallywag, I'm unable to access the link about tapering clomipramine. It says only approved members can access the page. What does it mean?

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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16 hours ago, KarenB said:

Welcome from me too Sanu.  We don't get many Kiwis here, so I always try to pop in and say hello when we do.  Let us know if you have any more questions.  Getting pretty cold here lately eh? 

Thanks Karen for your warm welcome. I wish I had known this forum earlier. Where do you live in NZ? Yeah, it's pretty cold these days and I'm worried about July.

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

I'm in Raglan, so not as cold as I could be!  Are you north or south island? 

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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I live in Auckland. This winter has been pretty cold compared to previous years, at least add early as June.

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

I forgot to post this link for NZ members:  NZ members check in here

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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Welcome sanu

So glad you have found sa.

nz11

Thought for the day: Lets stand up, and let’s speak out , together. G Olsen

We have until the 14th. Feb 2018. 

URGENT REQUEST Please consider submitting  for the petition on Prescribed Drug Dependence and Withdrawal currently awaiting its third consideration at the Scottish Parliament. You don't even have to be from Scotland. By clicking on the link below you can read some of the previous submissions but be warned many of them are quite harrowing.

http://www.parliament.scot/GettingInvolved/Petitions/PE01651   

Please tell them about your problems taking and withdrawing from antidepressants and/or benzos.

Send by email to petitions@parliament.scot and quote PE01651 in the subject heading. Keep to a maximum of 3 sides of A4 and you can't name for legal reasons any doctor you have consulted. Tell them if you wish to remain anonymous. We need the numbers to help convince the committee members we are not isolated cases. You have until mid February. Thank you

Recovering paxil addict

None of the published articles shed light on what ssri's ... actually do or what their hazards might be. Healy 2013. 

This is so true, with anything you get on these drugs, dependance, tapering, withdrawal symptoms, side effects, just silent. And if there is something mentioned then their is a serious disconnect between what is said and reality! 

  "Every time I read of a multi-person shooting, I always presume that person had just started a SSRI or had just stopped."  Dr Mosher. Me too! 

Over two decades later, the number of antidepressant prescriptions a year is slightly more than the number of people in the Western world. Most (nine out of 10) prescriptions are for patients who faced difficulties on stopping, equating to about a tenth of the population. These patients are often advised to continue treatment because their difficulties indicate they need ongoing treatment, just as a person with diabetes needs insulin. Healy 2015

I believe the ssri era will soon stand as one of the most shameful in the history of medicine. Healy 2015

Let people help people ... in a natural, kind, non-addictive (and non-big pharma) way. J Broadley 2017

 

 

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  • Moderator Emeritus
1 hour ago, Sanu said:

Scallywag, I'm unable to access the link about tapering clomipramine. It says only approved members can access the page. What does it mean?

 

Shoot -- I posted a dead link!  Sorry about that.

 

Anafranil (clomipramine) is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). Our suggestions for tapering a TCA are the same as for tapering an SSRI: maximum 10% decrease per month.

 

Tapering by 10% means that you have to create non-standard doses. For example, if you're starting at 50 mg, the first decrease would be 5 mg to the next dose of 45 mg. Then 4 weeks later, you'd decrease by 10%, 4.5 mg, to 40.5 mg.  Third 10% decrease would be 4.1 mg from 40.5 mg to 36.4 mg. 

 

To take these non-standard doses, people either request commercial liquid formulation, or create their own by using a scale or by making a liquid. Clomipramine is soluble in water so DIY liquids are an option.

Using a digital scale to measure doses.

Making a liquid from a tablet or capsules.

 

 

General comments about tapering TCAs:

This post about preventing discontinuation syndrome when discontinuing antidepressants.

 

Some tapering topics for other TCAs:

Tips for tapering off amitriptyline.

Tips for tapering off doxepin (Sinequan, Zonalon).

Tips for tapering off noritriptyline

 

 

This is not medical advice. Discuss any decisions about your medical care with a knowledgeable medical practitioner.
1997-1999 Effexor; 2002-2005 Effexor XR 37.5 mg linear taper, dropping same #beads/week with bad results

Cymbalta 60 mg 2012 - 2015; 2016: 20 mg to 7 mg exact doses and dates in this post; 2017: 6.3 mg to  0.0 mg  Aug. 12; details here


scallywag's Introduction
Online spreadsheet for dose taper calculations and nz11's THE WORKS spreadsheet

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