Clomipramine for Depression User Reviews

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 22, 2025

"If you have tried other drugs and feel hopeless, don't hesitate. Just start with the minimum dose and then increase it. I came to this drug after about 23 years. I was severely depressed. Antidepressants, other tricyclics, antiepileptics, antipsychotics, all were useless. I hope you live happily."

• alo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• October 6, 2013

Clomipramine "After 6 years with very strong depression that nothing helps, this medicine saved my life. It takes more than a month to kick in, and it continues to grow for a full year, but after you use it, you feel strong and don't think about depression anymore. If you have resistant depression, you must try this. It's a totally different class than the rest. I also tried all the natural 5HTP, St. John's Wort, and the rest, and nothing helped."

• Rod...
• April 20, 2013

"Side effects were really unpleasant but 2 months in have lessened to some degree - as an effective antidepressant it is the best I have ever taken. I have been on just about every antidepressant out over the last 20 years with nothing really working and worsening depression. I started to feel a lifting in mood almost immediately and now feel 'normal' which is an awesome feeling. My social phobia/anxiety has almost disappeared too which is an added bonus. Wish I had been prescribed this years ago!"

• Che...
• July 13, 2016

Clomipramine "I've been taking this medication for major depression for 14 years now. 17 years ago, I was given big doses of steroids due to problems resulting from back surgery. Those high doses of steroids pushed me into major depression. After 3 1/2 years of trying to find a medication that worked for me, I was prescribed Anafranil. Within two days, I was seeing positive results. Within a year of taking Anafranil, I was free of depression. I've been taking Anafranil ever since - somewhat afraid to stop. There are many side effects that I often get tired of, but they pale compared to the relief I received from this medication. It is the most serotonergic of the tricyclics, and I feel it should be more widely tried for major depression."

• Bet...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• July 31, 2018

Clomipramine "I have been using Anafranil (clomipramine) for more than 10 years. It has done wonders. I only take 25mg, but that is enough for my OCD. I can take more if I want but don't want any side effects. Anafranil did what no other antidepressant could do. It is an older drug but for me it's better."

• Bat...
• July 17, 2013

"This medicine saved my life. I have now been on it for 12 years for anxiety and depression. I tried a whole slew of SSRIs over a three-year period with minimal success prior to clomipramine. A week after starting clomipramine, I started to feel better but had some major side effects (dry mouth, constipation, and later weight gain). With the SSRIs, I had no or minimal side effects. I thought maybe these side effects mean the medicine is working. The side effects continued for about 5-6 weeks, but I started to feel like my old self. I gained about 15 pounds in the first 8 months, but I didn't really care because I could live again and enjoy my family and friends. The weight all came off after about a year with exercise and eating right. Awesome!"

• Chr...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 12, 2025

"I've been taking this drug for over 40 years, and it saved my life. I had a nasty virus in my 20s, which left me with anxiety and depression. After trying and failing to cure myself, I was put on this. After 2 weeks, I felt normal again. I regulate it myself, as I'm always better in the summer. A few years back, the doctor wanted me to try a different SSRI type, and it left me suicidal. So I'm back on Anafranil/clomipramine and back to normal. I currently take 40 mgs."

• Geg...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 3, 2021

Clomipramine "I had tried escitalopram (Scippa) and vortioxetine (Trintellix) before, practically both were ineffective. Anafranil has been a miracle for me, within a month, it reduced my severe suffering very effectively and made me much better for 90% of my time. And it was reached quickly with a very small dosage: 20 mg a day. Minor side effects occurred during the first couple of weeks, the most unpleasant was the dry mouth and reduced libido, but it bounced back within weeks."

• Ela...
• November 28, 2015

"I have tried everything. The only one that really helped me after I lost hope. The doctors don't give it to you because it's an old medication, the patent is over, and the big pharmaceutical companies don't make any money. But believe me, it is the best. Give it a 2-month chance."

• Man...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 10, 2017

Clomipramine "Was on Effexor, Seroquel, and Prothiaden but could not shift the constant thoughts of killing myself. Driving became a nightmare, just leaving the house was impossible as my thoughts kept telling me to walk in front of a bus, etc., etc. Anafranil literally saved my life and gave me back the wish to live. Most effective drug I have ever used, and gradual withdrawal worked really well. Thoughts not completely gone but no pressure anymore, they just drive on by."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 10, 2019

"I've tried many SSRIs and SNRIs with little help, with augmentations of all sorts. Clomipramine is the only drug that has worked well so far for my depression. I did a combo of rTMS and clomipramine at 100 mg. Now, I am finally pulling free from the grips of severe clinical depression. Thank you, clomipramine!"

• Cha...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 13, 2019

"This is a VERY effective Rx; it totally cured my depression and repetitive thinking, but is the polar opposite of imipramine and amitriptyline in side effects. The others were sedating, increased my appetite, and decimated my memory. Clomipramine decreased my appetite and gave me tons of energy. My outlook changed 180 degrees. It may increase anxiety for some, but made me feel so well and happy that I wasn’t worried about anything (not that I didn’t care or was catatonic as on imipramine). I’m no longer always obsessing about the minutiae to the point of being impossible to live with; fear no longer motivates me. This could make someone who is bipolar (last reviewer) more manic and takes a while to adjust your sleep pattern to, but this prescription is a godsend. I’ve been on and off antidepressants for 35 years. I wish I had found it sooner. If the other TCAs made you slow or confused, have weird skin problems, rashes or acne, try this."

• zah...
• December 10, 2014

"I use this medication for 5 years after I tried everything Prozac, Cymbalta, Abilify, and all the others. This one was the only one that worked. It took 1 month to feel good and continued to grow for 1 year. It is not like the other medicine that lets you continue in your life, but you still don't feel good. This medicine really makes you strong and without all the bad thoughts and the lack of energy."

• Meg...
• December 28, 2016

"I've been on over 6 SSRIs along with the combination of benzodiazepines over the past 7 years for the treatment of depression, PTSD, OCD. Nothing has been so life-changing and effective as clomipramine. It's the most expensive prescription I've had ($40/mo), but it's also the most helpful. I noticed the benefits within 2 weeks, with its effects continuing to increase over time. I've been able to wean off of the benzo, and my anxiety has stayed at a manageable level. My OCD has subsided immensely, but more importantly, this medication helped pull me out of a deep depression I had been stuck in for years. I couldn't be more grateful that my psychologist had the idea to try this medication, as I hear it is an older drug. TRY IT! :)"

• Pre...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 19, 2024

"I've been taking SSRIs since I was 18 for MDD. All of them: Paroxetine, fluoxetine, sertraline, duloxetine, citalopram, escitalopram, and Wellbutrin and so on. Nothing worked. I'm under therapy for 5 years, nothing happened. I told my psychiatrist I'm willing to go under ECT, because I have had enough, I don't want to die, and she brought up clomipramine. In my country, it is extremely rarely prescribed, only for absolutely treatment-resistant major depression. She prescribed it to me. We started with 25mg, now we are at 150mg, and man... It changed my life. I could leave alprazolam, I sleep like a baby, and I feel like a normal human being. Taking a shower is no longer a task, it's a joy. It's making wonders. She saved me from ECT, and it works. I wish I knew about this medicine before I begged for ECT. Give it a try, give it 6 months, you will feel amazing. The only side effect is no libido, but I could not care less, I just want to live. Props to my doc."

• ove...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 16, 2024

"This has to be the best medicine. I replaced it with my depression bad. As I stopped taking it without Dr. consent, I honestly was very bad. Went twice to the hospital. After being put on these meds for 5 weeks, I got my life back. Never been this happy. I'm really overwhelmed writing this review. No side effects, only constipation, but settled quick. My depression is gone and the bad anxiety, for which I was taking Ativan up to 3 times a day, also gone. I'm alive again, going for morning walks every day, as I found it helped me a lot. What can I say? The best med ever. I honestly thought nothing was gonna work on my depression and anxiety. Here I am writing a review on it. 10 out of 10. Please give it a try."

• Too...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 14, 2015

"I had several attacks of depression in the last 25 years following stress at work with variable severity. All of these attacks respond well to Anafranil in 3-5 weeks of therapy with some side effects like sweating and tremor during the first 2 weeks. Then I take a small dose for another several weeks and tapering it without problems. During the last attack of depression, I made a mistake when I started treatment with Zoloft, depending on the opinion of a psychiatrist who said to me that this drug is very good with fewer side effects in comparison with the 'old drug Anafranil with unpleasant side effects,' as he said. I'm on Zoloft with up to 150 mg for the last 6 weeks without significant improvement. I decided to stop this drug and return to my Anafranil."

• JGh...
• June 4, 2020

"I was in SSRIs for 17 years, and it only helped the OCD. I was still pretty miserable with depression. No doctor mentioned it until I ended up in a psychiatric hospital, where they started putting me on clomipramine back in January of 2013. The first dosage of 25 milligrams gave me an acute anxiety attack. But I got over it. I went up to 50 mg in a few days and felt better. However, 100 mg made the symptoms worse, so I went back down to 50 mg, and I was happy as a clam within 2 weeks. I’ve never been this happy or optimistic in my life. The only side effect that has become a problem is a significant amount of weight gain, at least 40-50 lbs. I’m making every effort to reverse it."

• Ady...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 30, 2015

"I had roller coaster episodes of depression that did not seem to be cured from multiple SSRIs that I tried. I'm struggling against depression for 6 years. The only miracle drug that worked is only clomipramine. Whenever I feel depression, I just have to adjust its dose, and it starts working again."

• Sam...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 1, 2021

"Awesome drug! After trying almost all SSRIs with no improvement at all, then the combination of mixing Anafranil and lithium (I'm not bipolar) worked wonders for my depression. Have been on it for a couple of years now and still great. However, sadly did not notice its full effects until probably 6 months. Felt pretty yuk for the first 6 weeks, but then slowly got better, and about 12 months felt great. When nothing else worked, it pretty much saved my life!"

• Bry...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2022

Clomipramine "This drug made me feel worse than anything I have ever taken in my life! It did the opposite of everything it says it does. Any bad memory came straight to the front of my head and stuck there. The drug basically made me suicidal. If this drug works for you, more power to you, but I would be careful because this is what it did to me."

• cie...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 26, 2019

Clomipramine "This is excellent for depression, but use of the established big names such as Novartis or Ciba Geigy. I found the Anafranil from Alfasigma in Milan, Italy not good and believe that this brand has inferior pills."

• BLR...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 23, 2021

"I am taking clomipramine for postnatal OCD, anxiety, and depression. The only reason I haven’t given this drug 10/10 is because it has taken 6 months to fully feel its effects. I remember reading these reviews at 2/3 months and thinking that it just wasn’t working for me. Side effects: dry mouth, tremor, facial flushing, immediate headache if consuming alcohol. These have mostly reduced, but I still can’t really drink alcohol at all. I believe a combination of this medication, therapy (ERP works best for the OCD!), meditation, mindfulness, and time have helped me get to this stage. It’s like a new, better level of the drug opens up after 3 months and again after 5 months, that was my experience anyway. If you’re in despair reading this, I would suggest speaking to your doctor about clomipramine, it’s an older tricyclic but has worked much better for me than other SSRIs. Good luck!"

• Pus...
• September 14, 2017

Clomipramine "I got prescribed Anafranil after not impressive effects of Trittico and Zoloft, and yeah, it worked for a few months, but I had to up my dosage every now and then. However, after around 4 months of taking it, it stopped working. I capped the dosage and had to switch therapists, as the former had no idea what to do with severe depression. However, what I'd like to share is the withdrawal part. In the time I was off it, it was really bad, imagine being constantly drunk. You cannot focus, your view is shifting, everything seems to be floating, also like a lagging game. It feels as if the visual part comes later than the audio. Really weird, so if you are on it or planning to try, ask your doctor for a way to take it out gradually."

• GSa...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• July 7, 2021

"This drug was a breakthrough drug for me. I’d tried everything from Prozac to ketamine with partial success. Clomipramine leveled out my problems getting to sleep and staying asleep. Ideation was just a fact of life for me until I started this drug. Of course, counseling, exercise, diet, and stress management are part of any worthwhile treatment plan for depression, and those haven’t changed. It’s become easier to make and keep good habits. Orgasms take a bit longer, but what antidepressant doesn’t have that effect in men?"