Clomipramine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 3)

• pcwor...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• June 25, 2016

Anafranil (clomipramine) "1I was on anafranil many years ago. Took it for 5 years. Unfortunately, after 5 years, it stopped working for me. But, it is a wonder medication. Give it a try. More than likely, it will work for you. If not, give fluvoxamine a try. It is another really good one. Otnly side effect was dry mouth. Small price to pay for the wonder effects I got from anafranil. Give it a try. When I took it, there was no co-pay. Nowadays, there probably will be a co-pay, but probably not a bad one."

• 123ma...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 2, 2013

"I started taking this medication after suffering severe anxiety and unwanted thoughts for 13 years. I have been on this medication for approximately three months and the anxiety attacks stopped except for maybe two so far when it was 8 to 9 a day. The intrusive thoughts have not stopped yet but somehow the anxiety has, don't know how that is since the thoughts are what causes my anxiety but somehow it is easier to control my thoughts or get off of the intrusive thought that would have caused the panic attack. I am hoping 100mg helps me with the thoughts. Never stop trying and never stop being your own advocate in your mental illness. 13 yrs for me."

• Sarah...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• January 9, 2018

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I was diagnosed with OCD when I was 18/19, but I'd had intrusive thoughts from as early as I can remember. It just got worse to the point I was suicidal in my late teens. Anyway, luckily the psychiatrist I saw was able to diagnose me and prescribe me Anafranil. I can honestly say I probably owe my life to this medication. I took it for a number of years, before switching to sertraline. I find anafranil does make me drowsy, but the effectiveness of it is worth it at times. Not everyone can take SSRIs. I'd recommend trying this medication for OCD or other anxiety disorders :) Peace."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 17, 2018

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I have been depressed for years and just recently discovered I had OCD. Only 1 or 2 medications would help and then they would stop. I tried holistic supplements and diet and nothing helped. I was becoming hopeless and then I heard about someone who tried Anafranil. I started on 25 mg and gradually went to 150 mg. Finally after 4 or 5 weeks I started feeling better. I wanted to get up and go to work in the morning. Side effects were a dry mouth, insomnia and some dizziness but I'm hoping they will go away with time. I would recommend it"

• STAG
• June 28, 2013

"I was first prescribed this medicine for severe/major depression at around eighteen years old. I had tried various forms of psychotherapy and nothing had worked; over the course of a year, the depression had worsened to the point where I could no longer function. 50mg of Clomipramine transformed my life after about ten days. It has been, for me, a life-saving medicine. The side effects are sometimes bothersome, but to this day it regulates my mood almost perfectly and I can live a full life. Highly recommended."

• Kal
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 22, 2019

"Been on clomipramine for most of my adult life ,OCD took over my childhood, but now I'm free to be the person I am, due to this drug, no major side effects, bad teeth in later life. No price to pay!! Would recommend at an instant."

• Anonymous
• December 5, 2009

Anafranil (clomipramine) "My son is 14 and has suffered with OCD for 2 years. Lexapro made him a happier obsessive with extreme gas but OCD symptoms no better. Anafranil has been great. Has fewer obsessions with less anxiety. It's an older drug you have to ask for."

• Chaz
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 6, 2020

"Out of all the medicines I have tried for my anxiety/OCD, this one clomipramine has worked the best! I take 50 mg a day, and it took about 3-4 weeks to start noticing a difference. I went from OCD thoughts running my life all day/everyday to having small thoughts throughout the day that I am able to easily dismiss. My panic attacks are also gone!! Side effects have been dry mouth, a little bit of weight gain (maybe 5 pounds) and sexual side effects (delayed ejaculation) This medicine is expensive and has caused a few side effects BUT IT IS WORTH IT!"

• Anonymous
• October 21, 2010

Anafranil (clomipramine) "Anafranil saved my life. The side effects are not pleasant, but not having the intrusive thoughts is well worth the effort! I am scared of long-term effects, but my fears are lessened by the effectiveness of Anafranil for OCD."

• thewa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2020

"Worked right off the bat. Just 25mg at night worked way better than any antipsychotic I've tried (SSRIs barely helped at all) My mind has final quiet down. It's a blissful feeling altogether. Definitely give this a shot"

• Rachael
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 13, 2022

"This medication takes time to work. You need to be patient and give it maybe 3 months. Maybe more. It's given me my life back. From waking every day in terror, I now just wake up like a person without OCD. No SSRI drug has helped me. Clomipramine has removed the mild depression that I had for 2 years following an episode of clinical depression. It has taken away my constant anxiety, and calmed my obsessions. I'll stay on it forever."

• perfe...
• September 24, 2019

"I first started suffering with OCD (intrusive bad thoughts) in my early twenties. I continued without seeking help but eventually I was seen by a psychiatrist.The drugs prescribed were of no use and I continued in pain and anxiety for many years suffering the most horrendous headaches.At the age of 41 I again sought help. The new brilliant, young female psychiatrist, put me on Clomipramine. I cannot thank her enough. I am now 73 still taking 25 mg clomipramine daily, if I can find them. Every 28 days, before asking for a repeat presciption, I have to call numerous pharmacies to see if they have any in stock. Sometimes, very rarely, I find 25 mg clomipramine tablets but mostly 10 mg. I have a supply of 70 x 10 mg tablets for 28 days taking 20 one day and 30 the next and so on. I cannot recommend clomipramine highly enough, it has been my life saver"

• UK Bo...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• December 9, 2016

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I have severe early onset OCD I have found that clomipramine (anafranil) has taken the edge off of it. I've been taking it for 4.5 years SLOWLY building up to 200mg but have found that the side effects of this medication to be too much, in particular the excessive sweating. I am regularly dripping with sweat to the point I have been asked if it is raining outside because I'm soaked. I'm thinking of coming off of it because the sweating is exacerbating the OCD as I now have obsessions about it and I'm constantly worried about people looking at me because I'm sweating so much, which isn't very feminine. I've tried to come off of it a few times but every time I do my OCD regresses into overdrive- highlighting how affective it is for OCD"

• Steve
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 20, 2020

Anafranil (clomipramine) "Bear in mind that this, like any medication, may work differently for you, but I can attest to the point that it does not work for everyone. I had a combination of ocd and depression. I took Anafranil for months. For one thing, it didn't do squat for the condition. It didn't help one bit. What it did was make me so tired and lethargic that I could not do a thing. I failed a college semester because I simply could not keep myself awake and there was not enough caffeine on earth to do it. It made my situation many times worse."

• headh...
• November 17, 2010

Anafranil (clomipramine) "Works well for OCD, wonderful for body pain, and moderate for depression (it takes 6-8 weeks for me to see any effect) but the side effects are not pleasant - dry mouth, fatigue, drowsiness, difficulty concentrating and anorgasmia."

• JDawg
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2021

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I’ve taken Anafranil for a month now because I had been struggling with anxiety with an OCD element as well. I’m on 150mg right now. This medication is definitely helping. I take Prozac 20mg as well and I think they work better together. For me, it’s helped to stop worrying and thinking about things that don’t matter. Also, I’ve had random intrusive thoughts of uncomfortable words popping into my head. It’s made me realize how ridiculous it really is and that it’s really a bad serotonin imbalance. My mood has improved as well so I think this drug should be used more because it’s a potent drug. It’s gonna hit the anxiety/OCD hard whereas I tried Zoloft, Viibryd, Pristiq, etc and they alone usually aren’t enough. You gotta be on anafranil plus Prozac/Luvox/Paxil or some other SSRI. I’m also on Rexulti, which basically boosts the two primary medications. No side effects so far either. Hope this is helpful."

• Cali...
• April 13, 2009

Anafranil (clomipramine) "From reading the medical literature, this is probably the most effective treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorder, but the side effects led me to change. After a year of use, I switched to a less taxing medication. The weight gain was too much, and it made me more confrontational with others. However, for bringing my initial problem down to a manageable level before switching, Anafranil was a lifesaver."

• BeFree
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2020

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I took Anafranil for 5 months at a dose of 25mgs. Definitely took some power away from the intrusive thoughts but not fully. Had a hard time with being tired in the morning, terrible dreams, mild consultation. On a positive note I did not gain any weight and was able to workout regularly. Tried to go up to 50mg but that got rid of my libido. Felt like taking an upper and downer at the same time. Some of the time I felt good, other times I felt depressed. Unfortunately, couldn’t tolerate a higher dose. But if you really need to shut off the noise this may be the way to go. Best of luck."

• Muzz
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 22, 2019

"I started using this drug clomipramine 5 weeks ago , I had been on lexapro which didn't help . After 3 months my doctor put me on clomipramine as he diagnosed me with OCD. I had bad anxiety depression and major intrusive thoughts continuously all day long. I'm now up to 100mg four tablets at night just before bed , I also have to use sleeping tablets to get to sleep at the moment but the intrusive thoughts have calmed down a lot. In the mornings I wake up a little tired. I get mild constipation and dry mouth. Is 100mg too big of a dose? Also is it best to take this medication at night or morning ? How long does it take to get the full benefit on this medication . Muzz "

• Sam
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 19, 2021

Anafranil (clomipramine) "Anafranil helped my OCD symptoms a little bit and helped me sleep at night. However, as my doctor increased my dosage, I started gaining weight, having horrible acne, and SEVERE constipation. It also made me crave junk food like some kind of addict. I was on Anafranil for about 10 months and gained 40 lbs. I haven't taken Anafranil in about 8 months. I've lost the 40 lbs. I didn't have to go on a diet or anything, as soon as I was off the drug my appetite went back to normal. However, 8 months later and my colon is still not healthy. I still have major issues with constipation and bloating. My doctor had me try Zyliss, a drug for IBS, and it helps a little. I feel like Anafranil may have ruined my gut. I have a hard time leaving the house because I am so uncomfortable in my gut. I wish I had never taken this drug. I was much better off before."

• Emano
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 27, 2019

"This drug has completely changed my life. I’m now 28 and have been suffering with OCD since I was a young child. I wasn’t prescribed anything until I was 18 and shifted through medications until I had a complete breakdown at 26. I was prescribed clomipramine by a psychiatrist for my OCD and while it took many weeks to take full effect, I’m so thankful I stuck out the process. The side effects at first were not so nice but looking back, it was NOTHING in comparison to the mental anguish of OCD. I highly recommend giving clomiptrmine a try if you’ve been prescribed it for OCD. I obviously still have occasional intrusive thoughts but they are much much easier to brush off now. I actually go through my day with maybe only five compulsions as opposed to the hundreds (not joking) I used to have."

• Shaed...
• August 31, 2017

Anafranil (clomipramine) "I was on Effexor for 3 months and I really liked it besides the fact it didn't help with my obsessive/intrusive thoughts. I did quiet a bit of research on medications and decided to ask my doctor if I could try Anafranil. I have been on Anafranil for a month now and it has really helped with the obsessing over intrusive meaningless thoughts. In the beginning it did spike my anxiety which I used a benzodiazepine to help with that until the anxiety calmed down. After that, I noticed I started to feel dizzy when I stood up fast and it was another side effect. At this point I began to get nervous but I heard so much good reviews about this drug I really wanted it to work. After making it through my first month with it, the side effects began to lessen."

• balance...
• Taken for 5 to 10 years
• November 18, 2022

Anafranil (clomipramine) "Anafranil gave me very serious balance problem. Within days of it for OCD I began stumbling up the subway steps. The psychiatrist assured me it could not be from the anafranil. Over a period of a few years I twice fell and had to be treated and receive facial stitches in the emergency room, lost part of a front tooth, suddenly fell for no apparent reason walking down the street, climbing stairs, going down stairs. I could have had extreme injuries, or in the case of falling down 15 steps at the train station died. I asked my psychiatrist about anafranil causing the falls. He said it would not in any way have caused these falls. On reporting my falling to an audiologist she told me that research shows that anafranil indeed does lead to balance problems in 30% of people taking it."

• Phishie
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2023

Anafranil (clomipramine) "So far I have been on 25 mg for about 2 weeks. It has given me much more headspace than other antidepressants I've tried so far. Sometimes I can now redirect my attention and not fixate on the thoughts. Obsessive thoughts do still come though, but I need to put in the work in ERP anyways. I am having good hopes for increasing the dose now. Only issue is it makes me really constipated right now. But compared to every other antidepressant, I believe this is one of the best for OCD."

• Infamy
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 30, 2022

Anafranil (clomipramine) "My experience with anafranil over the past 3 months is as follows: SEVERLEY chronic constipation, urinary retention that hospitalised me the other day, a 60 percent increase in my depression, a 90% increase in my overall anxiety and at best a 15% decrease in my OCD symptoms. Not to mention the sexual dysfunction that includes painful orgasms and low libido, and then there's the constant dry mouth. I cannot for the life of me recommend this medication to anyone. I'm currently 5 days away from discontinuing this medication and replacing it with prozac."