Desipramine for Depression User Reviews

• Jen...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 21, 2014

Desipramine "I have spent years going through one antidepressant after another. I even did ECT treatments, and nothing worked. My psychiatrist then put me on desipramine, and I have never looked back. I have energy, I can concentrate, get out of bed, and function for the first time in years. I've been taking it for 6 months now and have not had to increase the dosage, either. It was truly a godsend."

• Dok...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 29, 2013

Desipramine "Desipramine has worked wonders for me. After many years on and off of various medications that would - at best, if they worked at all - help briefly and degenerate into vicious side effects, this one worked like a charm. The only downside is that it is so innocuous that it's easy to get used to the improvement; since the improvements, it can be tempting to consider oneself 'better' and discontinue prematurely. Fortunately, there are no discontinuation effects, and the only side effect I have experienced is slight photosensitivity."

• Anonymous
• September 11, 2011

"I had taken many SSRI antidepressants and none helped my depression. I finally insisted that I try something different. Desipramine works on norepinephrine, and that made a big difference. My apathy was gone, no severe anxiety like I'd had from Prozac and Paxil. I knew it was working when I started cleaning my house even though my mood had not improved yet. SSRIs may be newer but not better."

• 112...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• April 3, 2016

Desipramine "I did so well on this medication! But I can no longer afford it. The generic version I was paying $280 a month. I have since changed to Effexor and now I'm on Zoloft, and neither one works as well. I had been on this since 1986, but had to change last November because of the cost. I miss it so much."

• EAG...
• November 29, 2011

"To treat depression, I have been on Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Celexa, Effexor, and Cymbalta. None worked as well as desipramine. I have been taking 30mg of desipramine combined with 50mg of Zoloft, and I feel much better. It took a few weeks of ups and downs before it really kicked in."

• Joa...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• November 15, 2016

Desipramine "I took this drug for over 20 years. It worked extremely well for me. Dry mouth was my only side effect. I was told by my pharmacy they could no longer get it. I took the generic for a while, but it never worked as well. I was surprised to read others have taken it recently. How sad something that worked so well for many is hard to get. I would switch back in a heartbeat."

• GER...
• May 3, 2017

"I was really surprised to see a post from Joanzie (taken for 10 years or more) November 15, 2016, today when she indicated her pharmacy could no longer get it. I have taken desipramine (generic is Norpramin) for nearly 10 years now and have no problems getting it. Amneal makes 10 mg pills, but I am now switching to 50 mg. LGM Pharma makes it, but I'm sure there are others. I have used it since 911, as it really did a number on me. If I forget to take it, I know it, as I end up in la-la land, as my head just feels like it is detached from my body. As long as I take the drug when prescribed, I'm steady Eddie!"

• 70c...
• July 13, 2008

"I found it to be the best medicine for me. I was put on several newer antidepressants, and I hated side effects, especially weight loss. I am a very physical person who struggles to keep weight on, and this helps me in this situation also."

• Anonymous
• August 5, 2023

"I have taken desipramine antidepressant for a certain time after I have tried many other different antidepressants from other antidepressant classes or groups like SSRI and SNRI and found out that desipramine antidepressant was working very well for my severe depression, and I started feeling in a good mood and relaxed, and even it did help me with my social phobia, and I was able to sleep better with this medication and concentrate better, really. But I’ve stopped it because of some side effects, switched to another class of antidepressants, and did not feel better at all. Then again, I went back to desipramine because I found out that it helps much more than other antidepressants do and decided to stay on it even though it causes some side effects because most antidepressants also cause lots of side effects that are really serious, not just tricyclic antidepressants but also the SSRI and SNRI. All of them cause and have lots of side effects, so I preferred to stay on desipramine instead."

• ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 8, 2017

"I have had trouble sleeping all my life. Too much REM sleep and waking exhausted. In my 30s, I was placed on a regimen of desipramine and trazodone. They worked well together, but I quickly developed a tolerance and had to stop taking them. In the intervening years, I tried seemingly every other antidepressant to try to get the same effect, but nothing worked. Finally, I demanded these two drugs from a young doctor who had never heard of them. After consulting with an older physician, he allowed me to have them, and I have created a three-week regimen that keeps me from building tolerance. I take a small dose of 6 mg desipramine every other day (it works for 2 days but not 3). After two weeks, I do a week of 50 mg trazodone, allowing my body to 'forget' the desipramine. And in 2 weeks, it 'forgets' the trazodone."

• Luc...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• May 18, 2017

"I’ve been taking desipramine (the generic from Actavis) for depression since 2003, returning to it after trying many other meds. It’s the only one that helped, although high doses caused shortness of breath, low back pain, nightmares, stress, and anxiety. The key has been finding the correct dose. An important discovery was that chocolate produces a synergistic effect. Taking it in the evening right after a large serving of dark chocolate and 10 ounces of milk allows me to keep the dose and prescription costs low. It’s not nearly as effective without chocolate during the day. But a problem is that it’s addictive. Increasing the dose made me more depressed, but going down improved my mood, so finding the optimal one has been difficult."

• mik...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 18, 2016

"One of the best-responding antidepressants I've ever taken. Unfortunately, I had to stop taking it because my resting heart rate went up to ≥ 100 bpm while on this medication (could've been interacting adversely with my Dexedrine). But wow, what a response I had! It started responding just a few weeks after increasing it to 75 mg, and it seemed to really bring me out of my cocoon at 100 mg-125 mg. That was the highest I ever got to try before realizing what was going on with my heart and subsequently having to back down on the dosage. My positive response diminished, and I had gained a bunch of weight anyway, so we decided to switch meds."

• EJs...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• February 8, 2013

Desipramine "It was the Godsend of meds for me!"

• Hit...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 12, 2018

"The first antidepressant, along with Lamictal, that I've tried in 25 years for my bipolar 1, that actually is an antidepressant. I think that sums up my experience."

• Liz...
• December 20, 2020

"No side effects, helped huge! Sleep better."

• rbe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 6, 2018

"Best antidepressant in 30 years. However, effectiveness is starting to wear off after 3 months. Experience side effect: prickly burning sensations."

• phe...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 28, 2016

"Did not notice any effect whatsoever."