Hi, just wondering how long it takes for this medicine to take full affect. Ive just gone up to 50mg after 1 week and am currently upto day 10. Has it helped anyone with intrusive thoughts? Thank you :)
Clomipramine - Hello all just wondering how long it takes for this medicine to take full affect?
Question posted by Viggy87 on 28 Dec 2014
Last updated on 23 January 2015 by chuck1957
4 Answers
chuck1957
23 Jan 2015
Hi Veggie with this class of drug it can take as much to 4 to 8 weeks now we do get some benifits but you don't get to the full blood level until your on it from the time i stated and i think we talked about this drug and i know when i was working yes i seen many people really do great on this medication when no others were working..hope this answers you and good luck..Also if needed they can raise the dose that you are taking... OK have a nice weekend chuck1957
chuck1957
30 Dec 2014
Here is what it says after you have had a dose change this is what to expect to reach the full blood level of the new dose... chuck1957 Steady-state plasma levels may not be achieved until 2 to 3 weeks after a dosage change. Therefore, after initial titration, it may be appropriate to wait 2 to 3 weeks before proceeding with further dosage adjustments. So your looking at 2 to 3 weeks from the last time the doctor raised the dose..
Viggy87
30 Dec 2014
Thanks chuck1957. I'm due to see my doctor in a week and a half which would be 3 weeks after I went upto 50mg. Thanks for all your information. It is much appreciated
chuck1957
30 Dec 2014
Glad it worked out just wait until you see doctor don't rush things your doing pretty good... timming is good i hope that well help chuck
plusku
30 Dec 2014
I have been on this med since May. Started off with 50mg per day and am now up to 100mg. It started helping my intrusive thougt problem within the first two weeks and now the increased dosage is even better which helps my anxieties. I also take small doses of Ativan each day and am doing well on both so far!! :)
Viggy87
30 Dec 2014
Thank you for your input plusku. Good to know that it is helping you. I'm up to my second week as of Thursday so hopefully things start to turn around but I'm told it can take a while to reach its full affect:)
chuck1957
28 Dec 2014
Viggy87 I have seen many more people benifit off of this medication for OCD problems when all the regular ones would not help... It does work as far as blood level like many others,You can start it and start feeling better little by little but to reach the full peak blood level your are looking at 6 to 8 weeks so like other medications that is the one problem but well worth it if it does the job As i said yes with the intrusive thoughts and the heavy ocd etc..out of the medications they use for this it has been very effective good luck and stick with it..hope it works out for you to...
Viggy87
28 Dec 2014
Thank you for your reply chuck1957. Yeh I have heard lots of good things about this medicine. No real bad side affects so far either..hope it works too. Thanks
chuck1957
29 Dec 2014
That has a lot to do with it to is stay positive and don't look for anything wierd to many focus on every little throb or itch and many have nothing to do with it..keep the chin up..
JPC24
23 Jan 2015
I have been taking Clomipramine daily since March of 1990. In the beginning it takes awhile to work and the side effects can be discouraging. After about 2-3 months I really started to notice how well it was working for me. I was for a time on a dosage as high as 300MG a day but then settled in on a 100-150MG a day. The side effects will go away. It did effect my sexual performance for about 3-4 months but that went away as well. Once your body adjusts to this medication it can work very well. My OCD symptoms slowly started to fade away. Of course I still have OCD but clomipramine removed about 90% of my symptoms, enough to make my life manageable and much more normal.
I tried to ween myself off of it a few years ago and it worked for a couple of months but then the OCD came back as strong as it was before I began taking it in 1990. I now take 100MG a day and continue to do well on it.
The price as skyrocketed in the last year due to low supply and that has been a burden on me financially but to sum of my experience with clomipramine I would have to say in the long run it may have saved my life.
There are also coupons on-line that you can get that cut the price drastically. I have used them several times in the last year and have saved a ton of money. I had no problems using the coupons at my local Rite-Aid pharmacy.
If you have ODC, stay strong and don't give up. You are not alone and those with OCD understand you and what you are going through. It's a wierd thing to deal with because those with it know it makes no real sense to have these thoughts. We just want them to go away.
On a side note: My son is 22 and has OCD as well. Clomipramine was not the drug for him. His side effects were less manageable and he didn't have the patience to work through them.
Related topics
obsessive compulsive disorder, clomipramine, medicine
Further information
- Clomipramine uses and safety info
- Clomipramine prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Clomipramine (detailed)
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