Anafranil for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 2)

• Liv...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 2, 2017

"I have been taking Anafranil 100mg for a year now and it has changed my life. I have battled with OCD, severe anxiety, panic disorders, and intrusive thoughts since I was young. While trying different drugs, finally at the age of 40, one drug works for me and this is it. I still have the 'thoughts' but instead of obsessing over them, they pass by like moving cars. The side effects are bothersome: dealing with constipation, bloating, sweating, insomnia, twitches. I don't believe I can ever function without this medication and instead maybe lower my dosage to see if it reduces the side effects."

• Anonymous
• October 4, 2017

"This medication is absolutely life-changing. After years of suffering from anxiety and OCD with mostly intrusive racing thoughts that caused insomnia, this medication was a miracle! I had tried so many failed medications and therapies that I became hopeless. I was prescribed this medication after being hospitalized, and I have never been back. That was over 2 years ago. It took 4 weeks to work, please give it time. I feel like I have my life back!"

• Anonymous
• February 15, 2017

"I began taking this drug in 1990. It gave me my life back. I have taken it for 27 years, and it still works for me. For me, the side effects are worth enduring. I also take Buspar twice a day for these 27 years."

• Anonymous
• October 5, 2011

"My obsessive compulsive disorder has improved significantly. It has also helped with depression, but I just upped my dose from 150mg to 225mg to see if I can get more of an antidepressant effect. Almost no side effects. I take it in the morning and I do not feel sleepy. Anger and irritability have improved significantly as well. For those who share in the future, let me know how much you take, please. It helps."

• Anonymous
• March 21, 2012

"After three years on different antipsychotics, I started taking this finally to some relief. I have been taking it now for about six months. It is still working well for obsessing, but the side effects are starting to add up. I have steadily gained weight. Severe dry mouth at first, not so bad now though. Total anorgasmia fixed by Viagra, and uncontrolled twitching. It sounds bad when I write it down but compared to the antipsychotics it's much better. I still feel better than I have and so much happier."

• Anonymous
• September 22, 2009

"After taking this medicine, I woke up one morning to realize that I felt connected to the world, and when I started to do my rituals, I realized that I just didn't need to. Amazing. The problem was that I gained 40 pounds, and the high dosage, necessary (over 200), scared me. I would recommend that a person try it and see if a lower dosage will work for them. If so, it's a miracle."

• mar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 14, 2017

"After a long 12 years of being on Effexor XR, my anxiety OCD was beginning to get worse. My GP felt it necessary to increase my Effexor to 150 mg, and although I had done that in the past, Effexor was just not working anymore and actually began working against me. Awful anxiety at nighttime and my OCD ('I have pure-O'), and I felt I couldn't get things under control. I had enough, and it was time for a change. I saw a different GP who was knowledgeable about anxiety, and he switched me to clomipramine/Anafranil 50 mg to start. I only had a few bad days from the initial switch because Effexor can be nasty to come off, but then my life came back, and I feel great! Just remember nothing will rid you of OCD, but this med is great to manage it!"

• Wol...
• November 7, 2017

"I battled with OCD since being a child, but I was only diagnosed after being hospitalized in my forties. I have been taking clomipramine at 250 mg a day, along with antipsychotics, for the last 5 years. The intrusive thoughts that used to be so crippling have greatly reduced to a level I can handle. Clomipramine saved my life, literally, as I was hospitalized twice for attempted suicide. The only downside is the side effects. For me, as a man, the impotence and loss of libido are difficult to live with, but it's a price worth paying."

• Anonymous
• August 20, 2010

"Ever since I was ten years old, I have had intrusive images of inflicting pain and suffering on myself and others. These images create emotional turmoil in life because obviously I don't want these thoughts. I've tried different medications, yet Anafranil seemed to work the best. My intrusive thoughts went away almost completely, granted I was on the highest dose. However, Anafranil had consequences: it gave me irregular heartbeats and heart palpitations to the point where I felt like I was having a heart attack. I had to wean off the medication because of this. This was distressing to me because Anafranil made me emotionally feel like a million bucks, but physically made me feel dumpy."

• Anonymous
• June 17, 2011

"I've been using Anafranil for 6 years. It has helped me a lot. On occasion, I still struggle with obsessive thoughts but have been able to bring it under control both times by myself. I rated this an 8 because of dry mouth and constipation problems. Eat your fiber big time. After several years, the dry mouth problem got better and only returns when I'm under stress. I sleep well on this drug and did not sleep as well on the SSRIs."

• Tay...
• November 16, 2015

"This medication was a miracle for my OCD, like, I swear my intrusive thoughts had almost gone! I was able to do things that I couldn't do with OCD! Sadly, I couldn't continue it as I got a really bad side effect of low blood pressure! I wasn't able to do much during this time. It was worth a try though!"

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

"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."

• Anonymous
• December 5, 2009

"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."

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

"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
• October 21, 2010

"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."

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

"I was on Anafranil many years ago. Took it for 5 years. Unfortunately, after 5 years, it stopped working for me. But it is a wonderful 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. Only side effect was dry mouth. Small price to pay for the wonderful 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."

• JDa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 29, 2021

"I’ve taken Anafranil for a month now because I had been struggling with anxiety with an OCD element as well. I’m on 150 mg right now. This medication is definitely helping. I take Prozac 20 mg 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."

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

"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."

• hea...
• November 17, 2010

"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."

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

"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 200 mg, 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 effective it is for OCD."

• Cal...
• April 13, 2009

"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."

• BeF...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• August 8, 2020

"I took Anafranil for 5 months at a dose of 25 mgs. 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 constipation. On a positive note, I did not gain any weight and was able to work out regularly. Tried to go up to 50 mg, 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."

• Sha...
• August 31, 2017

"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 quite 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 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 many 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."

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

"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."

• Lua...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 18, 2013

"This drug was a miracle for me! My problem was that I was always late for any and every little thing I attempted to do, and it was ruining my life. It is very baffling for me because I started with only 25 mg, and within four days, I was automatically, not just on time, but early for everything, without any thought or effort! I was ecstatic. This phase lasted 3 weeks. The doc said I'd be a superwoman when she amped me up to 50 mg. Well, that made it stop working! I began to slowly regress, and then started to be extremely drowsy to the point of even falling asleep at the wheel -- and worse, it wasn't even working! We experimented with it, but it never worked again, and I am super sad about that."