Clomipramine for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder User Reviews (Page 5)

• Ave...
• March 5, 2021

"Started at 25 mg. A week later, I was taking 50 mg. Mouth was dry, but I could deal with that. Went up to 75 mg. I was having difficulty urinating. Okay, I can deal with that as long as that's the worst. Went up to 100 mg. Could not urinate at all. Went to the ER and was catheterized - I had to be catheterized due to the amount of urine in my bladder. This was Saturday. The doctor looked up this medication and found this happens to 6% of patients - which is considered a fairly high number regarding side effects. The doctor said to go to a urologist on Monday. Went to a very good urologist with excellent staff. They took out the catheter, and I was able to urinate. Went home and urinated 2 times. By 2:00, I wasn't able to go at all. Back to the urologist and got catheterized again. The amount I had in my bladder was 450 - apparently, that is quite a lot. The doctor said this medication has 5 half-lives, which equals 160 hours!!! Went home with the catheter. Today (Thursday), the catheter was removed, and it's 10:00 pm and all is good. *Knocks on wood*"

• Omm...
• November 10, 2012

"Clomipramine changed my entire life. I use it for TOC. Before trying it, I used almost any medicine you can name, and none of them helped me at all. I just love it. Not only that, but at least for me, it's almost side-effect free (unlike almost everything else I tried before). My only problem is with my orgasms. My libido is very healthy, and I feel pleasure just like anybody else, but sometimes it just takes me a lot to reach an orgasm (not always, but most of the time)."

• PGc...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 5, 2013

"Miracle! I had obsessive thoughts that I recognized and could not get rid of. Tried years of therapy and one year of Lexapro with no results. The thoughts had cost me relationships in the past and were starting to ruin my latest and best one also. I finally tried Clomipramine. Even at the low dosage of 25 mg, I started to see results after two weeks of taking it. The side effects are a drag, but they start going away. Worst one for me is the anorgasmia, though which is getting better slowly."

• abb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 3, 2020

"I started taking clomipramine around 3 weeks ago and have noticed some improvements with my OCD and panic symptoms. I was dissociating and having frequent panic attacks along with obsessive compulsive thoughts and compulsions severely. The first week taking this, I noticed I no longer was having panic attacks, and my depression also improved. By week two, I noticed my OCD symptoms lessened maybe by 50%. (Btw, I am taking 25 mg daily alongside 10 mg of Lexapro.) I like this combo so far, although I am experiencing so many side effects. Every time I stand up, I get extremely dizzy to the point of where I feel like I might faint (I don't know what is causing this), I also am having difficulty peeing, as well as trouble reaching orgasm. Despite the side effects, it is improving my symptoms!"

• Nit...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2020

"I have OCD on a few things, which I don't want to share. My OCD increased last year. I felt nausea and also vomited daily on getting OCD thoughts. Initially, my treatment started with a low dose of fluvoxamine, and it was increased to 200 mg/day. My OCD decreased by 50%, but it was not eliminated completely. I still have nausea and sometimes vomiting also. After some time, I decreased the fluvoxamine dose to 100 mg/day because I was thinking I would cover up with strong willpower. But symptoms had not gone, nausea continued, and sometimes I vomited also. In short, my doctor kept me on 100 mg/day fluvoxamine and clonil 25 mg/daily. Later on, my fluvoxamine dose (100 mg/day) was kept fixed, and the clonil dose was increased to 50 mg/daily. Now it's just like magic, my OCD is about 90% gone, and there is no nausea and no vomiting. My mind is also calm and working according to the present situation."

• All...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 24, 2023

"It's helping me in a lot of little ways, and as time goes on, I see how it's helping me in bigger ways too. I can't do anything unless it's perfect, so I usually end up doing nothing. But this medication is helping me take baby steps."

• Thi...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 12, 2015

"I had terrible OCD in my late teens and twenties. Totally life-consuming - I thought I was going mad. I suppose I was. The side effects have been difficult - long-term erectile dysfunction, years after coming off the medication. And at the time, when the dose went up, sort of 'flu-like' symptoms: achy, nausea, upset tummy. But it evened out. And it was really worth it. Still can't get it up properly - but I can live a life. As for cost - I live in the UK, so all healthcare is free for everyone. I paid"

• Fli...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 11, 2021

"1 year of being off of this drug and I’m still going through withdrawal. This pill may help your OCD, but it will completely screw up your body in other ways. It messed up all of my hormones and gave me the most painful hot flashes you could ever have to the point where it feels like your whole body is on fire. 14 months of being off of it and I still get at least 20 of these hot flashes every single day. On top of that, I was shaking so much while being on this drug you would’ve thought I had Parkinson’s disease. STAY AWAY at all costs, the drug will screw up your life."

• DFr...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2016

"The first 2 weeks were kind of difficult for me. Lots of side effects and very little results. Hot/cold flashes, lethargy, tiredness, dizziness, sexual dysfunction, and so on. After a month, the effects of clomipramine started to really kick in. It was effective against depression. Instead of going to bed every night hating myself and wanting to die, that only happened once a week. It reduced some (not all) of my OCD, particularly my obsessions. On the downside, it effectively made me bipolar. At one moment, I felt like Jesus. The other I was severely suicidal. I always had mania and depression, but not to this extent. Had to go off it. Lots of pros. Lots of cons. It works. But will it work for you?"

• Bca...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• May 23, 2022

Clomipramine "This is the only medicine that ever did anything for my OCD. I have tried everything!! (Zoloft, Paxil, Luvox, Wellbutrin, Celexa, Prozac) It does have some side effects. The bothersome ones for me are weight gain (not extreme like 5-10 lbs) & fatigue. I recommend taking it at night before bed because it can make you tired. If your body can adapt to the side effects, it's worth it. Especially if you have intrusive thoughts. I have obsessive checking behaviors & I also pick my skin, which is considered the same type of disorder as trichotillomania. Anafranil helped me completely stop this. I had no desire to think about it or do it anymore, it was crazy. If you have tried a lot of other things, give it a try in low doses, slowly. It will get better, little by little."

• DG1...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 16, 2023

"During one of the lockdowns we went through, I found I couldn’t return to my flat, I had convinced myself that something terrible was going to happen. The obsessive, intrusive thoughts were debilitating. I assumed I would have to kill myself to make it stop. I was placed on clomipramine, and initially, the side effects were annoying but did eventually wear off. It has got me to a place in which I can actually function. I’ve been on it for several years now and am so grateful to the doctor that placed me on it."

• Ser...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• September 18, 2022

Clomipramine "For those who are comparing OCD medications, you should note that Anafranil and Clomipramine are the same medication. Personally, I’ve found this medication to be the most effective for OCD, essentially removing all intrusive thoughts I had for the most part, as well as allowing me to easily dismiss or accept whatever intrusive thoughts did rarely arise, without it provoking an anxious response, meaning they could pass from my mind without issue. Unfortunately, however, the medication suddenly stopped working for me after a 3-year period and left me taking something much less effective. This has left me hoping that one day I’ll be able to go back on Clomipramine and that it’d work again, or that I could find another medication just as effective, if not more effective. It is an older medication, so it can have more side effects. Personally, I only had two: weight gain and orthostatic hypertension, however, the latter only appeared after a large dose increase much later."

• cwa...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• April 7, 2020

"Clomipramine made me gain weight, which furthered my OCD compulsions, therefore, I cannot truly say if it helped me or not. The weight gain was detrimental, but I did hear it was the gold standard. Just not for me, I guess."

• Non...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 14, 2018

"This drug was the answer that I was looking for when none of the SSRIs worked for my condition. I'm still in dose titration upwards, but the 75 mg is giving me considerable relief for my symptoms. It helped when no other SSRI did. I take it along with Zyprexa and Effexor, and this combination is very tolerable for me in terms of side effects. The only thing I don't like is that I have started getting acne on my face, but I think it is from one of the inactive ingredients of the medication, not from the active ingredients. I say this because I don't believe I had this side effect when I used a different pharmacy/generic company. For anyone with a ton of anxiety (of any kind), I strongly recommend clomipramine."

• Typ...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 10, 2021

"I started this medicine 2 weeks ago. I had been majorly depressed for about 3 years and OCD longer. It started off okay, and I felt better almost a day in. This continued as I increased the dosage. I slept better, I was less stressed, happier, and could relax in a chair, which was almost impossible when depressed. Intrusive thoughts appeared every so often, but not as severe. It was life-changing until day 13, after taking 100 mg a day for the past 3 days. I had dissociation, fast heartbeat, panic, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, shaking, and everything turned dark. I smelled a pungent varnish bark smell. I had a trip to A&E for 2 nights. The medication has been stopped, and I am left in a dark, strange, scary place with strange perceptions. I am bedridden and afraid to go anywhere. I hope I at least am able to recover as I was on them for less than 2 weeks, and just hoping I get something to come off the drug with. It is seriously brutal - it is like winning a football match then suddenly being dumped in a graveyard with screaming voices and strangers."

• Rya...
• December 20, 2011

"We have tried everything to deal with the obsessive-compulsive disorder that goes along with the Tourette's, and this has been our savior. The OCD is not as debilitating as it once was. This has given our son back his personality and is making dealing with life a little easier. No more obtrusive thoughts and no real side effects. The older, tried and tested drugs are definitely the ones more doctors should look at first. (Tics have not been aggravated at all.)"

• Pau...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• December 24, 2023

"I've both ADHD and OCD. I've tried fluoxetine and sertraline before, but they were not as effective as this medication. It also helped me to fall asleep without having to use other drugs. To end the intrusive thoughts problem, I had to complement the treatment with 150 mg of bupropion for the ADHD."

• Han...
• November 13, 2015

"I have had chronic OCD for the last year and a half. I tried hundreds of different kinds of medication, and it's safe to say none of them worked. After five days of Anafranil, I started seeing multiple improvements. As more days passed, the level of improvement only increased. Unfortunately, it's not without side effects. I don't eat properly, I don't sleep for more than five hours, my body trembles, and I feel terribly weak, but I have this theory that maybe these side effects play an important role in forcibly stopping you from performing compulsions."

• Rac...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 17, 2021

"Saris stopped working. I had up to 60 obsessions a day morphing. 1-hour toilet routine. I'd been using different SSRIs for 20 years with success for OCD, but for some reason, none of them worked anymore. I held no hope for clomipramine at all. I'm very sensitive to drugs, so they were increased very slowly. The worst side effect was dry mouth, it was like a rat had crawled in and died there, but it does pass and improve. Also, reading movement disorder as a side effect had me begin to be convinced I had one, but I didn't believe that until they were fully working. Anyway, slowly all my obsessions cleared up to the point where I can almost be the other way. I was considering many ways out of life before this started to show improvement. Now it is like I'm a slightly obsessive person with no OCD. It was a miracle for me. I was nearing the end, I had no quality of life. Give it a try."

• har...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• November 30, 2019

"I began Anafranil in October. I was already on lithium and Buspar. At only 25 mg, it cleared my head and took all the fear, pain, noise, and anguish away. I didn't have a crying spell for a whole month (as opposed to once a week or more). As the intrusive obsessive thoughts came back, we raised it to 50 mg. Everything was great until the obsessions came back again. We raised it to 75 mg, and I fell headfirst into a crazed depression. I could not stop crying for the life of me. All day. At home, at work. We raised it to 100 mg, and I ended up in the hospital, an uncontrollable crying rage monster. I am so lucky I didn't lose my job. We have since reduced me to 25 again. It kind of works, but not nearly as well as when I began. It's better than nothing, but I have no idea why it gave me my whole life back and then snatched it away overnight????"

• Anonymous
• January 23, 2012

Clomipramine "After trying a few different medicines (with no benefits), my doctor pulled out the big guns and gave me Clomipramine. I have severe OCD but the purely obsessional (intrusive thoughts). I used to be a checker and hand washer, though. I took it for over 1 year. Unfortunately, Clomipramine did nothing for me on 250 mg, which is pretty much the highest dose you can take. I did not have a lot of side effects except dry mouth when I was on it. I quit taking it after I ran out on a holiday weekend and saw the withdrawal symptoms: severe nausea. And even when tapering slowly off it over the course of months, I still had terrible withdrawals (vomiting and nausea)."

• Leo...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• September 3, 2017

"One of the better drugs I have taken. It sure works - for me, 125 mg completely erased my OCD-related depression and anxiety, but there is a side effects price: excessive sweating, constipation, and reduced libido."

• Bob...
• April 24, 2016

"The most side effects I have ever heard of. I experienced nearly all of the side effects at one point or the other over the last month and a half. I am currently bedridden, trying to get off this medicine. It's a nightmare."

• New...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 19, 2017

"This med caused me to hear internal voices (auditory hallucinations, but in my head). Made me paranoid, anxious, scared to be alone, tired, nauseated, no appetite, and felt schizophrenic. Started at 50 mg, coming off immediately, per my PDoc. I hope it gives you relief, as most seem satisfied. Bummer it wasn't my lifesaver."

• Anonymous
• April 9, 2012

"This medicine worked wonders; I was not as paranoid as before, and was able to eat something that had fallen on the counter and things like that (before, I wouldn't have dared). It also made my depression evaporate. Unfortunately, it also caused intense hunger, in turn causing weight gain, and gave me headaches, made me hydrated, and caused frequent urination on the flip side. I'd still recommend this medicine. I'm sad it didn't work out for me because it was really great."