User Reviews for Imipramine to treat Depression

Tofranil (imipramine) "I suffered from depression on and off til I was 33. My doctor prescribed a couple medicines without success. Tried Tofranil because my mother took it in the late 1950's. Noticed a gradual improvement over 1 to 4 months with the full effect over a period of about 12 months. Medicine did not work at 100mg so went up to 250mg then 200mg. Some (small price) side effects include dry mouth (Gum, tictac remedy) medicine makes you sleepy about 2 hrs after ingestion. Get ready for a good nights sleep, increased appetite and feeling more relaxed than ever before. I remember the first sign of the Tofranil working was when I went outside one day and the sun seemed so bright and I was happier to be alive. That was 25years ago. "

"I was on Imipramine for 20 years for severe depression. This medicine turned my life around. I was a new and happy person. Then 5 months ago I couldn't get my Imipramine from Walgreens. I can't find out why I can't get my prescription of Imipramine anymore. My Psychiatrist has tried several other antidepressants which had awful side effects and made things worse. Is their anyone on this site who has had the same issue of not being able to get Imipramine....I am desperate for some help in getting this medicine.Thank you."

"Male 70 years old as of 2019. Started taking imipramine in 1995 for anxiety and depression. Been a lifesaver of a medication. Started at 100mg at bedtime but slowly reduced to my present dose of 50mg at bedtime and have been taking this dose for 17 years. Had tried SSRI's prior to the imipramine and had terrible reactions so doctor gave me the tried and true imipramine. It saved my life."

"I switched from Prozac to Imipramine after reading extensively about how successful it was before the advent of SSRI's. I have had ZERO side effects and no drowsiness on 100mg of Imipramine, while Prozac made me manic and absolutely ruined my gastrointestinal tract. I have been very happy with this medicine, best one I have taken so far for Major Depression. It is also cheap."

"I have been battling the combination of anxiety and depression for close to 2 years. The first two medications I took (Paxil and Effexor) were horrible. Basically they made the symptoms worse and Effexor gave me insomnia. I was then given Remeron which worked for 2 months, then stopped working. Kept upping the dose and it just numbed me out and made anxiety worse. Finally they put me on Imipramine because my dad has taken it for 35 years and had no problems. It took a little while to work. About 10 weeks for me and that was a gradual increase in dose to 300 mg. Thats the level my dad takes so I do the same. It worked for me. Anyone who reads this review I hope it works for you as well."

"When I was 50 years old my depression was very acute and I needed hospital care and the NHS provided imipramine at 200mg a day. I am now 74 years old and have not had an acute episode in all that time."

"I was severely depressed for a year and literally never left my bed. At 35 years old I was a Professional woman working full time with 2 children (who l was bringing up with the help of a full time nanny whilst l was at work and unwell - she was an angel) l was terrified the sun would never shine again. Then my GP hospitalised me and l was introduced to Imipramine at 200mg a day in two split doses. Initially it totally knocked me out - no other side effects though, then dose reduced to 150mg a day then 75mg a day. l began to feel “me" again - fit, bothered about my appearance, wanting to socialise, really optimistic about the future and confident that l could cope. I returned home on 75mg a day and after a week took the children 10 and 8 on holiday for 3 weeks abroad!! Felt a little scary but we had great family bonding time and l was back at work within two months and off the Imipramine! For me it saved my life and the children will always have a mother!"

"This was the first and best drug used to treat my severe depression. Before I took it I did not have enough energy to look for work nor could I hold up the newspaper to read it. I had been nauseous and eating little and I could not sleep beyond 3 hours. I had been very achey and exhausted and in a state of fatigue for greater than 6 months. After a month of imipramine I regained appetite, was no longer achey and I could sleep through the night. I got better, returned to work and was able to slowly wean off it after 18 months."

"I was prescribed this med for depression which is also effective at bedtime for sleep & fibromyalgia pain. The pain improved significantly and I felt more rested the next day. A dry mouth is the main side effect that is noticeable. This drug is very helpful."

Tofranil (imipramine) "At first this medicine seemed great. Was taking it for depression and generalized anxiety disorder. After a week on the lowest dose I started having bad side effects. I was shaving one morning and noticed my face, lips and arm felt numb. Doctor reduced my dosage to 10mg that worked okay for a week then same side effects."

"I was on imipramine for a little over a year, after trying every other antidepressant known to man. At first I noticed a major change. It was the best I had felt in years. I was back to doing things that I used to do and felt great. It also helped me to sleep at night. The effects of the med started to decrease so we increased the dose until I was eventually on 100mg a day. That's when the side effect started. I went in for a routine doctor visit and my resting heart rate was 130. Of course panic set in and I had a bunch of tests ran on my heart, everything was normal. The only thing different was the increase in imiprimine. It caused me tachycardia. So now I am in the process of weaning off of it. Onto something else."

"Only been on it about 6 weeks and only up to 30mg. Moods are a little better so far but insomnia hello. I'm lucky to get 3 or 4 hours a nite I don't get how all of you sleep. I used to fall right asleep with my topamax at nite. Now he has me taking my gabapentin, topamax and imipramine at bedtime optional Ativan too but then I wake up groggy defeating the purpose of great mood in the am. Hum maybe my meds don't play nice together at nite lol. I do get the dry mouth I really hate that but it has improved my morning moods which is what we were going for. I do have anxiety and it doesn't help with a quick onset. I am hopeful for this med as I have tried just about everything out there!"

"I was prescribed imipramine for depression. It worked very well for years! BUT... it made me a diabetic with peripheral neuropathy. When I was originally given the medication I was told it would increase my appetite. It did - a LOT! It also raised my glucose levels to astronomical levels (400-500). My A1c was between 10 and 11. Over time, it damaged my nerves. I didn't realize this until my feet began to burn. After slowly decreasing imipramine by 5 mg per week until completely coming off it, my feet were unbearable. The pain was constant. I couldn't walk, or have anything on my feet. I would sleep with my blankets folded up and my feet hanging off the bed. I would soak my feet in ice water to alleviate the burning and pain."

"Imipramine- started it way back in 1982 for clinical depression and took it for 5-6 years. It GAVE me sleep paralysis and hypnagogic hallucinations, waking and lucid dreams too. I remember telling my psyche about the Seep paralysis (SP) , he didn't know why it was happening. Of course back then, nobody knew what to call it and I couldn't find out anything on my own until early 2000's on the internet. Go figure. Occasionally I'll still have an episode of SP, under stress. Medicine was great for my depression and ADHD, mucked up my dream life tho. Not worth the risk if I had to do it all over again. I did enjoy the waking dreams tho and the OBE's"

Tofranil (imipramine) "Tofranil made me painfully constipated, very nervous, irritable, between doses, I'd get extremely weepy and emotionally distraught... it was the only time in my life that I felt live was too hard. When I started experiencing heart palpitations, I stopped taking it. I have CPTSD and Borderline"

"I came off lexapro thinking that imipramine would better since it affects 3 neuro transmitters.. dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine. But I had another thing coming. It is the worst. More side effects. The effect is low and slugglish. Always makes you sleepy. It destroyed my appetite. I can't even eat for days. My energy levels depleted significantly. I am just gonna give an extra one week if it doesn't work I'll request for a new medication cos 8 days into this drug I feel like I have lost it all"

"I started on imipramine two 25mg per day and it has been 4 days on it. Immediately I noticed a considerable decline in my sex drive. This was my experience, I've used bupropion which was great! It's worth discussing with your psychiatrist. I have ADHD and comorbid depression, probably anxiety too. All the best with your treatment."

"This drug took an awfully long time to work. I hadn't been able to notice its subtle effects until about 2 months into treatment. It does lift your mood up by a tiny fraction, is great for general anxiety and it sparks up your motivation a bit. I had been on this medication alone for no avail, but when I paired it with an SSRI (Zoloft), it made a huge difference. I recommend this combination for treatment of depression."

"25mg, once a day at night. For the first 7-8 weeks of taking this medication there was no positive effect on my mood, around week 3/4 my mood was noticeably worse. During the 7-8 week period I constantly felt disconnected and lacked any sort of motivation or energy to engage in any activity that involved thinking, especially social situations. I would constantly have a dry mouth and dry eyes and in addition I also had trouble urinating in the morning and when standing up I would feel light headed and dizzy for a few seconds, this was worse if I had been lying down. However, now my mood is much more stable and the side effects are gone but if I miss more than 2-3 doses then I feel incredibly low for about a week but then pick up again."

"I started imipramine a few months ago for both depression and enuresis(two birds with one stone!) and have noticed positive changes in both areas. It completely eliminated the enuresis, and my mental health is better than it has been in years. I have not noticed any negative side effects!"

"This drug does something that effects one's entire body. I'm far more worried now that my heart will stop than about the depression it that this med was given for. Nearly 45 hours since last dose and I still can't feel my skin. Horrible horrible drug."

Tofranil (imipramine) "Waste of 75 bucks. My mood only increased slightly, and in exchange I got terrible bouts of dizziness and vertigo. Most of the time I felt like I'd been shot with a tranquilizer dart. Horrible experience. After only a week or so, I started to get nausea as well, so I had to stop. I regret spending money on this med."

Tofranil (imipramine) "Best and least expensive. Came off Celexa because of side effect. Be patient, it works in about 3 weeks."

"Imipramine reduced my symptoms of depression significantly. It worked very well in my case."

"Good for depression"