Imipramine for Depression User Reviews

• con...
• January 24, 2010

Tofranil (imipramine) "I suffered from depression on and off till I was 33. My doctor prescribed a couple of medicines without success. Tried Tofranil because my mother took it in the late 1950s. 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 100 mg, so went up to 250 mg, then 200 mg. Some small price side effects include dry mouth (gum, Tic Tac remedy). The medicine makes you sleepy about 2 hours after ingestion. Get ready for a good night's 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 25 years ago."

• Blo...
• January 8, 2020

"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 there 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."

• Sna...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• January 13, 2019

"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 SSRIs prior to the imipramine and had terrible reactions, so the doctor gave me the tried and true imipramine. It saved my life."

• CCa...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 9, 2020

"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. That's 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."

• ehh...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• June 5, 2014

"I switched from Prozac to Imipramine after reading extensively about how successful it was before the advent of SSRIs. 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."

• Flo...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• March 26, 2019

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

• Sky...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 11, 2018

"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 (whom I was bringing up with the help of a full-time nanny while I was at work and unwell - she was an angel). I was terrified the sun would never shine again. Then my GP hospitalized me, and I was introduced to imipramine at 200 mg a day in two split doses. Initially, it totally knocked me out - no other side effects, though, then the dose was reduced to 150 mg a day, then 75 mg a day. I began to feel 'me' again - fit, bothered about my appearance, wanting to socialize, really optimistic about the future, and confident that I could cope. I returned home on 75 mg 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 I 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!"

• lin...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 10, 2018

"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 achy and exhausted, and in a state of fatigue for greater than 6 months. After a month of imipramine, I regained my appetite, was no longer achy, and I could sleep through the night. I got better, returned to work, and was able to slowly wean off it after 18 months."

• ang...
• December 18, 2015

"I was prescribed this med for depression, which is also effective at bedtime for sleep and 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."

• Anonymous
• August 2, 2009

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 10 mg, that worked okay for a week, then same side effects."

• Sul...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• November 13, 2017

"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 100 mg a day. That's when the side effects 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 imipramine. It caused me tachycardia. So now, I am in the process of weaning off of it. Onto something else."

• Pat...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 15, 2024

Tofranil (imipramine) "When I was in my middle to late 30s (1960s), I encountered severe depression. Anxiety, sadness, loss of appetite, shakes, sitting and staring into space, anxiety, the whole 12 yards. Went on for a year until Tofranil was prescribed. 81 hours to the minute, I broke out. Cannot express the feeling of returning to calmness and myself again."

• Mis...
• June 4, 2015

"Only been on it about 6 weeks and only up to 30 mg. Moods are a little better so far, but insomnia, hello. I'm lucky to get 3 or 4 hours a night. I don't get how all of you sleep. I used to fall right asleep with my Topamax at night. 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 a great mood in the AM. Hmm, maybe my meds don't play nice together at night, 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!"

• mom...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• June 26, 2016

"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."

• Mja...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 12, 2019

"I came off Lexapro thinking that imipramine would be better since it affects 3 neurotransmitters: dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine. But I had another thing coming. It is the worst. More side effects. The effect is low and sluggish. 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 it an extra one week, if it doesn't work, I'll request a new medication, 'cause 8 days into this drug, I feel like I have lost it all."

• Amy...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 2, 2020

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 life was too hard. When I started experiencing heart palpitations, I stopped taking it. I have CPTSD and borderline."

• Ken...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 4, 2021

"I started on imipramine, two 25 mg 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."

• Was...
• May 27, 2019

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

• Mic...
• October 17, 2017

"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 the treatment of depression."

• Kam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 17, 2016

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."

• Shr...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• November 10, 2020

"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"

• Cro...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 8, 2024

Tofranil (imipramine) "Started with 25mg of Tofranil and worked our way up to 75mg. It has been very effective for my depression/anxiety. At first, it made me a little drowsy, but that is no longer the case. I take it midday now. Blood pressure and pulse are within the normal range. No side effects besides a slight increase in appetite."

• ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 24, 2017

"25 mg, 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."

• Ble...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 17, 2021

"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!"

• Rin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 5, 2024

"I have started imipramine. I am just a little doubtful about most of the medicine, especially anti-depressants (SSRIs), causing bad psoriasis and acid reflux. So, I am trying imipramine now. In a time duration, I will let you know the feedback."