about to start clomipramine

[Sober2000june]

I am about to start clomipramine this week currently on no AD but trying to get by with olanzapine and lorazopam.

Ian, I believe you speak quite highly of clomip. My head is scared because the is last chance saloon, well it feels that way as my new psych doesn’t fill me with any encouragement. She is very patronising. My mood is definitely low and my anxiety high. Part of me thinks clomipramine may help as my head constantly obsesses about the meds what they are doing to me and will i ever be Normal me again.

Please any encouragement
Regards,
Paul.

[Scissel]

Well.. you asked for encouragement; so I shouldn't say that particular med didn't help me much, but everybody is different. For years I tried to just get be by with the benzo (clonazepam) and st john's wort, and for a while I was (barely) managing, but the OCD got out of control and I'm now on an AD (Sertraline). I find it troubling that your psych is patronizing, though, I hope somehow that changes because that sucks. Good luck with your meds and I hope things improve for you.

[panic_down_under]

Ian, I believe you speak quite highly of clomip.

Clomipramine has the best record for OCD so there is a very good chance it will work, Paul, but there are no guarantees. It all comes down to how well it meshes with your biology.


My head is scared because the is last chance saloon, well it feels that way as my new psych doesn’t fill me with any encouragement. She is very patronising.

Sigh! :sad: Then she may make the journey to recovery a little harder. :curse: Any chance of getting a different one?

Clomipramine is not your last chance, there are still the MAOI class ADs as monotherapy. Phenelzine (Nardil) is the most effective AD I've taken, but back in the 1980s the food restrictions presented a problem with my lifestyle at the time. Modern food processing techniques have diminished the need to avoid most of the foods that were problematic back then and provided you have control over the ingredients in what you eat (which I didn't always) MAOIs should present few problems these days. And if MAOIs don't do it for you then we get into the exciting realm of poly-pharmacy.


My mood is definitely low and my anxiety high. Part of me thinks clomipramine may help as my head constantly obsesses about the meds what they are doing to me and will i ever be Normal me again.

'Normal' is overrated! Seriously. :emot-nod: What the clomipramine will hopefully do is return your brain to close to its pre OCD state by stimulating the growth of new brain cells to replace those lost to stress.

[Sober2000june]

day 4 . still plodding along. i go up to 20mg this Monday. then 30mg following Monday. Wondering if this is normal to be going up so quickly. Im guessing 30mg is 1st therapeutic dose?
i have been getting dizzy spells since Wednesday hoping it'll settle soon

[panic_down_under]

day 4 . still plodding along. i go up to 20mg this Monday. then 30mg following Monday. Wondering if this is normal to be going up so quickly.

Weekly increases are the norm, Paul. The rule of thumb on dose increases is to up them no sooner than 5 times the half-life of the med. Clomiptramine's half-life is about 21 hours, range 12-36 hours with females generally being the slower TCA metabolisers. Side-effects may become significantly more severe if the dose is increased earlier, but usually won't be less severe if the increase is delayed.


Im guessing 30mg is 1st therapeutic dose?

100mg is the usual minimum therapeutic dose with a recommended daily maximum of 250mg.


i have been getting dizzy spells since Wednesday hoping it'll settle soon

Dizziness is a common initial side-effect of most ADs. It can be a direct effect of the med, but may also be from the heightened anxiety ADs often trigger at the beginning.

[Sober2000june]

this is really starting to hurt and im only at 20mg. Starting to loose faith in Clomip already. please any encouraging words as my brain fries.

[panic_down_under]

this is really starting to hurt and im only at 20mg.

Hurt in what way, Paul?


Starting to loose faith in Clomip already. please any encouraging words as my brain fries.

ADs don't fry the brain, just the opposite, plus most of the initial side-effects don't come from the brain but other organs.

[Sober2000june]

increased anxiety and depressiom

[panic_down_under]

increased anxiety and depressiom

Unfortunately, that is common with all ADs at the beginning due to the initial increase in serotonin activity, Paul. Psychology can also play a part. Talk to your GP as there are ways of minimizing these side-effects.

[Sober2000june]

Unfortunately, that is common with all ADs at the beginning due to the initial increase in serotonin activity, Paul. Psychology can also play a part. Talk to your GP as there are ways of minimizing these side-effects.

im currently on 3mg lorazopam

[panic_down_under]

im currently on 3mg lorazopam

By the sounds of it it isn't really making the process that much more bearable so talk to your GP again as white-knuckling through the initial side-effects, especially heightened anxiety, is counterproductive.