reducing anafranil, side effects?

[anastacia-72]

Hello everybody

I have the following question.
I am using anafranil/clomipramine for about 20 years!. I use 225 mg now for about 8 years, the other years i had ups and downs with the amount. But now i want to start reducing my medication and today i started with taking only 178 mg.
I am very afraid of the side effects from this. Has somebody experiences with this, also positive experiences are welcome. Some doctors also say that because of my use of this medication for so many years it is not working anymore so would my side effects of reducing be less than?

Please tell me your story.


Thanks a lot!

Anastacia

[Ingenious]

Its a very long time since I have been on Clomipramine and only got up to 60mg a day, but I do remember when I came of them the main side effect was only a weird vision effect (almost like a jutter or momentary freeze frame). That wasn't from the reduction from 60mg to 40mg or from 40mg to 20mg, but from 20mg to zero. So I wouldn't be surprised if you don't really notice much change, your reduction in dose is quite gentle. As long as you taper off these gradually and over a reasonably long period you should be fine.

[anastacia-72]

thanks for your story ingenious. I am very afraid and today again i toke the whole dose of my medication. because at the moment i am living alone (husband away for work) and i think it is not a good idea to reduce now i am alone.

[Ingenious]

There's no reason I can think of why you shouldn't wait until your husband is at home and you have support at hand, before you start reducing your dose. I doubt taking a smaller dose the other day and then the normal dose today will cause any problems.

[JaneC]

Hello Anastacia, I came off clomipramine just under two years ago. Like Ingenious I was only ever on a smallish dose but I still found I had to take it very slowly (my doctor at first told me to come off over only three days and I had very bad withdrawal symptoms).

As Ingenious also says, only try cutting your dose when you feel comfortable about it - but I also think a drop from 225mg to 175 is pretty big. Personally I'd try going down from 225 to 200 instead. Good luck - and you can get there but you might need to take your time xx

[anxiety nightmare]

ive been on it for 22 years,i too dont like large doses,225mg seems a high dosage to take,,it made me very lathargic and made me feel sick too,as if i was going to vomit all the time, at the moment i am on only 10mg twice daily,and that has minimal side effects,have a word with your doctor,see if he will reduce the dosage

[anastacia-72]

Hi guys,

i Have to admit that i still did not lower the dosage, as i am simply afraid. However the doctor told me reduce because of my rapid hearbeat. But we are not sure whether that rapid hearbeat is from the medication. She wanted me to take another medicin (i cannot remember the name right now) that reduces the heartbeat and lowers your bloodpressure, but i am also afraid to take that because the side effects are also enormous. i am stuck at the moment. But that is also because i am alone at home my husband is at sea so i have no support at the moment.

[anxiety nightmare]

i also have ocd,and one of them is a fear of taking tablets,,takes me half an hour to get the courage to swallow one

[london]

dont just start reducing it ask your doctor thay do know best
god bless