Anafranil (Clomipramine Hcl) Patient Information: How Should I Take the Drug at RxList

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May 24, 2012

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Prescription Anxiety Medications »

What are anxiety medications and how do they work?

Anxiety is both a normal and useful response to potentially stressful or dangerous situations. It helps by increasing our awareness of what's going on around us and in other ways. For most people, the anxiety is short lived and normally goes away once the situation has passed. But that is not the case for an estimated 40 million adults in the United States who have some type of anxiety disorder and experience ongoing and unwarranted psychological distress. That distress may also manifest itself in physical symptoms such as muscle tension, headaches, or chest pain.

Anxiety medications include multiple types of drugs that are used to treat the symptoms of anxiety disorders. The three most commonly prescribed types of anxiety medication are antidepressants, anti-anxiety medications -- also known as anxiolytics -- and beta-blockers. The first two types of anxiety medications work primarily by affecting the ba...

Read the Prescription Anxiety Medications article »

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Anafranil Patient Information including How Should I Take

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking clomipramine (Anafranil)?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to clomipramine or to similar drugs such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Etrafon), amoxapine (Ascendin), desipramine (Norpramin), doxepin (Sinequan), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), nortriptyline (Pamelor), protriptyline (Vivactil), or trimipramine (Surmontil).

Do not use clomipramine if you have recently had a heart attack, or if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take clomipramine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.

Before taking clomipramine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

heart disease or a history of heart attack, stroke, or seizures;
bipolar disorder (manic-depression), schizophrenia or other mental illness;
kidney or liver disease;
overactive thyroid or adrenal gland tumor (pheochromocytoma);
glaucoma; or
problems with urination.

If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use clomipramine, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

You may have thoughts about suicide when you first start taking an antidepressant, especially if you are younger than 24 years old. Tell your doctor if you have worsening symptoms of depression or suicidal thoughts during the first several weeks of treatment, or whenever your dose is changed.

Your family or other caregivers should also be alert to changes in your mood or symptoms. Your doctor will need to check you at regular visits for at least the first 12 weeks of treatment.

FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.

Clomipramine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Do not give clomipramine to anyone younger than 18 years old without the advice of a doctor.

How should I take clomipramine (Anafranil)?

Take this medication exactly as it was prescribed for you. Do not take the medication in larger amounts, or take it for longer than recommended by your doctor. Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results from this medication. Follow the directions on your prescription label.

Take clomipramine with food to reduce stomach upset.

If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time that you are taking clomipramine. You may need to stop using the medicine for a short time.

Do not stop using clomipramine without first talking to your doctor. You may need to use less and less before you stop the medication completely.

It may take up to 4 weeks of using this medicine before your symptoms improve. For best results, keep using the medication as directed. Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 4 weeks of treatment.

Store clomipramine at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

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