# Clomipramine (Anafranil) for dp/dr and obsessional thoughts



## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

I was just wondering if anyone has tried Clomipramine (Anafranil) and if so if they found it to be of any benefit? I have tried all the SSRI's without any real success, in fact I have tried so many meds now I have lost count. I have easily been on over 20 different types and none of them seem to have really helped much at all. I am worried that I am untreatable and that dp/dr is a life sentence for me.

I have never tried Clomipramine however and I was wondering if it might be of some benefit, because I have read that it is also used as an anti-obsessional drug and I have alot of problems with unwanted intrusive obsessional thoughts. My Dr said that I am thinking about my thinking which I think is a good way of explaining it, but its driving me crazy and I'm not sure how much longer I can put up with feeling like this. CBT or distraction doesn't seem to help me either because there is nothing that I can do to distract myself which doesn't seem strange or that I don't find myself getting intrusive thoughts about.

I am worried because I can't see any way of getting rid of the strange and unwanted thoughts that plague me 24hrs a day and also because I have read that OCD is a problem with the brain chemistry and as yet there is no cure for it. Also I have tried all the SSRI's that are used for OCD and they haven't helped me either.

Anyway I was just wondering if there was anybody on the board who has problems with intrusive thoughts and has been helped at all by taking Clomipramine.


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2004)

I often wondered this too. I am afraid to try it and have noticed that the meds I have tried make mine worse, I feel more lost, and conused and isolated.

I have had this DR / DP for 15 months now.

I wanted to try this or maybe Effexor...

I am curious about how long you have been suffering and if you have found any relief at all.

Talk to you soon

Rachel


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

Hi cakies,

Unfortunately I have been suffering from chronic dp/dr 24/7 for over 8yrs. It really depresses me to admit that I have had this for so long now, especially since I have been so incapacitated by this disorder. It all started for me after a bad trip when I was 18 but didn't really become this severe until about a month before my 20th birthday. As of yet I have tried almost everything going to treat my dp/dr but nothing has really helped at all.

I hope that you manage to find some relief soon. Some medications have made me feel worse too, but my dp/dr is so bad that this is a risk I am always willing to take. I would hate not to try a medication and always be wondering if it could have made a significant impact on my dp/dr etc but I understand that if some people feel that their dp/dr is managable and is not causing them too much distress that the decision to take medications can be a more difficult one.


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2004)

I think it's a very good idea actually. It's basically one of the older group of anti-d's (pre ssri) - a tricylic. Give it a try. I don't think it will cause you any problems, might at worst, make you tired.

CBT is not going to work with you, dear Lewis....it never did a thing for me either. The SOURCE of the fear that is fueling the thoughts is much larger than any cognitive trick or technique you can work on yourself. Don't feel like a failure - there is no way that was going to make a dent.

Give the anafranil a try. ANd I'm sending you a PM.

Peace,
Janine


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear Lewis, 
Try the Anafranil. There have been some papers written about its effective treatment of depersonalization. Its also used on OCD for treatment resistant cases, and once you stop it, it seems to have lasting benefits - people actually report long-term drops in their obsessiveness after using it for short periods. It will make you gain some weight though- I know because I've tried it. I think it might really help you though. Other than anticonvulsants, I highly reccomend this for DP. Let me know what you decide to try, and I hope you feel better soon!

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Reflection (Aug 12, 2004)

Dear Homeskooled,

Yeah I am slightly worried about the fact that this drug will make me put on weight but when you compare that to the mental suffering that I am going through I suppose that it is a small price to pay.

I have been on Klonopin, Lamotrogine, Naltraxone, Memantine, Librium, Valium, all the SSRI's and various antipsychotic medications. I have tried hypnotherapy, homoeopathy, acupuncture, massage, Reki, herbal medications, fish oils, CBT, healthy eating plans, vitamins, exercise and a whole load of other things which I can't even remember right now and none of it has really made any difference.

I can honestly say that I have felt severely depressed and anxious everyday for 8yrs now. Which I find really strange because I have read that depression usually lifts after 4-6 months even without treatment so why then have I felt so depressed for so long. I'm guessing that its just related to the fact that I have chronic dp/dr and the fact that dp can obviously last for a very long time and is hard to treat and thus the depression hasn't lifted because my dp/dr is still so severe which is causing me a huge amount of anxiety and depression. I have also read that LSD can cause permanent depression and since this all started for me after a bad trip then this may be another reason.

One of the other things that I find really hard to deal with is the constant tiredness that seems to accompany this and most days I struggle to stay awake and find it very difficult to concentrate or think past the obsessive thoughts that I have. I think that Anafranil may be my last option as I can't think of anything else that is left for me to try and if I have not recovered from this after over 8yrs of trying all these things I often wonder if I ever will and if I do what will it be that will make the difference.

How much weight did you put on when you tried Anafranil and did you find that it helped you at all. Did you stop taking it because it wasn't working or because the weight gain was so severe. Did you have any obsessions and if so did it help to reduce them?

I won't be able to try the Anafranil until I see my Doctor again at the dp clinic in London which won't be for another 6 weeks. I am currently only taking Valium just to try and get my anxiety levels down abit, but all it seems to be doing is making me feel more tired.

I just feel that my obsessive thoughts and dp/dr are very closely interlinked and that if I can try and get rid of some of the obsessions then maybe the dp/dr will lift as well and this is why I think Anafranil might help, but saying that many of the SSRIS are supposed to help with obsessional thoughts and none of them seemed to have helped me at all.

I sometimes wonder why so many people seem to have been helped by Lamotrogine and an SSRI but I haven't. As if it isn't bad enough having such a rare disorder in the first place but then I go and get told by the Doctor at the IOP that 70% of people have received significant benefits or complete remission with these drugs but unfortunately I'm not one of them.

Anyway I live in hope because thats all that has kept me going for all these years. Sorry that this post is so long. I will let you know if and when I decide to try the Anafranil. Thanks for your advice and support.


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## Homeskooled (Aug 10, 2004)

Dear Lewis, 
Yes, as we say in America, it sounds like you've "been through the ringer". Actually, it sounds about like my trip through the mental health system, with the same core symptoms too. No, I didnt stop because of weight gain. I had pretty much finished with the course of the med, and it does help slow down the obsessive rambling. If your DP or DR is accompanied by mood swings or periods of unjustified irritability, or if you experience 2 dimensional vision, I would try an anticonvulsant as well. I would start the anticonvulsant a couple weeks before the anticonvulsant. You may want to try Klonopin again, or that new drug I keep recommending  Gabatril. It sounds like your having a problem with fatigue lately, too, and a real simple over-the-counter remedy for that is a B-vitamin complex. After a couple of days, you'll notice your getting out of bed quicker, and are generally more energetic. You may have depleted some of your neurotransmitter stores with all of those meds, and this is a good way to recharge them. I'm really sorry that you havent found a good treatment yet, but I hope some of these suggestions may help.

Peace
Homeskooled


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## Mischa (Aug 23, 2004)

Hello Lewis

I have tried all the main meds for DP (Celexa , Prozac , Klono , Lamictal ...) and except celexa + Klono , they did nothing . I don't know what Clomipramin can do for obsessive thinking , anyway I have read about ca 2 cases when it cured/ helped with DP. 
Below is the link to one of them , although it deals with rTMS , but it seems that most job was done by clomipramin :
http://www.cnsspectrums.com/pdf/art_513.pdf

Recently I have undergone the same procedure in PCP Prague . 4 weeks rTMS of the same local area like the Mexican guy and than started taking Clomipramin . But for me it did not do anything . 
Anyway, it might work for you .

Michal


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