# some success with anafranil



## sarah (Jul 8, 2008)

currently on Anafranil (clomipramine) and have experienced some incredible relef but it hasn't stuck yet.. any one else? just increased dose to 225.. first days of life came on 200mg. welcome any responses..?

Keeping Hopeful


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## psychiatrysucks (Oct 17, 2007)

What do you mean by it hasn't stuck? It stopped working? I take 50mg of anafranil (Clomipramine) and would increase my dosage if it wasn't for the constipation and bloating. It has helped with the obsessive preocupation with how horrible i feel and has helped a little bit with the dr but not with emotional numbing. It sort of feels like my dp gets worse a lot of the time, but lately its been more difficult to assess all this madness.


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## sarah (Jul 8, 2008)

Fortunately I havent had many side effcts from anafranil..so have been able to push it up. I beleve what I have known on this is what it feels like to be without DP, However my DP seems to be exaccerbated by stress and the DP can come back with vengance. There was no relief until I hit the 200 level. I did experinec going up on it way to quickly thanks to the Wisdom of my psych and the DP was made worse. I have read in an article by Nick Medford that the DP can be precipitated by increasing or tapreing off clomipramine.. I think that my patince with Anafranil is about to end as i believe that drug for me will cut htrough the aniety of the triggers.

I think my next step maybe the MAOI Marplan which I ahve heard has worked for many. I have been trying to put all of the articles I have found in one place on a website so others can have a read to..I also feel that my DP, apart the 5 or so days of relief with about 8 weeks of taking it, has been increased. Doctors don't seem to know or thake the time to investigate..I am also thinking about Lamotragine (anti convulsant) and SSRI citalopram which is also mentioned in NicK medford arcticle. I'll post the site address once I get the articles on it?

Sarah


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## psychiatrysucks (Oct 17, 2007)

Sarah, 
It is true with me that my dp has rapidly gotten worse over time. It could be medication, but I think if I was off of medication my dp would be a whole lot worse. I suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which mainly includes mental obsessions and a very horrendous mood disorder. Right now I am on Anafranil 50, Seroquel 25, Luvox 100mg. My brain feels extremely activated and unwell as i've gone up on the anti-depressants but in return they help my OCD. I do not know which is worse. Instability from SSRIs and Tricyclics or obsessions so bad I can't function. On top of the dp, I feel very activated and my mind can't focus on one thing for a long time. I would love to see the articles you are talking about as well as links to other dp related websites. Dp is bad enough alone but dp with a mood disorder that won't rest is a complete nightmare times twelve.


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

> I think my next step maybe the MAOI Marplan which I ahve heard has worked for many.


If i was going to try a old non selective irreversible MAOI id go for broke and try parnate. The stuff is supposed to have a instant lift to it which will be especially helpful if you are either bit depressed. Marplan and parnate work in the same way but parnate is stronger and faster acting.

These old MAOI's can be rather dangerous there is a whole host of food and drug restrictions. Alot of doctors don't like prescribing them. If you eat old chease, aged meats or anything like that you could go into a hypertensive crisis and stroke.


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## coffeecup (Jun 29, 2008)

ive recently tried clomipramine, managed to get it upto 50mg for 5 weeks.. but it made my DR worse and kicked in the DP in a big way, couldnt interact with anyone and just felt like a robot

some people have said this about cipramil.. and for me thats been my "miracle" drug


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## coffeecup (Jun 29, 2008)

yeah ive heard very good things about parnate too (for depression) scumbag NHS have taken it off the market for the uk tho...

just hope they dont do it with clonazepam before i can try it


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## sarah (Jul 8, 2008)

Can I ask you about your success with Cipramil, was it on its own?
Week 8 or 9 on clomipramine now..and just come out of four or so awful days with DP as bad as it gets for me. Only a slight shift though. I keep reading about Clonazapam and citalopram used as a combo and read a case in Sydney, am hopeful as I have a doctors appointment with the doctor who prescribed this. I really did have high hopes for the anafranil but its lokking like might not kick back in to those five days of bliss that I have had. I think this might be the next step before I try the MARPLAN. Thanks for the replies. It is a comfort to know others are struglling for and answer.

Sarah


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## coffeecup (Jun 29, 2008)

yes it was started on 10mg and ramped it upto 60 over about 3 months, took about 5 before i got to where i am now, that was 7 years back.. still looking for the magic combo


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## sarah (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for reply..any combinations that you have tried? I'll try and give you the link to the article I have read about Citalapam and Clonazapem when i get tech savy enough.. I'll post it tonight. As well as Citalopram with the anti convulsant Lamotragine (sp?).. Have you feard of any of this. Got heavy clunky head with little concentation just now. How long have you been dealing with this stuff?


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## comfortably numb (Mar 6, 2006)

I had really horrible dp/dr, brain fog, anxiety and panic attack pretty much all my life until about 2 and a half years ago or so. So about 24 years. It got so bad in the months before i got treated i had real trouble even going out in public due to the anxiety and panic attacks.

I finally went to a doctor that specialized in psychotherapy because i couldnt live with it anymore. I thought i was developing schizophrenia. I described the symptoms i had including how bad my anxiety was and the fact i often had panic attacks several times a day. I described the weird feelings i had such as feeling like i was not there and sort of dead inside. I also mentioned the weird symptoms that i had that i now know as brain fog.

My emotions where dulled to the point where i really only felt anxiety, panic and depression. I felt like a ghost or a robot because i was just going through the motions of everyday life and not thinking much about it. I had derealization much worse then depersonalization and it made everything look like i was watching the world through a dirty window or grainy TV screen.

When the doctor told me that i had anxiety, dp/dr and brain fog i was actually relieved. I didnt have a clue as to what dp/dr and brain fog actually where so the doctor explained that in most cases they where caused by anxiety. I must be the only person on this board to be happy once they found out they had dp/dr.

I was given clonazepam at 1mg a day starting off and within one day i noticed a huge difference in my anxiety. By day 2 my anxiety had gone way down and my dp/dr started to fade away. By the end of the week my dp/dr was gone completely. It was like looking at the world through new eyes once the dp/dr and brain fog had gone.

My energy levels went through the roof as well and my memory got alot better. So clonazepam really helped me ive got no complaints about it. I had to go up to 6mg's a day for a long time to completely control my anxiety and to help my bipolar. I have since dropped down to 4mg's a day and i plan on staying on that dose since it's working as good as it ever did.

So i would say if anyone hasent tried it and they still have dp/dr then it's worth a shot for sure. Some people and doctors are afraid of benzodiazepines because they can cause dependence but so can most anti-depressants. Clonazepam is supposed to be one of the easier benzos to come off as well. I dropped 2mg's in less then a month with no withdrawal symptoms. But it varies alot from person to person so i wouldnt recomend messing with the dose without seing your doctor.


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## coffeecup (Jun 29, 2008)

as ive said before doctors know shit ... just walking egos with blinkered vision

personally i cant wait to try clonezapam, if i can find a doc whos willing to prescribe


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## sarah (Jul 8, 2008)

Thanks for telling me your story... I too was relieved in a strange way to learn of my DP. Up unitl this point I ahd attributed my poor memory, my 'lack of thoughts' or brain fog as you described it as just bing some part of me I would have to live with the rest of my.Ibeleive that I havn't been DP free from child hood or earl teens at least.

Yesterday I experinced again the success with anafranil and I go lost in conversation with a freind for three hours. I don't know this feeling. I guess I am cautious of posting this stuff in a way becauseit seems that meds are so specific to individuals and this still may not br the answer for mebut at least I know there will be an answer. This is life changing and hope grounded in experience can carry you a long way. IF this works I feel lijke it will be the beginning of life for me.

I have spoken with someone else and reda somewhere that memory, in recalling movies etc and even experinces, is poor as you were not properly engaged in it the first time. You are literally distracted by the DP like having something esle on your mind. This makes so much sense to me and finally I can explain these thjings that I know as being seperate to me.

I have also taken on Dr Beatties advice in you can get better post from way back and saw an osteopath for tension relief in my sacpl and blood fllow in the brain and started taking Lglutamine (amino acids) twice a day as well as some afew other vitamins. I am willing to give anything a go. I have some hope today. Twice now when I have come out of the DP on this meed it has been when I have startes making myself do thingd which are really important to me. Ironically this then became a strategy for me and I was trying so hard nothing happened. Acceptance is such a bad word and I don't like it being thrown around by psychologists as it has connotations of giving into it. But letting go of the struggle for me has helped. and given me some energy to see what direction I might take..! sorry if this sounds like psych talk. Have been in hospiat for about seven weeks. Had seven weeks of grouo therapy in my head.


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