Clomipramine and OCD

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Hi just wondering if anyone has any experience taking clomipramine for ocd? I have pretty severe ocd which has become worse since stopping meds (fluvoxamine) in order to become pregnant. I have a 2 week old dc and a pre-schooler. My symptoms have really worsened throughout pregnancy and I'm struggling now. So have decided to try clomipramine (I had some effect from SSRIs but still quite symptomatic so trying something new). I'm feeling very sad as I will be stopping breastfeeding to do so - I know I could continue in theory but I don't feel comfortable taking meds and bfing (just a personal choice).
So I'm hoping there may be some mumsnetters with positive stories about clomipramine. I don't think my symptoms have ever been so bad - I'm verging on being housebound - and desperately want things to get better for me and my family.

Bump

My husband is currently on this for his OCD. He hates the side effects, but for me personally looking at him it has helped is OCD. The problem for us is whether he can balance the high dose required with the discomfort it causes.

He's on it because it's an old school med that is proven to work, but it has more side effects than more modern SSRIs which is why it isn't the first thing proscribed.

The other thing to be aware of is that it is currently out of production. Apparently it failed some safety checks, so they had to scrap the whole lot and are having to start again. We only found this out this afternoon (the reason, it's been out of production for a couple of weeks now). Goodness knows what we're going to do at the end of the week when DH runs out

Hi what side effects has he had? I know there is a whole list of possible effects - as with most drugs - and it does worry me but I need to give it a go. I'm unlikely to start taking it for a week or so as need to wean ds off the breast, so hopefully the production issues will have been sorted by then - hope your dh manages to get hold of some.

I have ocd and was on clomipramine for two years. It worked very well and very quickly but the side effects are atrocious. Dry mouth, difficulty in having a wee, literally had to push, but most of all the feeling of tiredness and not being able to concentrate.

Alinbongo33, those are the side effects DH has been struggling with (no pun intended).

What are you on now if you don't mind me asking?

OnceI there is still no clomipramine to be had, so even if you do decide to go on it, it won't be in the next few days.

Hmmm - wish there was a magic drug with no side effects!! A friend took amitryptilline for anxiety - not ocd - and didn't suffer with too many side effects (and her anxiety improved), and I think they are similar drugs so maybe I can just hope I will be the one who doesn't have side effects??!
What else have you tried alinbongo? And your dh feijoa?
I've tried fluoxetine, sertraline and fluvoxamine. Fluvoxamine was the most effective - generally less anxious and on edge, bit didn't resolve the problem completely. I was prescribed quetiapine but decided against it because of the side effects - particularly the weight gain (which was already an issue for me and affecting my self esteem). But again I guess there's no guarantee I'd have the side effects so maybe I should still keep it in mind.
I'm only just starting ds on bottles so will be a while before I start anything. I could just stop feeding and express until milk dries up but am wanting to make the most of my last few days of breastfeeding .

Hi,
I am currently taking citalopram 20mg. To be honest it does nothing for ocd but does ease my anxiety a bit. I have diazepam for a particularly rough day which I take maybe one or twice a month. The ocd never goes away. I have particular problems with contamination, blood/HIV, death, dying etc. But once you understand why you think the way you think you can cope with ocd more. For me it was fact the my self esteem is so low that I thought I deserved an illness/death even when eg it was impossible to get the illness eg HIV from shaking hands. It was like a eureka moment so now I work on my self esteem, get plenty of sleep, have a supportive family etc. Once you realise ocd cannot be cured but can be lessened with strategy etc. It seems more copable now. If you are really struggling and are in the early stages of a bout clomipramine can work great but don,t allow yourself to be on it forever but use it whilst you wait for support from health professionals. Hth

Hi I've had ocd for 5 years. Similar issues re contamination fears etc. It had improved and I was functioning better, although still had significant issues but came off meds in order to have another baby. Was fine for a while but things have gradually deteriorated throughout the pregnancy and I'm worse than I've ever been. ds2 is 3 weeks old. I've become very fearful of being out of the house. A few incidents have played into my anxiety about contamination from being outside and now I don't really want to go out!! Have become very reliant on family. Not ideal with a 4 year old and a newborn! I'm going to restart cbt/ert soon. But also need to be on meds I think. As have tried several ssris, psychiatrist is suggesting clomipramine. I know the ocd will not go away but I hope it can improve so I can function more like a normal mummy.