birdie: Want to be free from Anafranil!

[birdie76]

Hi,

 

I am currently on 50 mg of Anafranil per day, tapered down from 200 mg. I have gained so much weight and have developed diabetes. I need to get off of this med. I take the capsules and not sure how to go about tapering down with them. Any advice appreciated.

[scallywag]

Hi birdie and welcome!

 

Lots of us have packed on pounds while on psych drugs. Is the weight gain and diabetes your primary concern?  Is Anafranil the only drug you want to taper to 0?

 

What was your taper schedule like coming down from 200 mg? What symptoms if any did you have?

 

It's probably a good idea for you to check for interactions between your medications. You can do that at this link: Drugs.co Drug Interaction Checker  Please post those results in this thread. It will help the moderators make useful suggestions for you.

 

A good place to start to get ideas about how to taper is this thread: Why Taper by 10% of my dosage?   The first few reductions you'd make using the 10% taper are: from 50 to 45, 45 to 40.5, 40.5 to 36.45 mg. Surviving Antidepressant's harm reduction approach recommends that you take it slowly, cutting the dose and holding for 3-4 weeks to allow withdrawal symptoms to appear and to give your brain and rest of the central nervous system a chance to adjust.

 

Another helpful and instructive read is the 3 KISs:  Keep it Simple, Keep it slow, Keep it stable

 

I tried to find a thread with tips specifically for Anafranil (clomipramine) but wasn't successful. I just noticed that another member started tapering off Anafranil in January 2016, Alia02's thread

 

Sorry you're here and glad you've posted.

[birdie76]

Thanks! Yes, currently wanting to come off of Anafranil but may add others. How do you taper down using capsules?

[scallywag]

birdie,

You open the capsule and divide the contents; if you're lucky you can create a liquid solution or a suspension.  With Cymbalta and Effexor there are tiny little beads.  Some capsules contain powder. 

 

Ask a pharmacist to find out what's inside yours.  Another good thing to ask him/her is whether there's a liquid formulation or whether one can be made.  Liquid formulations make it easier to taper the 10% especially at the end when the changes are fractions of 1 mg.

 

How to make a liquid from tablets or capsules

 

If it's beads, read Counting beads.  If you've got powder in the capsules and can't make a liquid, you're left with weighing: Using a digital scale to measure doses

 

Interactions:

While looking for information on anafranil, I came across this information about trazodone & anafranil:

major interaction between traz & anaf

 

all three drugs: neurontin has moderate interaction effects with each of the other two

[Esperanca]

Hello Birdie76.

 

Glad to see here, where we have same interests and some kind of emotional or psychic problems. I'm relatively new here, I'm trying to prepare myself for withdrawal but humbly, I can tell you something.

 

First of all have to go very, very slowly. I think you know that. Do not run, do not rush.

 

If you already has 200 mg of Anafranil and this in 50mg already a great victory, despite having gained weight, but this, Inside the two evils (getting stuck to Anafranil) is still the worst.I think I could do as I was taught here, as this taking 50 mg per day, divide this dose into two doses of 25 mg (which is what I'm taking a day, currently Anafranil).

 

Each dose, half of dragée. The dragée is bad cut, but you can get a cutter pills and try to cut it equally. If you do not get equal pedações, take, day the largest and, at night, at bedtime the maior.Procure make a report of what you feel during the day as this will help you a lot. If you do not have the form of the diary and the list of symptoms, tell me, that I point out to him, but have here in SA. It was where I acquired.

 

Start with courage. The symptoms that go appearing, go away later. You just have to resist them with courage, knowing they will get out of this. I'm in Anafranil for over 30 years and I'm leaving. Any doubts more, ask me, I will answer if  Iknow . Do not be discouraged, go ahead. I'm doing the same wd to you and then we will help ourselves and help others. Hope for you. I hope I have helped you a little bit.I only know a little and bad English. Do your Anafranil is SR?

[SquirrellyGirl]

Hello birdie76, 

 

Welcome to SA!  scallywag has done a lovely job of getting you started.  Congratulations on tapering down to 50 mg Anafranil.  Though we don't have a Tips for Tapering Anafranil topic, I looked it up and Anafranil is soluble in water, so you could make a liquid if you chose. I don't have much to add to what scallywag has provided.  

 

Could you tell us when you take each of your meds?  Which med did you start with, and why was each other one added?  This helps us to understand your drug profile and how reducing one may affect you.  If Anafranil is sedating for you and helps with sleep, for instance, reducing it may lead to insomnia if not tapered slowly.

 

SG