This medicine is a tricyclic antidepressant used to treat depression
and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). It may also be used
to treat other conditions as determined by your doctor.
Clomipramine comes as a capsule to take by mouth. It usually
is taken one to three times a day with meals or once a day at
bedtime. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully,
and ask your doctor or pharmacist to explain any part you do
not understand. Take clomipramine exactly as directed. Do not
take more or less of it or take it more often than prescribed
by your doctor.
Continue to take clomipramine even if you feel well. Do not
stop taking clomipramine without talking to your doctor, especially
if you have taken large doses for a long time. Your doctor probably
will decrease your dose gradually. This drug must be taken regularly
for a few weeks before its full effect is felt.
Before taking clomipramine tell your doctor and pharmacist
if you are allergic to clomipramine or any other drugs. Tell
your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription
medications you are taking, especially MAO inhibitors [phenelzine
(Nardil) or tranylcypromine (Parnate)], even if you stopped
taking them in the last 2 weeks; anticoagulants ('blood thinners')
such as warfarin (Coumadin); benztropine (Cogentin); cimetidine
(Tagamet); clonidine (Catapres); dicyclomine (Bentyl); digoxin
(Lanoxin); disulfiram; flecainide (Tambocor); guanethidine (Ismelin);
haloperidol (Haldol); levodopa (Sinemet, Dopar); medications
for nausea, dizziness, or schizophrenia; oral contraceptives;
propafenone (Rythmol); quinidine (Quinidex); secobarbital (Seconal);
sedatives; selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) such
as fluoxetine (Prozac, Sarafem), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine
(Paxil); tranquilizers; trihexyphenidyl (Artane); and vitamins.
You must wait at least 5 weeks after stopping to take fluoxetine
before beginning to take clomipramine.
Tell your doctor if you have or have ever had a heart attack,
seizures, problems with your urinary system or prostate, glaucoma,
irregular heartbeat, problems with your blood pressure, thyroid
problems, or heart, kidney, or liver disease. Also tell your
doctor if you are pregnant, plan to become pregnant, or are
breast-feeding. If you become pregnant while taking clomipramine,
call your doctor or, if you are having surgery, including dental
surgery, tell the doctor or dentist that you are taking clomipramine.
This drug may make you drowsy. Do not drive a car or operate
machinery until you know how this drug affects you. Remember
that alcohol can add to the drowsiness caused by this drug.
You need to tell your doctor if you use tobacco products. Cigarette
smoking may decrease the effectiveness of this drug. If you
plan to avoid unnecessary or prolonged exposure to sunlight
and to wear protective clothing, sunglasses, and sunscreen.
Clomipramine may make your skin sensitive to sunlight.
What special dietary instructions should I follow? Clomipramine
may cause an upset stomach. Take clomipramine with food or milk.
What should I do if I forget a dose?
If you take clomipramine several times a day, take the missed
dose as soon as you remember it and take any remaining doses
for that day at evenly spaced intervals. However, if you remember
a missed dose when it is almost time for your next scheduled
dose, skip the missed dose.
If you take clomipramine once a day at bedtime and do not remember
it until the next morning, skip the missed dose. Do not take
a double dose to make up for a missed one.
What side effects can this medication cause?
Although side effects from clomipramine are not common, they
can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe
or do not go away:
What storage conditions are needed for this medicine?
Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly
closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature
and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom).
Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed.
Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.
What other information should I know?
Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory.
Your doctor will order certain lab tests to check your response
to clomipramine.
