Recently Answered Questions
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Query: Hi doctor, I have been suffering from severe OCD for the last 12 years. Although medications helped improve my symptoms a lot, they still go beyond control occasionally. The current medications include tablet Daxid (300 mg per day) which suitably works for me to date. Other medicines prescribed from... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. How much symptom control would you rate on a scale of 100? If tablet Daxid (Sertraline) helped you a lot, I suggest you continue taking it after consulting your specialist doctor and discussing it with him or her. Usually, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) responds... Read Full »
Query: Hi doctor, I am suffering from anxiety. Please help. Read Full »
Dr. Saraswat Kumarshri Shriniwas
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. Your description of symptoms is concise and specific, which makes it easy to diagnose your condition. Mental illnesses are broadly classified into neurosis and psychosis. In neurosis, a person does not lose contact with reality and understands that he has a mental issue k... Read Full »
How can a person with OCD and an intense fear of sleep fall asleep?
Query: Hello doctor, I have been diagnosed with OCD. My OCD comes in the form of intense fear of sleep for the past five years, but it has gotten worse within the past couple of months. I am afraid the moment sleep comes, I fight this feeling until I am exhausted. How can I make peace with falling asleep a... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I will start with the pharmacological part. You can discuss with your treating doctor regarding increasing the dose of Clomipramine, not only will it help with sleep but also in decreasing the obsessions. You can also discuss regarding substituting it with Fluvoxamin... Read Full »
How to prevent serotonin syndrome while taking antidepressants?
Query: Hi doctor, I am under treatment for OCD and anxiety symptoms. I have had very hard months with extreme anxiety, panic attacks and depersonalization. Now, I am on Duloxetine 60 mg (will stop in the next 7 weeks), Paroxetine 20 mg (will be reduced in the following weeks), Clomipramine hydrochloride... Read Full »
Dr. Saraswat Kumarshri Shriniwas
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. There is always a possibility of serotonin syndrome when two or more serotonergic antidepressants are being used.However, Clomipramine and an SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) like Paroxetine are frequently used together in resistant OCD (obsessive-compulsive ... Read Full »
Is it safe to use Clofranil during pregnancy?
Query: Hello doctor, I am planning for pregnancy aged about 36 years. But I am an OCD patient on a prescription of Clofranil 50 mg daily. So what are the risks involved, is it safe to use the medicine during pregnancy? Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to iclinq.com. Clofranil (Clomipramine) should not be used in pregnancy. It is a category C drug that means if potential benefits justify the risk to the fetus, then you can use. As far as of now no well-controlled studies in humans, but it will not cause anomalies but it may affect your... Read Full »
What is the recommended dose of Anafranil for OCD?
Query: Hello doctor, I am a 21-year-old male. I have OCD for past five years. I went to several doctors and used too many drugs such as Sertraline and Fluoxetine and Anafranil. The only drug that helped was Anafranil. I asked from my doctor to prescribe Anafranil but he denied and in every visit he prescr... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. Anafranil (Clomipramine) is a type of older antidepressants, and it has some undesirable side effects like constipation dryness of mouth, at times effect on the heart. Because of the side effect for file usually, doctors refrain from going for higher doses. But if yo... Read Full »
Please suggest alternate medication for Clomipramine.
Query: Hi doctor, I started taking Clofranil 25 mg at the sleeping time for having useless thoughts with disturbed sleep. After few years, I started hearing whistling sounds and so I started taking Seizunil 200 mg with Clofranil 25 mg and Alp 0.5 mg. Now it has been five years. I want to stop taking Clofr... Read Full »
Answer: Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com. If you want to stop your medication, then you need to taper off. Do not stop it abruptly. It gives you withdrawal symptoms. You should take tablet Clofranil 10 mg (Clomipramine) daily for another four weeks and then start taking it on alternate days for another four to ... Read Full »
Can depression medicines cause tremor, weakness and fast heartbeat?
Query: Hello doctor, I have taken Clonil 10 mg, Olonex 25 mg, Valprid and Serlift 50 mg only at night for two days for depression. After the second day, in the morning, I fainted and heartbeat were excessively fast along with muscle of all over body feeling warm. I stopped taking them since then but my bod... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. All the symptoms you described could be due to anxiety disorder per se and not because of medicines as they are out of your system now. Sometimes there are few problems when medicines are started but they usually go spontaneously within 2 to 3 days. Medicine dosage c... Read Full »
Did my OCD and anxiety worsen because I switched over from the tablet Escitalopram to Clomipramine?
Query: Hello doctor, My anxiety increased after I switched over from the tablet Escitalopram to Clomipramine. I have been taking Clomipramine tablets for two weeks, and my obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has worsened. Currently, I am taking tablets Anafranil 150 mg and Amisulpride 150 mg. Did my OCD wo... Read Full »
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. I can understand your situation. However, I humbly request that once you are stable on some specific medication, you must not change them because it is difficult to switch to another medicine and get stable. Sometimes you might take a few weeks to get stable. So, I s... Read Full »
Can OCD cause repeated image popping in mind?
Query: Hi doctor, I am a 25 year old male. I am scared of turning into a gay or homosexual. In the past, I had senseless and intrusive images popping in my head that I am kissing a guy whenever I used to be with my male friends. I never felt an attraction towards any guy. It happened six years before, but ... Read Full »
Dr. Saraswat Kumarshri Shriniwas
Answer: Hello, Welcome to icliniq.com. After analyzing your current complaint and taking into consideration your previous history, I am of the opinion that your current symptom is also a symptom of Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). An obsession is an automatic, repetitive, intrusive and senseless thou... Read Full »