Tofranil - Interstitial Cystitis Network Support Forum

andcohen · 07-17-2004, 03:22 AM

I have just started taking Tofranil last night,it didnt' seem to make much difference 10mg,although I did feel a bit dopey but not enough to make me sleep even with taking my sleeping meds & other pain meds. so tonight I uped the does to 20mg which my DR said I should do but he didn't say how quickly ( although I'm sure he didn't meen the seconde night). I am so desperate for a good nights sleep with having been in a bad flare & my almost 2yr old son being sick I'm up most of the night, so I was hoping since my hubby has a week off work these things might knock me out enough to have a better sleep & I could have a much needed weeks rest, Even if it did meen feeling sleepy all the time cause I really need to catch up on some.
Does any one else use Tofranil? & is it pretty much the same as Elavil I read so much about on these boards? Unfortunatly we can not get Alavil here in Australia & DR said Tofranil would be the next best thing. I am also really worried about the amount of sleeping tabs I have been taking of the last few weeks. I started taking a low dose one about ten years ago then on to a stronger one now I carn't get to sleep on anything less than two strong one a night. Where does it all end?
If anyone hase any advice please, please let me know.
Andrea

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***ICNDonna*** · 07-17-2004, 03:56 AM

Imipramine is the generic name for tofranil. I haven't taken it, but hopefully others will respond.

Donna

Jen_Cole · 07-17-2004, 09:21 AM

I thought tofranil was a bit too mild for me. I switched to zoloft (once I quit working) and had better results.

Cate · 07-19-2004, 04:08 AM

I have taken Tofranil and it is not the type of medication to work overnight. It is bascially the same as Elavil and can take up to 6-8 weeks to see significant results. There are many side effects at first, but they usually subside in 2-4 weeks. Also, you are at a very low dose and may need to go up to 25ms-50mgs to get the full benefit. I take 50mgs of Elavil at bedtime and it really helps with the frequency/pressure plus I sleep all night only getting up 1x per night. This medication has saved my sanity. My advice would be to stick with it for a while before you give up and to check with your doctor before you discontinue usage.

Cate

cbsummer · 07-19-2004, 08:31 AM

question for cate. I was put on it about a 1 1/2 weeks ago. I am taking 25 mg which I can increase to 50mg . I seem to have restless sleep and groggy in the morning are these some side effects that will go away. I understand it takes a while to take effect but was just wondering about the side effects. I fiqure I would give the side effects a month or so to go away. Am I being impatient ? thanks for any feed back

amaris · 07-19-2004, 09:55 AM

I have been taking 50mg imipramine (generic brand) since May. It took about 2 weeks for me to start noticing some benefits. It helped reduce pain and frequency. Now I only get up once at night if I get up at all.

The main side effects I experienced were increased heart rate and some retention in the middle of the night or early am. Those only lasted about a week. I do have to take it an hour before I want to go to sleep, as my dr. instructed, otherwise I'll have some wicked nightmares. This is the only lingering side effect, but it's easy to avoid.

If you don't think your dose is high enough, ask your dr about when to increase it and what is the max you could increase it too. You may consider discussing other medications/options that would work more immediately to help with sleep.

Amaris

cbsummer · 07-19-2004, 11:53 AM

thanks for the info. I will try taking about hour before bed. I have had some strange dreams. As far as upping the dose it was kinda left to me. If I didn't feel like it was working to go up to 50 after a couple of weeks. I feel some relief I think just in the general aches in my pelvic area and back. I am just going to wait and see how i feel as far as side effects go. thanks again

andcohen · 07-19-2004, 02:07 PM

Thanks for the info. I am now taking 20mg at night with no sign of improvement yet, although I do realise that this may take some time, I guesse i was hoping for a quick fix & getting a good nights rest, but they aren't even making me sleepy at all. I am finding a bit of a problem with retention as well but trying to drink plenty of water.
Thanks Andrea

Cate · 07-22-2004, 08:37 AM

Sorry I didn't respond sooner, but I never went back to re-read the post. The Tofranil did not put me into a deep sleep for at least a month...probably about 6 weeks and that was when I was up to 75mgs. Before I started taking the Tofranil, I was getting about 1hr of sleep per night because of the terrible frequency (I was so physically and emotionally drained from lack of sleep). After 2 weeks or so on the Tofranil, I started to get maybe 2-3 hours of light sleep and would get up at 3:00-4:00 in the morning every day and feel kind of groggy and "out of it". Gradually, over the next 4 weeks or so, my sleep became deeper and longer until at about the 6 week point at which time I was getting a full nights sleep and woke up feeling totally rested. I do get some very vivid nightmares once in a while, but to me they are a small price to pay for the relief I get from the tricyclics.

I hope you have good luck with the Tofranil.

Cate