anti-depressants: imipramine | ADHD Information

I actually just posted a new post an hour ago with regard to Imipramine, Vyvanse and a whole gamet of ADHD medications we have tried for our 8 year old son. While we have tried many of the stimulants to no avail and have just begun Vyvanse today, he has never been on Imipramine. My nephew who is now 16.5 was on it from approx. age 8 for four to five years with tremendous results when all other meds failed. He, like my son, was classic ADHD. He was not depressed or had enuresis (bedwetting) which is an indication for this medication. My nephew has grown into a mature, respectful young man who has countless college's trying to recruit him. I would be skeptical of this medication if it weren't for him, but he is proof that a child with ADHD and on a medication such as this can become a successful student and adult (well almost). I can only hope my son follows in his footsteps.  Now with that said, when I asked our newly found pediatric psychiatrist about prescribing Imipramine, she was reluctant and apprehensive, stating that there are many other newer and successful ADHD medication options out on the market today. On the other hand, my son's Pediatric Neurologist (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia) indicated that she did not have an issue with prescribing it if we wanted to give it a try. He, my son, has recently had an EKG and a complete blood profile with TSH, T3 and T4 just to r/o any other issues or abnormalities which were all within normal limits. If the Vyvanse does not work within the next 60-90 days, I think Imipramine will indeed be next. Hope this helps.

yodamom, my daughter took both Nortyptiline AND Desipramine, same family,  (fairly successfully) with some side effects, mainly weight gain (not an issue for her, she's VERY thin) and the the Nortryptiline was quite sedating. The Desipramine was GREAT. People did the same, like we were using some archaic heavy duty horribly old fashioned med. Well, FOR HER the "newer, better" meds like stims cause horrible side effects and it worked for her, but was prescribed by a pediateic psychiatrist/psychopharmocologist He SPECIALIZES in meds. The only reason we stopped it was she is EXTREMELY inattentive and it just wasnt cutting it for focus for her especially in middle school. It REALLY helped her impulsiveness and moods, and somewhat focus, just not for school, she was GREAT at home.

btw, off subject, I take Amitryptiline (also same family) off label for migraine prevention.................minor side effects of semi sedating (I take at bedtime though) and weight gain....which in my case is NOT pleasant, but beats the headaches and insomnia I used to have.

Diane V39684.2089930556

Wow, thanks for all the advice and encouragement.  I guess I need to look into seeing a pedicatric psychiatrist.

I work for a counselor so I guess finding one shouldn't be too difficult.

Blue

My son visited a pediatric cardiologist BEFORE starting stimulant meds. I thought that was the normal procedure for stimulant adhd meds. We and his pediatrician wanted to be sure there were no heart abnormalities first....

I really believe that the protocol should be to visit a pediatric cardiologist before a child goes on any of the stimulants ... but it is rarely done.  I indicated to my pediatrician that my son was having problems, some short burst of heart pain, and she did not hesitate to refer to a cardiologist.

I have read in several places - if your child is going on a stimulant,  have him or her seen by a cardiologist first.  Lots of kids do well on stimulant medication but in the very few who have heart conditions, these meds can kill them and have. 

Hi,

I just wanted to get my ideas stated re: imipramine.  When I was in college, in the 80's, I was in a serious head on collusion and had a serious closed head injury.  My recovery was nothing short of miraculous but I dealt with post-injury depression.  I started seeing a psychiatrist and he suggested I take something to help me out - imipramine.  Actually, at the time I didn't even realize I was depressed - I guess I had gotten so used to feeling tired and miserable.  Anyway, I reluctantly agreed to take the prescription from his office and ultimately decided to give it a try.  I do not like taking medications at all, then or now.  He told me that this med had been around for a long time and had a great track record. 

So, I got the prescription filled and started.  The result, like night and day - incredible.  I was so thankful that I did.  It changed my life - much like a heavy weight had been lifted.  It was not a "high", just a very natural feeling of calm.  I did not notice any side effects at all. I stayed on it for 4 years and came off without any problem when my life had calmed down and I was more settled.

So, fast forward, 25 years to another dark part of my life - dealing with a son with major focus issues and obvious non-compliance.  I just broke down and couldn't take it so I went to my PA and asked for imipramine.  She was not familiar with it but respected me enough to let me give it a go after checking out some details.  Once again -  like a weight had been lifted and in my case, no side effects.  I would not hesitate to use it again. This time, I stayed on it for 2 years.  Came off with no problem.  I just lowered the dose and gradually came off.  By the way, dose was 50 mg. for each incident.  That is considered very low - max is 300 mg.  Low dose may be the reason I did not have a problem with side effects.

After reading Temple Grandin's book, Thinking in Pictures, imipramine or perhaps norpramin - they are closely related, enters the picture once again.  Temple is an autistic woman  and is also a professor at a university and her discussion on autism is absolutely incredible.  She mentions in the book how many people have suggested to her that ADD and autism seem to have some common elements.  And what medication did she find helpful - imipramin.  She said she had been taking it for 30 years and it just calms her down. 

I would love for my 10-year-old son to try this medication but doctors - his pediatrician says - oh, there are so much better and newer ones without the horrible side effects - what side effects, maybe for some and not for others, low dose vs. high dose. 

I researched on the internet and found that apparently there were some cases of kids who had heart attacks/related problems supposedly brought on by using imipramine.  I found one sight that said that if you figure in controls, there was no heart risk. I don't know - doctors just don't even like to talk about this drug. - too old fashioned?  I would really like for my son to try this drug.  It has been around for ever and if there were ever any terrible, far-surpassing consequences to taking it, I think we would know. 

I believe that doctors are courted with drug reps and wonderful literature of all these great new drugs and that is what they use, for the most part. 

My son does take 20 mg. Metadate (he weighs 75 lbs.)and does quite well on it  BUT he is complaining of his heart sometimes hurting which Ritalin and its cousins, Metadate are notorious for causing - heart irregularities.  He has been checked by a pediatric cardiologist - ultrasound and no abnormalities were found which in most cases is the problem. 

I would love to see more posts on imipramine from parents who have tried this with their child.  My son loses his cool and gets so annoyed and aggravated - I really believe it might be the answer.

I hope I have helped someone get a better understanding of this drug.  It was a godsend for me.  And with no side effects.

So,

My son has been through several stimulants, all of which have had adverse side effects. We have been using strattera for several months. It seemed successful at first, but is no longer working. His doctor has suggested we try imipramine. I'm just not as familiar with this drug and am scared of the fact that he will need an EKG (ECG?) and some blood work first to see if he has any heart abnormalities. Although I understand why the tests need to be done, I'm nervous that they need to be done for this drug, whereas the other drugs were just outright prescribed (with a health phyiscal only). I'm looking for assurance that someone else out there is using this drug (it's not the common adhd treatment) and using it safely (it can affect the heart). I know everyone's body is different, but just knowing someone else has experience would be great!

Thanks

Blue,

I visit this board because my son is adhd. Your post caught my attention because I take imipramine myself.  I am a 34 yr old female.  I have been taking this drug since I was 21.  I was prescribed this drug for a severe depression and anxiety disorder.  It really helped me with the anxiety disorder (blocks panic attacks) and helped me with the worst of my depression.  I know they give it to children for bed wetting, because it affects the bladder.  When I first started taking it, they knew my dosage was too high because (please excuse me) I had problems urinating.  If your son begins this drug, you should watch for enlarged pupils, being hot and sweaty, and inability to urinate.  These are the signs that too much of the drug is in the body.  I had all of these problems.  I did not have them anymore after the dosage was reduced.  I take 50 mg daily now and have for years.  This is considered a small dose for an adult.

Anyway, I do have to have regular EKG's because this drug does sometimes affect something about the heart.  I think it is the rhythm or rate of the heart beat, but I can't be positive about that.  Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant primarily.  It is the oldest antidepressant on the market.  I think it was created in the 1950's?  It was originally used to treat schizophrenia.  Doctors found that it did not do much for schizophrenia, but did improve the mood of the patients, hence their discovery that it helps major depressive disorder. 

I'm sorry I wasn't able to give you much info about imipramine and its use for adhd.  I haven't read that much about it being used for that, but I'm no doctor.  If your son has other issues besides adhd, maybe that is the reason for the dr. wanting to use that drug.  As for the EKG.  My son has blood pressure monitors, heart rate checks and had an EKG during his first days of being treated with ritalin, so it is not just imipramine that they take these precautions with.

I hope I've said something to be helpful.  Do a search on the internet for "imipramine and adhd".  You could also do a search for "imipramine and the heart".  See what that gives you.

Thanks,

LJD

 

 

 

My son also went through several different stimulants for ADHD with a anxiety disorder but the doctor wanted to try another one so we tried the imipramine and things seem like they are getting better...I also noticed that the imipramine helps him sleep a little better at night....