Could Anyone Tell Me the Effect of Imipramine ?

Published November 15, 2012

Question by Andrew the second: Could anyone tell me the effect of Imipramine ?
I know of a person who is taking Imipramine tablets for some illness called “Mild Depression” . Could any one tell me the effects and side effects. What will happen in taking an over dosage.

Best answer:

Answer by Mr Haun
Imipramine is a very old tricyclic antidepressant, the first in its class ever developed. An article I attached below will tell you everything

Answer by gurusmith
Antidepressant

Imipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant with general pharmacological properties similar to those of structurally related tricyclic antidepressant drugs such as amitriptyline and doxepin.

It possesses anticholinergic properties which are responsible for certain of its side effects. The mechanism of action of imipramine and other tricyclic antidepressants is not well established, but it is thought that it might be related to their action on the transmitter-uptake mechanism of monoaminergic neurons. The mechanism of action in childhood nocturnal enuresis is not fully known.

Imipramine is well absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Following oral administration of 50 mg 3 times daily for 10 days, the mean steady-state plasma concentration was 33 to 85 ng/mL for imipramine and 43 to 109 ng/mL for desmethylimipramine, an active metabolite. Peak plasma levels are reached in 2 to 5 hours, and plasma half-life ranges from 9 to 20 hours. Approximately 86% of imipramine is bound to plasma proteins. It is excreted primarily as inactive metabolites, up to 80% in the urine and up to 20% in the feces.

For the relief of symptoms of depression.

Imipramine may also be useful as temporary adjunctive therapy in reducing enuresis in children aged 5 years and older, after possible organic causes have been excluded by appropriate tests. In patients having daytime symptoms of frequency and urgency, examination should include voiding cystourethrography and cytoscopy, as necessary. The effectiveness of treatment may decrease with continued drug administration.

For the relief of symptoms of depression.

Children have been reported to be more sensitive than adults to an acute overdosage of imipramine. An acute overdose in infants or young children must be considered serious and potentially fatal.

Symptoms:
These may vary in severity depending upon factors such as the amount of drug absorbed, the age of the patient and the interval between drug ingestion and the start of treatment. Blood and urine levels of imipramine may not reflect the severity of poisoning; they have chiefly a qualitative rather than quantitative value, and are unreliable indicators in the clinical management of the patient.

Drowsiness, stupor, ataxia, vomiting, cyanosis, restlessness, agitation, delirium, severe perspiration, hyperactive reflexes, muscle rigidity, athetoid movements, convulsions, respiratory depression, hyperpyrexia, hypothermia, mydriasis, and bowel and bladder paralysis may occur.

Serious cardiovascular disturbances are frequently present, including tachycardia, cardiac arrhythmia (flutter, atriofibrillation, ventricular premature beats, and ventricular tachycardia), as well as impaired myocardial conduction, atrioventricular and intraventricular block, ECG abnormalities (such as widened QRS complexes and marked S-T shifts and signs of congestive heart failure and cardiac arrest). Hypotension and initial hypertension may occur. However, the usual finding is increasing hypotension which may lead eventually to shock. Coma may ensue.

Treatment:
Symptomatic and supportive. Cardiac arrhythmias and CNS involvement pose the greatest threat with tricyclic antidepressant overdosage and may occur suddenly even when initial symptoms appear to be mild. Therefore, patients who may have ingested an overdosage of imipramine, particularly children, should be hospitalized and kept under close surveillance.

If the patient is conscious, induced emesis followed by gastric lavage, with appropriate precautions to prevent pulmonary aspiration, should be accomplished as soon as possible. Following lavage, activated charcoal may be administered to reduce absorption. An adequate airway should be established in comatose patients and assisted ventilation instituted, if necessary, but respiratory stimulants should not be used. Hyperpyrexia should be controlled by external measures, such as ice packs and cooling sponge baths. Acidosis may be treated by cautious administration of sodium bicarbonate. Adequate renal function should be maintained.

External stimulation should be minimized to reduce the tendency to convulsions. If convulsions occur, anticonvulsants (preferably i.v. diazepam) should be administered. Barbiturates may intensify respiratory depression, particularly in children, and aggravate hypotension and coma. Paraldehyde may be used in some children to counteract muscular hypertonus and convulsions with less likelihood of causing respiratory depression. If the patient fails to respond r

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Shock Therapy – Treatment for Depression – Carol Kivler – CourageousRecovery.com – Carol Kivler has written a book called “Will I Ever Be the Same Again?” telling people her story to raise awareness and combat the stigma of shock therapy. In this video, Carol talks about her experiences with shock therapy, also known as electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, as a treatment for clinical depression, as well as the model she created to help those suffering from clinical depression to stay in recovery for longer periods of time. You can buy Carol’s book at www.courageousrecovery.com

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