IMIPRAMINE belongs to a group of medicines called 'tricyclic anti-depressants' used to treat depression. Additionally, IMIPRAMINE is also used to treat bed-wetting at night in children aged 6 years and older. Depression is a mood disorder characterised by sadness, unhappiness, anger, hopelessness or loss that interferes with a person’s daily activities.
IMIPRAMINE contains ‘Imipramine’, which increases the activity of certain natural substances (neurotransmitters) in the brain required for mental balance, thereby regulating mood and treating depression. It also reduces childhood enuresis or bed-wetting in the children older than 6-7 years of age by relaxing the urinary bladder muscle, which lightens the sleep.
You are advised to take IMIPRAMINE for as long as your doctor has prescribed it for you depending on your medical condition and response to the treatment. In some cases, you may experience certain common side-effects such as dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, increased blood pressure, lack of coordination, swelling of the breast and weakness. You are advised to talk to your doctor if you experience these side-effects persistently.
Please do not stop taking IMIPRAMINE without consulting your doctor as it could lead to withdrawal symptoms. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Avoid driving or operating machinery as IMIPRAMINE may cause impaired alertness, drowsiness or blurred vision. IMIPRAMINE is not recommended for children below 6 years as safety and effectiveness have not been established. Avoid consuming alcohol with IMIPRAMINE as it could lead to increased drowsiness. Keep your doctor informed about your health condition and medicines to rule out any side-effects.
Depression, Nocturnal enuresis (bed-wetting in children)
IMIPRAMINE belongs to a group of medicines called tricyclic anti-depressants. IMIPRAMINE is used to treat depression. IMIPRAMINE works by increasing the activity of certain natural substances in the brain needed for mental balance, thereby regulating mood and treating depression. Additionally, IMIPRAMINE is used as an adjunct therapy in reducing bed-wetting at night in children aged 6-7 years and older. IMIPRAMINE helps to control childhood enuresis or bed-wetting as a part of its anti-depressant effect.
Do not take IMIPRAMINE if you are allergic to any of its contents; if you are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) or have taken them in the last 14 days, if you have heart diseases, mania, porphyria, glaucoma or are unable to pass urine. Avoid taking buprenorphine/opioids with IMIPRAMINE as it could lead to serotonin syndrome. Inform your doctor if you have/had schizophrenia or manic depression, alcohol withdrawal, enlarged prostate, overactive thyroid, epilepsy, low blood pressure, poor circulation, panic attacks, a tumour of the adrenal gland, or if you are being given electroconvulsive therapy. Talk to your doctor immediately if you have suicidal thoughts such as killing or harming yourself. Consult your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Avoid driving or operating machinery as IMIPRAMINE may cause impaired alertness, drowsiness, or blurred vision. IMIPRAMINE is not recommended for children below 6 years as safety and effectiveness have not been established. Avoid consuming alcohol with IMIPRAMINE as it could lead to increased drowsiness. Rise slowly from sitting or lying position as IMIPRAMINE causes dizziness on standing suddenly.
Drug-Drug Interactions: IMIPRAMINE may interact with anti-depressants (fluoxetine, fluvoxamine, duloxetine, escitalopram, sertraline), antipsychotics (aripiprazole, quetiapine), anti-convulsant (carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, pregabalin, topiramate), benzodiazepine (diazepam, nitrazepam, oxazepam, alprazolam, clonazepam), pain killer (aspirin, tramadol, codeine, dihydrocodeine), anti-HIV (ritonavir), antacid (cimetidine, esomeprazole), blood thinner (warfarin), skeletal muscle relaxant (cyclobenzaprine), anti-anxiety (alprazolam) and hormone (levothyroxine).
Drug-Food Interactions: Do not take St. John’s wort (herbal supplement to treat depression) along with IMIPRAMINE.
Drug-Disease Interactions: Inform your doctor if you have epilepsy, low blood pressure, overactive thyroid, urination problems or enlarged prostate, glaucoma, diabetes, schizophrenia, mania, pheochromocytoma (tumour of the adrenal gland), heart, kidney or liver problems.
Avoid consumption of alcohol while taking IMIPRAMINE as it may cause increased drowsiness.
IMIPRAMINE belongs to pregnancy category C. Please consult your doctor if you have any concerns regarding this; your doctor will prescribe only if the benefits outweigh the risks.
IMIPRAMINE may pass into breastmilk. Consult your doctor before taking IMIPRAMINE; your doctor will decide whether IMIPRAMINE can be taken by breastfeeding mothers or not.
IMIPRAMINE may cause impaired alertness, drowsiness or blurred vision. Do not drive or operate machinery if you experience these symptoms.
Dose adjustment may be needed in patients with liver impairment. Please consult your doctor if you have a liver impairment or any concerns regarding this.
Dose adjustment may be needed in patients with kidney impairment. Please consult your doctor if you have kidney impairment or any concerns regarding this.
IMIPRAMINE is not recommended for children below 6 years as its safety and effectiveness have not been established.
Depression: Depression is a mental health disorder characterised by a persistent and intense feeling of sadness for an extended duration of time. It mainly impacts mood, behaviour and other physical functions, such as sleep and appetite. Symptoms include sadness, loss of interest, appetite changes, sleep problems, restlessness, lack of energy, feeling worthless or guilty, thoughts of harming oneself, difficulty in concentrating, making decisions and thinking. The exact cause of depression is unknown. However, factors such as stress, changes in hormone levels, alcohol or drug abuse, abuse during childhood, certain medical conditions and medications might increase the risk of developing depression.
Bed-wetting: Childhood enuresis is also known as bed-wetting in children. In most cases, children are toilet trained by the age of 5, but generally, there is no target date for complete bladder control development. A small number of children still wet the bed even after the age of 7 years. This may or may not be purposeful, and the condition is not diagnosed until the child is 5 years or older. The causes could be a small bladder, urinary tract infections, stress and developmental delays that could interfere with toilet training. Symptoms include repeated bed-wetting, wetting in the clothes and wetting at least twice a week for 3 months.
IMIPRAMINE