What is Tofranil used for?
Tofranil (imipramine) is a tricyclic antidepressant. Tofranil affects chemicals in the brain that can be unbalanced in those with depression.
Tofranil is used in the treatment of symptoms of depression. Tofranil sometimes gets prescribed to treat bed-wetting in children 6 years or older.
Tofranil Information
How to Use Tofranil?
Always follow your doctor’s instructions on how to take your medication. Check your prescription label if you forget. Only take Tofranil according to your doctor’s instructions, they may occasionally change your dose.
If you need surgery, make sure you inform the surgeon ahead of time that you use Tofranil as you may need to stop taking this medication for a short period of time.
It can take up to 3 weeks before you notice your symptoms improving. Continue using the medication as instructed and talk to your doctor if you don’t notice any symptom improvement.
If your symptoms do not improve or if they get worse, call your doctor. You should not stop Tofranil suddenly. Follow the doctor’s instructions to safely stop using this medication.
Tofranil Drug Interactions
Tofranil may interact with other medications you’re taking. This can cause your medications to function differently or can cause unwanted side effects. Some medications should never be taken together. In other cases, interactions between medications can be avoided by changing the doses of the medications or the times at which you take them.
Tofranil interacts with the following:
This list of medications is incomplete. Therefore, you should always give your doctor a list of all medications you are taking so that they can properly monitor for drug interactions.
What are Side Effects of Tofranil?
As well as the required effects of Tofranil, it may also cause unwanted side effects. Though you will not experience most of these side effects, it’s still important to know which side effects require medical attention.
If any of the following occur while on Tofranil, you should talk to your doctor immediately:
Incidence not known
- Abdominal or stomach pain
- Agitation
- Blurred vision
- Chest pain or discomfort
- Clay-colored stools
- Cold sweats
- Dark urine
- Decrease in the frequency of urination
- Difficulty in passing urine (dribbling)
- Double vision
- Dry mouth
- False beliefs that cannot be changed by facts
- Feeling that others can hear your thoughts
- Fever with or without chills
- Flushed, dry skin
- General feeling of tiredness or weakness
- Irritability
- Itching or rash
- Lack of coordination
- Lethargy
- Loss of balance control
- Lower back or side pain
- Mood or mental changes
- Muscle spasm or jerking of all extremities
- Muscle trembling, jerking, or stiffness
- Nightmares
- Painful or difficult urination
- Pinpoint red or purple spots on the skin
- Rapid weight gain
- Restlessness
- Seizures
- Shakiness and unsteady walk
- Slow speech
- Sore throat
- Stiffness of the limbs
- Stupor
- Sweating
- Trouble sleeping
- Twisting movements of the body
- Unusual behavior
- Unusual tiredness or weakness
- Yellow eyes or skin
The following Tofranil symptoms are indicative of overdose and require emergency medical attention:
Symptoms of overdose
- Cold, clammy skin
- Decreased awareness or responsiveness
- Difficult or troubled breathing
- Disorientation
- Fast, weak pulse
- Hallucinations
- Severe sleepiness
There are some Tofranil side effects that require no medical attention. These will usually subside as your body adjusts to the medication. Talk to your doctor if you have any questions about these side effects or if they persist or worsen after being on Tofranil for a while:
Incidence not known
- Black tongue
- Decreased interest or ability in sexual intercourse
- Difficulty having a bowel movement (stool)
- Enlargement of the breast
- Increased sensitivity of the eyes to light
- Increased urge to urinate during the night
- Peculiar taste
- Redness or other discoloration of the skin
- Severe sunburn
- Swelling of the testicles
- Unexpected or excess milk flow from the breasts
- Waking to urinate at night
This list of side effects is incomplete. You may experience side effects of Tofranil not listed here. If you do, call your doctor immediately.