Anafranil is an antidepressant.
Anafranil is mainly used in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), chronic pain, sleep disorders and panic disorders that cause distress and interferes with social and vocational activities. An obsession is a persistent, disturbing idea, image, or urge that keeps coming to mind despite the person s efforts to ignore or forget it. For example, a preoccupation with avoiding contamination. A compulsion is an irrational action that the person knows is senseless but feels driven to repeat again and again. For example,

Anafranil belongs to a group of medicines known as tricyclic antidepressants (TCA).

When depression occurs, there may be a decreased amount of the chemicals noradrenaline and serotonin released from nerve cells in the brain. When these chemicals are released from nerve cells they act to lighten mood. When they are reabsorbed into the nerve cells, they no longer have an effect on mood.

Anafranil works by preventing this re-absorption of noradrenaline and serotonin back into the nerve cells. Therefore, it helps prolong the mood-lightening effect

ADULTS
The usual recommended initial dose of Anafranil is 25 milligrams daily. Your doctor may gradually increase this dosage to 100 milligrams during the first 2 weeks. During this period you will be asked to take Anafranil, divided into smaller doses, with meals. The maximum daily dose is 250 milligrams. After the dose has been determined, your doctor may direct you to take a single dose at bedtime, to avoid sleepiness during the day.

CHILDREN
The usual recommended initial dose of Anafranil is 25 milligrams daily, divided

Anafranil should not be taken with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant (MAOI) or moclobamide. Treatment with Anafranil should not be started until 3 weeks after stopping a MAOI or moclobamide. Conversely, a MAOI should not be started until 3 weeks after Anafranil has been ceased. Moclobamide therapy may be started less than 3 weeks after ceasing clomipramine.

Avoid taking any selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRI) such as fluoxetine or fluvoxamine when taking Anafranil . This combination

Most Important Fact about Anafranil
Fatal reactions can occur when Anafranil is taken along with MAO inhibitors. Drugs in this category include the antidepressants Nardil and Parnate. Never take Anafranil with one of these drugs.

Anafranil precautions if you are pregnant or breastfeeding
Do not take Anafranil if planning to become pregnant.

Do not take Anafranil if you are pregnant, try some non-drug alternatives.

Anafranil passes into

More common side effects of Anafranil may include:

• Abdominal pain,
• abnormal dreaming,
• abnormal milk secretion,
• agitation,
• allergy,
• anxiety,
• appetite loss or increased appetite,
• back pain,
• chest pain,
• confusion,
• constipation,
• coughing,
• depression,
• diarrhea,
• dizziness,
• dry mouth,
• extreme sleepiness,
• failure to ejaculate,
• fast heartbeat,
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