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Imipramine

NOTICE: The following posts are taken from the Christian ADHD List. The names, e-mail addresses and locations of all parties involved have been removed to protect their privacy. The posts have been used with permission, but are copyrighted by ADHD of the Christian Kind.

My new doctor told me that her son is on a combination of Adderall and imipramine. Does anyone else have their child on this combination? What is imipramine for? I am thinking about asking my kids' dr to try this combo instead of their current combo.

The psychologist that tested my son has her son on imipramine/Ritalin which would be similar in purpose. She says they are doing this with kids for whom the Ritalin isn't enough. She says frequently it is a good thing for the primarily inattentive ADHDers (AKA ADD), and/ or those who are right-brained. The imipramine is an anti-depressant. It helps by altering the uptake of norepinephrine or serotonin....I need to look that up again, I'm getting it confused. She thinks it potentiates the Ritalin (makes it work better). I assume it might help with the possibly depressing affect of Ritalin.

I asked my MD about this. He says he prefers to not mix meds at first, but will do this, if trying the different stimulants alone won't work. (Some stimulants work better for different kids. He would try the different individual meds first). You need to have a baseline EKG before taking imipramine, because it can trigger a hidden arrhythmia. It does NOT cause the arrhythmia, but can exasperate one that is there without symptoms.

Imipramine is similar to Desipramine, they are basically the same thing my prescription book says. The only difference is that Imipramine helps to stop bed wetting, whereas Desipramine does not. They are in the anti-depressant family and a tricyclic, also used for anxiety. It takes about 4 weeks to work, the usual side effects are dry mouth, constipation, blurry vision, sensitivity to sun, dizziness when standing up, weight gain, increased sweating and drowsiness. It is best taken at night, is considered a safe drug, and the brand name is Tofranil or Janimine. It can be taken with Adderall, which is a stimulant.