HealthCareMagic is now Ask A Doctor - 24x7 | https://www.askadoctor24x7.com

question-icon

Suggest Treatment For Ocd And Anxiety

default
Posted on Sat, 26 Jul 2014
Question: ive dropped from20mgs paroxitine to 10mgs ive been on anafrinill nightly for 25 days and feel worse can i stop anafrinill or wean down ive read that these 2 interact what should i do i have ocd and anxiety more at the moment i cant seem to stop worry and cant relax muscle tension chest and body
doctor
Answered by Dr. Sunil Gupta (31 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Please see details below.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I went through your query. You suffer from OCD and anxiety and you are currently on paroxetine and clomipramine (anafrinil) for the same. I was not able to make out why did you decide to reduce paroxetine from 20 mg to 10 mg/day.

Both paroxetine and clomipramine are effective agents for OCD and anxiety. But taking both at such low doses will not help with your condition. The dose of paroxetine ranges from 10-50 mg and for clomipramine it is 25-250 mg/day. Taking it at an inadequate dose is the reason why you are having symptoms of muscle tension and worry, which are manifestations of anxiety.

It is true that there may be interactions between the two, but both can be used together if required. In your case, I would have preferred to keep you on a single drug, paroxetine preferably and gradually increased the dose simultaneously evaluating the response to it. Only if paroxetine is not found effective at an optimum dose, I would consider changing it or adding another drug like clomipramine.

I am pretty sure that with proper dosage of medications, you will be able to overcome your symptoms of muscle tension and worry.

Hope I was able to answer your query. Please let me know if you have any further query. I will try my best possible to help you out.

Best wishes,

Dr. Sunil Gupta



Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
default
Follow up: Dr. Sunil Gupta (7 hours later)
i want to stop the anafrinill after being on it for 26 days and up my dose of paroxitine can i just stop the anafrinill without any trouble ive been having a lot of palpitations and heart fluters which is my main worry i work away and cant get to a doctor for 8 days thanks alot
doctor
Answered by Dr. Sunil Gupta (1 hour later)
Brief Answer:
You can stop it

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

Thanks for following up.

Your palpitations and heart flutters are due to anxiety. There shouldn't be any problem stopping anafrinil as you are already on a very small dose. The only problem might be slight increase in anxiety, if anafrinil at all has been able to help in controlling anxiety anyway. But since you have mentioned that you have felt worse after starting it, you can go ahead and stop. To be doubly sure, you can reduce the dose to half for a few days and then stop it.

It will be helpful if the dose of paroxetine is increased. It will help control your symptoms and I really hope that it works well for you without causing any side effect.

I do hope that I was able to answer your query. Please let me know if I can be of any further help. n case you decide to close the discussion, please do rate the answer.

Best wishes,

Dr. Sunil Gupta

Note: For further guidance on mental health, Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Sunil Gupta

Psychiatrist

Practicing since :2005

Answered : 637 Questions

premium_optimized

The User accepted the expert's answer

Share on

Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties

159 Doctors Online

By proceeding, I accept the Terms and Conditions

HCM Blog Instant Access to Doctors
HCM Blog Questions Answered
HCM Blog Satisfaction
Suggest Treatment For Ocd And Anxiety

Brief Answer: Please see details below. Detailed Answer: Hi, I went through your query. You suffer from OCD and anxiety and you are currently on paroxetine and clomipramine (anafrinil) for the same. I was not able to make out why did you decide to reduce paroxetine from 20 mg to 10 mg/day. Both paroxetine and clomipramine are effective agents for OCD and anxiety. But taking both at such low doses will not help with your condition. The dose of paroxetine ranges from 10-50 mg and for clomipramine it is 25-250 mg/day. Taking it at an inadequate dose is the reason why you are having symptoms of muscle tension and worry, which are manifestations of anxiety. It is true that there may be interactions between the two, but both can be used together if required. In your case, I would have preferred to keep you on a single drug, paroxetine preferably and gradually increased the dose simultaneously evaluating the response to it. Only if paroxetine is not found effective at an optimum dose, I would consider changing it or adding another drug like clomipramine. I am pretty sure that with proper dosage of medications, you will be able to overcome your symptoms of muscle tension and worry. Hope I was able to answer your query. Please let me know if you have any further query. I will try my best possible to help you out. Best wishes, Dr. Sunil Gupta