Lofepramine

Description

Side effects

(Don't be unduly alarmed. All drugs cause side effects for some patients)

Warnings

(These are standard cautions but may not be applicable to your case)

Comments

I have been taking Lofepramine 70mg (2 at night and 1 in the morning) and I have been getting contraction of my muscles along my shoulders causing me considerable discomfort. I feel like my shoulders are up to my ears. Is this a side effect of this tablet? I have been taking the tablets for twelve months or more and the contractions have got worse. Heather

I have been reading about Heather who has been prescribed Lofepramine. I too was prescribed it 70mg twice daily. I suffer with anxiety and depression and have dreadful times when my sleep is poor. Since taking this drug I have had yellow bruising, severe muscle pain and muscle spasm. I have been prescribed Diazepam because twelve months ago my depression worsened, and now I take lithium alongside Lofepramine, and Frusemide because of water retention. I also have to take Zimovane as I can no longer sleep. I was told by my GP to increase Lofepramine but I felt dreadful and sweated profusely. Now I haven't a clue which tablet is causing me to feel so unwell. I am a qualified nurse who cannot practice because of my ill health, so please has any one any help for me as the hospital have given me no encouragement, and I have slowly lost faith in the doctors. Sian Goodman - UK

Re. the drug Lofepramine and Heather's comments, I too am suffering bad muscular shoulder pains. I suffer from Fibromyalgia ( a painful muscle condition) and have taken Lofepramine for 4 weeks now for depression/anxiety. Since taking them, my fibromyalgia has flared up, causing me to have considerable pain in my shoulders, neck and legs. My headaches are severe and my ears are pounding badly. I want to come off them so will be seeing my doctor this week. I visited a week ago and he told me these symptoms were coincidental and not related to Lofepramine. Thank you Heather...you have confirmed what I thought. L A

I have been taking lofepramine for 10 days and I have been having bad headaches. The muscles in my jaw cause me to crush my teeth together. After reading the comments I will be going back to my doctor to ask her to help. The headaches make me more depressed. Michael Carey

I have been taking lofepramine 70mg x3 at night for only 2 weeks but I have noticed pain in my shoulder muscles also. M Hayward

I took Lofepramine for about 5 months. I experienced profuse sweating, sleepnesses, dry mouth, wheezy chest, severe catarrh, palpatations, constipation and blurred vision. I suffered most of these without realising they were related for several months and it was a relief to know the reasons when I eventually did realise what they were connected to. However, my biggest problem has been hair loss: sudden, unexplained and never before
experienced. I am convinced that this is linked to the Lofepramine but no doctor will agree and I can find no literature to support my suspicions. If anyone has experienced hair loss whilst taking Lofepramine I would be very glad to hear from you.
I have stopped taking Lofepramine for about 2 months now but am still losing my hair but cannot help making the link between the two. Any suggestions or advice would be gladly accepted. MTWHR - USA

I was prescribed Lofepramine 70Mg, two a day, one first thing, the other before 4 pm. I suffered dry mouth, sleeplessness, indigestion, dizziness, lack of appetite all within the first 10 days, then an increasing amount of blurred vision that led to me coming off the drug. Has anyone else had blurred vision, and how long did it last? How long before your vision got back to normal? I only had it in one eye. After three days on no drug, I was prescriped Cipramil, and the blurred vision seems to be worse again, so I have been advised to come off that too. Jane- Basildon, Essex, UK

I was prescribed lofepramine by my doctor, before taking this medication I decided to check it out on the internet, as I did not get any info on the drug with my prescription. I suffer from stress and agitation... not anxiety and depression, but my doctor saw fit to give me this drug which clearly states that it is more suited to people who suffer from depression, not stress! I decided against taking this drug and will be visiting my doctor this week! Steph - Perth, Scotland

NOTE Drugs may legally be prescribed 'out of licence' and this can be useful as they have benefits beyond their licensed classification. Many anti-depressants, for example, are known to be good analgesics. (Editor)

I am a Holistic Health Practitioner and noticed your site while doing research. It appears that side effects noted such as depression and muscle contraction and pain could be a medium to severe case of magnesium deficiency. To see if this is the case I take 400 mg of magnesium taurate per meal to see if symptoms subside. Taurate is the preferred form of magnesium but if you cannot get it, magnesium glyconate, magnesium citrate or magnesium chloride can be substituted for up to 6 months.
Hope this is helpful. D Parker - Washington, USA