Tofranil Tablet: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Tofranil Tablet contains Imipramine hydrochloride, a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA). It is used to treat depression and bed-wetting in people aged 5 years and older when there is no physical cause. Tofranil is thought to work by correcting a chemical imbalance in the brain and, for bed-wetting, by helping the bladder hold more urine. It is available as a sugar-coated tablet.

What is Tofranil Tablet

Tofranil contains the active ingredient Imipramine hydrochloride. It belongs to a group of medicines called tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) and is used to treat depression and bed-wetting.

Tofranil Tablet uses

• Treats depression that is longer lasting and/or more severe than everyday low moods
• Treats bed-wetting in people aged 5 years and older when there is no physical cause for the problem
• Treats major depressive disorder
• May treat nocturnal enuresis (bedwetting) in selected children
• Helps improve mood

Benefits of Tofranil Tablet

• May help relieve the symptoms of depression
• Can help reduce bed-wetting episodes
• Provides an oral treatment option for depression
• Can help selected children with persistent bedwetting
• May improve sleep and daily functioning when depression is treated effectively

How Tofranil Tablet works

Tofranil is thought to correct a chemical imbalance in parts of the brain that affects mood and causes symptoms of depression. For bed-wetting, it is thought to work by letting the bladder hold more urine.

Tofranil Tablet dosage

Swallow the tablets with a full glass of water. If your stomach is upset after taking the tablets, take them with a meal or after a snack. For depression, the tablets are usually taken in two or three doses spread over the day unless your doctor advises otherwise. If the tablets make you sleepy, your doctor may suggest taking one dose at night to help you sleep. For bed-wetting, the tablets are usually taken as a single dose after the evening meal unless your doctor advises otherwise. If bed-wetting tends to happen early in the night, your doctor may advise taking part of the dose earlier in the afternoon.

If you forget a dose and take the tablets two or three times a day, skip the missed dose if it is almost time for the next one; otherwise take it as soon as you remember. If you normally take the tablets only at bedtime and miss a dose, do not take it the next morning without checking with your doctor first. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Continue taking the medicine until your doctor tells you to stop; do not stop suddenly without checking with your doctor.

Available forms and strengths

• Tablet (sugar-coated)

Side effects of Tofranil Tablet

Common

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision or difficulty focussing eyes
• Palpitations
• Rash, hives
• Light-headedness, especially when getting up quickly
• Dry mouth
• Altered sense of taste
• Problems urinating
• Dry or sticky eyes
• Constipation or diarrhoea
• Sweating or hot flushes
• Weight gain
• Tired feeling
• Feeling of unrest or anxiety
• Hallucinations, feeling very confused
• Euphoria
• Disturbed sleep
• Aggression
• Suicidal thinking and behaviour
• Mood swings
• Prickly skin
• Nausea, vomiting
• Loss of appetite or weight loss
• Headache
• Reduced sexual desire
• Hair loss
• Dark skin (hyperpigmentation)
• Swelling (generalised or local)
• Excessive breast tissue growth
• Milky nipple discharge unrelated to normal milk production
• Abnormal liver function test

Serious

• Signs of allergy such as rash, itching or hives; swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other body part; shortness of breath, wheezing or troubled breathing
• Pink or red skin rash with blotchy blisters, scaly patches (photosensitivity reaction)
• High fever, agitation, confusion, trembling and abrupt muscle contractions
• Constant flu-like symptoms (chills, fever, sore throat, aching joints, swollen glands, tiredness)
• Unusual bleeding or bruising
• Reduction in some blood cells (recurring infections)
• Severe or persistent stomach or abdominal pain
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
• Heart failure
• Muscle numbness, tingling or spasms
• Stroke symptoms (trouble walking, speaking, understanding, paralysis or numbness of face, arm or leg)
• Uncontrolled, involuntary and jerky movements, tremors or shaking
• Weakness or loss of balance
• Severe dizziness or drowsiness
• Fainting spells or seizures
• Difficulty speaking or slurred speech
• Unusually high energy, irritability or outbursts of anger
• Confusion or hallucinations
• Frequent passing of large amounts of urine
• Yellow colour to skin or eyes
• Eye pain
• High or unstable blood sugar levels
• Abnormal ECG
• Sudden death (rare)

Warnings and precautions

• Do not take Tofranil if you have had an allergic reaction to imipramine or any ingredient in it, or to any other tricyclic antidepressant.
• Do not take Tofranil together with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or within 2 weeks of stopping one, as this can cause a serious reaction called serotonin syndrome.
• Do not use Tofranil if you are recovering from a recent heart attack, as it may make your condition worse.
• Tofranil is not recommended for people under 18 years of age for the treatment of depression or other psychiatric disorders.
• Antidepressants can increase the risk of suicidal thinking and behaviour, especially in children, teenagers, and young adults in the first months of treatment.
• Do not stop taking Tofranil suddenly without checking with your doctor, as this may worsen your condition or cause withdrawal effects.
• Children are much more sensitive than adults to this type of medicine, and accidental overdose can be especially dangerous.
• Tofranil can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight, even for a week or two after stopping the medicine.
• Check with your doctor if you are pregnant or intend to become pregnant. Antidepressants taken in pregnancy have been linked with some birth abnormalities, early delivery, and withdrawal symptoms in babies exposed late in pregnancy.
• Breastfeeding is not recommended while taking Tofranil because the active ingredient passes into breast milk and could affect the baby.
• Check with your doctor if you have severe kidney disease, as your doctor may need to take special precautions.
• Check with your doctor if you have severe liver disease, as your doctor may need to take special precautions.
• Be careful when drinking alcohol while taking Tofranil, as it can increase the drowsiness caused by alcohol.
• Be careful driving, operating machinery, or doing tasks that require alertness until you know how Tofranil affects you, as it may cause tiredness, dizziness, drowsiness or blurred vision.

Storage

• Keep your tablets in their container until it is time to take them
• Store Tofranil in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30°C
• Protect from moisture
• Do not store it in the bathroom or near a sink, or in the car or on windowsills
• Keep it where young children cannot reach it; a locked cupboard at least one and a half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines
• If you no longer need to use this medicine or it is out of date, take it to any pharmacy for safe disposal
• Do not use this medicine after the expiry date

When to see a doctor

• Call your doctor straight away or go to the Emergency Department if you notice signs of an allergic reaction such as rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips or tongue, or shortness of breath.
• Call your doctor straight away or go to the Emergency Department if you notice serious side effects such as irregular heartbeat, severe stomach pain, fainting, seizures, confusion, hallucinations, stroke symptoms, uncontrolled movements, or yellowing of the skin or eyes.
• If you think you have taken too much Tofranil, you need urgent medical attention—contact your doctor, poison control, or go to the nearest hospital emergency department right away, even if you feel fine.
• Call a healthcare provider right away if you or a family member has new or worsening thoughts of suicide, depression, anxiety, agitation, panic attacks, trouble sleeping, irritability, aggression, or other unusual changes in mood or behavior.

Alternatives

• Nortriptyline
• Amitriptyline
• Desipramine