Clomipramine is a tricyclic antidepressant with potent serotonin reuptake blockade. It is one of a few antidepressant medications available in the intravenous form and is the only one available in Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), Singapore.

Studies have provided evidence that intravenous clomipramine is useful in the treatment of major depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Other possible indications include post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety disorder.

Methods of delivering intravenous clomipramine varied in the literature, with starting doses ranging from 25 mg per day to 150 mg per day and final dosages ranging from 150 mg per day to 250 mg per day, either via pulse loading or gradual loading.

The study aimed to analyze the demographics, indications for treatment, dosage and frequency of administration, complications of treatment and co-morbid psychiatric conditions of patients who were treated with intravenous clomipramine in TTSH over the period from January 2007 to December 2011.

A retrospective study was performed on all inpatients admitted under the Department of Psychological Medicine in TTSH who were treated with intravenous clomipramine over the specified period.

The common indications for treatment include mood and anxiety disorders. The dosage given per day ranged from 25 mg to 150 mg. No mortality or severe adverse events resulted from the treatment.

The use of intravenous clomipramine may provide clinicians with a safe, fast-acting and efficacious therapy modality for acute management of several psychiatric disorders. Further large-scale studies will be useful in providing evidence to support its clinical use in psychiatry.