Imipramine was the first of tricyclic antidepressants mainly created in the treatment of major depression, belonging to the dibenzazepine group of drugs.
It was developed in 1955 by Novartis (originally Ciba) and used as medication for schizophrenia but was soon dropped as it proved inefficient in it’s treatment with patients.
Imipramine today, remains one of the strongest TCAs available and is used only when a patient shows signs of being resistant to the effects of other dibenzazepine drugs of lower strength.
It is sold under various product names but the most popular names in the western society market are Praminil, Tofranil and Deprimin. Tofranil has been known to be useful in treating ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) but should be avoided in the use with children, as it has been claimed by parents to do more harm than good as their pre-frontal cortex has not even fully developed until later in life.
What can happen if you give such medication to kids?
They’re likely to develop OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) even with a lower potency drug like methylphenidate (sold as Ritalin), which can cause a similar long term effect that of what cocain will have, by releasing much smaller quantities of dopamine into the brain, causing you to eventually become depressed again.
Almost all drugs will have side effects, the important thing is not to abuse them and research which is most appropriate for you before taking it. There is no doubt though, that these TCAs will assist you in getting rid of depression, but it may only be a temporary solution.