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Mirtazapine - what's it like?
SirMickTravis
Posts: 2,607 Forum Member
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I've been given this by the GP, but looking online I'm not sure it's right for me at all. It's supposed to be good for anxiety although that's not really my problem. Apparently it makes you really sleepy. Since I'd told the GP I had sleep issues with citalopram maybe it makes sense to give me one where there won't likely be sleep problems. But I'm sleeping fine at the moment, I've been off citalopram for a year. To be honest I've felt rather better the last couple of days having started taking vitamin D again. Maybe I should wait a few days before trying mirtazapine?
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I'm usually anxious and have trouble sleeping and normally they don't affect me too much. If I'm not so depressed on night then they help me sleep n- but don't make me groggy in the morning.
They definitely help my depression/ anxiety.
With all antidepressants they'll work for some and not for other's, they can make you feel worse before you start feeling better which can take 4 weeks.
they help with sleep no matter what dosage as been on all dosages and they have all helped with sleep (massively)
Clinical tests have shown it to be an effective drug at treating depression: Mirtazapine is effective and well tolerated for the treatment of patients with moderate to severe major depression.
Perhaps I had particularly bad effects, but nothing would induce me to take the stuff again.
I took it for sleep but have anxiety I had 15mg which made me sleep but the higher I got the more it made my anxiety worse so I didn't progress past 30mg.
If you want a tablet that has few side effects it is the one but you have to be prepared to get it in your system.
Make sure you start low and progress slowly.
I've been on mirtazapine 8 weeks now, 2 weeks at 45mgs which as far as I'm aware is the highest dose a GP can give you. My sleep is much better although I've noticed I'm starting to struggle to get to sleep again a bit. My mood is still a bit up and down but I seem to be functioning normally and I'm not crying all the time like I was on 15mgs, so I think they're working. I've read reviews online where people have said it's the best AD they've ever taken and others have said it did nothing for them so it's really individual. It's worth giving it a go but expect to feel worse before you get better (although that's happened to me with every AD I've been on so I don't think that's unique to mirtazapine).
There's one thing you need to be careful of though - it is very common for it to act as an appetite stimulant, particularly for carbs and sugar so if you have a sweet tooth you'll need to watch your diet. There are lots of horror stories out there of people putting on 3 stone in 2 weeks but don't let that put you off. I've put on half a stone in 8 weeks which I don't think is too bad, and I'd lost a lot of weight before I started so really I've just put a bit back on. You may feel very hungry to start with, I did, but as long as you're sensible it shouldn't be a problem. And if it is, well you can always come off it..
I'm on 400mg at night.
I've been on them for years - I lost my hearing, though Drs thougt they could get it back. I'm still having treatment for hearing just now.
I lost job, 2 houses, everything..
I was, and still am in an awful depression.
My psychiatrist said when I first got them they woiuld make me gain weight if I didn't try and control appetite- they made me crave food and I put on 4 stone.
However they no longer make me crave food though I'm still overweight.
That's almost ten times the maximum recommended dose. I've never heard of someone on such a dose.
I was on it years back but it didn't really have any effect so switched to something else. Mr Kivi had a better appetite when he was on it.
Just checked, incase I was wrong lol, but no it's 400mg.
Ive just tak them along with 200mg quietiapine though I take another 300 throughout the day.
Just taken 10mg valium - all prescribed.
I didn't start as high as this but went up in stages.
I was, and sil am v depressed. These help me while I still have oerations on my ears to try and get hearing back.
The quietiqapine, although an anti psychcotic, in the doesage I'm on it's for sever depression.
That is an incredibly high dose...! Are you sure?!
Having a quick read it says that 45mg is the maximum although some doses as high as 120mg have been trialled. 400mg really is huge. Are you sure you aren't on something that sounds very similar?
Oh Jeeze, very sorry.
Please ignore all my thoughts about mirtazapine - It's trazadone I take...
I used to take mirtazapine, apologise.
Phew!
That's why I take it. To help me sleep and eat. I eat like a mouse and have lost more than a stone in the last 12 months.
The drug has improved my appetite.
Glad to hear it's helped you Woodbush
I have the opposite problem, I can already get quite sleepy and I've put on 3 stone with other medication. I was considering trying the Mirtazapine over the Christmas break when I don't have to work but I really don't fancy these side effects
Oh thank god! I thought there was a dodgy doctor out there
lol I thought this too. I was about to say maybe speak to a pharmacist before taking 400mg again, but then thought well there is obviously a pharmacist there who thinks it's ok
Haha thank god for that! I was worried that you were overdosing every night and was wondering how on earth you're still alive.