Hi anyone know about mirtazapine?

[IrateDad]

Hey everyone,

Just been prescribed mirtazapine for depression but horrified when I read it is very commonly associated with weight gain. I am reasonably fit at the moment and the thought of gaining a lot of weight makes me feel worse than ever.
Just wondering if anyone has had any positive experience with this?
Thank you
iratedad

You only gain weight from eating, it made me want to eat 24/7, I put on 4 stone in 4 months.

I didn't just wake up one day 4 stone heavier, I ate myself to it.

As long as you keep a check on your intake, you'll be fine.

I came off it because I was hungry all the time & couldn't work because I couldn't get out of bed from the tiredness

It saved my life. But made me very heavy (3.5 stone in 6 months) I was eating all the time. I actually really struggled to not eat.

It depends on how much you need to temporary life support for the brain to get better.

Many psych drugs cause weight gain. I know mirtzapine is one of the worst AD's for this. I haven't taken it, but I have taken other meds that are noted for causing weight gain. It's not just that they increase your appetite--they can also seriously mess with your metabolism so eating healthily wouldn't necessarily stop you gaining weight.

Personally, I wouldn't take mirtzapine because weight gain is such a no for me that there are other options. BUt everyone is affected differently. I take quetiapine, which is knows as 'quetiapig' for the amount of weigh gain, however, I've not had any problems with it. I think your doc should have spoken with you about side effects to ascertain which med is the best option for your own situation.

I wouldn't take it after two weeks of the most god-awful mirtazipine munchies. It made me crave sugar and at one point I was spooning syrup out of the tin because I didn't have anything in the house. Horrible drug (and downright cruel to prescribe in an eating disorder imo). The hunger I felt on it was animal and terrifying.

There are other drugs in the same class you can take (venlafaxine off the top of my head) which don't have the same side effects - though come with issues of their own.

The key thing is finding the right drug for your mental health. Different people respond very differently to different drugs.

I take mirtazapine, which is good for my wellbeing. Weight wise I was fine so long as I exercised and ate sensibly, but I've gained a couple of kilos since autumn, entirely due to eating cake every day.

I've been on mirtazapine for a year and am on the max dose. I was quite fit to start with, and put on a bit of weight- half a stone? I wasn't happy as it went right on my belly! Things evened out though and I lost it again/toned up so I now have a waist again. I used to be anorexic so being on something that causes weight gain isn't great, however, I feel that the benefits to taking it far outweigh (haha) the negatives. Particularly if you have trouble sleeping. I found that after a year I no longer get the 'I am starving and need to eat NOW' feelings that I used to, I now regularly forget to have breakfast/lunch and the amount I eat at mealtimes has decreased as I get full more quickly than when I was first on it.

Hi again

Thank you so much for all your replies really appreciate the time. I see it's a mixed bag...
I'm gonna try and see how we go really nervous.

Hi, I've been on Mirtazapine for 2 months now and put on 1.5 stone despite going to the gym most days. My appetite is definately increased. On the plus side it has hugely improved my anxiety so its been worth it. I need to sort my head out first, then I will tackle the weight gain.