Mirtazapine experiences?

[user1499353969]

After feeling like I had depression or anxiety for a long time, I went to the doctor today and was diagnosed with both. I have difficulty falling asleep, so she prescribed Mirtazapine which is meant to be taken at night.

Now I'm out of the doctor I've googled the drug and it sounds like some serious stuff! Most of the reports seem to be around bad side-effects like violent dreams, hallucinations and inclinations to self-harm; things I could really do without...

I know that I'm not going to get anywhere without at least trying this drug, but I was hoping to hear of any positive experiences with it? Has Mirtazapine proven useful to anyone, are the side-effects inevitable?

Thanks!

Brilliant drug, worked for me. Helped me sleep and got me through a rough patch but omg the weight gain
Came off it and lost weight in the first 10 days. I'm now just underweight for my height but I was always a slim Jim.

I never had bad side effects apart from the weight gain. It really helped with my depression and anxiety and helped me sleep.

It's been great for me too - I had major insomnia that is gone since taking it. I've had no side effects - bear in mind they have to put every possibility (some of my other medication has death as a side effect!) just in case

Cheers all, God I could really do without weight gain, wish my doctor had mentioned that! Hopefully it will be worth it, though.

Apart from that, your experiences are very reassuring. Part of my problem may have been looking to Reddit, where people enjoy a bit of sensationalism!

The sleep was amazing. I took it at about 8.30 pm and was out for the count before 9pm. I missed newsnight for months.
I never had hallucinations or weird dreams whilst on it but when they changed my neuro drugs last year I had all sorts. Thankfully my mind is beautiful and I never saw anything scary. I did see a mumsnet thread scrolling up my bedroom wall

It was hard to tell whether it worked because I felt low due to large weight gain.

On the subject of weight gain I read on here that it is prescribed to patients with anorexia as it makes you hungry. My gp didn't like me saying that. I don't know how true it is.

Works for me and allows me to actually sleep. Agree on taking it just before bed otherwise you will find yourself asleep on the sofa. Agree with everyone on the weight gain - awful

It's great for sleep.

I didn't put that much weight on. If you are just aware that you might eat more you can tailor your choices accordingly- e.g. More raw carrots, less cake.

I had the best 2 months sleep ever. I still miss the slightly woozy then sleep! effect it had on me.

I was really spaced in the day though. It didn't work long term for me.

Does the hunger settle down at all

I'm off work due to stress
I had to reduce my citralopram and go on to new drug mirtazapine 15mg /30mg tonight .
I've been feeling -
Tearful
Head fog
Dizzy
Anxiety in shops , I can't make decisions and feel overwhelmed.
Waking up in the night
It's early days but I'm shocked by how crappy I feel and out of control of my own body , mind .
Has anyone else felt like this .

Brilliant for sleep and anxiety. Gained a lot of weight and feel groggy in the daytime.

early days it knocked me flat. i take it at night along with pregablin and quetiapine and i have 10 minutes from taking meds to get into bed before my knees go!

i have lost weight on it, but i crave sweet things. and i don't sleep more than 4 hours on night meds anymore.

ECT is my next step. hope your meds help, OP.

Hi
Did the groggy feeling last long as there is no way I can go bk to work like this .
I know it takes at least 6 weeks sometimes to get settled into s new medication

Thanks for reply
Sounds scary not sure now if this is going to be right drug for me .
How will I manage to hold down my stressful job in banking industry

A side effect that I had with this medication was aching sore bones/joints. Very painful to walk or move in general. I stuck it 4 weeks before giving up. The pain was just too much to deal with long term

Took me about a month before the woozy, not in touch with anything went. I've put on weight too, but feeling much better and so thankful for sleep!

I've been taking the 15mg Mirtazapine for 10 days now, and I love the sleep, I'm not getting the nightmares or terrors I expected just lovely deep, long sleep. So far I'm not getting much else from it though, I know it takes a few weeks to fully start working but I expected to feel a bit different by now. Between that and the weight gain risk, I think I'm going to ask my doctor about alternatives at my next appointment.

Do you gain weight just because of additional hunger or do the actual tablets cause you to gain weight?

From what I've been reading, it's a combination of both. It definitely increases your hunger, but it's thought it also has an effect on insulin which leads to weight gain and some people use Metfomin with it to counter the effects. Certainly, it's prescribed to people (and animals) who specifically need to gain weight.

I used to be very active and I'm hoping to be again once I find a medication that works for me, so if Mirt is the best thing for me I'm hoping to be able to eat well, exercise and minimise weight gain. But if there's an alternative that is less likely to cause it, I'd definitely prefer that.

I have gained a shocking amount of weight. It's not all related to lack of sleep but some of it is. It's definitely not suitable for me if it causes weight gain (thanks for your reply!) and I'm quite annoyed at the doctor who prescribed it as I made it clear I had gained a lot of weight and this was distressing for me.

It definately made me more hungry initially, not sure if theres a metabolic change too. I've been on it 9 months and put on 3 stone, most of it in the first 2 months, but I've now lost 1/2 stone this month just through exercise and sensible eating and don't find the hunger a problem any more and now my head is in a better place to have some will power about what I eat too.

Initially it knocked me out and I still need about 10-12hrs sleep. Work wise me brain was a complete mess before I started it I couldn't even work out how to make a cup of tea, so was off sick anyway, so I can't blame the tablets for that. I had 3 months off sick and have had a phased return building up hours and responsibilities gradually, I'm still starting later in the mornings, but am back to near full duties in a fast paced and responsible position. My concentration and memory have been a problem, but as that started begore the Mirtazapine I think its the PTSD that I'm taking it for thats caused that rather than the meds.

Other side effects were nosebleeds (GP says its unrelated and a coincidence, but started when I started on them) and irregular periods (GP says due to stress, but again was fine until I started on them and that one is on the list of side effects)

Overall the benefits have outweighed the side effects by far.

Worked quite well for me for anxiety. I didn't find initial side effects too bad, a woozy head at the start and every time I increased the dose. The quality of sleep was a major bonus. I put on about a stone and a half, which really got me down. For this reason I came off it a few months ago and have lost all the weight through dieting. My appetite has halved. Coming off it was quite tough and took about 3 months to eradicate all withdrawal symptoms.