Mitrazapine for anxiety

[allthingsred]

Just been prescribed this. As a alternative to my usual propanpol as my anxiety is slowly starting to get the better of me.
My doc assures me that it won't make me foggy or sleepy. But I want to get a real persons view. About taking them.

I have been on mirtazapine for about 2 years. I started on 15mg and the first two weeks were very foggy and sleepy, I struggled to get up for work and conked out reliably about 20 minutes after taking them, which was ideal because I had been struggling to switch off and sleep. Once I was used to them the foggy feeling wore off and although they were still a good sedative they started to work on my anxiety and I found I was able to function better at work without panic attacks. I am on 45mg now and have been for the last year, they oddly enough don't have as much of a sedative effect as the lower dose but have kept my panic symptoms under control well. DH is terminally ill and I know that without the meds I would have fallen apart and not been able to cope; on them, I am very zen and still able to work without my stress getting the better of me.

Mirtazapine is the only med that I have been compliant with, and it does work really well for me. I found I was able to tolerate the early days of it far easier than I had other drugs, but to be honest my panic attacks were so debilitating and frequent I was at my wits end. I haven't had a panic attack in months, whereas I was having several a day at the worst time.

I'm on mirtazapine - great for anxiety, but didn't help with my depression.
I found that I did feel overly sedated and slow of thought for a few weeks, but once an equilibrium had established, I wasn't too bad, although I was always conscious of being in some way sedated.

Two side effects that didn't wear off are being very short tempered and irritable along with craving carbs and always having the munchies.

Massive weight gain is a common side effect.
They did make me foggy/groggy first few days but I soon adjusted. Take them before bed. I dont feel sleepy durig the day but do feel sedated. Buffered from the world.
I changed from my old AD's to these in December due to work stress/anxiety insomnia and long term depression. I'm seeing the GP this week with a view to changing to something else as I cannot stop eating and she is concerned about how quickly I am gaining weight.
They definitely helped me sleep in the short term but not with my general mood and I feel sedated, and still depressed.
As Willwork says better for anxiety I guess.

Thank you for heads up.
I'm not sure I want to start the course then. I have 3 kids as well as full time job. My partner is lovely but it's defo me that does everything in house. I can't afford a day when I'm not going at 100%.
My doc was convinced this is what I need. It's hard cause I'm walking around feeling like my head is about to explode & im not able to breathe properly, the paranoia & constant feeling people are just waiting for me to fail is just to much.
I told doc that & specifically said I didn't want something that would slow me down.
Think I might try to carry on & hope it will pass. Just at the moment it feels like I'm treading water.
Thank you for sharing your experiences hope your both in a better head place right now

Mirtazapine knocked me out for the first few weeks and although it improved the sedative effect never completely wore off. I needed 10-12 hours sleep to be able to function I couldn't wake up sooner than this. I had to adjust my work hours for the entire 12 months I was on it. Worked wonders for the anxiety though.

Thank you my identity.
The plan was for me to take them at night. As my insomnia is awful. Im just scared of being crap during day then doing a bad job of everything (thank you anxiety for the rational thoughts!!!) I can't risk it

One thing I found on Mirtazapine was that unless I forced myself out of bed as soon as I woke up, I could very easily drift off again. At the weekend, I could literally stay in bed all day if I chose without feeling over slept or restless. Unless your force yourself, you never fully wake up.

I stay in bed all day weekends, I thought it was depression but now realise its since I'v been on them.

I was prescribed mirtazapine 45mg as an antidepressant because I was unable to sleep and the doctor said it would help with that. I was switched over from trazadone. It made me groggy and like a robot for the 6 months I was taking it but it did definitely help me to get a couple of hours sleep a night!

Mirtazipine made me so sleepy I dont think I would have woken up if the house was burning down around me.

It’s so smacky - totally wiped me out. HOWEVER, it was magic with the anxiety. Found it highly effective. HOWEVER () it made me permanently ravenous. I’m not a big eater but would be planning the evening’s tea, supper and tomorrow’s breakfast whilst eating lunch. I gave it up in the end as the weight gain and the almost impossibility of getting out of bed as a single parent that needed to get shit done made it not a workable choice for me. Sorry you’re dealing with anxiety. It’s shitty

I was on it for 2 months. 15mg.
I put on 2st in those 2 months.
I was exhausted and sluggish.

So I came off it.. anxiety got better after time and I did manage to lose the weight.

I had a few people ask if I was pregnant because I'd put so much weight on!

This drug saved my life after a traumatic event. I took 45mg at night about half an hour before bedtime and managed to sleep all night after having horrendous insomnia. It also helped with a quite severe depression brought on by the event.
The side effects of dry mouth and general wooziness went away once the dose was increased from 30mg
However it is such an appetite stimulant that I was forever hungry and ate like a pig, gaining 3 stone in a year. Through the first year staying alive and managing to get up daily was the most important thing. Once I started to get over the trauma the thought that I was now fat became more important and I came off them.
I think if your anxiety is effecting your day to day life, try this for a year. You can always lose the weight afterwards, you can never get back the time wasted while you have severe anxiety

Hi, I've been on this for a long time (10 years) - I suffer from complex-PTSD which is something that flares up now and then and probably won't go away. I take it as an anti-depressant, and propanalol on an as-and-when-needed basis for anxiety (for meetings, speaking etc). Mirtazapine does ironically have a more sedative effect in lower doses (i.e. 10mg - I have spoken with several psychiatrists about this) - 30mg helps me to get to sleep but I can still wake up fine in the morning. However... the eating thing.. I find I get very hungry about half an hour after taking it, which is always at night. My partner has a name for it - the "Mirtazapine Munchies", when we first lived together he found it very odd that left-overs were being eaten just before bed and he looked it up and found out about the appetite surge. So all I do now, knowing I'm not really hungry, and that it's the meds, is just have a cup of tea and a piece of fruit instead.

Persevere, OP - it's a very good drug and will get you through a difficult time. Best of luck x

P.s. I have tried many different medications over 20 years and really have found Mirtazapine to be the only effective one, that was better than most of the more serious anti-depressants for NOT gaining weight.
Just a question though, GPs never usually prescribe this, it's usually prescribed by a psychiatrist. If you haven't spoken to a psychiatrist it may be a good idea to.. I have also taken Lamotrigine (used for both epilepsy and mood swings) and that is AMAZING for anxiety (although a bee-atch to come off).

Thank you all. I have started taking it. I'm already over weight so im surprised the doc prescribed it to me if it make you put on weight. I will have to be careful what I'm eating.
Ive had anxiety for years now. I'm convinced it started as pnd & went from there I just need to get through this phase then I will be OK.
I've got a review in 2 weeks. So if I have any issues I will talk about it with gp then

Wishing you all the best OP. I think you've made the right decision.

Mitrazapine knocked me out for about a week and I vowed not to take another again. I couldn't think straight, was physically dizzy, , 20hrs+ a day in bed, really couldn't function.
I have some left and now take one or two if I'm going through a bad patch, but I have to write off a whole weekend if I have one. They're so strange.

Francis.. I'm not sure they're something you should be taking once in a while as they're an anti-depressant and generally take 2 weeks to work?

Great name btw

Carnt...

I've taken them ad-hoc in the past if i'm feeling particularly anxious and cannot get to sleep - I find them extremely effective as a relaxant.

Not their intended use, granted.

I've been taking it for almost 2 years, it's a bit of a wonder drug for me. I was suffering anxiety attacks and insomnia, and it sorted things out straightaway. I sleep beautifully now. I was originally on 7.5 mg and have edged my way up to 30mg. I found the lower doses blunted my emotions, which is why I moved up. Apparently the lower doses are more sedating, I'm not sure why.

Weight gain - you'll see that a lot of people put on significant weight on this drug. Initially I put on a stone, an oddlyt the fat distrubtion of my body changed. I got a fat back! i didn't know such things were possible. This year though I have dropped a pound a week by avoiding refined carbohydrates, so weight loss can be done. I'm lucky that Mirtazapine doesn't give me intense hunger pangs that some other people seem to experience. Two of my friends take it and they haven't experienced any weight gain, so it doesn't affect everyone by any means.

I have BPD and depression and I fully credit Mirtazapine for saving my life. I was prescribed it after a particularly bad suicidal episode and it worked absolute wonders. Yes it made me very groggy for the first week or so, but I was able to cope with that as I had been signed off work, and once it started to work it was like someone had flicked a switch in my brain and I was seeing the world almost like it was for the first time. I took it at night and slept right through, something that I had not done for months. Best of all, it quietened my brain and stopped my racing thoughts.
But my gosh Mirtazapine made me eat. I have seriously never known hunger like it and it was impossible for me to ignore. I would wake up at 3:30am and had to raid the cupboards because my stomach felt totally empty. I gained 3st in 7 months. As a pp said, once my mood stabilised and I felt like I was emerging from the pit of doom, the unrelenting hunger and weight gain was really starting to get to me so I asked to try something else. I Have just started to take Quetiapine (sp?) instead and am hoping that it works the same magic on my mental health.