Mirtazapine and Sleep

[ABitOfAShitShow]

I know there are loads of threads on mirt but I can’t find the answer to a question I have and I’m really desperate with my insomnia at this point.

Basically, I started taking it a few ago. I was prescribed 15mg but as it’s for sleep, I thought I’d start lower as loads of people seem to say that 1/4 or 1/2 of that works well. I’ve now done 4 days and it’s really not knocking me out as everyone says.

It may help me to fall asleep but I’m lucky if I get 4 hours and then I feel dreadful because 4 medicated hours is not enough to sleep the grogginess off.

Has anybody had it be the case that it didn’t knock them out with any immediate effect but it helped their sleep as it built up, over a few weeks?

I personally haven't had the experience that a smaller dose would have a better effect. I take 30mg and that helps me sleep better than 15mg did, which in turn had more of an effect than trying 7.5g did.

Unfortunately I've never had an effect of it knocking me out at any dose I've tried (even while overdosing, although I definitely obviously don't recommend trying that). The best that it does for me is that I fall asleep a bit easier (eventually) than without it. I take a couple of other soporific medications on top of it, and the total effect has been to shift me from sleep 3-4 hours a night to now sleeping 5-6 hours, so better than nothing.

Thanks, @InTheseUncertainTimes. I’m so disappointed that I wasn’t one of those people who took 7.5mg and slept for 13 hours! (Although, obviously that wouldn’t be sustainable.)

I’ll persevere with the 15mg over the next week and see what happens. Perhaps I’ll need to go up like you did.

What a palaver this sleep stuff is! I’ve turned such a corner with my mental health and my life could be so lovely with the way things are now but feeling barely functional due to insomnia is ruining everything.

Thanks for replying!

I had to have 45mg for it to make a difference TBH.

@dangermouseisace (great name btw), do you mean for it to help your sleep or as an actual AD?

Both! I’m off it now though x

@dangermouseisace

Both! I’m off it now though x

Hopefully that’s because you’re better - or found something better!

I’m on 45mg and it literally does nothing for my insomnia 😢 literally only had 3 hours broken sleep since Saturday bane or my life! Plus the weight gain has been awful

I took 15mg. Did FA for my sleep and I put on a lot of weight so I stopped taking it.

Why on earth doesn’t it work for us when people everywhere are conking out from a bloody micro dose?!

So f*cking annoyed. I thought this was going to solve all my problems. Here we are again - 2.10, knackered and awake.

Thanks for sharing your experiences, folks.

I've been on mirtazapine about 11 months. Started on 15mg, it knocked me out from the word go but over time the effect lessened. GP upped me to 30mg. I sleep generally fine on them but at times not fantastic. Each night can be different tbh. What they help me with is reduce the panic attacks I had at night and help me relax which in turn helps me to sleep.

Thanks @again2020. It’s so weird how it affects everyone so wildly differently.

See - what you described is not my problem. So I need them to knock me out like a zopi or relax me into sleep like a benzo. And keep me asleep.

I’ll persevere for a bit but maybe I’m just one of the unlucky ones.

@ABitOfAShitShow

Thanks *@again2020*. It’s so weird how it affects everyone so wildly differently.

See - what you described is not my problem. So I need them to knock me out like a zopi or relax me into sleep like a benzo. And keep me asleep.

I’ll persevere for a bit but maybe I’m just one of the unlucky ones.

I got no sleep relief from it, either, and tons of weight gain. Only zopi works for me. But of course, you can't that anymore, it's mirtz or nothing. So I go for nothing and just chunter on. It's funny, NO one will give you zops, only mirtz but then they tell you that you cannot stop mirtz cold turkey (I did, though, got sick of being fat and knackered, I'll stick with just knackered).

@osbertthesyrianhamster It’s so frustrating. I can easily get zopis in small amounts to use sparingly but if I take them for even 2 days running the effects start to wane. Temazepam is hard to get but it only makes me sleep for 3 hours anyway (always the same, without fail). It also makes me feel sick the next day. Urgh, what a carry on.

[quote ABitOfAShitShow]@osbertthesyrianhamster It’s so frustrating. I can easily get zopis in small amounts to use sparingly but if I take them for even 2 days running the effects start to wane. Temazepam is hard to get but it only makes me sleep for 3 hours anyway (always the same, without fail). It also makes me feel sick the next day. Urgh, what a carry on.[/quote]
Tem and diazapam and those don't make me sleep, but zops do. They're the only thing that does. But I can't get any of them at all. The mirtz didn't work at all except to make me fat.

I’m on zops at the moment got a weeks worth but will eek them out so get a good sleep every 3/4 days
I’m currently on mirtazapine 45mg 200mg chlorpromazine and 150mg pregablin and still don’t sleep! Think it just works on certain people

I take 15mg mirtazapine, I'd say it does help me sleep but it helped more when I first started taking it if you know what I mean. The effect has got less over time and I find if I take it too late in the evening it makes it really hard to wake up the next day.

I've found it's been the best one for my mood and had the least other side effects at the beginning though.

It’s crazy how it affects everyone so differently. It’s definitely not helping my sleep. I thought for a minute that it was helping me GET to sleep but just not keeping me asleep but I actually don’t think it’s doing either. Grrr. I just want to bloody sleep!

@ABitOfAShitShow

It’s crazy how it affects everyone so differently. It’s definitely not helping my sleep. I thought for a minute that it was helping me GET to sleep but just not keeping me asleep but I actually don’t think it’s doing either. Grrr. I just want to bloody sleep!

Won't give you long term zops, but dole out mirtz and tell you not to stop taking them suddenly, either (I did, FWIW, but we had a really shite GP at the time).

15mg for me and I slept like a log. A big fat log, because I also put a stone one.

Came off it last year and I’m now back to early waking and feeling tired again.

I don’t have problems getting to sleep, early waking is my problem. 5 am is a good night.

@dangermouseisace, I hope you don’t mind me asking, but why did you decide to come off Mirtazapine? Do you find your sleep is ok without it?

@Killerpinkflamingo I ended up having to do care for my son during the night, and need to be alert, so came off it. I am still on quetiapine which is another sedating thing, but my mood had improved by the stage I dropped the mirtazapine.

@dangermouseisace thank you for replying, and I’m glad you still have a medication that helps you