mirtazapine?

[Jessicw23]

Hi I'm starting a new antidepressant called mirtazapine and my doctor was explaining it has a sedative in it to help you sleep at night so it's made me worry, Are you still able to get up to see to your baby/child in the night when you are on mirtazapine?

I was on it before I had my dc, and I’m not going to lie, it did make me sleep very heavily (although I was also on other meds at the time too so they may have continued). I have considered going back on it (because I found it very effective) and this is one of my main concerns, that I wouldn’t be able to wake in the night or be too lethargic during the day.
Do you have anyone to help you out so you can try it out and see? If it knocks you out too much, you may just have to go back to dr and ask for something else.
I think it’s worth a go if possible because ime it was very good for me and hardly any meds work for me.
Best of luck

*contributed, not continued

Hi I have just started this. Am on day 3. What dose are you on? I am 30mg as my GP said funnily enough the higher doses are less sedating. Anyway my first one knocked me out so much so I could barely stay awake the next day. Took second one last night, slept really well and not so knocked off today. I don't want to put you off taking it but, I don't think I would have heard my DC last night.

Do you have a DP who can get up if needed. I have been told that the side effects settle so am hopeful that this wears off.

people react differently.but for the first while whilst your body is exposed to it have you anyone who can be there.for those first side effects weeks?
I’ve known people very sedative resistant have no problem.some with a sort of swimmy moments but that was more of a pleasant effect and one who just dropped but took it at night so it was perfect for her.she had no one to wake for though so I couldn’t tell you whether she could wake on demand.she was fine the next day for work.
have you talked it through with the doctor regarding your concerns?

I started on Mirtazipine when my daughter was 18 months and came off it when she was 4 and a half. It did make me sleep heavily but I always woke if she needed me. I found the first few days I felt really sedated but then it improved. I started on 15mg and moved up to 30mg after about 4 weeks. At one point I was on the maximum dose of 45mg. I found the best time to take it for me was about an hour before I wanted to go to bed. People have mixed experiences but mine was very positive. I'm completely off it now and free from depression for the first time in decades. I hope you find it helpful.

Yes you will be able to see to your child, but you will zonk back to sleep pretty much immediately after you've dealt with them.

Mornings will be quite groggy initially.

The main thing with me was the appetite increase, and this is why I came off them too. I gained so much weight on these meds, and I couldn't really afford to gain more.

I have been on 30 mg Mirtazapine for over a week now.
I started on 7.5 for sleep, then upped it to 15 for anxiety.
Due to a bereavement I became depressed and on doctor’s advice am now taking 30mg (having tried 22.5 for 6 weeks first).
I think, really hope it’s the right dose for me.
So far, my sleep has been good and my mood is improving but I still have bad days and hopefully they will lessen as the mirtazapine settles in my system.

I was on mirtazapine. Started on 15mg and increased to 30mg.less sleepy on 30mg

Then attempted to stop taking it.
With doctors did a reducing dose regime.
Jesus wept

What they don't tell you is the withdrawals symptoms. I'm angry all the time, no sex drive, that tense I can feel myself vibrating. Nausea and vomiting. Head aches and intrusive thoughts. That much so I'm signed off work.
I'm on a starting dose of citalopram.

I know not everyone has the same symptoms, but people taking this medication should know what side effects coming off.
And doctors should make people aware.

It's really tough to get off. I managed it a couple of years ago, but took a couple of weeks to feel anywhere approaching normal. Did it during lockdown when the husband and kids were home, so just slunk around in a dressing gown being miserable for a month. Golden memories 😂

cheshirecatssmile did you take the 30mg dose at night?

Be warned.... I had to come off them, I felt like a smack head, literally couldn't stay awake. Horrible things

Oh and I could eat the entire contents of Tesco on them!

I did yes

Can I ask? Has anyone had problems with restless leg syndrome on Mirtazapine? I have been on 30mg for 12 days so far, it is awful I literally need to keep moving my legs until I fall asleep, usually takes about an hour. I go into a deep sleep with very vivid nightmares. I wake feeling rested somehow. I have to take the tablet at about 8pm otherwise I feel hungover until lunch.

So I am not sure I can continue with this drug, sadly it has worked amazingly for my anxiety attacks. From what I have read the restless legs don't improve unlike the the lethargy. Bit gutted as my MH has improved. My GP has suggested pregablin as an alternative.

I do sleep very well on it and there's no doubt it's lifted my mood. I take it alongside citalopram (they apparently work well together) as I was finding citalopram less effective on its own. If I know I have an early appointment then I don't take mirtapazine the night before.

Don’t be put off or freaked out if for the first few doses you are really zonked out. You will likely come through that and be less sedated as time goes on. Your body will learn to tolerate it. Xx

I took my first 15mg last night knocked me out from 10.30 - 7.30 but then I honestly felt hung over all morning puts my off but going to persevere as got alot of stress atm & anxiety is awful causing burning on & off in my stomachs anyone else have this. Dr said it’s the mind -gut response bloods have been done & all ok 🙏

Don't be on your own when you take it, I was literally like a zombie, DH said I looked like a drug addict, there was no way I could have cared for my children. It scared me so much I came off it - it may be better once it gets into your system but I couldn't wait that long.

Have you tried any thing else ? Sertraline gave me heartburn 😟 was considering 2 weeks on this then go herbal 🤷‍♀️ open to anything atm

Hi @HappyPumpkin81
I know it's been a while since you posted. Can I ask you about how you came off mirtazapine? I've been on it for 20 months for post natal depression and related insomnia, and it's worked really well for me. I'm hoping to come off it (15mg) but I'm terrified by all the withdrawal horror stories so looking for advice from people who've done it! X

How long did it take to kick in at 30mg please x

@allthepeaches I came off it with no trouble. 15mg. I was advised to take it every other day for a certain amount of weeks then drop to every 3 days then more until you stop. You'd have to check with your GP the timescales because it was a few years ago.
I know the gradual reduction was effective because my cold turkey was a HUGE mistake.

I took it for a few weeks didn’t find problems with sleep it was the fact that all i wanted to do is eat anything and everything

Thanks for your reply. It's so good to hear good experiences

I tried to come off it (and did) for 2 months. The first couple of weeks were fine, I just didn't sleep very well. After that, it was hideous. I lost 2 stone in a month. Got body shakes, horrible headaches, the withdrawals were horrific. I didn't expect that to happen 2 weeks after not taking them but hey ho. I actually had to go back on them. I was on 30mg I'm now on 15mg. I'm doing a very VERY slow taper. Nibbling off a crumb of the tablet each week. The 15mg zonks me out more than the 30, ad it's more sedating.

If I knew how horrible the drug was I wouldn't have taken it. The weight gain, feeling stoned all the time.

Im slowly coming off of them. I know everyone reacts different but there is a LOT of people finding it hard to come off them, and a lot of people put considerable amounts of weight on. I thankfully have kept the weight off that I lost when I initially came off them. But that's only due to me fasting and being in a calorie deficit. If I even think about eating anymore I will put on weight within a few days. It's horrible and restrictive. Im a petite person so weight gain is really noticeable on me. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. I just wish someone would've told me this beforehand. And also it made me incredibly angry and short tempered and wrecked my sex drive!