Fluctuating mood. Mirtazapine

[Daisysummer5]

Hi. I was prescribed Escitalopram and after a month had to change due to the sexual side effects. I've been on Mirtazapine now for a little over 2 weeks. Does anyone else know if your mood fluctuates before permanently improving? Yesterday I felt well, I coped, I had energy and felt positive. Whereas today I've sunk into no motivation, the worlds against me sorry for myself feeling again.

Also, anyone else on this certain drug know if your appetite settles down over time? I'm eating and craving so much crap. Hangry all the time 😮‍💨🥴

All I can tell you is that when my anorexic cat stops eating the vet prescribes mirtazapine and he is stuffing food down soon after. No idea why but I think this is definitely a bad side effect if you already struggle with your weight.

I started Mirtazapine in November and have put on a stone.
For the first 2 weeks on it I slept all the time but am ok now.

DH tried taking Mirtazapine when sertaline killed off his libido.

Mirtazapine made him tired all the time, hungry all the time and made no difference to his libido. Was really not the right AD for him.

I started this drug at 30mg in November. For me, the side effects were extreme tiredness and restless legs and 10kg weight gain!! I did completely the wrong thing, and started and stopped it. It did make me feel better but I fluctuated until I stabilised, I started back at 15mg now on 30mg again. The sleep is amazing.

So aside from the weight gain the other side effects have settled and I feel more 'stable' on it. I am however now on a calorie restricted diet
I have a love/hate relationship with this drug.

I'm at the stage where I don't think anything is going to help my mood. Because there's always a side effect making me feel crapper than I already do. If I start gaining weight I'll be miserable but I'm an angry person when hungry 😅 and i'm always hungry. Sexual functions returned to normal after starting Mirtazapine but if I change to anything else that will make me miserable when that side effect returns. It's like you can't be happy without taking something else away. I really don't know what to do now. If I switch again to something new I'm guessing everything resets again and it'll be another few weeks before any mood changes start. Also I'm on 15mg Mirt

Honestly I would give it longer. I have settled nicely. Yes I have put weight on, but I am working on loosing it. For me, I noticed at work I didn't have that sinking sick feeling in my stomach and that knot of dread. I was so close to requesting an alternative, and for me that would be pregablin but, that has side effects to.
It really is helping me.

how long did it take you to stabilise on this how many weeks until it kicked in ?

how long did it take to start working for you?

Hi Dani217933 I guess it took about 4 weeks to settle and whilst it really did help and literally saved me for the 7 months I was on it, the side effects became too much. On a positive note I didn't have any problems at all stopping as I have with previous AD.

It really got me out of an awful place.

I have been on Mirtazapine for years now. I was very underweight which is why this antidepressant was the best for me. I take it at night as it does help with sleep. Give it a bit longer. It will increase your appetite. Good Luck!

I have been on Mirtazapine and Pregablin for over a year.
I have put weight on and I still have bad anxiety depressive episodes usually a week or so but I honestly think it has saved my life wouldn’t be here without

I wish I could offer advice, but after 4 days I stopped taking it due to thee most horrific restless leg syndrome I have ever felt. I had it bad in pregnancy but on Mirtazipine I was literally crying all night cause I couldn't stand it. If I got to sleep no longer than 30 mins or so after taking it, I didn't get them but with a 13 week old daughter and 15 month old son .... the timing can be knocked off occasionally.

The nights I DID get to sleep before the dreaded restless legs (and arms too) kicked in I had the best sleep and I did feel my mood improving after only a few days on it (could have been cause I'd had a couple of nights decent sleep lifting my mood too). I'm genuinely gutted as rhey did seem to work, I just couldn't handle the restless limbs side effects I got from it 😪

how long did it take for mirtazapine to kick in for you ?

I was put on Mirtazapine a couple of years ago for what turned out to be menopausal anxiety and insomnia. It was absolutely the most dreadful medication for me. I developed terrible depression and awful physical side effects on it, plus my anxiety escalated. The only thing it did do was help me to get to sleep for a few hours after taking it. With hindsight I now know that the GP should have followed NICE guidelines and put me on HRT not an AD at all. I came off the Mirt after 3 months, sank into an even worse state of suicidal depression and anxiety, and was only saved by going onto HRT, and despite my reservations, a low dose of Sertraline. This combination has literally saved my life. I feel like me again and don’t spend every waking moment wishing I wasn’t here.
It’s so interesting how different ADs affect everyone so differently. I’ve seen lots of posters on MN credit Mirtazapine as the med that saved them but have had terrible experiences with Sertraline etc.
I would always now advise women between 35 - 55 to talk to their GP about HRT as a first line of treatment. If I had known to do this it would probably have saved me from having such a horrible experience.

Again around the 4 week mark but I still felt a bit zoned out for about 6 weeks. A pp mentioned the restless legs OMG I had this for the first 4 weeks, it was awful but, due to the sedative nature I did get to sleep most nights.
Everyone reacts differently so don't be put off, there are lots of positives to this drug too.