Mirtazapine: how was it for you?

[StrawberryTheCat]

I've just completed day 3, and honestly, I think I maybe feel worse than before. I'm getting irritated, angry and snapping at my husband and kids, which is only making me more depressed. I feel dreadful. I'm taking it for perimenopause/PMDD, and for these few days on my cycle, I normally feel fine, good even. But having started the mirtazapine, I feel utterly dreadful... very depressed, irritable and generally rubbish.

So I guess I'm just hoping that will go away, and the antidepressant effect will begin.

Those who have taken it, did you feel like this, and did things improve?

How are you getting on with it now? I'm on day 5 and feeling a bit better than yesterday, I'd say. Less groggy and less down, so I'm hoping I'm on the up now 🤞🏻

Well done OP - hopefully this is the start of things getting easier for you

I got on really well with it for insomnia and anxiety. Initial grogginess but I started taking it a couple of hours earlier and it resolved. It did make me hungry and I think I gained a few pounds, but was also on pregabalin so it’s difficult to tell which drug was having those effects. I slept really well on mirtazapine, my problem was both getting to sleep and staying asleep, and it solved both.

I stopped it when I found out I was pregnant as it can’t be taken in 3rd trimester so I thought I’d see how I got on without any meds and have been fine since, now 4 weeks PP and don’t think I will need to restart (hopefully not!)

I’ve taken it for 7 years, and it completely changed my life. I was such a mess before I started it. I had horrendous insomnia which was ruining my life. It was so bad I had quit my job with no plan, and I was experiencing suicidal thoughts - it was honestly awful, I hate to think about how low I got. My GP had been prescribing one SSRI after another, and they all did nothing. In fact, some made me worse. When I finally was prescribed Mirtazapine it was like a switch flicked in my head - I couldn’t believe how normal I felt, and that this is how other people feel! Immediately I slept, which was a miracle after many nights of zero sleep and dragging myself through the day feeling like death. My anxiety and depression quickly became so much more manageable.

I have put weight on and I was very upset about it for a while, but I know that I can’t ever go back to how I felt before. Since I have been on it my life has improved 100%, and I am so grateful. If it suits you - and I know everyone is different - it really can work wonders. I hope it continues to get better for you

@StrawberryTheCat
I'm really pleased you seem to be making progress. I hope every day it gets easier for you. 😊
I'm feeling more focused and my sleep has improved.

@Killerpinkflamingo ,thanks so much for this. I just stumbled on this thread but you are describing my 18yo son. It's got really bad recently as he's started working so can't sleep from 4/5am-12pm anymore. He does go up to bed around 12.30 but then doesn't sleep. He's managing to work 20 hours a week but some days are on no sleep (it's a 2 hr train/bus/walk journey - one way - on top of the sleep issues, I drive him when I can). He catches up by sleeping till 1pm on days off but it's a vicious cycle and he's been mentioning 'not being around much longer'. I have finally persuaded him to go to the GP on Thursday but it would be great if he could ask for something specific.

Do you have any ND diagnosis? He is diagnosed with ADHD but it's more ADD, he's not physically hyperactive. I believe he may also be mildly autistic (he thinks it too) but that is not diagnosed. He has been resistant to seeing the doctor, believing 'they can't do anything' but I'm hoping now he is an adult the options are broader. If he could experience what you have, that would be amazing.

@PrincessOfPreschool I don’t have an ND diagnosis, although I have always wondered if I am autistic as I seem to have some of the traits. I have never pushed for a diagnosis though.

Mirtazapine really is a brilliant drug if sleep is one of the main issues. I really hope your son gets the help he needs ❤

I've been on it about 5 weeks now and it's really helping my sleep and helping my anxiety. I initially took it for insomnia and anxiety on a background of CFS & I'm probably ADHD @PrincessOfPreschool - it's helping me feel more calm. I do have problems waking up in the morning as early as I need to work but I'll try taking it earlier.
I am more hungry but my appetite has gone back to normal whereas before I wasn't eating due to anxiety. I've got to watch my weight though so I'm using my noom app to make sure I don't pot on loads of weight. Just trying to snack healthily.
Are you working OP?

This medication made me so sleepy, I slept so much however my husband takes it and he’s fine with it

Amazing. I use it for sleep. Hugely effective with no unwanted side effects. Some people say it made them gain weight but I swim regularly at (just about) competetive standard and I'm underweight anyway and struggle to gain anything - my metabolism is very high. My friend who is a doctor said its a great drug for someone in my position but if a person is overweight, it can be problematic.

Its transformed my life tbh. 😂

I managed to get DS to the doctor today after a few months of trying to persuade him. He's 19 so he went in by himself. The doctor said his symptoms are typical of ADHD and he'll put him on the (18 month!) pathway for diagnosis. He already has an ADHD diagnosis, albeit from when he was 7. I'm so annoyed! In the meantime DS's sleep and mental health are taking a battering. Is it normal for them to not want to prescribe?

@PrincessOfPreschool I might be wrong but from what I have read , there is a concern around prescribing mirtazapine to young people , due to increased depression or anxiety when you first start taking it . Have a look on the Young Minds website, I think I read it there.

Thanks so much for the info. DS did say the doctor didn't want to give him meds (any!) as 'they make anxiety worse' and he is already highly anxious. And no doubt DS came across as totally fine as he is great at putting on the mask.

Perhaps he needs to try a different doctor? The mirtazapine I think is not recommended for young people, as it can increase risk of suicide (I think), but there are several other anxiety meds out there, that can be extremely helpful to teenagers in his situation.

I found it gave me very vivid dreams & really increased my appetite. I now take Escitalopram which made me feel queasy & have heartburn to start with but soon settled down.

@StrawberryTheCat can I ask if you're on HRT as well as you say perimenopausal as well as depressed?

I had horrific mood swings, rage, irritability, & hellish anxiety that I assumed were just my depression - having suffered from it for a while.

HRT was literally a game changer /life saver for me. Anxiety is known to be caused by low estrogen & progesterone affects your mood.

I'm also on Mirtazepine - doesn't help me sleep is a v mild AD imo & unfortunately the horrific weight gain that I'm trying to get off now.

Perimeno can cause huge swings in amount of estrogen you have month to month & cause all kinds of hormonal anxiety & depression.

Just a thought.

Brilliant for sleep but took a couple of weeks to settle on and about 8 weeks to lift my mood, it did a good job with that but less for anxiety- stacked on the weight though but that could also be menopause- I
Stayed on a fairly high dose for about 6 months but then slowly tapered down to 7.5mg which keeps me stable and helps with sleep - and if I sleep well it helps my mood and anxiety.

I can't take many AD's though sadly - had an horrific but rare side effect on SSRIs and was very poorly in hospital for weeks and the doctors said mirtazapine has a low chance of dangerous side effects

How are you getting on with it now?
I'm on day 6 & had an awful day yesterday.
I'm on it due to a bereavement & to help my sleep, anxiety & depression.
The last 2 nights I've hardly slept & feel awful 😢

@WindyWildflower - stick with it - it will get better . If I find it hard to sleep I take a couple of valerian Kalms with it but on the whole it works on its own for me now . I'm nearly 6 weeks in .

No, I'm not on HRT. I decided, in conversation with the GP, to try another AD first, simply because it doesn't increase cancer risk, and mental health symptoms were the biggest issue for me. I'm only 44, so I may be on HRT for a long time, so felt it was worth trying another antidepressant first. I'm on day 8 now and feeling a little brighter, but I'm not sold on it yet. The GP will be calling me at the 4 weeks mark, and I may decide to stop the Mirtazapine and try HRT instead, so we'll see!!

I'm not finding the hunger very helpful, as I was wanting to lose weight, and I keep finding myself wanting to snack.

I'm so sorry to hear you're going through all of that. I'm guessing you really need the sleep to at least have a break from your grief. I definitely feel like the drowsiness is wearing off for me, but it keeps me asleep until the morning, which I wasn't getting before. Maybe you should speak to your GP, if you're not sleeping? They may prescribe something else alongside it, even if just for the time being. I'm on day 8, and I'd say I felt horrendous until yesterday. I'm starting to feel a little brighter now, so we'll see how that progresses.

I started on it at the beginning of December, to help with sleep, anxiety and depression. I tried 15mg which didn’t help so went up to 30. I now sleep really well most nights for the first time in years. I still have a broken night occasionally, usually if I have something happening the next day that I know I need to be wide awake for 🙄.

I have been very up and down on it but better on the whole. A couple of days I have felt strange, scared in a way I’ve never felt before, and I’ve still had several days when I just want to cry all day.

There was another thread around Christmas, someone else on it had had the same “scared” feeling as me, so I’m guessing it’s a side effect when you’ve not taken it for long. I haven’t had that for a few weeks now but did have several bad days last weekend when I was anxious and cried my eyes out. It’s worth it to sleep though, and I think I’m getting nearer being able to face therapy now I’m taking it.

I was on it for about 6 years. I went on it because I was feeling very suicidal. I can’t really remember how long it took to work but it did take a while and I had to go up doses. It did work though and I finally came off it last year. I am glad I had it as it saved my life but I am annoyed at how much weight I gained. I also found it hard to come off too. I did it really slowly and told the doctors how slow I was going to do it and they were supportive. Even with that though I had stomach and gastro problems for a couple of months afterwards. I’m fine now though and hoping I lose the weight.
I had taken sertraline for a few days before going on Mirtazapine and that made me feel awful.

That's fantastic it's starting to work for you. Judging by the comments, it can be very up & down to begin with.
My Dr won't give me anything to help my sleep, they said these will work for me.
I may buy some Valerian Kalms, as recommended by someone else on this thread, if I don't sleep tonight.
Fingers crossed you are past the worst now 🤞

I'm definitely more hungry, but I'm trying not to over eat, which is difficult when you're down!! Did you feel you ate more on it, or did it seem to cause weight gain regardless? I feel like I've definitely gained weight 🫤