Positive Mirtazapine stories please

[Bev62]

I got over an awful bout of depression/anxiety during lockdown & life went on with many happy events since.
However - for reasons unknown it’s creeping into my life again & back with a vengeance & I don’t know if I can deal with this s**t again.
saw Doc before Xmas who has suggested Mirtazapine as I’m not eating or sleeping. Did Venlafaxine before & the side effects were horrendous for a good few months so would rather not go down that route again.
just waiting on the mental health crisis team to contact me as I can’t go another night without sleep!
Felling desolate right now & some words of encouragement/advice would be much appreciated.

It really helped me! Felt calmer and slept much better whilst on them. Only downside was that it did increase my appetite, but not uncontrollably. Good luck, hope they help you

I’ve been on it for years. Sorted a lifetime sleep disorder right out. If you’re underweight and not eating it will help that, too. Vets use it in animals for just that reason.

Hey joining for similar advice. Im booking in with GP tomorrow. I was previously on fluoxitine but want to try something different this time. Here for a chat op if needed

Mirtazapine really helped me too, and not just over time, but straight away. I wasn't sleeping and after the first dose I slept nine hours which gave me the energy to tackle the rest of the depression, if you see what I mean.

Sorry posted twice in error

Does it make you groggy during the day tho? Are the side effects manageable?

probably for the first 7-10 days I did feel a bit groggy the next day. Some of that will have been sleep debt catching up with me - you know the way you csn feel a bit dazed after FINALLY getting a good sleep.

Weight gain can be an issue but that stabilises after a while. No other side effects for me.

Helped me hugely from the first night. Appetite came back and I slept like a log. I was given 15mg tablet. Been on them 6 weeks now.

@Bev62 it doesn’t make me groggy at all and have had no weight gain. Sorry, meant to add that before

Tks for all the positive messages guys. Feeling hopeful I can get a prescription from 111 today & get going on them. Need to nip this in the bud

This drug literally saved my life some years ago after the traumatic death of a family member. The difference was immediate and I did feel groggy for a week or so but that eased off. My issue with it was I gained too much weight due to my appetite being so stimulated. Sadly I decided to stop after a year although I needed it still

It’s amazing for improving sleep, however I put on a lot of weight with it and when I stopped taking it (got restless legs after about 3 months of taking it) I had horrendous withdrawal symptoms . Sorry it’s not particularly positive , but just be very careful to taper off if you do decide to stop taking it.

Sent me from a size 12 to a size 20 and utter utter misery . Trapped inside an alien body for a decade as weight loss at that level is next to impossible without help - I even had a gastric sleeve in the nhs as they agreed I’d been left on this awful drug for too long. Lost four stone on that but still 5 stone overweight and obese Thank god for WLI, a new GP who prescribed Amitriptyline for insomnia with no side effects and am once again back in my own body .

.. Mirtazapine is an appetite stimulant !! Read the leaflet inside the pack.

Qi take this with another AD and only positive about it. It helps me be calm and sleep.

I was on mirtazapine for years and it really helped me. I gained weight at first but when my mood was stable I lost it again while still on the meds.
I came off to ttc and relapsed but refused to go back on for three years. Guess what, I gained a similar amount of weight (more actually) without being on any meds at all 🤷‍♀️
If you have too little appetite to begin with I really wouldn’t worry about that side effect. Besides, you can always stop it again. It’s not like the weight gain is permanent and if it does make your appetite out of control, stopping the drug will stop the side effect.
Now I’m back on it and wouldn’t give it up again by choice.
Funny you should mention Venlafaxine as I find what works best for me is Venlafaxine in the morning and mirtazapine at night. The mirtazapine doesn’t really lift my mood enough on its own and the Venlafaxine seems to balance out the side effects from the mirtazapine for me.

It’s massively helped my dad. He saw an improvement in his mood within a few days and yes, it’s really helped him to sleep too.

Looking for words of encouragement please.
Day 8 on Mirtazapine with mixed results. Taking 15mg but thinking of going up to 30.
I've had 2 nights of good sleep & some good days when I've felt almost normal but also
some grim days when I've been on the verge of taking myself off to A &E. Is it usual to be so up & down like this. Will it ever get better? Wonder if I should switch to Escitalopram as that seems to have good results?

@Bev62 stick with it, I was the same. There’s a pharmaceutical reason why it does this. I can’t remember exactly but it hits different brain receptors at different times, so there is a fluctuation to begin with. For me I had a wobble at 5 weeks and thought about upping the dose, I’m glad I didn’t. I’m now on week 8 at 15mg and feel so much better.
I did a lot of research when I first started taking it. Wanted to know how exactly it worked and when the full effects would be evident. Some ppl it worked for quickly, others it took 8-12 weeks to flatten out.
so, I’m not a dr but given what I’ve learned I’d say it’s still getting into your system and things will improve. As I say, I had a wobble at 5 weeks but within 3-4 days of noticing it I went back onto an even keel

Thanks for that encouraging answer. As I understand it ( I've been reading a whole lot of stuff also!) Mirt is more effective for mood at 30mg- more sedating at 15mg. Did you get a lot of mood swings in the beginning. I had the best day last Saturday- thought I was 'cured' and then the day from hell on Sunday - it's so bloody exhausting. I'm scared to go up to 30 as can't bear the side effects but maybe I need to bite the bullet & get on with it. Went to Docs at 8am this morning & they just told me to make an appointment for a weeks time or take myself off to A & E.
I've calmed down a bit now & going to get out in the sunshine.

I was suffering from extreme anxiety after a traumatic sudden bereavement of a family member so mine was prescribed for that. I wouldn’t say I had mood swings as such. I basically had a nervous breakdown. The tablets helped hugely from day 1. Looking back on it I did become more irritable and when I had a “dip” at 5 weeks it did panic me slightly that they’d stopped working.
obviously that wasn’t the case but I think we become hyper aware of how we are feeling.
yes you’re right, 15mg works for sedation but I was advised that if you are taking it for anxiety upping the dose does not really help anymore than the 15mg and actually it can make anxiety worse. I also take citalopram 20mg in the mornings and have been on that for years.
its still early days for you and its only just starting to get into your system so I’m wondering whether a course of citalopram as well might help you.?

Oh now an OP has mentioned, this has reminded me of early side effect I’d forgotten about - I got a bit rage-prone for a few weeks on and off . Irritable and snappy, not hitting things, I should make clear!. Some good days and some decent sleep has got to be better than all shit days and no sleep so I’d also say to stick with it. But do get support if you feel youre spiralling.

it’s a dark and lonely place but you aren’t alone - there are millions of people who have been where you are right now. Half my family for a start! That doesn’t make it any easier for you but I just wanted to let you know you can get better and it won’t always be like this.

Escitalopram and any of the SSRIs can cause a marked uptick in anxiety when you start taking it, when I was at my very worst I couldn’t cope with SSRI initial anxiety. I felt like clawing at the walls. Basically I needed to sleep a little bit and calm the fuck down (!) before adding in an SSRI on the advice of medics.

Can I ask how old you are and if you’re a woman? Perimenopause has an awful lot to answer for mood- and sleep-wise. Obviously ignore that if it’s not relevant!

i take mirt and sertraline. I find mirt really helps my anxiety and makes me sleep. sertraline helps panics attacks and any low moods that come on.

Thanks for the kind words of support & encouragement. I’m a woman and I’m 68, The annoying thing is it’s not really helping me sleep. I was prescribed 30mg but I’m only taking 15mg at the moment as too scared to go higher. I’m definitely getting some good days but usually wake up in the early hours feeling pretty grim which is very frustrating. Seeing doc for a review next week so will see what she advises.

So... day 12 of Mirtazapine & feeling shite. Not really helping with the sleep much - still waking in the early hours and although I get hunger pangs I struggle to eat anything as anxiety has now kicked in. I had a couple of good days early on & I was feeling
hopeful. Now I'm having intrusive thoughts &' dark depression. Tends to ease up a little a couple of hours before bedtime for some bizarre reason. Have a Docs review on Tuesday so wondering what to do? Give Mirt more time to work & push on thru or swap meds? Should I up dose to 30? I'm so desperate to get better & in a complete panic
that I won't. Advice/ support would be appreciated.

Hmm tricky. 30mg seems to be less sedating from what I’ve heard. On the other hand, if the anxiety/depression hasn’t improved at all I would be tempted to take the prescribed dose.
The reason you feel calmer in the evenings is most certainly that our cortisol levels drop then to prepare the body for sleep. That’s why, on waking in the morning, you can get a surge of anxiety. That’s the cortisol rising to wake us up.
Dont worry about not getting better, you will! You just need to find the right dose.
day 12 is still early days on Mirt (although it’s still a long time to suffer like this).
So, if you’ve been prescribed 30mg, at this stage I’d take it. When you have your GP appointment next week you’ll have more of an idea if it’s the meds for you. If you’ve don’t take the prescribed dose I should imagine that’s what he’d advise anyway x