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.

Oh I’m sorry you’re having a difficult time of it :( I totally get that feeling of “what if I don’t get better” and also “I can’t stand any more of this shite!”.

It’s a very, very normal experience for people with depression and anxiety to feel much worse in the mornings and improve in the evenings.

I hope your GP can offer you some further help on Tuesday. Keep posting here in the meantime.

Have you had stuff like your thyroid checked and for any nutritional issues like b12 deficiency or malabsorption? Female, age 60s, appetite loss, mood issues … reckon they should rule out stuff like pernicious anaemia to be on the safe side. Probably not those things but you never know, and it does seem like depression has only been a thing in the last 5 or so years for you?

I do have an under active thyroid but had bloods done recently & everything ok. Woke with racing heart at 4:30 this morning & now worrried that all this stress will give me a heart attack. Wish I could have a brain transplant. Hate Sundays & wondering how I'm going to get thru the next 24 hrs.

Anyone notice a significant improvement going from 15 to 30 Mirt ? I have a Docs review on Tuesday & have a feeling that's what's she's going to suggest. 15 not doing much so far other than make me feel shite.
Were the side effects bad with the increase & how long did they last? So sick of feeling like this want it all to just go away

@Bev62 how are you feeling now? How did you get on at your review appointment? I’ve never taken Mirtazapine but have been prescribed it, just been too wary to take it!

Doctor upped dose to 30mg said 15mg wouldn't be any good for depression. Currently 3 days in on 30mg. Anxiety not good and not sleeping well. Sometimes things settle in the evening & I feel ok for a couple of hours. I'm hoping to see some improvement next week (week 4) if not don't know what I will do. Don't feel like changing & starting all over again. What have you been prescribed Mirt for and what dose?

I’ve been on various doses between 15 and 60mg. Now on 15 and will be long term bevause for me it works for sleep. I also take an SSRI for full disclosure (and again have done for a very long time). Having watched my mum cycle between ok and pits of despair for the best part of 40 years I’m not going there!

I hope things start to look up for you soon @Bev62. It’s SO tough when you’re in the pits. The memory of that is part of the reason I can’t countenance coming off them.

I’m sorry you’re not feeling better yet, I hope it starts to work for you soon. I was prescribed 15mg last year for depression and anxiety but I chose not to take it as I was worried about the side effects and felt I was at a point where I could cope without. Now that my mental health has taken a dip again the doctor has prescribed 10mg citalopram in the morning and 7.5mg Mirtazapine in the evening. I’ve been on Citalopram before but it gave me really bad insomnia and eventually that overrode any positive effect it was having.

Thought I was having a breakthrough last night. Anxiety horrid but mood picked up a bit. Boy was I wrong - feel grim today. Not sure if these are going to work for me. Can't take much more of this.

It might not be the right drug for you, I take it and it helps to calm racing thoughts but I still get the morning rush of anxiety. I counter this by getting up and ready for the day as soon as I wake up. I’m on 7.5mg now which still helps me to sleep most nights. You might be better with a SSRI as it doesn’t sound like it’s particularly effective but see what the doctor thinks. Sorry you’re going through this - if it’s in response to life events have you sought any counselling or other MH support?

Yes I'm seeing a psychotherapist. I have a great family & a good network of friends. I'm
at a loss as to why I'm like this.

How are you feeling now?

As others have said, it’s really really hard in the beginning as we so want to feel better.

It is very early days for you but the medication is laying it’s foundations and the benefits will start to be felt.

Be really gentle with yourself, you are trying to heal and your body is working hard at adapting to the medication and finding it useful.

Hang in there xx

Hi JoJo thanks for the kind words of support. Not feeling great tbh. Nearly took myself off to A & E last night til a 111 doc talked me down. Just entered week 4 and anxiety thru roof. Is there anyone out there who can say something positive about Mirtazapine please? Has anyone had a similar experience of this and come out the other side. I’m not interested in stories of weight or sleep just someone who has also has taken a good few weeks for it to work for them?
I have a Doc review next week and I just don’t have the energy to swap tablets.
So scared I’m going to be stuck like this forever.

I remember being anxious in the first few weeks but it did really help me and the anxiety did settle down. Once the anxiety settled meditation, exercise and all of those things helped too.

Along with HRT. I needed both.

On boarding a medication can be incredibly hard. I wonder if your GP can give you something to help with the anxiety short term? There are lots of non addictive things I’ve heard people talk about using during the first few weeks of trying a new medication.

Amitriptyline, Pregablin, Propanalol etc. I’m no expert but your GP should be able to look at what would be best and just help you feel calmer in the next few weeks.

Good luck, you’ve got this xx

I do have propanolol. Can I ask roughly how many weeks for the anxiety to settle? I know everyone's different- just need something to hold onto.

Mirtazapine sent me spiralling it was horrendous. Duloxetine on the other hand, worked wonders for me. Obviously they all work differently for everyone but if you decide to give up on mirtazapine, ask about Duloxetine as one advantage to it, is that unlike SSRIs (this is an SNRI) Duloxetine goes into your system pretty much straightaway so you don’t have that dreaded 2 weeks of misery.

I think I was still having some anxiety but at a lower level after about 6 weeks and it became more manageable. Do speak to your GP though who may know more about what to expect. We are all so different in how we respond and metabolise things xxx

I’m on 15mg Mirtazapine. I was on 30 but 15 suits me better. I have Zopiclone sleeping tablets prescribed and I take one when I’m desperate to sleep. I’ve found they really help. Just having them there helps, as a kind of safety blanket.

Final question JoJo I promise when did your mood lift and what dose are you on?
I also have Zopiclone & scared of becoming addicted. Feel like a junkie at the moment!

I've tried ALL the antidepressants as I struggled to find one that worked for me. 6 weeks is usually the turning point for side effects. It can take up to 12 weeks to experience the full benefit of them but by 6 weeks, it should have stopped torturing you.

Pretty sure it was 6 weeks too. That was at 15 mg. Needed to increase the dose a few years later as peri impacted more but most people won’t need to xx

I know what you mean about feeling like a ‘junkie’ but it’s medicine and treatment and sometimes we simply need it. I have never woken in the night desperate for an antidepressant. Mostly I have been resistant to taking them.

I too struggle with accepting that I need them at times and do literally everything I can to help my wellbeing but my brain chemicals just seem to need assistance at times.

Go as gently with yourself as you can in this period. One day you will look back and be amazed at what you weathered.

I effing hope so

Hi JoJo me again. 24 days in & I’m feeling grim today. Just waiting for Doctor to call. Funnily enough the adrenaline surges I get from the anxiety has subsided a bit - not sure if that’s a good sign?
I just wanted to ask you about your mood? Were you still really depressed at 4 weeks or had it improved by then? I know you said you started to feel better at 6 weeks. At the moment I’m feeling worse than at the beginning.
Anyone else out there got some positive advice - would be much appreciated.
Doctor was useless. Just want this all to go away.

Im sorry if you’ve already answered this OP but has your thyroid been checked?? If it’s on the blink that can send you loopy.

It took around 6 to 8 weeks for my mood to lift when I was at my worst and then it was only slight, and then slightly more, and then by like week 12 I felt much, much brighter.

If you don’t think it is working for you then definitely ask for in person help. Sounds so unpleasant for you.

Sorry I can’t really remember exactly what I was feeling then as it was a few years ago.

Like Dog has said above it can take some time.