Could the Mirtazapine be making me worse?

[karenp]

Hi Katy I didn't realise you was on Mirtazapine as well as Cipralex. I went on it for 8 months and it worked after a day for me but 3 weeks later I woke up more anxious than ever and started feeling sucidal on it. I mentioned this to my doctor and they just upped my dose to the full 45mg's but I just never got any better on it, I felt worse and worse and couldn't sleep at all anymore on it apart from when I inititally took the pill and I'd drop right off for an hour or 2 at most then be up half the night having to take diazepam or zopiclone because my panic was so bad. I eventually took myself off to the hospital and they let me come off the Mirtazapine, it was really hard as I was very poorly withdrawing but it soon passed and I have never looked back since going on Cipralex, though I'm not 100% there yet havig ony been on it a couple of months but I am practically better. Mirtazapine just didn't agree with me at all though but I know other people who swear by it (:

[katy2104]

Hi Karen, I was the same with the Mirtazapine after a couple of days I felt great, it was like a miracle. Then I started to feel not as good so it was upped to 30mg, again felt better at first then decline again. That's when Cipralex was added and stayed on 30 mirt. I feel the only benefit I get from mirt is it relaxes me a bit when I've taken it on an eve. My anxiety has been getting worse so last night I cut the dose to 15mg. Spoke to my psychiatrist and she said it's ok and can increase cipralex to 15 if I want. I'm going to stay on 10mg and see how I go. I have felt really nauseous this morning but just trying to put one foot infront of the other. I'm glad you are improving it gives me hope!!!! xx

[Cocomademoiselle]

Hi Katy , yes im still back at work and doing "ok". Im only just starting to have more good days than bad, and it has taken a long time. I have marked on my calendar and it has been 66 days not sure how many weeks that is 9?? I never thought it would take this long as previously on Cipralex first time around 2-3 week mark I was feeling better. Although I very quickly went up to 20mg Cipralex after being off them for 5-6 weeks the doc said I could go back straight to 20mg as I had tolerated them before but I had never STARTED on 20mg before I started on 10mg then went up to 20mg a few years later. Never had ANY problem with the increase at the time but this time well although I said to myself I want to get the 20mg in my system as quickly as possible, I DEFINATELY this time had the case of "feel worse before better" which I never quite understood before now I do.

Maybe you could ask your doc to go up on Cipralex and reduce to 15mg Mirt as you felt ok on this but havent felt ok on 30mg ?

***HUGS***

---------- Post added at 13:01 ---------- Previous post was at 12:59 ----------

Hi Karen P I felt the same kinda on Mirtazapine 30mg on its own. I felt it made me worse but doc said possibly wasnt working or didnt go high enough soon enough, who knows. Would explain why I felt ok the first few weeks as I was tapering off Cipralex so I was taking both and felt ok. I think for me Mirtazapine does nothing on its own or maybe it would have done in another 6 weeks ! But I always thought if your not getting progressively better by the 6 week mark then you should change.

[katy2104]

Faye, when you reduced Mirtazapine did you have any side effects? I have felt a bit sickly on and off today and a bit of a headache. You never know if it's your own anxiety or the meds. Anyway not too bad today only had 1 diazepam this morning infact anxiety okish at the moment, just feel a bit spacey!!! xx

[Cocomademoiselle]

Hi Katy, no I didnt have any side effects when I stopped taking 30mg Mirtazapine after being on it for 5/6 weeks. I just stopped and the GP said I could just stop. I went a whole week without it, no withdrawal, then saw a specialist who said take 15mg Mirt with the Cipralex. Whether I would have eventually have got withdrawal had I not gone onto 15mg who knows. But I definately didnt get any going from 30-15 with a week break in between.

So have you now reduced to 15 mg Mirt ?

[katy2104]

Hi Faye, I reduced it to 15mg for 2 nights and last night I had the worst night in a long time; woke up at 3.30am feeling really low mood. The psychiatrist did say if I reduced it at this stage I could see the depression come back. I took the other 15mg this morning and although it made me feel zonked I feel a bit better now. I will take the 30mg tonight and leave things as they are for now. It's too early really to keep changing things, I'm just getting so fed up of not being 'me' and I'm questioning things all the time. I think I will have to try to just accept things as they are for a while. My friend say's she can see improvements in me, it's just so difficult to see it yourself. Are you still seeing specialist?