Mirtazipine - second day and stopping it

[Diamond01]

Hi all
I know we have to expect side effects sometimes when starting new meds. but my life has ground to a complete halt on Mirtazipine. I took 15mg Monday night and yesterday felt awful. I slept for 13 hrs and didn't come around all day. GP advised me to half dose to 7.5mg last night which I did and slept for 12 hrs, I had the most dreadful nightmare and vivid dreams. I feel awful. I cannot move my head without everything swimming, or move my eyes without feeling nauseous. I have a banging pain in my head and generaly feel the worst I've ever felt taking ADs. I have tried most, if not all, SSRIs over the past 20 yrs and have just stopped Duloxetine to give Mirt a try. Some have worked for many years at a time and then seem to stop working. I think that as you get older, I am now 52 and started ADs at 33, your body changes and what maybe didn't work in the past may work later. Does anyone know if this may be true? I am awaiting for a call back from my GP and I'm sure she will be at a loss as to what to try next. I admit I'm scared by some of the side effects and am worried now that I have had to take a week off work just to try out a drug which I cannot tolerate and am back to square one! :scared15:

[bexy1970]

hiya,
i was on these and my sis was,try and ride it out theyre a very good med!!!tiredness soon goes just make sure to take before bed,and they also give you a huge appetite(thats the only down side) becca xx

[C10]

Hi
I've been on Mirtazipine for a month now. I was given 30mg straight away which I am begining to question. For 3 weeks I found that it did little for me apart from helping with my sleeping. I didn't suufer the following day but I also did not really notice any other benefits.
After 3 weeks I started to notice I was getting a bit more irritable and then suddenly found that I was feeling really 'flat' and wiped out in the mornings. This was making me feel awful and so I've now dropped back to 15mg. I'm still feeling in a bit of a daze but I can at least function again. I've read a lot of positive things about Mirt and so I'm going to stick with it at the lower rate.
I was initially on Citalopram and suffered really badly with side effects. Good luck, hope it works for you.

[Ingenious]

Quite a lot of forum posters (including me) found that Mirt knocked us out to start with. I was asleep within 30 mins of the first tablet. However the second night it wasn't quite as bad and from then on, each night it had less drowsy affect whilst still helping me sleep. Mirt is also known for its ability to give you some bonkers dreams, again, a side effect that does pass (I quite miss that side effect).

Mirt was a miracle medication for me after nightmares on Citalopram (and an older one called Clomipramine). But as others have said, what works for one person often doesn't for someone else, it's a bit of a lottery with lots of trial and error sadly!

[C10]

Ah yes forgot to mention the bonkers greams and I would agree that it isn't an entirely bad side effect!

[ElizabethJane]

Diamond01 I am also taking mirtazapine 45mg successfully with lithium at night. I am also fifty years old. I'm not sure whether AD's that did not work in the past will work now? My own experience is that I build up a sensitivity to some drugs and I cannot tolerate them any longer. I have been taking some sort of psychiatric drug since I was fifteen. There seem to be a greater variety now than there were in the 70's and 80's but it can still be hit and miss. When I first started mirtazapine I had drowsiness during the day as well as at night. I also experienced the vivid dreams and nightmares. If you can stick it the side effects will lessen after about four to six weeks. I took duloxetine and it made me violently sick and nauseous so I had to come off it. I commend you for sticking with it. EJ

[LAURA48]

Hi Diamond

I took Mirt for 6 weeks over the Xmas period tbh I found these the easiest of the bunch - the tiredness does wear off - I can assure you of this, and the dreams are vivid - didn't have nightmares.

I found apart from sleeping and eating they did nothing for me - but that is not so say that will happen to you. You said you have tried many - I too have been on the med merry go round - after being on Prozac for 15 years and they worked brilliantly stopped working in Oct after some severe stress but have paid private to see a psychiatrist and am due to start new meds tomorrow. Personally get a referral to one if you can - they know exactly what to give you!

Laura