Mirtazapine help!

[l.b.7]

I have already posted something similar in the medication forum but havent had any replies and im desperate!
I was given mirt yesterday 15mg and feel completely zonked already, found it hard to wake up this morning, didnt wake up properly for an hour after getting up, bumped into things and all sorts
My main concern is the weight gain
I didnt eat properly for 5 days until today!! I cant stop :( i feel so crappy about it because ive read so many things about people gaining a massive amount of weight because of these tablets
Im unhappy with the way i look as it is and really dont want to gain weight
What shall i do!!
And also how long do i have to stay on these tabs? Can you come off antidepressants after like a month or so?
Really need help :(
Thanks

[Stormsky]

Not everyone suffers weight gain.. You have to decide whats more important, you've been given them as you need them, just be aware if you are eating more thats all.
Usually it's a minimum of 6 months on meds.

[l.b.7]

I know i sound so awful but i REALLY do not want to gain weight, ive heard that it doesnt even matter what you eat you can still gain lots of weight
And i also dont want to be on them for 6 months argh :(
I was also perscribed valium but have decided i will not take them unless i absolutley have to..
I really dont know what to do
I took one 20 mins ago already feeling drowsy

[Stormsky]

If you are really worried about weight gain and not wanting to take them for the minimum time, are you going to stop taking them?

[l.b.7]

I dont know, i have to see my doctor in 3 weeks, i dont know what to do :( :(
Its so hard for me to choose what to do
What will happen if i just take them for a month or two :(?

[Stormsky]

You prob won't get much benefit if you only take them for 1-2 months... For some they don't even start to work until then

[l.b.7]

Oh :(
Do you take any meds if you dont mind me asking
If so which ones? And do they work

[Stormsky]

I took meds for 11 yrs... I took amitriptyline....Been med free 2 yrs now though .

[l.b.7]

Glad you are med free, and thank you ever so much for replying to my posts, i will update in a couple of days :)

[MelinaJane]

Just wanted to say that I know what a struggle mirtazapine can be for some :)

I came off it in March and suffered a lot of side effects which ended up making my anxiety worse. I put on several stones in weight and I never felt truly awake or alive for the whole 16 months I was taking it. It caused me to feel giddy and spaced out all the time which isn't great when you're an anxiety sufferer eh?!

The eating more does subside after you have been taking it for a bit and i certainly found this. I think one of the main reasons I gained weight though was because of the way it made me feel so fatigued and out of it, i didn't want to move and barely left the house.

Mirt. certainly wasn't a good drug for me and I feel so much better being off it. However, you should give it some time as it may be just the thing that does the trick for you. Plus just so you don't worry more about the weight gain - my weight has started to come off naturally now i have stopped taking it :)

[Kim51]

I have been taking Mirtazapine since January and have not gained any weight it doesn't make me feel any more hungry :)

[acmillo]

I have been taking this for almost 3 months and have found it almost completely perfect for me. I was suffering badly from insomnia because of anxiety/depression and also had no appetite. It really helped me sleep and I only had the groggyness for a couple of days. In terms of appetite I did find that it allowed me to eat. For the first couple of days I ate like a horse but I think that was just my body trying to catch up as I had barley eaten a full meal for days. The appetite increase did stay but again only for a short while. To combat this I went out for a longhish walk each night with my wife to burn off any excess I had eaten.it must have worked because my weight never gained and actually came down. I have actually kept the walking up because it makes me feel better and also gives me and the wife some time together.
I must say I never advise anyone what to do in terms of meds because only you know how you feel, but I am really glad I tried mirtazapine because it really helped deal with the main symptoms of my anxiety with few side effects. I had almost given up on meds having tried SSRI and SNRI drugs, which I just couldn't settle on. I felt almost immediately a little better with the mirtazapine although in did have a wee wobble in week 2 but my week 1 experience encouraged me to stick with it. I'm glad I did.
Anyway good luck whichever decision you make:hugs:

[B-Brain]

I've been on 45mg mirtazapine for about 18months. Pros: it helps me get a good nights sleep and allows me to quickly calm down if I have a panic attack. Cons: I rarely feel 100% alert and I do seem to eat more but boredom could be partly responsible for that.