new to this med, any positives?

[rooby]

hi there

have just been prescribed 15mg of this after having tried sertraline and before that lexapro. both of those meds didn't help with the anxiety or sleep problems. Is this going to help me? I was warned by doc about the weight gain I am not overweight but don't want to be either. Will it help me concentrate and cope? anyone have positive experience on this?

[Gordon64]

Hi rooby

Positives-you'll get a good sleep!! 15mg and half an hour later I was in land of nod-doesn't necessarily mean you will be though.

Quick acting compared to some other pills-I found it acted fairly quickly to lift my mood though doc might want to put you up to 30mg to get more of the anti-depressant effect-it's more sedative in lower doses.

You get used to the initial lethargy in time.

It increases appetite (if not eating has been a problem for you)

I found it decreased my anxiety quickly too though initially this may increase slightly.

Once it's in your system and with usual transition period you should get more out of life and function better (though if you are anything like me you will be tired though that could be effects of depression anyway.)

Negatives-I found it gave me sore gums and mouth BUT it appears I am in the minority-as with all AD's drink plenty water and you should be ok.

You do gain weight (as a general rule-again you may be different)

Lethargy-I found this a problem but it may still be better than the way you are at present and it should become less pronounced as time passes.

Withdrawal can be tricky BUT again if done in stages (as with all AD's) then it shouldn't be a major problem.

It's an SNRI as opposed to an SSRI like Sertralene (which I just didn't get on with-made me more agitated if anything) so be guided by your GP if you are changing over at any point.

Apart from gum probs mentioned it worked well for me (I am still on 7.5mg at the mo) and I hope it works well for you too-for me anyway the sometimes pretty horrendous side-effects of the other AD's I have tried were largely avoided.

But as with all these things what works for some doesn't for others-I hope it does the trick for you.

Good luck

Gordon

[rooby]

thankyou for that, it sounds like it might help, I have been off the sertraline for a month, it gave me horrendous dreams and made me more agitated. I just hope that this med will help me sleep in peace.

I had given up on ADs after not having any relief so far and was just "managing" with the odd valium, and having therapy once a week, but I am not progressing so will give this a try. scary though trying a new one!!!!!!!

Thankyou for your help and wish you well too

[ElizabethJane]

Hi Rooby I am taking 45mg mirtazapine. 15mg will help you sleep but it might not be enough to lift your mood. Your doctor might slowly increase this after two to four weeks. I don't think that mirtazapine will help you to concentrate better. Initially you might feel sleepy and unsteady continuing through the daytime. As far as coping is concerned as your mood lifts this should improve but do not expect a dramatic improvement. It might be slight or nothing at all. Again initially you might put on some weight. I have proved to myself that you can maintain a healthy weight whilst on mirtazapine without dieting by eating regular meals and avoiding too many carbohydrates and sweet sugary foods. Mirtazapine was initially devised as an appetite stimulant for anorexics so the temptation to eat more will be there. It is very much an individual thing though. EJ.

[JT69]

Hi Rooby,

This med gave me my life back....it will help you sleep and does increase your appetite...I gained around half a stone but that can be avoided with some people and if you are careful what you eat...I tried not to worry to much about that and just thought about the positives in feeling well in the mind.

Yes you will feel sluggish and heavy for a while but it does go in time.

I have tried many other AD's and this one I must say worked the fastest without too much in the way of side effects...well copable ones.

Good luck and let us know how you get on with it.

Jo.xx

[rooby]

Thankyou for the helpful posts. I survived the first dose anyway, had a great sleep but am so dopey, its quite nice actually! Yes I am due to go back in a month for review so I expect dose to be upped then if I get on ok.
It sounds quite hopeful from what you guys have said. I am coeliac so can't eat most carbs anyway. Doc warned about weight gain but if it helps with the sleep and anxiety I will see if I can manage.

Just out of interest can I half the soluble tablet initially to adjust ?

thanks rooby

[jo61]

This med has made a huge difference to me and I'm on it 9 years. To be honest I wouldn't tamper with the dosage between appointments.

[sally2010]

Hi

I was just wondering how you are getting on with this med?

Thanks

Sally

[FatherTed]

Hiya. I truly believe this medication gave me my life back. I was in a black hole of depression.I had lost 2 and half stone that I could not afford to lose. I could NOT sleep. Was a complete mess. Up all day and up all night interspersed with short periods of collapsing from exhaustion. I was initially prescribed fluoxetine 20mg and then 40mg which eventually lifted my depression but turned me into Billy Whizz. I had boundless energy, still couldnt sleep and was completely off my head. I was then prescribed Mirtazapine 15mg and slept the sleep of Kings with immediate effect. This combined quite quickly with an increase in energy but a much more relaxed persona. The Mirtazapine was then increased to 30mg which resulted in an elevation of mood but without the mania of Fluoxetine. 10 months later i am back at work and functioning and enjoying life which believe me I never thought would EVER happen. Admittedly I did put on a bit too much weight in the beginning but that was because the Mirt gave me an insatiable appetite and I was now quite easily able to eat for a family of four on my own. However once I extracated myself from the fridge and the biscuit barrel I was able to realise that as long as I ate sensible low fat meals, vegetables and fruit and not exist upon purely what can be purchased from the average ice cream van that I could still satisfy my hunger and keep my weight at an acceptable level. I hope Mirt is as beneficial to you as it has been to me but I appreciate that no two people are the same and that it may not be the antidepressant for you. Either way I hope you feel some improvement soon. And please never give up hope.

[rooby]

well I tried this for 3 nights I slept great the first night but no sedative effect after that - I took ages to get to sleep then the vivid dreams started up again and I was afraid to keep taking it. Did this happen to any of you? Should I try again? Anxiety levels back up again.

[ElizabethJane]

Dear Rooby have you been back to the docs to discuss this with him? It is not advisable to stop the medication abruptly even if you have been taking it for a short period of time. Mirtazapine does cause vivid dreams. It is a known side effect. I had this too when I first started taking it. It does settle given time.

[rooby]

Thankyou for the reassurance. I have been really down this week so decided to try again. It's just that I suffer from bad anxiety and the dreams make this worse in the night and I just want to have a clean restful sleep. I realise I have to take for a while to see if it settles down. I have a few valium 5mg, could I take it at night along with the mirt?

[ElizabethJane]

Sorry Rooby that you are not feeling so good. I do take valium with the mirtazapine but very very occasionally. It might be better for your GP to prescribe some sleep medication in the short term. Again I take zopiclone but the tiniest dose 3.75mg. With my other meds it is enough to knock me out. Please consult your GP first and best of luck. The bad dreams are horrible though you could try writing them down. I hope that you begin to feel better soon.

[JT69]

Hi Rooby,

Sorry that you have been feeling down again this week...its good that you have decided to give the mirtazipine another go...it will help in the long run...you have just got to give it time to get into your system and any side effects to settle down. When I first started taking it I had the most weird dreams!! It did really help (and still does with my sleep though), I have never slept as well as I do now.

Let us know how you get on.

Take care
Jo.xx