Mirtazapine nightmare! WEIGHT GAIN. Please read...

the psychiatrist I (eventually) saw was a bit wary of putting me on mirt because I've had body image issues for about 20 years and gaining weight used to make me feel sick but I was so at the end of my tether with what I was on before and fluoxetine also didn't agree with me, I had to try it. At the moment I'm alright should there be weight gain (my diet is pretty good but I never seem to hit my calorie goal) and am just pleased it's seeming to help my depression a bit. I don't think I've gained much on it though, dunno if that's from what I'm not eating or what but, just my experience.

That said, my close friend was on it and her appetite increased tenfold.

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Originally Posted by wnsos

the psychiatrist I (eventually) saw was a bit wary of putting me on mirt because I've had body image issues for about 20 years and gaining weight used to make me feel sick but I was so at the end of my tether with what I was on before and fluoxetine also didn't agree with me, I had to try it. At the moment I'm alright should there be weight gain (my diet is pretty good but I never seem to hit my calorie goal) and am just pleased it's seeming to help my depression a bit. I don't think I've gained much on it though, dunno if that's from what I'm not eating or what but, just my experience.

That said, my close friend was on it and her appetite increased tenfold.

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How long have you been on it?

Err about a month now so not too long. I had my dosage increased Friday. Before it I was on trazodone that completely amplified my depression into a bottomless pit kind of place, so to not have that is good in itself. We're trying to treat my depression first, then treat the anxiety after my mood has returned.

The only thing I've noticed is getting sore eyes and dark circles early on an evening! I assume because I always wake up earlier than I should.

Are you still getting at least 8 hours of sleep? May I ask what your dosage was to start, and is now? ... Boy, one tablet that works against insomnia and depression both seems worth a bit more weight gain and/or more careful eating. We need more fruits and veggies anyway!!! :winks:

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Originally Posted by Babikins

IF YOU HAVE ANY WEIGHT ISSUES PLEASE PLEASE READ THIS BEFORE TAKING MIRTAZAPINE!


Ok, so I have posted a similar thing in response to someone else's weight worries about mirtazapine, but I thought this warranted it's own post. I hope it helps someone who was as confused/upset as I was :weep:

I have been taking 30mg of mirt for around 4 months or so now, and I had written a review after a few weeks of being on it (which I still stand by) however I had no idea about one particular side effect.

Unprecedented weight gain!!

Now for me, my weight/size is an area so sensetive I can barely describe it. I battled for years with bulimia and many dismorphic ideas about my appearance. But after a long road of therapy I was finally a healthy weight and had learnt so much about good nutrition, exercise and calorie intake in a healthy way.

But because of this over-sensetive approach about weight I can be 100% sure, without a shadow of a doubt, the weight increase was directly caused by the mirt.

How much weight?

TWO STONE! 28lbs! In around 4 months.

As I keep stressing, I am monitor my calorie intake very closely and I can assure you there was absolutely no differnce in the food or the amount of food I was eating nor the amount of exercise I was doing each week.

Obviously I was really upset, but I never imagined it could be the mirtazapine. So I was harsher on myself (thinking my metabolism was slowing or I was doing something wrong :weep:) and after 3 months on continuous weight gain, I cut my calories down to 600 a day! All calories came from fruit and veg, fiber and protien, very low fat/carbs.

And what happened?

Nothing. My weight just about stayed the same. I didn't lose a pound I had put on, I was just stuck two stones heavier!

So I scoured through my diaries, trying to pin point what had changed or what I had been doing differently to cause this awful weight gain. I was SO upset, honestly I felt disgusted with myself and all the issues I had spent years taking control of were starting to creep back into my life. I was a mess.

Eventually, I managed to put two and two together and after looking at my diaries and my weight chart (yes some habits of bulimia never die) the only correlation I could find was starting the mirtazapine.

I did what 99% of people with access to the internet do.. I googled it :yesyes:

My god, the results are overwhelming! (I did plan on linking here but there are so many sites I couldn't choose which ones to include. Type in "mirtazapine weight gain" into google)

Page after page after page of upset people who were totally unaware of this side effect.

I am really annoyed that I wasn't told by my GP about this, especially considering my history and also that I didn't do more research on it before I started taking it.

YES, theres no denying that mirtazapine is the best AD I have ever taken, and trust me I have taken my fair share over the years! As a long term insomnia girl I was so grateful of the sedation it gave me at night.

But as a recovered bulimic and life long body-dismorphic... The weight-gain side effect would prove far more potentially life threatening than even the darkest of my depressive fluxes.

I have (rightly or wrongly) gone cold turkey on mirtazapine as of last night as I couldn't bear the thought of something coursing through my veins that could hinder my ability to maintain a healthy weight.

I completely understand how to some people that is irrational and down right stupid, but for anyone with a little knowledge of body-dismorphia or bulimia, the guilt and disgust you put on to yourself for weight gain is unbearable.

Under no circumstances do I suggest people who are having the same problems with mirtazapine as me go cold turkey! See your GP and explain your situation.

And if you havn't started taking it yet... Then think really hard! Can you be happier and heavier? I wish I could, because mirtazapine really is a wonderful AD. :weep:

Hope this helps someone who is as upset as I was!

Babs,

x

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I can't say how happy (not the right word) I am to read this review. I was put on Mirtazepine for Depression. 3 months ago. I have since blew up like someone has pumped air into me. Yes I can sleep at night and I'm not as depressed but I pay a lot of money to attend a gym 3 times a week and I'm into my fitness. It makes no difference how hard I work out. I'm huge. It's affected my relationship bcos I'm so unhappy with my weight. None of my clothes fit. I've never been this size. And I thank u for posting this.
Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone. But I've even tried not eating and I'm still gaining weight. I'm stopping these pills tonight. I read tonight online they are used for anorexia sufferers. Make u sleep and a great antidepressant. But. The weight gain is ridiculous xx

Weight gain is indeed common with Mirt.

However, my experience is that it is not inevitable. You just need to be very very careful about your diet, and rid your home of ALL junk food. If you get the urge to eat, and many do, then satiate this with rice cakes, apples etc.

Ruthless calorie counting is required, don't eat out (very hard to count calories in restaurants etc.), minimise alcohol, and sadly you need to learn to say no when offered cakes, ice cream etc.

Another aspect is this: all our metabolisms slow with age. As a young man I was think as a rake until I was 30: I could eat huge meals 3 times a day and stay like that. Mirt definitely slowed it down when I started taking it around that age, but I was getting older too: You cannot eat like you used to as you get older, and I think people forget that sometimes.

I have lost 6kgs while on it in the past 2 months or so (5:2 diet). Exercise also helps (swimming is my thing, but running can be very helpful (though isn't my thing)).

Yes it's hard, but Mirt can be very effective for the big D, and has much lower side effects for most than more conventional ADs, especially in the important start-up phase when people are often at the end of their tether and the last thing they need is something that makes them anxious and agitated (extremely common with SSRIs like Fluoxetine, Paroxetine etc.), which is rare in Mirt.

Weight gain is also common with many other ADs. If weight is the cause of people's depression, all of this is problematic, I know. But an effective AD can greatly enhance people's lives, and in some cases save them too.

Albert

I have been on 15 mg Mirt for just over 3 weeks now and haven't gained an ounce. I have to force myself to eat because I still don't have much of a appetite.

I have also noticed in the last week or so that my sleep has deteriorated and while I have no issues generally in falling asleep I am awake just 3 or 4 hours later.

My anxiety has also increased significantly along with the panic attacks. I am awaiting a telephone call from the GP so that I can talk to him about what is happening and I suspect he will increase my dose to 30 mg.

It will be interesting to see if my appetite increases and weather I have the 'desire' to eat more and therefore put on weight.

While I was on a maintenance dose I had a bad episode and went all the way up to 45mg. I was soon eating like an Ox, too much in fact.

(tip: I had 7.5mg at night and the rest in the AM)