I quit Mirtazapine, I've lost 16lbs in 12 days.

[Belleblue]

Hi Almost,

Sorry to hear that you gained so much weight on this medication. It is a very well known fact that it increases appetite... so it's prudent to be aware of this from the very start and get some healthy alternatives in for when the munchies start

I took it for almost a year and only gained 5lbs... so we are all different. There are others on here who gained a lot of weight initially, but managed to lose it whilst still remaining on the medication. Another member who was overweight already when he went on it, had no increase at all, instead he lost it!

Glad to hear that you are managing to lose the weight you gained Take care now.

Belle x

[Mark13]

I've been on Mirtazapine for 5 years and it does promote weight gain, but only by increasing appetite. The weight gain side effect can be neutralised by controlling your intake and not giving in to the Mirt "munchies" but it takes a lot of effort.

[JT69]

I've been on Mirtazapine for 5 years and it does promote weight gain, but only by increasing appetite. The weight gain side effect can be neutralised by controlling your intake and not giving in to the Mirt "munchies" but it takes a lot of effort.

I totally agree!!! And when you have been in that dark place...its just nice to be feeling normal again!! I know the weight gain was the least of my worries.

Jo.x

[hanshan]

Unfortunately this thread keeps resurfacing with the claim that someone lost sixteen pounds in twelve days after coming off mirtazapine.

It's agreed in the medical community that mirtazapine, along with a number of other ADs, is associated with weight gain. The mechanism is unclear, but most of the posters to NMP link it to increased appetite.

If someone eats more than their energy needs for a day, they will store it as fat. The reverse is true. Eat less than your energy needs, and fat will be burned up. It may be true that certain drugs speed up or slow down metabolism, but the effect must be relatively small, otherwise there would be published data on the effect of each drug (it can be measured in special calorie-controlled rooms).

To lose one pound, you need to reduce your dietary intake by about 13,650 kJ or 3,400 kCal.

To lose sixteen pounds over twelve days, you would need to reduce your dietary intake by around 18,000 kJ per day or 4,500 kCal per day for twelve days. For most people, that would be impossible, since they are already eating nowhere near that much.

Thus, I doubt the claims in the post above. It is true that there may be some dramatic initial losses when dieting, but they are often due to fluid losses, and cannot be sustained.

Overall, mirtazapine appears to be associated with weight gain due to increased appetite. If you are prescribed mirtazapine and monitor your weight, you should have no problems.

[Mark13]

Some medications also promote fluid retention in muscles and organs I believe. So hanshan, your calculations, whilst correct for the loss of fat, do not take into consideration the quick loss of fluid which can bump up an apparent weight loss.

That said, 16lbs in 12 days does seem to indicate faulty bathroom scales

[hanshan]

Hi Mark,

Point taken about mirtazapine causing fluid retention.

As long as people reading this post realise that a dramatic initial weight loss is often due to loss of water from the body rather than fat. It happens once and can't be sustained. Also, that water can go back on quickly.

There are ways to counter fluid retention - eat less sodium (salt and many processed foods), drink more water (sounds odd, but it helps the body to excrete sodium), and drink moderate amounts of a natural diuretic like tea or coffee (not recommended if caffeine is a problem).

[Mark13]

hanshan

I'm having worse trouble with pregabalin for promoting weight gain.

I managed to keep my weight stable using Weight Watchers to keep track of intake, but pregabalin put me on 7lbs in 6 weeks, with the most heinous munchies. Not good when I'm about 50lbs overweight already.

Trying to lose weight now, but I don't expect it to be fast or easy.

I think some of the compulsion is habit too. A drug may give you increased appetite intially but there comes a time where you wonder whether the overeating is still down to the drug or just the habit that's been formed.

The only way to find out is to try to create good eaing habits, which is what I'm trying now. If it's not too painful then it's habit.

[hanshan]

Hi Mark,

It can be done. I managed to lose about fifteen pounds in twelve weeks or so between September and December while taking both pregabalin and mirtazapine.

It did require working out my approximate daily energy needs, and working out a diet that came under that. I also wrote down everything I ate during the day and added it all up in terms of energy (kcal or kJ) to make sure I wasn't going over. It sounds a bit boring, but I found it helpful to eat pretty much the same thing every day. I also learned to love hunger pangs - it's my body's way of telling me I'm losing weight!

Of course, losing weight is only half the battle. Keeping it off is the other half, and as you say needs permanently good eating habits.

Best of luck.

[ricardo]

I have just read back to the beginning of this thread and it is a shame that initially it got a little heated between two sufferers regarding weight loss .

I have been on nearly every conceivable anti depressant over a period of 30 + years and have come to this conclusion.

One tends to feel hungrier and therefore even with limited exercise one gains weight as there is fluid retention and the metabolism slows down and of course there is the distinct possibility that when one is a young person as opposed to a middle aged or older person one can have the tendency to be less active by doing little or no exercise.
The old adage still applies that no two people have the same side effects on the same drug but in my case "comfort food" was definitely something that became apparent with anxiety and depression .

Out of interest I was completely drug free for about 18 months some while back and had more energy and my weight decreased. by about 2/3 stones.

I think the general rule of thumb is that one has just got to be cautious what one eats and how much one eats whilst at the same time dealing with all the horrible side effects that one can get on a day to day basis from various anxiety illnesses.

[dollydoo]

Hi, 2 months ago i changed my tablets from trazadone to mirtazapine and i have gained 2 1/2 stone. Yes my mood seems to better(more according to my friends than myself) and i sleep like a baby and have no drowsiness or groggy feelings during the day but the down side is the massive amount of weight i have put on in such a short time. I was a size 10 and now struggling with 14's, all in 8 weeks!!! Its now starting to really get me down so i decided to wean myself off them as from last night. I was on a dosage of 30mg and will now take 15mg for 7 days and then half that down to 7.5mg for a week and then i will be off it.
I will be seeing my doctor this week to try some other tablet that does not have the same side effects.