I have taken some different meds over the years, but not had the reaction I had with Mirtazapine. I am putting it down to being the wrong choice for me at this time and not here to be negative about it. I know someone personally, who finds it great for them, so I do know it works, but not for everyone.
Anyway, I talked with my GP and we agreed it was a good choice, due to my sleep pattern being very disrupted, and this not helping my mental health. I have depression/anxiety, panic attacks, and PTSD.
I took 15mg on Monday night, and it took effect properly after about an hour - felt heavily sedated, so went to bed thinking great, I will sleep well. Unfortunately not, I started to get a feeling in my calves like nerve stimulation, that made me stretch my legs everytime. This happened about every 10-15 seconds. I tried to relax through it, but it was difficult. Anyway, so that went on for about 3 hours and it was now 2am. I turned the light on, and felt really heavily sedated still, but wide awake from the leg stimulation. Long story short, I must have got to sleep about 2.30 and woke a few times before finally getting up at 12.30pm feeling sedated, but in good spirits.
I went out at 3pm to visit a friend, and only drove a mile, but felt really angry and nearly had road rage a couple of times..! When I got there, I felt really irritated and not at all myself. I was totally preoccupied with how I was feeling, and it was quite scary tbh. Now I realise from reading many threads here that there are symptoms when starting most meds, and these have to be lived with until they start to get better. Personally, there was no way I could have carried on taking Mirtazapine, because I was not myself at all. It was more than sedation, I felt really ill. I decided after much thought, to not take any more, and clear this out of my system. Seeing doctor again on Monday, so will talk about this and decide where to go next.
It was only yesterday evening that I started to feel almost normal again. My flat felt like it was not my own for two days, I didn't know who I was and things felt all out of sync - really weird. Not pleasant, or for me, bearable.
I just wanted to share my experience, and am not here to put anyone off who is considering this med. We all react differently. It just wasn't for me, but I won't give up, and will work with my GP to find the right medication. I have accepted that medication is something that helps/will help me to lead a relatively normal (whatever that is) life.
The good thing is that here there is plenty of advice about medication. I know ultimately we have to try them and see if they work, but it is good to read so much of peoples experiences.