!st day after taking 15mg of mirt.

[sledgehammer]

Hi,

Took 15mg last night for the first time, prescribed for anxiety and the insomnia it's causing, (I've had poor sleep, going on 20 years). At first I felt very groggy lying in bed reading, I could hardly string words together talking to my wife, turned out the light and lay there for about 3 hours very groggy, but restless at the same time, couldn't stop fidgeting about the bed, it was very irritating. I've found this on sleep meds before, I get groggy, but can't get over to sleep, that's why I'd came off them before, can't sleep either way, so might aswell not have the hangover and the sleep deprivation tiredness in the mornings, I'm sure they made my sleeping worse at times. I could barely function today didn't get out of bed for 11 hrs even though not much sleeping went on, though I didn't have any major anxiety attacks until this evening, as usual about having something wrong with my physical health, I feel like I'm losing it sometimes, the one plus is that I don't feel as many of the aches and pains I'd been having, which I'm sure are more or less caused by over sensitisation due to health anxiety, (in the cold light of day that is, not when I'm having an attack), I don't know what to do, will I keep going with this, give it more time?, or leave it until I see how the CBT goes tomorrow, my first appointment? I'm not due back to work for a few days, so can wing it a bit until then, although I meant to be getting stuff done.

[hanshan]

Hi Sledgehammer,

Mirtazapine can take a week or two to settle, so do persist. It's not like other sleeping medications, so you can alter the time you take it. Some people take it two or three hours before going to bed.

If you experiment a bit, after a week or so, you'll know if it's working for you. Good luck!

[sledgehammer]

Thanks,

I didn't take it last night, slept terrible again, and weird dreams, (although not nightmares or terrors), when I did get over. Ill be at my CBT appointment in a couple of hours. I'll maybe have another go tonight and try taking it a bit earlier. I have another GP appointment next week, I was meant to take this for 2 weeks and report back, but held onto the prescription for nearly a week afraid to take it, because I've had terrible side effects with certain anxiety/depression meds in the past. I was a bit annoyed at the lack of sleep with this as it seems to universally send people over, does anyone else get a doomed feeling that meds don't work for them and they are stuffed and stuck with this crap?, sorry, sleep deprivation seems to make everything more pessimistic!!!! I'm trying to hold on, but it just feels like I'm hanging by my fingernails at the minute.

[hanshan]

Hi Sledgehammer,

It's true that mirtazapine does knock a lot of people out the first night they take it, but from what I read, you have had serious sleep problems for several years. It's a lot to expect one pill to change all that in one night.

Mirtazapine has a long half-life. This means that if you take it steadily, it builds up in your body till it reaches a steady level. The daily dose, then, is a top-up dose. All this takes about a week or so. The aim is not to knock yourself out on a nightly basis and suffer the next day, but enjoy natural sleep.

[wnsos]

The first night I took mirt I was out for the count quickly. Really groggy and dazed and slept well. It took a couple of weeks for the benefits to really start showing themselves though. Overall I feel much happier on it than my last.

I'd say try it for the two weeks. 15mg is a low dose (I'm on 30), so I'm sure it just needs a bit of time to adjust. Xx

[sledgehammer]

Thanks guys,

Went for my first CBT session, it went well, it was just a familiarisation session, we had a good talk, and even though we didn't discuss CBT as such, it was good to let some of this built up crap out. I think I can work with him, he was very into it clicking between us to get the best benefit, and I think it did.

He has advised me for now to take the medication until I talk to the GP again next Friday, and like you guys said, give it time to work along with the sessions, atleast I'm trying to tackle this, instead of my usual thing of bottling it all up and brushing it under the carpet, I know I'm new and only starting out with the forum, but it has helped me immensely already, reading over the posts, I'm don't feel so isolated and alone trying to deal with this, and many others are going through and have been through the same and getting better, thank you all for that.

[doctorjohn]

take the Mirt about 9pm.........don't expect a lot from the early CBT sessions, these like the Mirt, take time to work.

the sleppyness factor worked from the 1st Mirt tab for me though, with a relaxed feeling of not wanting to get up in the morning...good luck

[wnsos]

A psychologist I used to see told me that CBT and therapy both work the best in conjunction with meds (if they're needed) which is something I used to ignore thinking it was my brain and could therefore control it myself. I wish I'd listened earlier. The meds don't have to be forever but can definitely help long term. I'm glad you're going to try and are getting CBT. They're really helpful tools to have ready for when we do get better.

And yeah I take mine about 9.45 then go to bed around 11/11.30 I want to say. Which sounds so early to me cause I used to go to bed at 3am on the dot. But it gives me a good 10 hours snooze now and my mood is much better.

[sledgehammer]

Thanks guys,

My problem is after taking it again last night, about 10pm and going to bed at 12, is that it doesn't get me over to sleep! I have more or less just lay in bed drifting for an hour or 2 into and out of sleep after about 5 hours of not sleeping at all, then I finally got out of bed at 2 pm, I haven't got out of bed in the afternoon in years!!!!! I can't do this med, I have a problem with drowsiness inducing medication and getting to sleep, it doesn't send me over, it makes me irritated and agitated, I was thumping the pillow in anger at 4am!!
Very annoyed now, I had so much to do today and I'm like the living dead, I know it's early days but I can't continue with this next week when I'm back to work, and my Hols. are all used up so I can't get more time off atm. I think I'm going to have to do the CBT and work from there. I've had this problem with sedating meds in the past, and it was always the same.

[keggsy]

Hello, mirt in conjunction with pregabalin is what I'm on.
Mirt does not guarantee me a good night sleep either.
Some of us just don't sleep as well as some folk and every night can be different, even if we have the same pre bed rituals.
I'm doing better than earlier this year, but not where I would like to be.
I hope things improve for you.