15mg to 7.5mg

[Boydo]

now you lot are going to think am abit back too front but my doctor wanted me stop mirtazapine 15mg cold turkey after 5 months and move venlafaxie ..... which i refuse to take as i hate capsales after bad experience, so i decided ill just wearn myself of mirtazapine 7.5mg am having amazing night sleep and am not as tired or zombified in the day time, my muscles stop aching and i feel so much happier just on 7.5mg ................. ive been having the most wild vivid weridest dreams tho ... not complaining but is it normal'????

also on 7.5mg first 2 days had bit headache etc now thats gone, anyone else found 7.5mg beneficial or is it just my body being bloody weird as ive spent months hoping that 15mg was going to work and it did too a extend now cut down the dose ive made the most progress yet and say am 90% back to my normal self after 7 months of hell !

opinions and reply's be appreciated muchly

[hanshan]

Reactions to mirtazapine vary a lot according to dose and person, so just go with what works well for you - if it's 7.5 mg, that's fine.

[karenp]

I'm only 7.5mg at the mo and though it;s only my first week I am sleeping well, feel headachey during the day and a bit flat but doing more or less ok! I'm still on 10mg of Escitalopram so I'm going to stay at this dose for now and see if I need more but do not wan to go any higher than 15mg as it was so hard to get off last time I took it. The worst WD from a drug I have ever had.

[SmilingAlbert]

It is controversial around here, but IMHO Mirt is much more good for sleep at a lower dose (there is much discussion on this aspect on the web, though none from official sources and 'experts' (who have mostly never taken it)). Google the subject: plenty out there.

There is a chemical hypothesis supporting this, something about the sedating aspect of the drug being larger than the 'enervating' aspect at a low dose.

7.5mg is arguably the sweet spot, though some assert even 3.75mg.

But as Hanshan says, everyone is different, and if it works for you, go on doing it.

Albert

[hanshan]

What's a bit of controversy on NMP!? At least we are very kind and polite on this thread.

The low dose being better for sleep idea is due to the sedating anti-histamine effect, which does kick in at a fairly low concentration.

However, there is also an idea that the anti-histamine effect lessens over time, but mirtazapine continues to be good for sleep due to its effects on other neurotransmitters (and perhaps at higher concentrations).

But the proof of the pudding is in the eating, as they say. There is no doubt that mirtazapine does help some (not all) people to sleep over an extended period of time, and a bit of experimentation should be able to help find the best dose for a particular person.