Just started..

[sandie]

Doze - the Mirt has never helped my sleep - from day one on 15 mg, and lack of sleep was one of the reasons I was prescribed these. My GP seems keen to just up the dose - a couple of weeks ago he wanted me to increase to 45 mg and actually gave me prescription for the higher strength.

I spoke to him on the phone almost two weeks ago (I couldn't get an appointment), and he refuses to give me anything to help with the sleep.

But I cannot continue surviving on 2-3 hours sleep a night and I cannot bear these dreadful night-sweats. On Tuesday night and again last night, I awoke at just after 2 am and the bed was absolutely drenched. Didn't get back to sleep again and have had to wash the bed linen twice in 3 days.

My husband (who works away), is back tomorrow for 4 weeks; I haven't seen him for 3 months and the last thing we would want is to sleep in separate rooms, and yet I don't want my insomnia to disturb him.

I am not anxious about the sleep thing and have no problem going to sleep, but I awake in and anxious state and sweat after 2 - 3 hours and then don't get back to sleep. It's exhausting.

I am sure my anxiety is much worse now that when I started on the meds.

[Doze]

Update. Day 11 or so..

Had a few solid 'nights' sleep and so I'm feeling much more positive. Been sleeping for about 11 hours though. Also I think the hunger thing may be kicking in as I was hungry almost all yesterday. Going to just go with it for now until I'm more stable, but I'm not eating much more than before. I feel a little agitated and shaky for the first part of my day, but apart from that I think I'm doing well on the side effects side of things. Also decided to stay at 15mg for a week and then see where I am then. I take it in two doses around bedtime and it seems to go down better that way, all at once can feel like too much of a jolt to my system.

My mood has been pretty good considering. I think I may have been suffering some severe SAD at the start of all this. I was getting next to no sunlight and since I got a SAD bulb, I've felt much brighter. Although the Mirt may well be doing its bit, even at 15mg.
I think the worry of going up to the full dose and the acceptance of being on theses meds properly was getting me down, so I made the decision to at least delay making that call until I'm hopefully more level headed. It has made things easier. Acceptance is always helpful and most preferable to constant worries. The reason I started taking Mirt was to overcome overwhelming anxiety and insomnia, the idea that coming off them may cause similar circumstances is pretty scary, so it's holding me back from accepting my full course on this medication. But as a crisis management leveller I'd have to say the Mirt has been great for me. Hopefully I will continue to feel that way about it, but I don't know if I can see it as a long term treatment for depression/anxiety because of the side effects of weight gain, its affect on your sleep and the whole looming prospect of getting off it being apparently so hard to do.

[SmilingAlbert]

Hey doze

good to hear you're doing OK

Keep a close eye on your diet, eat healthy, and if need be get used to feeling a bit hungry (carbonated water can help a lot= makes you feel full, zero calories)

As for getting off them, cross that bridge when you come to it; many people are on Mirt for a long time, and if it works, then this is the thing to be positive about right now.

Albert

[Doze]

Cheers Bert.

I know I could really benefit from being on an AD, but its hard to know if Mirt is the right one for me. It's definitely been easier to get on to than the SSRIs I've tried in the past. I'm just struggling to get past its perceived negatives, that's why I thought if I give it a bit of time to clear my head and adjust.

I'm currently sleeping almost 12 hours a day, eating for England, whilst my chronic fatigue is keeping me pretty much bedridden. I imagine things will level out and improve, but I still won't be able to exercise to loose any weight gained and will still struggle with tiredness probably sleeping too much. I just don't know if those negatives are likely to be balanced out by the positives Mirt as a AD will bring.

Note for the Mert diary: I don't have the dry mouth side effect but I have noticed I'm getting this permanent greasy mouth and what I can only describe as a slightly electric tougne. It's about as pleasant as it sounds.

[SmilingAlbert]

All the studies now show that weight is governed 80% (or so) by what you eat and only 20% (or so) for how much you exercise.

So you have much more control on this front than you might think, but you have to be disciplined, set yourself quite strict rules, and obey them!

[Doze]

I'm almost at the two week mark.

Last few nights my sleep has gone back to being very erratic again. Still on 15mg, but i don't know if it's doing much anymore. It hasn't seemed to bring sleep for the last two nights and I'm not sleeping as long either. Spending most of the day tired and very muddled due to broken sleep that seems strangely exhausting. Trying not to sweat it too much, just hope it will work itself out eventually. Definitely tempting to up the dose at this point, but that sounds like building a dependency.

[sandie]

Doze - you are at the almost identical point I found myself around 6+ weeks ago. My GP started me on Mirt at 15 mg, but it didn't help my sleep or my mood, so he upped it to 30 mg. This made my situation worse - I twice refused the increase - having made the decision that Mirt is not for me. I didn't gain weight either for the first 2/3 weeks, but then the cravings began - huge cravings and I have gained 6 lbs in 3 weeks.

I have dropped back from 30 mg - initially to 22,5 mg, and then 15 mg. I am now (with the aid of Melatonin) sleeping better, but the withdrawal - even after such a short time is proving difficult.

Go back and chat to your GP - see what he thinks.

[karenp]

It's a really nasty drug for withdrawal. I wa son it 8 months at every dose last time and asked to come off and God, I have never know anything like how bad it was...they say benzo's are bad but I was on Lorazepam two years and came off in June and it was nothing like Mirtazapine WD. But I'm back on it now hoping it helps though only on 15mg. The wd did only last 5 weeks and used to peak for a couple of days then settle each time I dropped a dose. My anxiety seems a lot better but it's just my mood that is low. But I am an hormonal witch at the mo, lol. Hope you guys feel better soon, I know people who have done really great on Mirtazapine, one did put weigh ton and the other is thin as a lat! xxx

[Doze]

The Mirt has been great as a crisis stabiliser, I can't tolerate any of the Z drugs they don't help me sleep or make me less anxious. But the Mirt has done both, my mood has greatly improved on it as well, although I don't know if I can credit the Mirt for that as I've never taken the 30mg dose. But the last few days it effects have slowly decreased some more and I guess it's forcing me to make the decision of whether to up the dose of try and come off before I get any deeper. I have to say reading the previous two post I'm leaning towards the later. But my will is pretty weak at the moment and the second any panic sets in I will want to reach for the pills again. Not an easy call to make.

[sandie]

Withdrawing from Mirt will NOT be easy; anxiety is heightened, sleep is disturbed, awful night sweats - talk to your GP before making your final decision and get his advice and support.

The Mirt did not help my panic attacks and I still get these as well as the withdrawal effects. I am now 4 nights on the 15 mg and intend to stay here for around another week, before going down to 7.5mg.