hallucinations whilst taking mirtazapine

[ElizabethJane]

I have been taking 45mg mirtazapine for about two months now and I am slowly beginning to feel better. Just after the increase this time I looked out of my sons bedroom window and saw a man standing there who I knew wasn't there. My stomach lurched and I blinked and he was gone. He was very clear and wearing a wide brimmed hat. He looked like an old fashioned gardener. I told Dr J that I had experienced this who quickly looked up in his copy of Mims and confirmed that hallucinations are a side effect (very rare) of mirtazapine. I have to add I was under extreme stress at the time as my Dad was waiting to go into hospital and I had recently experienced the increase in my meds. At no time did I lose consciousness or become out of touch with reality. I just knew I had seen something that wasn't there. Dr J could offer no explaination for this. I haven't 'seen' anything since. I was wondering whether I am the only one who has experienced this phenomena? I have to add that I am completely sane (well almost) and feeling a lot better now.

[ElizabethJane]

nobody experienced this then?

[JT69]

Hi EJ,just thought I would reply to you but not had this expeience, but only having been on the meds 2 weeks who knows?? I do have very wierd dreams and strange feelings in my body when sleeping though. I wonder if this was because you were under extreme stress at the time. I remember a time when I was very young and was going through alot of stress at the time. As I walked to my nans I saw what looked like my Grandad (who had passed) in amongst some trees...it was so real I was convinced it was him, I searched through the area but of course he wasn't there. Very wierd experience that I remember so clear all these years on. Jo.

[ElizabethJane]

Hi jo thanks for replying. some people think that if you are hallucinating that you are experiencing some sort of psychotic episode. I dont believe that was the case as I was fully conscious and fully aware of what had happened. I just knew I was seeing something that wasn't 'there'. Dr J was very interested and said that I was the first patient of his that had experienced hallucinations whilst taking mirtazapine.

[Maj]

Hello Elizabethjane,
I am a great believer in spiritualism and I would tend to think this may have been what you have experienced, rather than a hallucination from the drug.
Myra

[KK77]

What makes you think it was the mirtazapine EJ? Many people see inexplicable things (eg ghosts) but it doesn't mean they are hallucinating or becoming "psychotic". I agree with Myra that this was something beyond a reaction to a drug...

[Em_den]

Hi there, I know you posted this a couple of years back but I just stumbled across it now. I was prescribed mirtazapine at the lowest dose of 15mg a few months ago and the first night I took it I had hallucinations and for most nights for a week or so after that. My hallucinations really did vary, and more often than not they would happen just before or just after sleep...but not always. I hallucinated that there was someone stood at my front door as I was walking past it, I knew straight away that it wasn't real but it still made me jump! Whenever I had an hallucination, it left me feeling very uneasy and I was convinced I was going crazy! I spoke to my doctor about it and she believed there was no link between the meds and hallucinations so said they if they were to continue,she would have to refer me to a specialist! I didn't want this to happen so I kept quiet and after a couple more weeks the hallucinations stopped. However, my meds were bumped upto 30mg and the 45mg and on both occasions my hallucinations and vivd dreams came back but only for a couple of days! After experiencing 3 times, I'm convinced its the mirtazapine even if its a one in a million chance of happening. It's always nice to hear that someone's experienced it though and that you're not actually crazy!!

[Ingenious]

That sounds strange that you have had hallucinations from the first night of starting a strong medication designed to alter brain chemistry and your GP doesn't think it is connected (bangs head on desk!). I didn't have hallucinations on mirt but I had some crazy dreams and also frequent visual disturbances which were a bit odd - movement in the corner of my eyes like there was a moth or fly, but never anything there - always an hour or two after taking my tablet. And, frequent visual flashes of light.

But it's my experience on Citalopram that was scary, I had odd episodes with each dose increase including people on the TV trying to talk to me and being followed by angels driving cars - so I can quite believe it is possible for anyone to have such experiences taking this medication.

However, this all does tend to settle down, you said these stopped in a few weeks then only came back with dose increases, same as my issues on Citalopram. But I cannot imagine in a million years this is not just a side effect of Mirt - if it only happened when you started, then with each dose increase, what else can it be?

You're definitely not crazy!