Thinking of starting Mirt

[Obsession]

Hi everyone,

A little while back i started having sleep problems. I woke up way too early and just couldn't get back to sleep. After a few nights like this, this started to make me really depressed and it's making me anxious all day.. So i went to the docter and he gave me Mirtazapine and a benzo called 'bromazepam'. The benzo did it's work and i was totally chill going to bed and could sleep all night. But as i don't want to become addicted to benzo's, i'm not taking them anymore.

I'm a little nervous to start taking the mirt because i've read alot of weird stuff here on the forum. I don't have social anxiety or any of that , i just become really anxious thinking of NOT sleeping enough and it's kinda making me depressed. Is mirtazapine a good drug for this ? will it take away my anxiety after taking it ?

Thx, Obsession

[oldtime]

Hi, I've just been prescribed 15mg and will start taking it at the weekend. It apparently works best for insomnia at the lowest dose, probably won't do much for anxiety at this dose. I also take citalopram for anxiety. There is nothing to lose by giving it a go.

[Obsession]

Alright, i'm giving them a try this weekend. My question is: will 15mg do anything else beside sedating me ? Will it tackle my anxiety and depression or is a higher dose Needed for this ?

Also i took the benzo again last night, this is the 4th time i've used it (small dose), can i become dependent on them even if taken only 4 times ? Will i get a rebound insomnia tonight if i don't take em ?

Thx for the reply, much apreciated !

[oldtime]

I don't think 15mg will do much for anxiety. But improved sleep might be enough to reduce anxiety longer term.

I have taken 20 zopiclone over the past 3 months, up to 7 nights in a row. They are quite easy to stop when you use them short term, just don't take it and accept you may not sleep much for a night or two.

[HunniBee]

Hi,

I've been taking Mirtazapine for around 7 months now at a 15mg dose to help me sleep as when i started taking Citalopram it can have the side effect of causing slight insomnia. It has worked well for me and i have only had the odd night where i just cannot drift off which is good.

Only thing i would say is that if you have to be up at a certain time be careful when you take it as it can make you feel quite drowsy still in the morning.

I would say take it around 9-9.30pm and just chill out in bed for a bit and you should be able to just drift off better and stay asleep without waking

Hope this helps.

HB x

[Obsession]

Ok, thx for the replies. Will try it tonight.
Did it do anything with your anxiety when you start taking it ? Because i'm just a little concerned 15mg will do nothing else but sedating me. It would be nice to take on my anxiety and mild depression too.

grts, x

[JT69]

Hi Obsession,

Go for it!! Mirtazipine got me out of a horrible place and back to a relatively "normal" life again....and back to work after having 5 months out!!!

Jo.xx

[crumble]

Hi Obsession,

There's another thread in this forum that I left about side effects (Mirtazapine - side effects) you might want to read it.

At 15mg I doubt that you will see any reduced anxiety, it didn't for me and I believe the therapeutic dose is 30mg or more.

But I was prepared for my sleep to be dealt with first and then I would tackle the anxiety...

I recently increased the dose to 30mg and I am starting to see an improvement in anxiety symptoms... there are still some there, but it's much milder... and I'm still (fingers crossed) sleeping ok.

Hope that helps.

[Obsession]

Hi Crumble, thx for your reply
I started mirt 15mg 4 days ago. First three nights i slept like a baby, but tonight was diffirent, i couldn't get to sleep until an hour of turning. and then woke up way too soon. I guess it's my anxiety waking me up... It's a bummer that 15mg will do nothing else but sedating me because my anxiety and especially racing toughts are my main issue..

I'm also still taking 3mg bromazepam ( benzo ) at night which i think stopped working ( only been taking them little over a week ) I think the best thing is that i stop taking these...

any advice or reply is more then welcome !

[crumble]

On the night that you didn't get off to sleep well did you do or eat anything different than you would normally do?

I have had the odd occasion where I've had 'restless legs' where I don't seem to be able to settle which has me turning for what seems like ages. I think this generally happens if I get in bed quite late. If I get to bed later than normal I get a bit more anxious about the time, and I wonder if it's that. Or if it may be that I've eaten more and later than usual. I guess not every night can be a good one.

I have read many times that if you can't sleep that you should get up and do something mundane for a while and then go back to bed and try again. Or read in bed until you feel drowsy. I guess the more you lie there wanting to sleep the more you'll feel anxious about it. I have however not yet tried these, so I can't say whether they will work!