A review of Mirtazapine 15mg, 30mg and 45mg. Dreams!

[shropshire_lad]

I was on Mirtazapine for around 7 months from 15 to 45mgs and agree 30mg seem to give the best results for mood and sedation. I have awful insomnia, anxiety and mood issues from time to time. Went 3 days without any sleep at all when they tried me on citalopram!!!!

I had pretty vivid dreams too, also amazing white zaps of light in front of my eyes when I initially closed my eyes and settled down to go to sleep... Used to look forward to this free "light show"!

Now free of any depressants and using diazepam for sleep and GAD. Only on 5mgs at night and seem pretty stable at the moment... for me anyway!

Good luck!!!!!!!!!!

[JohnnyH]

Prescribed 30mg just today (of Mirtaz) after one week on 15. I look forward to the wonderfully described dreams and hope I get them.
The feeling inside though at present is awful, sleep is the days highlight.

[Corvus_Rabiatus]

Good responses here!

First of all, I am in no way a medical professional, but in trying to discern a cause and effect mechanism, I have, sort of, developed a layman's theory about 'the Dream' phenomenon with Mirtazapine.

We are taking Mirtazapine for dealing with anxiety and depression, right?
Both anxiety and depression are known to deprive us from sleep and are things that incorrectly infiltrate our sub-consciousness and do not allow us to experience things in the 'normal' (for whatever that may be.) fashion.

Anxiety and depression (A+D), that way clutter up our minds with garbage, but also do not allow our mind to sort that out in a 'normal' fashion while processing the garbage, which is what's happening when we sleep.
This gets to be a vicious circle, where A+D, create garbage, which creates more A+D, which create more garbage...etc.

This is reflected in real-life, where suffering from A+D, people often have exactly the same happening in their physical living/working environment (Experience speaking here.). Things get cluttered and out of hand until they can no longer be coped with anymore and thus go into dysfunction, become unmanageable and ultimately go into crisis. Somewhere along these stages, substance-abuse can enter as a futile effort to self-medicate, which generally makes things worse (as they did with me.).

Mirtazapine, by allowing (basically forcing) us to sleep and possibly blocking conscious intervention, sets free that process of mentally needed garbage collection and reorganization. Once that process starts and things get re-arranged and start making more sense to us, it reduces the A+D effects, which also reduces new garbage to be collected and haphazardly deposited.
That way, the vicious circle is being turned back into wholesome process that is needed for a clear and correct (normal) sub-consciousness.

That is why I think that certainly at first, as the sleeping brain sorts out the worst accumulated garbage first, the dreams are so recognizable, vivid and often frightening.
Later on and as the anxiety and depression symptoms wear off, the dreams mellow out and become more pleasant and restful, even joyful.

Anyway, that's my $0.02 for as much as it's worth.

[Skaa]

Hmm. I'm struggling with the dreams at the moment. Started on 45mg, which made me sleep like a baby, as did 30 mg. But 15mg and now on 7.5mg, my dreams dominate the night and I never feel rested in the morning. It is horrendous. For the past 2 weeks, every night i've had a nightmare and felt like i've had a good kicking. I'm on such a low dose now, I'm stopping them as of tonight. Can't be doing with that rubbish in my body anymore. It worked for a year or so, but now it's a burden.

[xrachykinsx]

I'm on 30mg and don't have any dreams... I never really remembered dreams before meds anyway... and still don't..just the occasional normal one. Increasing my dose tonight to 45mg though, so hoping it's still the same

[gary c]

Hi all.....I've just today met with a psychiatrist following a recommendationf Rom my addiction counsellor with whom I have been working for 9 years. I'm in recovery and live a completely abstinence based lifestyle. I mention thiss simply to explain why I am frightened at the idea of beginning to take zispin15mg tomorrow night as prescribed for me today in order to treat my depression. I am concerned that the sedative effects of this medication may awaken what I have spent the last 9 years successfully dealing with, namely my 25 year substance abuse issues. I am however desperate enough to try it as I simply cannot go on as I currently am. Reading ur posts has made it less frightening for me and I must admit I can't wait for the dreams. Thanks for sharing your experiences.

[Istherehope?]

Hi Gary, to have beaten addiction for nine years you must be made of pretty strong stuff but I can understand it's a bit frightening now to take drugs even when it's under doctors advice.

Do keep posting though, there's some very supportive people in the Mirt/Zispin section and it's helped me in some pretty dark times. Good luck with tomorrow night.