Discussion Has anyone taken Mirtazapine before?

[Josef2000]

My doctor is putting me in Mirtazapine as I want to change from Citalopram because I took it for 5 years and it did nothing for me.
Has anyone taken it before and has it worked?
I know it has potential to make me gain weight but I can control my appetite, rather be overweight that fucking miserable. I can't take it anymore.

 

[houseofleaves]

Should be good (my friend is taking it). But the weight gaiiinnnn…. aaaahhhh((

 

[Bedrock48]

I've been on Mirtazapine for a couple years and it's so far been the best anti-depressant I've tried.

 

[TheBroken]

Works good - munchies are real so you just need to ignore them, drink water to feel full, or whatever because you will want to eat. For some it really causes sleepiness and interestingly this effect is higher with lower dosage. Anyway, it does work and calms the head noise. Hope it works ok for you.

 

[its-about-time]

Only took it for sleep for a little while, years ago don't really remember more… happy to hear you're giving this a shot I hope it has some noticeable benefit

 

[theloserestloser]

I took it last year for a few months (only got up to about 15mg). I didn't gain any weight and it worked fine as a sleeping pill. I didn't have any side effects but the withdrawals were awful.

 

[Oblivion Access]

When I was incredibly depressed I'd trade weed for it, would either put me to sleep or slow me down to where I didn't care as much. I spent a whole month just sleeping all day. Not really the intended use though.

 

[ImsooDone1N]

I took it last year for a few months (only got up to about 15mg). I didn't gain any weight and it worked fine as a sleeping pill. I didn't have any side effects but the withdrawals were awful.

Can you possibly explain the w/d symptoms you had??
I am on fluvoxamine & mirtazapine. They are "working" right now- however it seems that at 5-7pm (roughly 20-22h) before my next dose I feel HORRIBLE. This Happens every single day. Wonder if it's the mirtazapine causing that?

 

[theloserestloser]

Can you possibly explain the w/d symptoms you had??
I am on fluvoxamine & mirtazapine. They are "working" right now- however it seems that at 5-7pm (roughly 20-22h) before my next dose I feel HORRIBLE. This Happens every single day. Wonder if it's the mirtazapine causing that?

I couldn't sleep for weeks and when I did, I'd wake up very quickly and super dizzy. I also got super nauseous when I tried to eat and had no appetite.

 

[ImsooDone1N]

Hmm. Glad that your no longer experiencing that, and hopefully doing better in that respect. From what you said, I don't think the mirtazapine is the drug causing the symptoms I get. I think it's probably the fluvoxamine.

 

[shadowchaser]

Yep, I'm on it right now. It has neither worked nor caused any weight change nor any side effect (whether positive or negative) at all. I feel exactly the same. Hope it helps for you, though!

 

[dredd1981]

I'm on it now, 30mg at night. It does a good job helping me sleep and it seems to take the edge off the depression, takes a couple of weeks for it to kick in though

 

[Quiet Desperation]

The appetite stimulant part is pretty noticeable in my limited experience with it, enough that I've seen it prescribed off label as an appetite stimulant in certain situations.

That said, I think your priorities are 100% correct. See if it works for you first and deal with appetite stuff later if you need to. You can consult a nutritionist or just lower your caloric density yourself so you can eat without gaining as much weight or trying to suffer through the hunger.

 

[Eternally Dottie]

Can you possibly explain the w/d symptoms you had??
I am on fluvoxamine & mirtazapine. They are "working" right now- however it seems that at 5-7pm (roughly 20-22h) before my next dose I feel HORRIBLE. This Happens every single day. Wonder if it's the mirtazapine causing that?

Best to take Mirtazepine in the evening due to it's sedative effect, changing the timing might improve things for you

 

[NothingElseMatters]

yes i take 30mg every night

 

[Ethereal Knight]

I think I'll probably switch from amitriptyline to mirtazapine.

My doctor is putting me in Mirtazapine

hi! it's been a couple of months since this post. how are you feeling?

did it give you great sleep?

what side effects did you experience?

thanks!

 

[Sun n showers]

My doctor is putting me in Mirtazapine as I want to change from Citalopram because I took it for 5 years and it did nothing for me.
Has anyone taken it before and has it worked?
I know it has potential to make me gain weight but I can control my appetite, rather be overweight that fucking miserable. I can't take it anymore.

Yes I have been on it, it helped with sleep if I remember, I would try it if the other one isn't working

 

[HopefulButPrepared]

My doctor is putting me in Mirtazapine as I want to change from Citalopram because I took it for 5 years and it did nothing for me.
Has anyone taken it before and has it worked?
I know it has potential to make me gain weight but I can control my appetite, rather be overweight that fucking miserable. I can't take it anymore.

you have to avoid sugar and carbs in general, else you'll probably get fat, but then because of the lack of carbs I felt like shit all the time, couldn't think straight, struggled to articulate myself and follow orders at work, if you do the put the weight on the only way to get it off is by coming off the drug, sleep was amazing, so amazing I got addicted to it and relied on it for sleep, only just managed to get off it using Xanax for sleep instead, or diphenhydramine + Valium - some people have horrendous side effects coming off - I just struggled with sleep because I had come to rely on it, but maybe I'm now addicted to Benzos, which is even worse - my advice would be to not go down that route, because it may be very hard to get out of it, but I'm not a doctor and you can only weigh the pros and cons in relation to your situation

 

[Ethereal Knight]

you have to avoid sugar and carbs in general, else you'll probably get fat, but then because of the lack of carbs I felt like shit all the time, couldn't think straight, struggled to articulate myself and follow orders at work, if you do the put the weight on the only way to get it off is by coming off the drug, sleep was amazing, so amazing I got addicted to it and relied on it for sleep, only just managed to get off it using Xanax for sleep instead, or diphenhydramine + Valium - some people have horrendous side effects coming off - I just struggled with sleep because I had come to rely on it, but maybe I'm now addicted to Benzos, which is even worse - my advice would be to not go down that route, because it may be very hard to get out of it, but I'm not a doctor and you can only weigh the pros and cons in relation to your situation

I do agree that benzodiazepine dependence is worse, in my opinion.

I can also confirm that it's true that some drugs make it basically impossible to lose weight. amitriptyline is one of them. I take it and I honestly think that nobody can lose weight on it. at least not without suffering terribly and regaining all the weight back right after losing.

if you care about your metabolic health, your appearance or your body weight, this kind of drug may not be the best.

I'm interested in mirtazapine as I have the mindset of "I don't care about my weight, I can gain a million pounds and that is fine for me. I don't date anymore, don't flirt, don't go out with people, and I'd love to ruin my metabolic health so I can have a sudden heart attack and die".

I'm already gaining a lot of weight from my current medication anyway (amitriptyline), so switching to mirtazapine shouldn't be too diferent (both of them make people gain weight like crazy).

but I know this mindset of mine may not work forever, I noticed that I'm starting to gain fat in my neck area (like a "double chin"), which is very dangerous because it can make me develop sleep apnea.



sleep apnea makes people feel sleep deprived even after sleeping for 9+ hours, because the quality of sleep gets so poor.

if I develop sleep apnea because of a sleep drug, that would be the most ironic thing ever.

and If I continue to gain weight, I will.

however, I noticed that sleep deprivation also causes people to overeat and crave carbohydrates. if you have to choose between feeling hunger from sleep deprivation or feeling hunger from a drug, I'd choose the latter.

'cause sleep deprivation is absolutely terrible.

 

[Sarz]

Yes it was terrible I had vivid dreams,anger rage and suicidal. I wanted to really kill people.i had to come off it asap or some damage would be done. It was worst drug I ever took I felt the devil took hold of me but i am very sensitive to meds so had massive effect.
Everyone is different though.

 

[Lostkitten1]

Am on 45mg/day, which my doctor says is the maximum dose "without psychiatric intervention". Was on Citalopram before I started on the Mirtazapine, the Citalopram stopped me sleeping, like at all, which was the reason for the switch. I'll be honest, it doesn't really do much for me. Alcohol takes the edge off of life more than the Mirtazapine (or the Citalopram for that matter) ever did. Still contemplating suicide, still very depressed. Only upside is while the Citalopram stopped me sleeping, the Mirtazapine isn't as bad, although I'm still staying awake till 3, 4AM some days and then sleeping for two hours and starting the cycle anew. Asked the doctor for some sedatives but they won't let me have any because: suicidal.

 

[nopointinlife]

I took 15 mg a day for 4 months after my mom died. I too thought that I could control the weight gain by not eating as much. I gained about 20 pounds and experienced serious CTB urges with dizziness, blurred vision, and decline in cognitive function. The munchies are way worse than being high on pot. My biggest problem was I lost my memory and ability to think analytically. I seriously felt stupid. I had to stop taking it and now I gotta figure how to lose this fucking weight!

 

[Ethereal Knight]

Am on 45mg/day, which my doctor says is the maximum dose "without psychiatric intervention". Was on Citalopram before I started on the Mirtazapine, the Citalopram stopped me sleeping, like at all, which was the reason for the switch. I'll be honest, it doesn't really do much for me. Alcohol takes the edge off of life more than the Mirtazapine (or the Citalopram for that matter) ever did. Still contemplating suicide, still very depressed. Only upside is while the Citalopram stopped me sleeping, the Mirtazapine isn't as bad, although I'm still staying awake till 3, 4AM some days and then sleeping for two hours and starting the cycle anew. Asked the doctor for some sedatives but they won't let me have any because: suicidal.

honestly I find this - a person taking mirtazapine and still not being able to sleep - a little bit strange, because mirtazapine is supposedly a drug used to treat insomnia. I know higher doses are more activating due to its effect on epinephrine and dopamine, but even then, it's still a drug that tends to reduce people's anxiety and even promote deep sleep.

did you work on basic sleep hygiene?

like dimming all the lights (and using blueblocker glasses) after 6 PM.

staying in the dark from 9 PM to 5 AM.

avoiding fluoride on toothpaste, so your production of melatonin doesn't get messed up.

using the bed just for sleep and sex.

going outdoors as soon as you wake up and let the sun shine on your face (first thing in the morning).

exercising.

supplementing magnesium and omega 3s.

doing free journaling to write down your worries, your thoughts, your plans for the new day, or anything that comes to your head expontaneously at the time.

getting social connection, being around friends, cuddling with your significant other.

having a very cold, silent and dark room...

this kind of thing...

maybe try to talk to your doctor. I could be wrong, but I think mirtazapine is very good for sleeping.

 

[Lostkitten1]

honestly I find this - a person taking mirtazapine and still not being able to sleep - a little bit strange, because mirtazapine is supposedly a drug used to treat insomnia. I know higher doses are more activating due to its effect on epinephrine and dopamine, but even then, it's still a drug that tends to reduce people's anxiety and even promote deep sleep.

You could literally be my doctor, we've had exactly that conversation, and I've tried all of the above over the last year or so. I only use my bedroom for sleep, it's comfortably chilly, I don't use any devices in there. Not heard of the fluoride thing but if it's not affected me for the last 20+ years I doubt it's going to do so now. One of the reasons I had my dosage upped to 45mg/day is because "it was supposed to help me sleep". It doesn't. I would note that on the user advice leaflet inside the box it lists "sleeping problems" as a 1-in-10-people side effect. Lucky me, I'm apparently the 1-in-10. It's going to be one of those medications that affects everyone differently, as the other side effects are often contradictory, for example it also lists "drowsiness or sleepiness", "tiredness" and "vivid dreams" as 1-in-10 side effects, none of which I get.
Edit: as another contradictory example, it lists "dry mouth" and "increased salivation" as possible side effects.

 

[Sunset Limited]

Yes 7,5 mg for sleep. It is also good antidepressant.

 

[HopefulButPrepared]

I took 15 mg a day for 4 months after my mom died. I too thought that I could control the weight gain by not eating as much. I gained about 20 pounds and experienced serious CTB urges with dizziness, blurred vision, and decline in cognitive function. The munchies are way worse than being high on pot. My biggest problem was I lost my memory and ability to think analytically. I seriously felt stupid. I had to stop taking it and now I gotta figure how to lose this fucking weight!

That's what I got - ability to think complex thoughts fucked, like it lowers IQ





If that's honestly your mindset, it's perfect for you. It's been shown to basically cause metabolic syndrome whilst people are on it, but fucking with insulin levels. So it makes people crave sugars and carbs, get fat, and then crave even more and get fatter in this neverending cycle. It basically causes temporary diabetes. If you want a drug that will slowly kill you, this is a good choice. You could start smoking too, start off the day with a chocolatey children's breakfast cereal, and eat puddings at every meal. You'll weigh about 300 lbs in no time. And you'll sleep like a baby. I found mixing it with diphenhydramine makes it so sedating that even a fire in your room wouldn't wake you up. If you don't have to go to work, you'll wake up at 10 am craving doughnuts.

I do agree that benzodiazepine dependence is worse, in my opinion.

I can also confirm that it's true that some drugs make it basically impossible to lose weight. amitriptyline is one of them. I take it and I honestly think that nobody can lose weight on it. at least not without suffering terribly and regaining all the weight back right after losing.

if you care about your metabolic health, your appearance or your body weight, this kind of drug may not be the best.

I'm interested in mirtazapine as I have the mindset of "I don't care about my weight, I can gain a million pounds and that is fine for me. I don't date anymore, don't flirt, don't go out with people, and I'd love to ruin my metabolic health so I can have a sudden heart attack and die".

I'm already gaining a lot of weight from my current medication anyway (amitriptyline), so switching to mirtazapine shouldn't be too diferent (both of them make people gain weight like crazy).

but I know this mindset of mine may not work forever, I noticed that I'm starting to gain fat in my neck area (like a "double chin"), which is very dangerous because it can make me develop sleep apnea.

View attachment 95752

sleep apnea makes people feel sleep deprived even after sleeping for 9+ hours, because the quality of sleep gets so poor.

if I develop sleep apnea because of a sleep drug, that would be the most ironic thing ever.

and If I continue to gain weight, I will.

however, I noticed that sleep deprivation also causes people to overeat and crave carbohydrates. if you have to choose between feeling hunger from sleep deprivation or feeling hunger from a drug, I'd choose the latter.

'cause sleep deprivation is absolutely terrible.

 

[Ethereal Knight]

That's what I got - ability to think complex thoughts fucked, like it lowers IQ

this is very common with drugs that have strong anti-cholinergic properties.

long-term use of the following drugs is associated with increased risk for dementia:

Spoiler: See list

• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Atropine
• Benztropine (Cogentin)
• Chlorpheniramine (Actifed, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Chlor-Trimeton, Codeprex, Efidac-24 Chlorpheniramine, etc.)
• Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Clozapine (Clozaril)
• Cyclobenzaprine (Amrix, Fexmid, Flexeril)
• Cyproheptadine (Periactin)
• Desipramine (Norpramin)
• Dexchlorpheniramine
• Dicyclomine (Bentyl)
• Diphenhydramine (Advil PM, Aleve PM, Bayer PM, Benadryl, Excedrin PM, Nytol, Simply Sleep, Sominex, Tylenol PM, Unisom, etc.)
• Doxepin (Adapin, Silenor, Sinequan)
• Fesoterodine (Toviaz)
• Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
• Hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Levbid, Levsin, Levsinex, NuLev)
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Meclizine (Antivert, Bonine)
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Orphenadrine (Norflex)
• Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol)
• Paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil)
• Perphenazine (Trilafon)
• Prochlorperazine (Compazine)
• Promethazine (Phenergan)
• Protriptyline (Vivactil)
• Pseudoephedrine HCl/Triprolidine HCl (Aprodine)
• Scopolamine (Transderm Scop)
• Thioridazine (Mellaril)
• Tolterodine (Detrol)
• Trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)

(source)​

 

[HopefulButPrepared]

this is very common with drugs that have strong anti-cholinergic properties.

long-term use of the following drugs is associated with increased risk for dementia:

Spoiler: See list

• Amitriptyline (Elavil)
• Atropine
• Benztropine (Cogentin)
• Chlorpheniramine (Actifed, Allergy & Congestion Relief, Chlor-Trimeton, Codeprex, Efidac-24 Chlorpheniramine, etc.)
• Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
• Clomipramine (Anafranil)
• Clozapine (Clozaril)
• Cyclobenzaprine (Amrix, Fexmid, Flexeril)
• Cyproheptadine (Periactin)
• Desipramine (Norpramin)
• Dexchlorpheniramine
• Dicyclomine (Bentyl)
• Diphenhydramine (Advil PM, Aleve PM, Bayer PM, Benadryl, Excedrin PM, Nytol, Simply Sleep, Sominex, Tylenol PM, Unisom, etc.)
• Doxepin (Adapin, Silenor, Sinequan)
• Fesoterodine (Toviaz)
• Hydroxyzine (Atarax, Vistaril)
• Hyoscyamine (Anaspaz, Levbid, Levsin, Levsinex, NuLev)
• Imipramine (Tofranil)
• Meclizine (Antivert, Bonine)
• Nortriptyline (Pamelor)
• Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• Orphenadrine (Norflex)
• Oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol)
• Paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil)
• Perphenazine (Trilafon)
• Prochlorperazine (Compazine)
• Promethazine (Phenergan)
• Protriptyline (Vivactil)
• Pseudoephedrine HCl/Triprolidine HCl (Aprodine)
• Scopolamine (Transderm Scop)
• Thioridazine (Mellaril)
• Tolterodine (Detrol)
• Trifluoperazine (Stelazine)
• Trimipramine (Surmontil)

(source)​

I've read that before as I had no idea what was happening to me, then I realised diphenhydramine and mirtazapine were on that list, and I was taking both, and I was on a low carb diet too to minimize weight gain - not a good idea! Total IQ meltdown, could barely take orders in a care home kitchen!

 

[Ethereal Knight]

If that's honestly your mindset, it's perfect for you. It's been shown to basically cause metabolic syndrome whilst people are on it, but fucking with insulin levels. So it makes people crave sugars and carbs, get fat, and then crave even more and get fatter in this neverending cycle. It basically causes temporary diabetes. If you want a drug that will slowly kill you, this is a good choice. You could start smoking too, start off the day with a chocolatey children's breakfast cereal, and eat puddings at every meal. You'll weigh about 300 lbs in no time. And you'll sleep like a baby. I found mixing it with diphenhydramine makes it so sedating that even a fire in your room wouldn't wake you up. If you don't have to go to work, you'll wake up at 10 am craving doughnuts.

thanks for the diphenhydramine tip.

sounds like a good plan, except for the fact that I have bad genetics for obesity, I know I'd gain fat on the neck ("double chin", exactly like Nikocado Avocado) which would cause sleep apnea, which would cause me to have poor sleep quality, which would cause me to feel terrible the next day. so my sleep medication would contribute to worsening my sleep, as ironic as it sounds. but it's true.

off-topic about diets inside the spoiler:

Spoiler

there are things about drugs that haven't even been studied!

I remember when I did the carnivore (zero carb) diet while taking amitriptyline, the drug stopped working and the side effects also disappeared.

then when I reintroduced carbohydrates, the drug started to work again, but the side effects also came back.

up until this day, I have no idea what was happening there.

maybe the gut microbiome changes induced by the diet were favoring microbes that are "amitriptyline-eaters" and they were eating my drug (yes, that's possible).

maybe the higher lipid concentrations on the blood (given that I was using fat as my main energy source 24/7, as I was eating zero carbohydrates) reduced the serum level of amitriptyline (sometimes doctors inject lipids in patients who had an amitriptyline overdose, to reduce the level of the drug).

maybe the diet up-regulated liver enzymes that also break down amitriptyline, so I was metabolizing the drug faster.

I don't know what it was. but whatever it was, was very a curious and peculiar experience.

Total IQ meltdown, could barely take orders in a care home kitchen!

I'm sorry! I understand that feeling. I've been on anti-cholinergics for almost half of my life now (I'm 28) and I was gonna continue using them for my chronic terminal insomnia… I'm lucky that I'm gonna die by suicide in the next couple of years, because otherwise I'd become an old guy with dementia when I reached my senior years, 30+ years from now. I could predict thay not only because of the anti-cholinergic use, but also because of chronic sleep deprivation, insulin resistance, high refined sugar consumption, untreated ADD, untreated depression, chronic social isolation, unemployment and lack of education – all of which are risk factors for dementia (I have them all!)

 

[Josef2000]

Just a lil update if anyone cares to read.
I had an incredibly amount of anger and rage while I was on Mirtazapine and worrying homicidal thoughts too.

I ended up going to A&E for my self harm and they agreed that it wasn't working for me. Now I'm back on Sertraline (been a few years) and Promethazine & Circadin for sleep. They had me on Zopiclone but on my last week of it unfortunately. Zopiclone helped so much but I know about the dependancy stuff.

Somewhat in a better place now.