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Exhaustion and muscle pain on Mirtazapine

Posted , 17 users are following.

catherine_31189
catherine_31189

Hi, I've already posted about how I'm struggling to sleep on 30mg Mirtazapine but now I've started with extreme muscle pain!!! I ache from head to toe and am totally exhausted, this is my worst nightmare as I have an extremely busy job,I'm so tired I'm crawling into bed by 7pm at night just so I can rest,I have read up on the side effects of this drug and muscle and join pain is quite common but I'm wondering if it's going to pass or not,I've only been taking them for 2 weeks.

2 likes, 17 replies

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  • lorraine24104
    lorraine24104 catherine_31189

    Posted

    Aches and pains will be with you for the duration. If they don't help with sleep, which is why most people opt for this particular AD, I'd be looking to change these as soon as possible if I were you.

    BTW. I've been on them for 2 yrs and am slowly tapering off. They are, in my opinion, very good at easing depression but the side effects are something else. Most people gain horrendous amounts of weight too, so do be wary of that.

    • catherine_31189
      catherine_31189 lorraine24104

      Posted

      Yes I've already gained weight,i can't cope with this aching all over I just want to lie down all the time so I shall be ringing my doctor tomorrow.

  • taz91323
    taz91323 catherine_31189

    Edited

    hi catherine my suggestion is to GET OFF MIRTAZAPINE its side effects and withdrawls completely out way the benifits I was on 15 mg for about 2 months. It was 2 months of pure hell and the withdrawls were narly getting off of it.it may work for others but I call this the devils drug. BE CAREFUL
    • elainec33
      elainec33 taz91323

      Edited

      They are vile, I started with 30mg in December and have gradually tapered them off to 3.75mg for the last 3 weeks and intend to get rid altogether.  I am disappointed not to have lost the weight I put on despite cutting them right back for the last three months.  They were actually making me feel depressed.  I ache so much now that I can hardly move when I get out of bed in the morning but I didnt know if it was large doses of Vitamin D with suspected primary hyperparathryoidism, or hyperparathryoidism which causes bone pain or my advanced osteoporosis.  I just know I wasnt like this back in January.  I am now going to see a chiropractor twice a week.
  • pixie22
    pixie22 catherine_31189

    Edited

    Just wanted to balance out what others have written. I've been on mirtazapine for more than 6 years and been happy on it, it's treated my depression and given me back my life. And I haven't gained any weight. But it really is up to you to decide if it is for you. I would say 2 weeks is quite a short time to judge it on, antidepressants usually take 4-6 weeks for the side effects to settle down and for it's maximum benefits to become apparent .

    • catherine_31189
      catherine_31189 pixie22

      Posted

      I'm not sure what to do,I have to admit I'm drug sensitive and felt like this for 3 weeks when I 1st started citalopram so it may just be the drug getting into my system,my appetite has increased and I feel quite ill if I don't eat but there's ways round the weight gain which is eating more often but eating all healthy snacks,i work In a vets and we use this drug to help cats to eat/basically stimulate their appetite so I was prepared for the hunger, I also have a vitamin D deficiency and haven't had any sun for 12 months so I will start taking vit D tabs today aswell,can cope with everything when I'm at home but it's now 6.30am I've been up Half an hour and I feel like I've been hit by a truck!!!! Just feels like I have the flu and I have a very busy day at work so will just have to try and see in any painkillers/anti-inflammatories help,thanks for your replies they've really helped.

    • chris39732
      chris39732 pixie22

      Posted

      Pixie also has a point. What works for one person may totallt not work for the other. So its hard to critique these drugs. I am only 3 weeks in, and taking 15mg. Tired and zombie like and im really hoping this will pass. Like most of written, can be 4-6 weeks even. Heh kind of ironic, its supposed to help for depression, but feeling like this is whats making me depressed. So do feel like i'd feel better without this stuff.

  • plainden
    plainden catherine_31189

    Posted

    Hi,I congratulate you for getting to work-i dont at moment,but I have same

    Sytmptoms each morning with aches all over.Severe flu like aches with a really bad

    Lower back.These do tend to wear off late afternoon.I have just had a 3 wk period

    Where I was fit,the aches had gone just a really tired feeling on waking which lasted

    for an hour.This symtom free period ended about 6 days ago and all aches etc

    have returned with a bang,together whith nausea all day.Who knows how long this

    Rough period will last-i hope not long.I hav been on 15mg mirt 19 months and have been

    slowly tapering.I am down to 11.5mg.I do not handle AD very well so will now do a long

    taper eg 18 months.After my symptom free period I am feeling totally deflated

    and feel like I will feel crappy like today for ever(it will pass I know but it does knock

    Ones confidence after things were going so well).sorry for long post.

  • chris39732
    chris39732 catherine_31189

    Posted

    Hello. Sorry to hear about this. I am on about my 3rd week of 15mg. I take about 7.5mg about an hour before sleep to get the sleeping pill effects, and then just before dozing off i pop the other half. Have been extremely tired during the day, so much so that i dont feel like doing much of anyting. Lucky for me i work for myself, so dont have to go to work. But yeah a very weak feeling today. Feel like this drug is very tough on my whole system. Muscles feel very weak, like lead the first week. But yeah wondering how many weeks this takes to at least get this zombie feeling. Right now i feel as if i would be better without this completely. 
  • chris39732
    chris39732 catherine_31189

    Posted

    Catherine. Do you take the whole 30mg at once before going to bed? Why not take only 7,5mg first and give a few hours to kick in. That will work for sleep. Then pop the rest before you cant keep your eyes open. Best not to forget though =)

  • darren75
    darren75 catherine_31189

    Edited

    Hi I'm looking for some advice on this subject too please. I have been on 15mg of mirtazapine for about 6 weeks. I have recently been to the doctors regarding stool issues and an ache in my back passage. But since Christmas I have had such bad lower back pain. It's Worse in the morning, or if I sit in one position too long. I did a stupid thing and Googled my symptoms, and of course it came back bowel cancer. So now I am worrying out of my mind. I read on the list of side effects for mirtazapine that back pain is common, however I can't find many reports of this.

    I guess what I'm asking is, can mirtazapine cause this sort of pain in my lower back, or am I right in worrying about the possibility of colon cancer? I know you cant give me a definitive answer because I suffer with severe health anxiety hence being put on mirtazapine in the first place, which I guess is sadly ironic...

    Thanks in advance, Darren

  • norma66039
    norma66039 catherine_31189

    Edited

    I too have struggled with mirtazapine 15mg

    feeling drained and very achy in my arms and back . ive put 1/2stone on in just a month

    my mouth was like sand paper and very bad nightmares. So i decided last week to wean myself of them. Im still not feeling good but i will keep going xi also take 200mg of sertraline each day I was given mirtazapine as an extra help as i was still very depressed after losing my treasured husband .

  • nicola43630
    nicola43630 catherine_31189

    Edited

    hi ive being put on this now for 2months im experiencing the same thing really sore aches all over and serious headaches

  • Babydoll33
    Babydoll33 catherine_31189

    Posted

    I have been on mirtazapine (30 mg) for 4 or 5 years for a stomach condition. I have suffered extreme muscle pains throughout my entire body and debilitating fatigue over the entire course of this time and this year I decided it was time to make a change. The doctor was about to diagnose me with chronic fatigue syndrome, or potentially fibromyalgia. I did some research and suspected the medication may be causing these symptoms. I noticed if I missed a dose accidentally, my energy returned and the pains went away but it's unwise to immediately stop the medication (need to be gradually weened off the meds to prevent strong withdrawal symptoms). I am trialling a lower dosage with the hope to completely stop the medication altogether, already my energy and mood seem better but the pains are still there. I don't know how I suffered so long, doctors often suspect vitamin d when it comes to muscle pain but they don't tend to pay enough attention to medications as a potential cause.

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