I feel like a scared yo yo

Unfortunately mirt did this too me aswell after initial working for 2 weeks at 15mg I soon upped to 30mg and just got worse and worse then tried 45mg one pill and went manic so I'm coming off them. Mirts a good ad but has a tendency to work very fast the poop out quickly. Others ad can be added to it but a normal gp won't do that only psychiatrist and there's the risk of serious reaction called serontin syndrome which I'm prone to but it's rare and worth trying and if you do react which would be within hours of first pill you would simply just not take another and expect a day or two of hell depending on drugs half life. All I can say is it doesn't sound like Mirts for you like me and in fact it made me so much worse. It's a good sleep aid but for us unlucky ones pretty crap long term ad x

I've been on 30mg mirtazapine with 225mg venlafaxine for over 6 years and it's been successful for me, treating anxiety and depression. Everyone is different, but this combination works for me. My only problem comes when I try to reduce them, but iI'm not too worried about that. They are keeping me well, and that's what matters.

I am on sertraline with a low dose of mirtazapine to counter the insomnia probably caused by the sertraline.  The combination of an SSRI or SSNRI with mirt seems very successful - as Pixie and I have found.   However it may be difficult to get a doctor to prescribe it as Lauren says.

I suggest that you Google "mirtazapine" and look for comments from patients  (such as on this website).  You will find far more information that way (such as from me).

       

   

Hi Rich

Sorry for your long term suffering.  I've read many times about people going up the scales on Mirt' from 15, to 30 then 45 having problems .... some it just makes their symptoms worse.  Like Oldboy, I think getting yourself settled on another compatible AD whiolst taking Mirt' - and then, and ony then (when settled) very slowly wd from Mirt and stay at 15 mg for sleep aid, very very good for sleep on the lower dose (wd should take a few months, 10% lower every 3 weeks or so.  

Hope this helps, maybe, just maybe, a discussion with your Dad could be a very big relief.

Wishing you well Rich.

Hi Thanks for all your replies. Last few days have been feeling better so going to try on mirt for a bit longer and see how things go. Taking the propranolol a bit more consistent as well instead of just here and there.

Nice to see you still on here calmer and pixie ☺ hope you both doing well?

Take care all and speak soon Rich

Hi rich98378

I went off of Effexor last year and didn't realize that the horrid "relapse" that occurred afterwards was actually withdrawal.  My p-doc put me on Mirt, 7.5 mg to start, because I couldn't sleep or eat.  Like you, I was happy to be able to seep again, but quickly the low does wasn't holding me.  He told me it was safe, gentle and that I oould play with it, increasing as needed.  Before I knew it, within one month, I was up to 37.5 mg and totally apathetic, no motivation, depressed, agoraphobic, couldn't get off the couch.  Finally, he reinstated the Effexor at the low dose of 37.5 mg and within one hour of taking it, I felt 1000% better.  He called the combo California Rocket Fuel.

Soon thereafter, I learned about AD withdrawal, and the fact that i responed to my old drug within the hour confirmed to me that all the anxiety, depression, confusion, lack of concentration, poor memory and insomnia (not to mention a slew of physical symptoms) were due to withdrawal from Effexor.  Now I am faced with tapering the mirt because it quit working and caused me to gain weight.  

I look back on 20 years of AD use and see that I was chemically lobotomized.  I want off of all of it.  I am doing a slow taper of the mirt, 10% per month, and then I will work on the Effexor again.

Mirt is known to be difficult to get off of, so if you ever decide you don't want to take it anymore, DO NOT GO COLD TURKEY OFF OF IT!  You will suffer greatly and fail.  Many have tried and failed.  You must take it slow.  

No pill will fix you or any of us.  These drugs end up not working, but the docs put you all the way up to the highest dose before deciding it isn't working, and then you are stuck because it is not advised to go off of these drugs too quickly!  The docs will have you beiieve otherwise, and put you on a too fast taper schedule, and when all goes south, they will say you have relapsed and need to be on drugs!  Please be careful!  

Would you say that you are worse off now than you were before the mirt?

I wish I had found proper therapy all those years ago before I took that first pill that I thought would fix it all.  The therapy I had was talk therapy and it did nothing to change the distorted thoughts and feelings I had, the low self esteem and black and white thinking that caused my depression.  Therapy that helps us identify distorted thinking and learn to have compassion and love for ourselves will take you much further than any drug.  I have been on several different ones over the last 20 years and know!  

I wish you peace in your journey!