15 year old daughter changing from Prozac to Mirtazapine

Hello Min I'm glad that you have found this site. I didn't change from one anti depressant to another although there are plenty on here that have. It sounds like you are having a really bad time with your daughter at the moment. Is the crisis team involved? It sounds like you both will need loads of support with the changeover of drugs. Has the psychiatrist discussed hospital admission? Your daughter will probably feel withdrawals from the prozac as well as side effects from the mirtazapine. A flick through the posts here will enable you to see how bad it might get. She might feel a lot worse before feeling any better. Hopefully she'll feel very drowsy and want to sleep most of the time. I was prescribed mirtazapine as an add on to my meds which are lithum, prothiaden and now mirtazapine. The first few weeks were the worst and the sleepiness very bad. However that was in September and I feel more 'stable' now. Mirtazapine has helped me turn around a particularily bad bout of suicidal depression. So hopefully you will get as much support as you are able and post here to let us know how you both are getting on

Hi, thanks for the reply. Our family are supporting us by giving her care while I work in the morning. Our CAMHs have tried to persuade us to take her to a unit, however, we had a terrible experience when we took her to one in September, she was so frightened by the other patients, it really has put us all off. I think the last 3 weeks has been the worst in the last year and was not really convinced by Prozac, she was on triple dose, I myself have been on 20mg for years and that works great. It is my daughter that wishes to change and perhaps it will be better in the long run, surely a child should have responded to 3 times the adult regular dose? She already has put on weight with the Rispiridone and will have to monitor her as she is always ravenous. I think it will be wait and see, everyone is different and some love it and some hae it.

Thanks again, Min

dear Min it sounds like you have had a very rough time. There are services up and down the country for adolescents with psychiatric problems. I hope that you have access to something positive and good for your daughter. My recent experiences have been in the private sector where there is good provision for young people. I dont know your circumstances or need to know. Unfortunately mirtazapine can make you put on weight. In the first few weeks you might find that your daughter puts on weight. However this will be the very least of her problems. I am only just beginning to address my weight gain after gaining about a stone and having major surgery last year. The benefits will out weigh the negatives I hope. Good luck Min its great to hear you souinding so positive.

Thanks Poo Bear, at I did not thank you in March. Daughter only been 2 weeks last Friday on Mirtazapine, put on 5lb in 1 week!!!! She is down yesterday and tonight, ow long hould she bne on the lower does of 15 before moving up to 30mg do you think? She reduced from 60mg - 2 wks, to 40mg 2 weeks, then 20mg, which her doc though she was good an not need to change. Then 2 week ago decided that she wanted to try.

I know we alll want a quick miracle, but as she did not respond to 60mg pf Prozac, i am kind of expecting her to need a higher dose.

What do you think?

Thanks

Hi Min I'm glad you've come back to us. I'm afraid that I have no experience of increasing mirtazapine as I remained on 15mg as well as other meds lithium and prothiaden. I'm currently reducing mirtazapine as it has worked well for me. Hopefully someone will pass by who has excperience of this. Pooh.

Hey, I was just reading through there and seen someone of a younger age changing medications, like me!

I just turned 16, so I'm pretty close age to your daughter! I'm changing from Mirtazapine to Prozac in a few weeks!

At the start with the Mirtazapine I was constantly tired and walking around like a zombie, but I got the much needed sleep I needed, although I still felt tired! When I was on 15mg I was rather sick, but don't know if I just had came down with something or whether to blame it all on the Mirtazapine, when I moved up to 30mg I hadn't really felt any side effects and the same when I went up to 45mg. This probably doesnt help much but when I seen that someone around my age was going to be going through a change of mediction like me I felt like I had to say something in reply even if it was no help at all! For me Mirtazapine hasn't worked, but while I have been on it I have had no majorly unplesant side effects which I am very greatful for! I hope this works for your daugther, and I hope she doesn't experience any bad side effects or anything!

Good luck,

Rachel x

Hi there.

When i was 15 i change from prozac to mirtazapine. Prozoc was pretty ineffective for me and mirtazapine worked better but it made me put on an awful lot of weight, as it gave me an insatiable appetite. At the time i was having issues with my body image and putting on a stone in matter weeks did not help so ended up changing to sertraline and that seemed to do the trick. I know its been a while since you first made your post but i hope your daughter is getting better now and mirtazapine worked for her.

Sometimes its hard to think that you'll get through the tough times. I did and i don't regret going through depression it was a valuable learning experience for me, sometimes i really do think things happen for a reason.

Rachel

Hi Min, Im 15 and have been through the exact same process of reducing prozac and changing to mirtazapine. I found that I needed inpaitent support especially when changing medication and ended up staying in hospital for nearly a year because of the level of support that i needed and still do need. It did help me get out of quite a dark place but its now being changed to something different.

I do hope that everything goes well and good luck.

Remember to stay strong through it all

I was on 60 MG's fluoxetine (prozac) for 8 months and changed to mirtazapine 15 MG's. I dropped to 40 MG's for 1 week  then 20 MG's for 1 week then told to stop fluoxetine but the next day start mirtazapine 15 MG's. I must admit whilst reducing the fluoxetine I did suffer with increased anxiety and was scared of self harm but I was in regular contact with my Gp who did prescribed diazepam 5 MG's 3x daily to help me manage the anxiety. I only needed to take about 7 tablets in total. I have been on mirtazapine for 8 weeks now and feeling a lot better mentally.  It was strange at first as i took the fluoxetine in the morning but having to take mirtszapine at night to help my sleep pattern.

Hopefully your daughter will manage the change of treatment without too much upset. She needs to stick with it, it wasn't easy for me but things are no longer as black as they were. She must listen and take the advice of the professionals. 

Good luck let me know how she goes on.