Bad dreams while using mirtazapine

Hi, ive been on Mirtazapine for about 3 weeks and i am having the most strange dreams every night, The dreams are not nightmares but very real situations with various people i know involved...i take half a 15mg tablet each night as prescribed by my GP...i sleep each night no problem but feel tired the next day, as my dreams seem so real....i have also noticed if any sudden interuption i tend to feel a shock go through my body which i have never felt before taken Mirtazapine. has anyone else ?

Hi Gomers. Yes, these weird dreams were definitely part of it for me at the beginning - plus the abrupt waking up. My dreams tended to be with people I knew too, but not in real situations - there were lots of dreams about my home (but it didn't look anything like my actual home, if you know what I mean) being invaded by various family & friends... all to do with my 'safe space' being no longer mine. I found I would get these dreams less & less as time went on - but the first few weeks they were definitely very bizarre. However the main reason I was prescribed Mirtaz in the 1st place was sleep deprivation, & I was so relieved to get to sleep at all. I've changed to Citalopram now & find that the 'heavy feeling' you describe has gone - but all you can do is sttick with it for another wee while & see how it goes. Good luck!

Im 22 and ive been taking mirtazapine for nearly three years now. Ive suffered from a few illness for the past 5years+ (the main three being depression, anxiety and insomnia) and ive found mirtazapine has helped me out alot. It knocked me out cold everynight for the first 6months then I had to up my dosage. Ive gone from taking 15mg to 30mg and now I take 45mg, I don't feel the need to go any higher than that but some nights I take 90mg. The dreams were crazy when I first started but they do subside (in fact after a while I stopped dreaming alltogether) It took about three weeks before I felt the affects of mirtazapine take an effect witch was around the same time that the bad dreams stopped. Ive since lost my job and can't afford them so ive been off them for a little over a week now and to be honest the dreams are worse since I stopped taking it, I havent had any overally bad withdrawals yet but im alot more moody and little things become a big deal. Its only after you stop taking it that you really realise the benifits of mirtazapine. I should be on something alot stronger but at the same time Ive found mirtazapine is non-addictive and easy to use (by that I mean its easy to go sleep and wake up, whereas other meds have left me very drousy and confused the next day).

Hi I have taken Mitrazapine for a week now and the dreams are pretty scary from going to sleep until waking up and I can remember all of the dreams. Another bad side effect for me is a terribly dry mouth do you find this?

Hi Sally. I switched from Mirtazapine to Citalopram a while back, & find it works better for me, although I do have to have sleeping pills as an occasional backup. I'd suggest sticking with Mirtazapine for a while, to see if your side-effects settle down. Every new anti-D takes a while to adjust to. Good luck with it.

Hi

I've been taking Mirtazapine for about 15 months and feel that I have not progressed with my anxiety as I did on Citalopram. I'm going to ask doc. if I can change. Can you let me know how you changed meds and

if you had any problems doing this.

Thanks

Hi

I had the same problem, it just didn't seem to offer any benefits for my anxiety so I discussed it with my GP who then changed me on to Duloxetine which has helped a lot more and the only side effects from that was nausea in the first couple of weeks.

Good luck

Thanks for your reply. I'm a bit worried about coming off Mit. did you just stop taking it or was it a combo of

both for a while. How long before you felt the benefit of the new meds?

Hiya

You can't take both meds at the same time, I seem to remember that I had to have a few days break in between stopping one and starting the other.

I understand it is a worry changing your meds but if the one you are taking isn't providing you with the benefits you need then you really should discuss the possibility of change with your GP, I think I had to try a few before I found the one that agreed with me.

It was approx a month before I felt the benefits of the change but it was worth it eventually.

Good luck

Hi I have been taking mitazapine for over 3 yrs and has gained 3 st in weight ..they have worked for my depression but I still wake up at least 4 times in the night and find I get to sleep when it's time to get up ..also get bad dreams on them and wake up scared ..I'm going back to my go tomorrow as I think I need to swap to anothere tablet maybe zopiclone and fluoxetine ..?.. I take 45 mg mitazapine ..anyone else feel like this ?

Hi Debbie. I was on Mirtazapine for about 3 years, and, like you, I piled on weight. Mirtazapine helped with my sleep problems - although I often had horrible dreams, it was at least a relief to get any sleep at all. But Mirtazapine didn't help much with my overall depression. I then changed to Citalopram, which worked beautifully at first, other than initial side-effects of migraines for the first 3 months, but over the past year or so it has been less and less effective, and I've had to take Zopiclone sometimes to help with sleep. So now I am to start on Venlafaxine, but am on a gap for a week before I start, so the two don't interract.

My feeling is that depression doesn't always stay the same, so that something that's worked in the past won't necessarily continue working indefinitely. I'd definitely suggest going back to your GP if you feel things are not working. It may take a while to find what is right for you, and it can be a scary prospect taking something different when you don't know what effect it will have. I'm not looking forward to trying yet another new anti-D, but it has to be done, because I need, and intend, to feel much better than I do just now.

I hope it all goes well for you Debbie. Best of luck.

I'm having strange dreams as well, and I've been taking this drug for about a week. But I'm finding my

dreams to be interesting, uplifting, inspiring and sometimes disturbing (occasional nightmare, but nothing to scary). I have always been a very vivid dreamer, even before taking this drug. I had a dream 2 days ago

that I could heal people. I was actually walking around pulling peoples diseases out of there body, just like

the guy in the movie "Green Mile" . As the dream progressed, I able to change the world around me.

Very Cool!!!!

I actually look forward to going to sleep, so I can find out what's next. I'm sure there are those of you who

love to dream, and can remember there dreams for days and even months like I can. In some cases, I can actually control my dreams, experiment and manipulate consciously. I've been having a lot a dreams about telekinesis and controlling the world around me being on this drug. I love it!! It is also helping me to fall

asleep, with my anxiety and bad moods. I just wish it had more of a euphoria feel to it during the day.

ive been on mirtazapine for over 3 weeks (after being taken of diazapan after 20 years) I'm sleeping ok but feel resless during the day I think I'll go back to the docs I'm going on my holidays on monday as well 

HELLO NODDYI HAVE BEEN ON NITRAZAPINE FOR NEARLEY A YEAR AND I HAVE NIGHTMARESTHEY ARE SO BAD THAT IS WHY I HAVE SEARCHED THE INTERNET  TO SEE IF THIS IS NORMALI HAVE AN APPOINTMENT AT THE HOSPITAL FOR MY YEARLEY CHECK UP AND I WILL TRY TO GET OFF THESE MAD PILLSALL THE BEST    ALAN LAMB