Can you become "immune" to the sedating effect of mirtazapine?

Exactly yes, that isn't a solution it just adds to the problem long term. Melatonin is the hormone that controls your body's sleep cycle. It is converted from Serotonin late in the day when serotonin release is increased.

I am not sure if you are in The Uk or not but I believe here you can buy it in health food stores.

Stuarto are you a doctor? You seem very knowledgeable on this topic.

Yeah I'm in the UK, I might have a look into it, just been reading about melatonin, I find it all quite interesting.

Hi Jacqueline, a pharmacology student so not quite yet lol.

Melatonin does work for some but not for others of course.

It is worth a try and is relatively cheap, if your insomnia is chronic and debilitating I would discuss with your doctor options open to you. In my opinion he will feel that the Mirt is taking care of your primary reason for taking it, and should be open to letting you augment with a non habit forming sleep aid. Most of the tca's have a aesedating effect, the only slight risk your doctor may hesitate on would be the slight risk of developing serotonin syndrome (very very rare) and is usual from an SSRI not a tetracycline you are on or a trycyclic like myself.

I have been on Amitriptyline for a year now and I still get good results from 100mg at night. I started on 50mg. The Lyrica (Pregabalin) I find stops that racing mind and oh my God I can't sleep again, it steady's you for the Amitriptyline to come along and sweep you off to sleep lol.

Hope this helps anything else do not hesitate to ask.

Stu.

Thanku stu ... I think u may b rite in questioning mirtazapines ability to work on its on... whilst I was on mirt 30 many years ago my gp also introduced escitalopram as well and I totally recovered on this combination... I am presently on mirt 30 and this time hope it may b enough but may have to have the e escitalopram as well... so far so good ....

Only had a quick read about melatonin so I'm not an expert, it seems like it's not usually recommended to treat insomnia in people under the age of 55 and shouldn't be used long-term, so doesn't sound as though it will be suitable for me. I have slept better again the last few nights, think maybe I must have just had something on my mind on the few troublesome nights that I had.

Stu, is amitriptyline taken to treat insomnia?

I am not sure about that or why it would only be suitable after that age. Ask your Doc as always I wouldn't want to say I am sure when I am not.

Absolutely, or it was for sure. It treats all sorts of things off label e.g Diabetic Neuropathy and Migraine Prophylaxis.

Works as good as a general anaesthetic for me. It kills two birds with one stone.

Have you seem your Doc yet?

Yeah not sure why, I read it on the nhs website. No I haven't been back yet, got the appointment in a couple of weeks.

At a guess I would say neurotransmitter conversion rates as you age. Could be something completely unrelated though of course.

For my individual body chemistry I know my social anxiety as a teenager is somewhat hereditary, my Dad and Brother both suffer from low SERT levels. Since then I bowed to a lot of peer pressure and Alcohol and party drugs were the order of the day, affecting my dopamine and endorphin levels now I think. Having Colitis for many years and the anxiety of uncontrollable bowel movements was my saving grace in a way. If it wasn't for my Gastro Doc being a Godsend and recognising Amitriptyline may help all my problems at once (minus the opioid and receptor damage etc I would still be a wreck.

I am a personal trainer day to day and I have always felt some feel good factor from exercise leading me to believe my endorphin levels when up help me. I have taken Dlpa or L Tyrosine to help with this and it does work.

I hope you sort to sleep patterns out soon as that is the most important thing of all for relief with other symptoms.

Yeah i've been hoping to start doing more exercise when i start feeling less tired, and start going to the gym more often. I'm doing little was more often for now though. I just don't feel like going out some days though and could quite comfortably stay in my pj's all day.

Thanks, yeah it's true i definitely feel a whole lot better for getting some sleep.

Correction sorry that was meant to say "little walks more often"

Yeah just try a little more each time. Are you on anything besides the Mirt for Anxiety?

Boosting endorphin levels will help with motivation and help you out of that safety net of staying away from life for fear of a setback. I know it seems hopeless sometimes but you will get there don't worry.

Stu.

No nothing else just 30mg mirtazapine taken at night. Yeah that strikes a nerve with me a fair bit, i am avoiding the majority of my life at the moment. I sets me into tears to think about it.

Don't think you are on your own, we all have these problems to try and at least level out.

If you are on 30mg and have been for a while is it really doing what it should be. Maybe tailoring your treatment in your favour might be worth a try.

Thanks, i do feel like my friends and family don't really understand what it's like for me, i find it difficult to actually talk to anyone about how i feel sometimes. On occasions when i have said certain things I've had responses that they can't deal with it, so i tend to just keep myself to myself now.

I do think my mirtazapine is doing what it's supposed to, i don't feel better but i feel better than i was. I'm not really comfortable aboit taking a concoction of meds, i had reservations about taking any meds to start with.