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Citalopram to Mirtazapine

Posted , 5 users are following.

suemarine
suemarine

Hi there

I'm in the process of going from Citalopram to Mirtazapine.

I was on Sertraline for many years and then it seemed to stop working (lose its effectiveness) last year when I got physically ill quite badly. My gp put me on Fluoxetine but after a month it gave me headaches so I asked to go on Citalopram as my sister is great on it. I began taking it (20mg)in January and by March I was feeling good and was back at work after 6 months sick leave but then at the end of March I asked to go higher as my Dad had had a stroke and I wanted something to help me through it, it helped a bit (30mg) but I got physically ill and my mood went lower too (back off work :-( ) so I went up to 40mg at beginning of May but that made mood worse :-(

I went down to 20mg last week and am starting 10mg with 15mg Mirtazapine this week then just Mirtazapine week after.

Is anyone on Mirtazapine? Has anyone found it helps them?

I really need to get better.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • sharon12462
    sharon12462 suemarine

    Posted

    Hi I would try venlafaxine before mirtazapine. I came off sirtraline & went to mirtazapine. Start at 15mg that was fine I felt good & slept so well.. soon went upto 30mg sleep stopped so was prescribed zopiclone also. Then soon after all the side effects started. Bad eye sight. Very sore hips, if I made a sudden move felt like my calf muscle ripped.. and amazingly fast weight gain. I actually thought the scales were wrong.. impossible I thought. Majority of people on here have had the same side effects I think iv only come across 2 that havnt .. the cravings for carbs after taking your pill is immense. . I hope this helps .

    • suemarine
      suemarine sharon12462

      Posted

      Thanks sharon12462

      I hope I find the right one for me.

      I'll have to see how I get on. I start the Mirtazapine tomorrow so will have to see how I am the day after.

  • oldboy
    oldboy suemarine

    Posted

    The fact that upping the dose of citalopram made you worse means that either you should take less or switch to another drug. 

    Almost everyone on this forum is or has been on mirtazapine. Unfortunately it tends to be only the people in trouble who post.  There must be millions of people who take it successfully. Hopefully you will become one of them. 

    The main problem is side effects.  If you get them, you have to decide whether the benefits outweigh the problems.  

    • suemarine
      suemarine oldboy

      Posted

      Thanks oldboy

      I hope I find the right one for me. I hope I'm successful.

      I'll have to see how I get on. I start the Mirtazapine tomorrow so will have to see how I am the day after.

  • mud93433
    mud93433 suemarine

    Posted

    I took 45mg of mirtazapine for years after being diagnosed with GAD and PTSD in the late 90s. Doctor tried Paxil first and it didn't agree with me at all. Mirtazapine got rid of my anxiety on the very first night, so I was ecstatic. It was a real lifesaver. But just recently I started getting aches and pains and brain fog so I decided to try to live without mirtazpaine, so I quit it almost 3 weeks ago and I'm feeling better every day.

    Mirtazapine is one of the better ADs out there, and it has no sexual side effects, unlike SSRIs. (Paxil was TERRIBLE for that.) 

    Unfortuately, this takes time. It takes weeks when transitioning from one med to another, so just because you're not feeling all that great since starting mirtazapine, that doesn't mean that it's the mirtazapine causing it—it could be because you're taking both at the same time. So I would suggest taking some more time and see how you feel when you're on just the mirtazapine.

    By the way, I slept great at 15, 30 and 45mg, but I was too tired all the time at anything less than 45mg, so that seemed to be the sweet spot for me.

    One last thing, I agree with oldboy's reply. People only seem to post here when they're having trouble and scare off others from trying a particular med, but just because it didn't work for them doesn't mean it's not a great med and that it won't work for YOU. So I'm here to tell you that I'm living proof that mirtazpaine is a wonder drug for anxiety for some of us, so don't expect the worst based on others' posts. Give it a chance.

    Good luck and keep us posted!

    • suemarine
      suemarine mud93433

      Posted

      Thanks mud93433

      I hope I find the right one for me and that's it successful. I hope it's a wonder drug for me as this depression is interfering with my life and work.

      I'll have to see how I get on. I start the Mirtazapine tomorrow so will have to see how I am the day after.

    • Calmer
      Calmer suemarine

      Posted

      Hi Sue

      It sounds like you were quite stabilised on 20mg Cit; I think upping the doses to enableyou to cope better with lifes stresses isn't the way AD's work exactly, unlike Benzo's.  I'm not meaning to sound unhelpful here, just that it seems to have been a waste of time for you.

      However, like you, I started on Citalopram before Mirt' ~ and I have been perfectly OK with the transition from one to the other, BUT, I would just like to try and help with the changeover advice if I may.  I tapered off CIT a little slower, taking 4-5 weeks to wean off whislt also taking Mirt'.  Rather than the 2 weeks that your doctor advised ~ this way you will prevent any discontinuation syndrome like anxiety, head zaps etc ... just to be safe rather than sorry.  

      My GP said it was alright to take the both together short term, I think I took both for 3 months.

      Wishing you well smile

       

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