Do these side effects of Mirt get better?
Posted , 4 users are following.
I've been prescribed Mirtazapine following a bout of severe insomnia that left me hallucinating and very mentally ill. I was suffering from extreme exhaustion and panic etc - uncontrollable shaking and crying.
It's been 4 days of taking 15mg Mirt now and my sleep has somewhat improved - I am now no longer relying on Zopiclone and instead just supplementing with 5mg of melatonin. I am also not shaking and panicking during the day, so there are definite improvements. However in contrast to what a lot of people seem to say, I do not feel like I'm getting a restful sleep on Mirt. It feels as though I am spending 95% of the night in a state of what I can only describe as wakeful dreams. It feels as though I'm not ever getting to a deep relaxation level and instead am spending the whole night having vivid wakeful dreams (i say wakeful because they somehow don't feel the same as normal dreams).
During the daytime I am so tired, all i can mostly do is lie on the sofa with my eyes closed (again, different to what others say, I'm not actually able to sleep during the daytime either). I'm still feeling very weepy all the time, caused I feel by this permanent tiredness and lack of energy.
Is this normal? I realise it has only been 4 days. Does the next day tiredness ease up? Has anyone else experienced not feeling like they have a restful sleep on Mirt, but instead just have a night full of wakeful dreams? Does that tend to improve?
Thanks for any sharing your experiences x
0 likes, 9 replies
sarah24378 gillian62018
Posted
i have felt all those things on mirt. it is less sedating at higher doses.
i am tapering from 45 to off....now at 7.5 and feel gastly.
it may well pass for you
gillian62018 sarah24378
Posted
Yes I've read about the most sedating at 7.5mg thing. Which must make it super hard to taper off of. I'm really hoping that this level of exhaustion does ease up, otherwise I won't be able to do anything. i also have quite a big sense of derealization... like of not being totally present or connected to the world and what I can see in front of me. again I'm just hoping this is initial side effects....
sarah24378 gillian62018
Posted
i got derealisation on and off all the time on it unforrunately
No_drug_Dan gillian62018
Posted
Hi Gillian,
I also was put on Mirt after horrible insomnia. It turned out to be a horrible drug for me which increased my anxiety no end (click on my name if you want to read my story, there may be some useful info on how I eventually beat the insomnia) I found the insomnia also lead to paranoid, insecure, jealous feelings I hadn't felt before which were scary because I wasnt sure if i was mentally unwell or it was due to this lack of sleep. It was the sleep - then made worse by Mirt. Never underestimate what lack of sleep can do to you, as Im sure you will know. My salvation was the sleep clinic at my Doctors. They had so much advice which I thought at first was b******s but was great in the end - blue blocking glasses, limiting caffeine, melatonin then magnesium tablets which I still take now. After 1 year off Mirt there is one positive, although I thought it would do me in at times, I think it has rewired my brain and I am calm and positive, can deal with anything and can sleep with no trouble . But I needed to get off the Mirt first. But you will know if you think it is helping. Doctors unfortunately think pills are the solution to everything and aren't interested in what causes our stress. Take care
gillian62018 No_drug_Dan
Posted
Thanks for your reply Dan, I can really relate. Sleep affects so much. As I've only been taking Mirt for 5 days I think i do need to give it a little time before I can assess if it's really helping or not. Without a doubt i am better than the psychotic, severely sleep deprived mess I was two weeks ago, so I have to take some positives from it. I've never been referred to a sleep clinic primarily because the vast majority of the time I don't have insomnia - it's something that comes in severe bouts every so often and is more anxiety/phobia based than a permanent sleep issue (I generally sleep fine outside of one of my episodes).
My plan is to continue taking the Mirt for at least another 2 weeks before assessing if I think it's helping or if the side effects are too much. Ultimately what I want / need is to be able to fall asleep naturally - that is the real key - but I think I've gone too far down the rabbit hole for that to happen for a little time yet.
Sending good vibes out to everyone who is struggling with these kind of issues at the moment, it is not easy 💜
wayne1962 gillian62018
Posted
Hi Gillian - it'll take 3-6 weeks for the full effects of a new med to set in. I have had a life-long problem with sleep and am on 45 mg mirt. The thing that really works now is a long recording - about 4 hours - of wind and rain on my phone. No matter how wound up I am, I just imagine myself in a tent or sheltering in an abandoned house or some place where no-one will bother me and I'm off quicker than you can say unbrela. Umbela. Umbrela. Umbrella. As quick as that! It's worth a try - and if you have hot summers, it's a great way to trick yourself into thinking it's cooler than it actually is. If you wake up wet, however, that's a different problem altogether.
gillian62018 wayne1962
Posted
Hi Wayne - i'd love to know where you got that recording from, could you let me know? I've been using some of the bedtime stories on the Calm App which I really like but they end too quickly after 25 mins and sometimes i feel that wakes me. The last two nights the 15mg Mirt stopped working and I ended up increasing to 30mg which my psych has said is ok to do. I have to say I feel less groggy the next day than before already but I'm still getting a really rubbish night of sleep - about 3 or 4 hours but it's all just dreams and waking up every 20 mins or so. So very fed up and weepy and just praying that when the meds start to kick in (I've also been put on 5mg Escitalopram) that things start to improve...
sarah24378 gillian62018
Posted
try the calm app it has rain and is free
wayne1962 gillian62018
Posted
Hi Gillian - I downloaded from itunes under "alternative music" then tailored the tracks end to end so they are continuous. Careful not to put gentle rain followed by a howling thunderstorm - it's quite a shock.