Posted , 70 users are following.
I have just had my medication increased from 15 mg to 30 mg. When I started taking the 15 mg it literally started working the next day. I am now into my sixth day of 30 mg and I am feeling worse. I would appreciate it if someone could give me their experience with this medication.
1 like, 115 replies
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joe1984 patricia85842
Posted
I have just began my journey with Mirt, having tried citolopram previously (about 4 years ago) with very little luck with it, or seemingly anyway, found changing my lifestyle and environment was the trigger to help.
But again with a downfall into a 'depression' and anxiety I needed help again, the feelings were way too intense and overwhelming, so docotr prescribed Mirt. 15mg for a week to see if I 'took' to it, the sleep assistance was noticable straight away, but waking up groggy and feeling like someone said previously like another paralel universe, but it got less and less, initially lasting until deep into the afternoon to now about 2hrs into the day. I am 1 week into the 30mg dose and although the vast majority of the days i am down and have an inner sadness that cannot shift I feel it is reducing them and posotive thoughts creep in, it feels it will be a slow process (im 3weeks in) but the fact that they are even there where as before was just negative think Mirt could be a potetial solution for me.
As far as other side effects hot flushes down legs when in bed (I take about 30mins before I want to sleep) but to me thats leting me know sleep is on the horizon, appitite has grown....quite alot in the morning especially, but as long as you train with it or at least run with some pressups and situps, should provide no weight gain plus you get the added bonus that you worked out, a little posotive vibe to add to the day.
Anyway just my thoughts on it so far and hope all that suffer and take medical assistance to deal with this all the best in the future and as they say there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, you just have to sometimes put alot of work in to find it.
pauline23944 joe1984
Posted
I'm in to week 5 of Mirtazapine 30mg but still have crying spells and anxiety.
I'm willing this drug to work as after seven years of anxiety and depression and a real reluctance to try medication(SSRI's don't work)I threw in the towel and decided to try Mirtazapine at a therapeutic dose.15mg did nothing for me only make me sleep.
i had to give up a job I had enjoyed because I was experiencing panic/anxiety attacks at work.Where I live there is very little access to mental health support although I have been referred for 8 week course of CBT (mindfulness based) after 7 year wait.
Its an isolating illness -I've yet to meet a medical professional who understands the overwhelming emotions I struggle with on a daily basis.
In my case there was no identifiable trigger which makes dealing with the illness so difficult and family and friends are at a loss to understand as well.
I don't give up hope of having my life back - I exercise every day-I find swimming helps.
i wish you well.
I wish you well on your journey.
pamela51740 patricia85842
Posted
patricia85842 pamela51740
Posted
I tried 30 mg of Mirtazapine but I felt awful. I am now on 15 mg at night and 225 mg of Venlafaxine. I still feel down when I get up but I am able to function well. It's just a low feeling. Then I feel great in the evening! Mirt and Ven are the combination that psychiatrists use. I have been on them for several years but they stop working after a while and they up the dose. At the moment I have decided to stay with the 15/225 as I can put up with the morning feeling and I do get the occasional good day.
I hope you get well on Mirt.
Pat
SunnyKay patricia85842
Posted
I am hypersensitive to any medication and was suicidal on Celexa and Zoloft. I have ptsd and suffer from severe panic attacks and sleeping probelms. I tend to be hypervigilant and anxious but not depressed. My doc and a psychiatrist decided on extremely low does mirtazipan.. 3.25 mg to start. I immediately slept better and after about a week no longer feel like I have lead for feet during the day. Don't feel anxious but then I can be like that anyways for a stretch. Will go up to 7.5 mg once I find I'm not sleeping well again . Taking baby steps and so far so good. I am not a medication enthusiast...want to do more research on CBD's....but for now I needed to do something. Feeling hopeful.
mark58517 patricia85842
Posted
Hello Patricia, I had suffered for many years with PTSD (I was abused as a child) and didn't even know it! I had been diagnosed as bi-polar with acute anxiety. I had taken the big Z's... Zoloft, Zyprexa and Zanex, but I still had what I call bad adrenaline attacks. These consisted of a rush that left me feeling apprehensive, sick and a little frightened. Any loud noise or situations involving any type of stress just beat me up. With advise from my doctor I finally went to a psychiatrist. Within minutes of hearing my story she prescribed Mirtazapine. I am taking 15 mg. at night before bed, but it has been wonderful for my days as well. I no longer have those rushes that I suffered so long with. The addition of Prazosin has changed my life! No more sleeping pills! I sleep dream free and can sleep through the night. No more nightmares! My overall attitude towards life has made a drastic turn for the better. If your dose is too high for you tell your doctor you felt fine on 15 mg. There's no hard fast rule about what is the correct dosage for different individuals. After all medicine is supposed to make you feel better.
toni71450 patricia85842
Posted
Hi Mark,
Mirtazapine worked awesome for me!! Only problems was, i gained 15 lbs. In a few months so my psychiatrist took me off of it. I'm on Cymbalta now. And trazodone at night to sleep. Nothing worked like the mirtazapine. But then I started gaining weight and getting depressed because of that. LOL anyways, good luck in your journey. This Sjogren's is hard to deal with! But try to stay positive, that's all we can do. Happy New Year!!
mark58517 patricia85842
Posted
I can tell you that I am taking 30mg tabs and I still can't sleep! I'm beginning to think this drug is useless!
jessica40611 patricia85842
Posted
Hi Patricia I was wondering how long you were on 15mg before going to 30mg? I have been prescribed it for severe anxiety and I'm six days in, my doctor pretty much told me to increase it myself within two weeks if I feel I need to but I'm unsure if 15mg has even had a chance to take an effect yet
Tammy83279 patricia85842
Posted
I appreciate that this thread is old however hoping someone can give me some insight.
I have been on Citalopram for the past 17 years and over the past 2 years there has been quite a lot of changes and challenges in life for me. I don’t cope with change well and extremely upsetting things happened in my job/career and family life.
Anyway from January 2018 onwards my mental health has went downhill drastically. After about 3 months in, the doc thought that the citalopram was no longer working for me so then started me on Mirtazapine the 2nd week in April. 15mg still with the citalopram. I then reduced the citalopram to 30mg.
I did get a good sleep and my mood improved a for a short period a tiny bit. 3 weeks after this I started on 30mg. They also gave me Quetiapine (anti psychotic drug) but it only lasts an hour every time and even then I’m still worrying. And I am that desperate that I have taken more than I should. I have got worse I think. My anxiety is through the roof. 12 days ago they put it up to 45mg and citalopram down to 20mg.
I have absolutely no lust for life at all, no interest in doing anything, no appetite, not enjoying work, in fact it has been very difficult to go, I don’t want to be awake as it is torture. I hate when it is bedtime as I dread the next day for the torture to happen all over again. I am absolutely terrified that I won’t get Better and that I’ll have to give up my business and work etc... which scares me to death. My work is my passion so feeling the way I do at the moment is not like me at all. I just want the old me back.
I appreciate that coming down off citalopram May not be helping things as lots of different things happening in the brain.
I am wondering if the Mirtazapine will work? I am so scared and desperate. I have been told to give it a month. It is the kids holidays where i usually get a lot of stuff done for my business but this anxiety is so debilitating, the physical symptoms are awful, shaking, weak, that heavy weight in the pit of your stomach etc...
Any help, advice or own experiences would be appreciated.
Thanks
X
su76460 Tammy83279
Posted
Hi Samantha,
Hugs... It does take a while for mirtz to kick in, but by week 3-4 you should feel the effect already. Try to talk to your doctor, and hopefully with his help, you'll be able to find what works for you. I was first prescribed with 15mg on week 1, 30mg on week 2, and it didn't get any better, infact I felt worse even after 21 days on mirtz... but I started to feel normal again by week 4... when I had just about to give up and try new meds...
I had a relapse while I was on mirtz 45mg 5 months ago, doctor prescribed quetiapine to take as needed, but it made me feel so spacey, foggy and slow..... I didn't experience any positive effect of the drug at all, and I had to stop taking them. I am still on mirtzapine 45mg today, didn't change my meds or increase my dose, because I realised that relying on meds is like putting a plaster on a wound, it's only meant to be temporary. There are a lot of things that I have to work on, because there's no quick fix for anxiety. I went for CBT and hypnotherapy treatments, they help a lot. It took me 4 months to finally get better, it's not easy, but I have learned A LOT from taking the slower route. Not only have I managed to conquer the fear on my own, but I have also come to understand anxiety a lot better. I had lapses in between, but they didn't have a chance to turn into a 2nd relapse, because I have already experienced all that, and knew exactly how to handle it.
I hope you are feeling better today. Don't give up, you can overcome this. There's always a light at the end of the tunnel.
justin75630 patricia85842
Posted
I had taken mirtazapine for 5 weeks with no change and then they increased it to 30 mg's and it started to help. then up to 45mg...
justin75630
Posted
30mg's helps, upped t 45 mg's and my doctor added another antidepressant...pretty much worked...i stopped taking the second antidepressant a year ago and i haven't had symptoms come back...
maggie1952 justin75630
Posted
Hello Justin75630, Could you tell me how long before the 45mg Mirtazapine kicked in?Thank you
pat84217 patricia85842
Posted
Hi guys,
I’ve been reading this thread for the past week to try to reassure myself but thought I would post & see if anyone can help me out...
I’ve been on Mirt for about 4/5 yrs - 15mgs which has kept sleep/anxiety at bay. Have recently had a bout of Labrynthitis which has scuppered all my coping strat (walking, socialising, working etc) This has led to a pretty massive relapse in anxiety to the point where I’m feeling terror if I have to leave the house! And even when I’m in the house! My Dr recommended increasing the Mirt to 30mgs but I was so frightened about the increase that I opted to increase to 22.5mgs - am feeling pretty bad right now - 10 days ago... I’ve been referred to Acute Mental Health Team and a prescribing nurse is visiting me this afternoon to review meds... what a mess 😢 I’m normally a very positive, happy, active & sociable person and I feel like I’ve lost myself. I feel absolutely nothing inside - no emotion (other than anxiety & lowness) anyone got any positives for me to hold on to at the moment? Thanks
su76460 pat84217
Posted
Hi Pat,
Hugs... hope you are feeling better right now... I have a few lapses now and then since my last major relapse in January. I was put into a respite home for observation.. but thankfully, the lapses after the major relapse didn't turn into a relapse, and usually got better in a few days. These are what I've been doing, I hope you find it useful:
1. When the negative talks begins, start writing down positive ones in a diary
2. Meditation and CBT
3. Lorazepam (not the best solution, and only works for short term)
I'm not sure if you are into meditation and yoga... but often when my anxiety level is too high, insomnia happens. I've downloaded a free app from google play it's called 'relax melodies', it has lots of short meditation for stress release and sleep, my psychiatrist said I should meditate daily because CBT and meditation are skills we acquire through practice. If I could avoid taking lorazepam I normally wouldn't take it unless it's really bad. Unfortunately unlike depression, there isn't any medication out there for anxiety at the moment, the only effective medication for anxiety is tranquilizer but it's not for long-term. Antidepressants can only provide relieve but can't fix it (that's why it is called antideppressant). Stay strong. You have overcome it before, you can do it again!
pat84217 su76460
Posted
Thank you for taking the time to reply to me... I’m having (a bit) of a better day today - when I say ‘better’, I’ve been for a short walk round the block! Just waiting on the mental health prescribing nurse to arrive....feeling very nervous about this! 😬
su76460 pat84217
Posted
We are in the same boat fighting the same battle.. encouragement is what we need to keep us going.. What did the nurse say? I'm on mirtazapine 45mg maximum dosage at the moment, and because it was quite bad at a stage, my psychiatrist wanted to add an additional antidepressant, but now I'm managing with just 45mg mirtazapine. As long as we are able to function, it doesn't really matter what doses we are on. I have lost my job twice within a year to anxiety and can't even work at the moment despite taking 45mg mirtazapine, 22.5mg or even 30mg is considered the 'normal' dose, don't worry too much!