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In defence of mirtazapine

Posted , 28 users are following.

oldboy
oldboy

I keep reading on this forum how mirtazapine is an evil drug; how people want to get off it as soon as possible etc.  Very few posts saying it helps them.

I appear for the defence , M'Lud. 

I was on SSRI antidepressants for some time.  They countered my extreme anxiety well, but I had bad insomnia probably caused by the  AD.  I tried various drugs for the insomnia (zopiclone,  amitriptyline etc) but with little success.   My doctor suggested mirtazapine but I declined as I had read about its weight gain side effect.  However eventually I changed my mind out of desparation.  The mirt was miraculous: it completely solved the insomnia.   I felt "normal" for the first time in months. 

"But what about the side effects" I hear you say.  Well, I did get back my appetite - but no more than it was before I became ill.   I gained a little weight, but no more than I had lost.

I did have difficulty getting up in the morning and feeling groggy after that, but those lessened with time. I take the minimum mirt that allows me to get to sleep - about 11mg,  and I think that keeps the side effects down.

Mirtazapine is like a knife in that it is not evil in itself, it is how it is used that matters.   The people who say it is evil have perhaps been on the wrong dose.  Mirt tends to be more sedative at low doses; more activating at high doses.   Do not throw out the baby with the bath water!

I get the impression from reading posts on this forum that mirt is best used (at low dose) to counter insomnia or where an SSRI antidepressant has not been tolerated.      

             

     

6 likes, 79 replies

79 Replies

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  • louise37661
    louise37661 oldboy

    Posted

    Hi as with all medications some work for others some don't I am on mirtazipine and have tried all doses sadly for me it doesn't work but I have read many posts where it's been great for them I shall shortly be trying an snri .Glad your doing well 😁
  • norma72045
    norma72045 oldboy

    Edited

    Very few posts saying it helped them,and there you have it.

    have you ever tried withdrawing from this drug it's hell?

    I also believe an AD drug should be used for exactly that,not for sleep.

    If it works for you then fine,but I can tell you from personal experience the WD is horrendous for a great deal of people.

    Ive taken quite a lot of medications in my life time and never had one this hard to WD from.    So I say each to his own if it suits you why are you on this forum?

    • oldboy
      oldboy norma72045

      Edited

      I think you misunderstand what this forum is for.  It is a discussion about mirtazapine, not just for those whole dislike it. 

      Your sole reason for disliking it is that it is hard to withdraw from.  That is a very one-sided argument.   It ignores the huge number of people who have benefitted from it.  Perhaps you did? 

      It is interesting that that you believe an AD should not be used for sleep.  I say if it helps sleep and you need that help use it!   Many drugs are used for more than one purpose.  The name should not limit that.  

    • norma72045
      norma72045 oldboy

      Posted

      Exactly it is a Discussion about Mirtazapine,but if the drug suits you why would you want a discussion on it. You don't have discussions on any other med,you do on illnesses but not on drugs.

      And as you say a lot of people are saying it's an evil drug,that tells its own story,and that's there discussion on it.

      Like I say if I was happy about something I wouldn't be on a forum talking about it.

      Thats like being on the IBS forum when you haven't got IBS. Uh

    • oldboy
      oldboy norma72045

      Edited

      The reason I started this thread was because many people read this forum to get information about how other people have fared on mirt.  If all they find only negative posts they get a biassed view.  

      On this forum there are many discussions about particular meds. 

       It is not like the IBS case you state.  I had severe anxiety with insomnia - and have taken mirtazapine for it.   

  • bexnkev
    bexnkev oldboy

    Edited

    I had 4 other antidepressants prior to mirtazipine and they just didn't work at all ... I would go as far as saying that this drug saved me ... I understand that it may not work for some but I also wish to defend it ☺ I am not on a low dose and to be fair the side effects have diminished over time ... Here's one person who will not be changing it in the near future ☺
    • bexnkev
      bexnkev oldboy

      Edited

      You are welcome...I went to hell and back prior to taking this drug ... I also take amitriptyline (for nerve pain) ... That is also classed as an antidepressant but is used for other purposes ... As far as I can see, if the drug works for you, then great but if doesn't then that's fine too ... I can only go by my own experience ☺
    • bexnkev
      bexnkev oldboy

      Edited

      I also agree that all the negative post could deter others from trying it ... We need some balance ... If it didn't work for anyone, they would have stopped prescribing it!
    • andrew61473
      andrew61473 bexnkev

      Posted

      Hi Bexnkev can i ask if dont mind how long it took for your side effects to go away ? i have been on mitraz 15mg for PTSD and night anxiety almost 2 weeks now still haven bad - drowseyness , dizzy , blurred vision Jw if had any them and if so how long they lasted ... thanks

  • sllymyr
    sllymyr oldboy

    Edited

    This is one of those drugs that is difficult in so many ways. You replied to my post about mirtazapine..

    You're right it has so many benefits.. It's like being stuck between wanting one side of it but not the other..

    I was wondering if you have had any success with handling the weight side of.. I suppose I'm looking for someone who believes it is possible to stay on this drug AND fight against side effects.

    I now know I probably won't be able to get off this because of the mood life and decent night sleep, do you believe it's possible to handle this drug well with self control and lifestyle change ?

    I'm sorry if I don't make sense. Youre one of the only people who has something positive to say, so I'm kind of pinning my hopes on you're thoughts on living with side effects !

    • sllymyr
      sllymyr

      Posted

      mood lift* sorry.
    • oldboy
      oldboy sllymyr

      Posted

      Hi Sllymyr, 

      I would not be advocating mirt if I did not believe in it.   I am taking it AND fighting its side effects (as in my original post), and winning!

      Yes   Well, I did get back my appetite - but no more than it was before I became ill.   I gained a little weight, but no more than I had lost.

  • magview
    magview oldboy

    Posted

    I support this post having been on a high dose of mirt for around 2 years now. Tried other meds to no avail. I had severe depression, anxiety and lots of sleep deprivation and hit rock bottom. I was put on mirt with venaflaxine and it changed me completely. I know I haven't gone through any withdrawal with mirt but I had an awful problem with an SSRI many years ago (seroxat). I have halved the venaflaxine but advised by GP not to come of the mirt with the winter season coming on. I now sleep soundly and actually lost weight! I had put on a lot of weight in my mental health conditions but on the new meds found the courage and power to loose weight and begin overcoming my problems. It has given me hope and confidence. I will lower the dose in the spring but cant see myself coming off the mirt fully as it has been so beneficial to me smile
    • bexnkev
      bexnkev magview

      Posted

      Your experience is much like mine Magview ... I had a horrific withdrawal from duloxetine and then went on mirtazipine ... I didn't expect it to work for one minute but it did ☺ I will face withdrawal if I have to ... I guess everyone is different and I am glad you are doing better ☺
    • oldboy
      oldboy magview

      Posted

      What a lovely story!

      You support the idea behind "California rocket fuel"!

      I am so glad for you.

    • magview
      magview oldboy

      Posted

      Thank you but I don't understand the 'California rocket fuel' bit! lol
    • oldboy
      oldboy magview

      Posted

      I think it is a term used in the trade for the combination of drugs you are on (mirt plus SNRI).  Googling it may come up with something.

         

    • magview
      magview oldboy

      Posted

      lol .... I was in hospital when I hit rocket bottom and the consultant psychiatrist tweaked my meds and I ended up on that combination!
    • louise37661
      louise37661 bexnkev

      Posted

      Hi I have just been prescribed duloxetine what was your experience on it if you don't mind me asking ? 💐
    • bexnkev
      bexnkev louise37661

      Posted

      Hi Louise,

      For me personally, it didn't help me at all ... I just went downhill ... But let me emphasise that everyone is different ☺ I had to go cold turkey when I came off it because my doc didn't want me to take both (mirtazapine and duloxetine) at the same time, so I couldn't taper down ... It was horrible but my circumstance was unique to me ☺ I wish you all the best on them ☺ (I was on the highest possible does they could give me when I went cold turkey and had been on them around 3-4 months).

    • bexnkev
      bexnkev

      Posted

      I should also add that I didn't have much in the way of side effects when I first started taking them ☺
    • Calmer
      Calmer magview

      Posted

      Hi Magview & Oldboy,

      Mirt' saved me too from a desperate black hole of insomnia after trying another AD and sleeping tablets, so cheers to Mirt (!)

      Only thing I'd like to throw in the pot Magview, if you plan a slow taper it will probably take 20 weeks or more depending on the dosage you are on, so starting in Spring may take you into the dark nights towards the end, just a thought.

      Wishing you both well smile

    • louise37661
      louise37661 bexnkev

      Posted

      Thank you for your reply hopefully this will work I'm coming off mirtazipine for me it's not worked at all I'm running out of antidepressants to try lol well I have to try thanks again 😁
    • norma72045
      norma72045 Calmer

      Posted

      Hi calmer,I hope you don't take offence at this,but how can you be cheering Mirt, here, and be on a WD forum where people are suffering with WD?
    • bexnkev
      bexnkev louise37661

      Posted

      I wish you all the luck in the world ... let me know how it goes for you (I was much like you and was running low on hope!)
    • magview
      magview Calmer

      Posted

      Hi Calmer, I don't plan to taper off completely just to a lower dose. Think I might need mirt for a while wink Thanks for the support and wishing you well smile

    • London_ridge
      London_ridge norma72045

      Posted

      You can check out any time you like but you can never leave

      Yes we're living it up at the hotel California

      Lol yes Norma you sure got that one right girl ❤️

    • London_ridge
      London_ridge norma72045

      Posted

      Maybe there are two sides to the same coin. For some it's good and bad.

      For some it's terrible

      For others it's great

      A lot my husbands !

    • norma72045
      norma72045 London_ridge

      Posted

      He, Don't seem to get the point lm makeing.

      How can you comment on anything when you haven't experienced each side of the coin.

       

             Yes for some great

              For others terrible

              But what about the great when on it

              And HELL when you WD

              That's the one that sees two sides of the coin.

    • oldboy
      oldboy norma72045

      Posted

      As I have said many times I started this thread to address the bias in this forum against mirtazapine.   As you say I have not experienced withdrawal but I disagree that I am not allowed to comment on anything unless I have.   I can comment on how it might benefit a lot of people who are frightened off by the bias on this forum.

      I am glad you can now say that mirt is great for some. 

      You do not need to say it is HELL for some who withdraw, as you have made that point many times.  A point I have made is that it is very unlikely to be hell for EVERYONE who withdraws, ie that your case is not typical.     

       

       

    • norma72045
      norma72045 oldboy

      Posted

      Can't you see that you cannot comment on something you know nothing about.  WD.

      You are wrong when you say I think it's Hell for everyone,I don't.

      My point being I'll repeat myself again,unless you've tried both sides of the coin as Rose puts it,how can you comment .  People on these forums put down there experiences, and I'm just as entitled to do that as anyone else,because I have experienced both sides of the coin.  Get it.

    • oldboy
      oldboy norma72045

      Posted

      I agree that I should not comment on what I know nothing about. I know a lot about anxiety and mirtazapine so I CAN comment about those.

      I will not answer your last paragraph because I answered it in my last post.   

    • Yaralee98362
      Yaralee98362 oldboy

      Edited

      I'm gonna be very clear with what i'm going to say here. Yes, Mirtazapine might help some people and wont help others, that can happen with any drug. Some people when taken this the first time and so on, they feel ok and get the " help" they needed, BUT, here is the thing that you seem to not understand: The people in this forum are expressing what they 're feeling or felt and also what they gone through either taking the full dose(pill) or when tapering and then when detoxing from it. No one here is making things up or exaggerating so people get scare and not take this med. I'm gonna tell you even more that if it wasn't for this forum and a facebook group i don't think i would survive the tapering or being on it. No doctor wants to help me out and is the same for most of the people in this forum, the only help we got is knowing beforehand what this can and can't do to us. You are not WD from this med, so i would like to see your opinion when you WD, and see if it stays the same. Unless you're the 1% lucky man who don't feel anything and goes on with life like nothing happened. WE here are suffering big time, you have NO idea, so yeah, you can defend this drug as much as you want, but dont assume that we here are just making up this horror to prevent others from taking it, at the end is their on choice and well, if they go through what we are going now, well to bad. i'm not trying to fight here, just stating something that is true, i'm actually glad it helps you, hope it was the same with others 😕 Have a nice day.

    • karen32971
      karen32971 oldboy

      Posted

      i understand and respect your reasoning behind starting this thread, and I agree that mirtazipine can be a lifesaver. When I started this drug My anxiety was through the roof, I coudnt sleep or eat. I was in a facility for a month and this drug ultimately saved me. That was then... Fast forward 4 years and I am a disgustingly 40 lbs over weight, never feel full or ambitious to move. my brain fog is constant. I forget everything, basic facts and names to what i read the day before in a novel. Getting off this drug is comparable to heroin withdrawal. And THIS is why there are so many negative threads available.

      Its a drug that is meant for short term.

      Any amount of time becomes dangerous. The long term effects coming off can last years. THIS is why there are warning reviews.

      Dr's and pharmacists give s**t advise. we need to listen and learn from each other

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