Is it safe to go from 15 mg of Mirzatapine to 30 mg.

Hi Patricia, I was on Amitriptyline 20mg for short while but couldn't get on with them and still felt low. My Dr decided to try me on Mirzatapine 15mg for a week then up to 30mg. I haven't been on them long just the 2 weeks so far, 15mg seemed to give me a lift in feeling but not sure as I wasn't on that dose for long.

30mg has made me quite sleepy and lethargic. When I take them at night, I don't fall asleep straight away but then fall into a deeper dreamy sleep which I find hard to come out of. In the morning I feel very tired with a dry mouth and have a job getting out of bed, which put down mainly to my depression. I have experienced bloating and increased appetite and a desire to eat lots of chocolate and have put on a little weight. I can't honestly say that I'm feeling much happier but hope that as I get used to them that they will lift my spirits.

Thanks for your comments Stephen. The 15 mg were great for 3 months but I did feel hungry all the time

and craved sweet things. It really is a problem knowing what to do for the best.

Patricia, I am curious to learn how and why you say 'they suddenly stopped working'. To be on venlafaxine for 10 years seems excessive and I wonder if your GP monitored you and how you felt during that time. Patients on any medicine need some monitoring and most GPs tell us to come back in xxx weeks time.

This site has a very specific guide sheet on Mirtazapine for depression and I think you should read it before anything else. You will find it under the medicines tab at the top of this page. It seems to be a well used article because it is high up on a Google search. There is also another forum thread specifically on Mirtazapine.

Hi Patricia, I have been taking 30mg mirtazapine for almost 8 weeks now. 30mg is the dose I was started on. In November I was prescribed 20mg citalopram but after trying that for 8 weeks and having no improvement my doctor decided to change me to mirtazapine with the hope that it would work better for my insomnia, and it certainly did. As I understand there can be some issues with increased anxiety and other side-effects with a dose increase but I can't give you any experience of this because I have been on 30mg from the beginning. Why do you think your doctor will increase your dose? If you are doing well on 15mg then there should be no need for your doctor to increase your dose. Make sure that you tell them how you feel, you are entitled to make a preference in your treatment.

Best wishes.