Just been given this drug but reviews are horrifying!

Stella, I think you're right. My opinion is based at the minute on my anxiety riddled/perfectionist thinking but if I was fatter and happier I don't suppose I'd care would I! Good luck to you too. I cant start until Monday as I've been told to give it 3 days for the Fluoxetine to wear off....

I've had great success with mirtazapine treating my anxiety and helping me sleep.

I started on the 15mg, increased to the 30mg after a few weeks and then the 45mg a few weeks after that. I felt great on the 45mg.

The higher the dose is apparently the more effective it is to treat anxiety and also the less side effects you will experience. Both are true in my case however everyone is different.

I did stop taking it for a period of 6 months due to wanting to try and handle things on my own and the 12kg I had gained wasn't great.

That being said, after I stopped taking it I quickly fell back into being anxiety riddled, lost all the weight and went back on the medication. Took the 15mg for a week and then my doctor bumped me straight up to the 45mg because we knew it worked. I seemed to bypass the weight gain as I didn't have the lower doses this time round. Worked a treat.

I did get some drowsiness at the start and it was quite of putting. I'd fall asleep very quickly after taking it and the next day I'd struggle to get out of bed and felt quite foggy.

I'd say that lasted a good couple of weeks.

The best way to combat the next day groggy feeling was just to let my body get used to taking it.

I'd take mirt around 7pm and be asleep by 8. The more I got used to it, the later I took it so I could stay up a bit later.

These days I'm so used to it I don't fall asleep unless I want to go to bed but it makes a huge difference on the ease of falling alseep and stops you waking up in the middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep.

There is light at the end of the tunnel! You just have to let your body adjust.

Well after some trepidation and going back to the Docs to discuss the potential side effects I started last night taking my first 15mg at around 9pm. I was really surprised at how quickly I felt dog-tired and also slightly un-steady although I had a couple of cans of lager so it was probably the combination. I slept well although I did get up as usual this morning at 7.30 and a couple of times through the night for the normal toilet trips. 

Hi Stella, I didn't take my tablet last night until midnight but slept fine and woke ok this morning too. I was tired yesterday evening though between 5 and 7ish but managed to stay awake although I could have easily had a nap. I  did feel hungry and ate a fair bit last night although not sure whether I'm just imagining it because its a known symptom - lol! Its had no effect yet on my mood/anxiety although obviously only two days in I don't expect it to - anticipating that will be a fair few weeks yet before I get any benefit. How about you - have you started yet?