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Mirt newby

Posted , 4 users are following.

h9000
h9000

Hi folks, rough ride over recent weeks. Had initially sleeping meds and lorazepam when needed. For last 2 weeks no sleeping med or lorazepam, working 5-6 hours a day but with strong nervous tesnsion, managed to keep up exercise. Normally very fit person. Taken turn for worse over recent days. The sleep is patchy but worst is wakefulness from 4/5 am and the bad anxiety from there, which in last two days was horrendous. Had to take a 0.5mg Lorazepam at 9.30 am today to be sure I could get through a big day out with the family. 

I am prescribed Mirtazapine since Friday and will probably start tonight. Some concerns is how long the drowsiness goes on for. Will I have to stop my bike riding? this helps alleviate things so don't want to stop it ideally. Also i have seen that low blood pressure combined with this drug could be tricky. My blood pressure is naturally low from my exercise, is this a potential issue. Also read that there are people who take Vit D wlong with this which helps offset some negative aspects, any comments?

1 like, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • paula81594
    paula81594 h9000

    Posted

    Iv often not felt safe to drive so I haven't and odd time iv felt ok when iv been driving my mind drifted when driving completely iv had to turn back (panics me having kids in the car esp as I had a car accident nye) I'm on 30mg and been on them 4 weeks. I hope the tiredness wears off soon it's quite debilitating at times I know I need the meds to get better and the excessive drowsiness is part of the package before these I was having bad dreams trouble sleeping etc so it's one extreme to the other but guess they effect people differently
  • steve1951
    steve1951 h9000

    Posted

     harvo I can only address your concern about low blood pressure. I had low blood pressure before taking mirtazapine. The last reading was 95/62 (America). No Dr. (2) has told me it is related to mirtazapine. Regarding how it relates to exercise, I can’t answer that since I can’t run or ride a bike (bad knees) or drive. I can only walk to stores and back. At first, mirtazapine did make me drowsy, but that has worn off. If you read other posts, some people have major negative comments on mirtazapine.
  • h9000
    h9000

    Posted

    ok first night, will report back further later. should noy judge after one night. thanks for the advice so far.
  • Calmer
    Calmer h9000

    Posted

    Hi Harvo, sounds like you have a lot going off.  Mirt could well be the answer if you take it an hour before bedtime; you will be very drowsy for (?) days to come but it sounds like you could be kind to yourself and let the medication help you get some much needed sleep.  I can relate to "the horrendous" you speak of with sleep deprivation and therefore anxiety.  I found Mirt worked for me immediately/slept like a baby since.

    You do have to be kind to yourself at times like this, priority could be to sort out the sleep then when settled get back on youur bike maybe?  I've been there and wish you well, best wishes

    • h9000
      h9000 Calmer

      Posted

      thanks calmer. we are away and it turns out I forgot my bike helmet so I am forced not to ride my bike anyway. Might not be a bad thing after all. So did a brisk'ish hours walk, about 4 miles instead. Not feeling drowsy, more subdued today.

      I would be interested to know how many doses occur before you know whether or not some of the common side effects kick in. So far I am not experiencing an appetite change.

      I would say on the whole today is a better day than many I have had in recent weeks, I suppose helped by more sleep last night and no early morning wakefulness and anxiety. I am working from home on lessened duties, and its an uphill struggle. I have to remind myself lots of times a day that what I need to do now is give the Mirt the time that it needs to kick in before doing anything different.

      Any tips on handling what seems like automatic negative thought patterns. I am awaiting CBT but in the meantime I find this a challenge and have to constantly remind myself of who I really am and that I will start to feel different in time.

       

  • Calmer
    Calmer h9000

    Posted

    Hi h9000, glad you're having a better day.  Mirt should really help with the sleep then you can tackle the rest !!  There is so much out there to read about those negative thoughts, CBT tells you it's simply an unwanted thought/mental spam and to tell it to go away - with practice you can learn how.  There are are lots of books to read but I was recommended 2:  Overcome Depression by Alice Muir - and Overcoming Anxiety by Helen Kennerley.  I think these are on the NHS recommended reading list.  And I KNOW what you are thinking ... when you're depressed/anxious, the last thing you want to read about is Depression/Anx' - but these could get you started on your way to a positive place.

    Hope this helps.  See Mindfulness also, but I think CBT should come first.  It's a journey, take your time, it's early days.

    Best wishes.

  • h9000
    h9000

    Posted

    For about a week now I have been feeling severely depressed. I am not sure it should really be this bad, and then at times the anxiety comes back and I have resorted to a small dose of sedative. this is now 11 doses in and a few days back the doctor said I should come back in if I need to and try to weather it. If I stop I guess I am back to sleep challenges and anxiety, what's worse, that or being as morbid as I have been for days now. Tough call but seriously considering getting off these. I am trying to so some work and really struggling, and cannot exercise very easily either.

     

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