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Mirtazapine 15mg increasing to 30mg for depression. Anyone had positive effect from this?

Posted , 7 users are following.

pamjam
pamjam

Just upped my dose last night after seeing a fab psychiatrist yesterday. I don't feel so wiped out on this dose so far. I'm also on venlafaxine 257.5mg. I'm really hoping this helps. This bout of depression has lasted nearly 5 months and would like to start living again!

0 likes, 18 replies

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  • sharon12462
    sharon12462 pamjam

    Posted

    Hi I done the same .. I started feeling alot better after a week of 15mg & went upto 30mg after 2weeks.. Iv got to day it's been the best AD iv been on.. the weight gain has made me feel real down at times but I wouldn't say anywhere near what I was. I'm finding it harder to sleep on 30mg though ..I go back on the 15th ..so see what can be done .
    • pamjam
      pamjam sharon12462

      Posted

      Hi Sharon, glad mirtazapine seems to be working well for you and hope it continues to do so. I had no effect from 15mg so fingers crossed for 30mg. Sorry to hear the weight gain has been a problem for you. Goods luck!
    • frazer96678
      frazer96678 sharon12462

      Posted

      Mirtazapine is an odd drug because the sedative effects actually decrease as the dosage is increased. My psychiatrist explained why this was to me, and it went straight over my head! But you should find it easier to sleep on 15mg/day. If not, talk to your doctor; he or she will be able to find a way to help you sleep.
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 frazer96678

      Posted

      Hi yer I noticed that 15mg knocked me out bt the depression starting showing it's ugly mug again ..so needed to go up.. I went to see my gp for sleeping taps which he was reluctant. .wanted to up my dose to 45mg I refused due to massive weight gain & the worst munchies ever in my life 15mins after I take them.. so he gave me zopiclone which my phyciatrist & gp have prescribed before. I take them when desparate. .

      . .

    • pamjam
      pamjam sharon12462

      Posted

      That's a shame it seems to affect your appetite so much! At least it is working to treat your depression. The things we have to do in our quest to feel 'normal'!!
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 pamjam

      Posted

      I nooooo sods law.. it seems to do the same to many of the girls on here too .. I don't think it stabilisers either
    • frazer96678
      frazer96678 sharon12462

      Posted

      Do you find your insomnia is anxiety related (lying in bed unable to stop worrying) or is it just that you can't get to sleep? Because if it's anxiety my doctor sometimes gives me diazepam and it works perfectly. Best not to take it too regularly though because it can be addictive.
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 frazer96678

      Posted

      Yes I did do ..since taking mirtazapine the racing thoughts have stopped ..I'm no longer shouting at myself to shut up.. sometimes I can go to sleep ok but not very & yes its most definitely worrying thoughts ..Im so frightened of change & that starts all the worrying off again .. I uses to be on trazadone also known as molapaxin for years ..sedative... but stopped working really .. I'm scared to go up to 45mg incase my sugar craving gos even worse but for some reason there not happy to prescribe me zopiclone very often as there the only sleepers iv been offered .
    • frazer96678
      frazer96678 sharon12462

      Posted

      If it's racing thoughts keeping you up then tell your doctor and ask if you can have a mild anxiolytic like diazepam to help you sleep. If that works, then you'll know it's the anxiety keeping you up and then you can work on maybe finding therapeutic ways to deal with it; meditation, mindfulness and even simple breathing exercises can be so helpful. And as for the sugar cravings: you may as well try the 45mg and see how it goes. You can always go back to 30mg. Or you could find healthier ways to deal with the cravings, like making yourself some low-sugar snacks or something? Or maybe you could exercise a bit more (on 45mg the drowsiness should be almost gone, making this easier)? The endorphins from exercise would also really help with your depression.
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 frazer96678

      Posted

      Hi frazer

      Iv had bipolar since I can remember iv been on lots of different meds for severe depression & insomnia .. having to go on safe drugs to stop self prescribing.. so never actually getting nowhere with my mental health .. it took until 3 years ago to diagnose the bipolar & chronic depression as I made them listen for once instead of being a nodding dog..

      Iv never been a big eater or had a sweet tooth..iv been the same weight for 20yrs .. but always been careful with food.

      I have a car but chose to walk whenever I can never been 1 for doing nothing me..

      I put 11 lb on in less than 2wks with mirtazapine .. sn after I take it I have a battle on my hands for sugar .. Iv researched & found out why I'm having them & it's because mirtazapine is a histamine blocker.

      Iv been on a no carb diet for

      6 weeks lost 16.5 lbs bt 1 day of eating almost what I would usual I put 2 lb back on.. so believe me I'm trying 😯

  • frazer96678
    frazer96678 pamjam

    Posted

    Yes, I was on 200mg/day sertraline for about a year, and then added 30mg/day mirtazapine and the effects were almost immediate. SSRI + mirtazapine can be a very effective treatment. The only downsides are that it might make you feel drowsy, and it can make some people extremely hungry, and they start putting on weight. Keep an eye out for these, but most people can deal with the side effects because the drugs are so effective.

    If you find the side effects too much, wean yourself off as slowly as possible. Withdrawal symptoms can be awful for some people. I couldn't sleep for weeks. But don't worry about these things too much now: you should start to feel the positive effects quite quickly, and if not then stopping the mirt shouldn't be too difficult as you've not been taking it for very long.

    • pamjam
      pamjam frazer96678

      Posted

      Hi, thanks very much for your comments. Glad to hear mirtazipine worked well for you. I didn't have the increased appetite with the 15mg so hopefully the 30mg will be ok too.
  • pixie22
    pixie22 pamjam

    Posted

    I am on 30mg mirtazapine with 225mg venlafaxine and it's worked well for me. Also I've had no gain in weight or increased appetite.
    • pamjam
      pamjam pixie22

      Posted

      Glad the combination worked well for you. Here's hoping it does for me too!
  • evergreen
    evergreen pamjam

    Posted

    15mg worked well for me but only for a couple of weeks. I went up to 30mg and it completely cleared my depression. It worked well for me for almost four years before I started to get a return of my symptoms. Contrary to what others have found, I actually slept better on 30mg than on 15mg, but then I'm very odd, lol. I too put on weight (around 20lbs). I tapered off them a few weeks ago and feel very well now without ADs.
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