1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Mirtazapine

Mirtazapine

Posted , 9 users are following.

hayley13606
hayley13606

So I started Mirtazapine about a year ago, at first I experienced the common horrific nightmares, sugar cravings, but I felt I had my life back. No anxiety what so ever, I really enjoyed life. Then, the weight started to pile on, I have put on around 3 stone, and IMPOSSIBLE to loose weight. Even from going to the gym everyday, eating nothing but salad I cant shift anything. So this of course is making me feel horrible in myself. So anyway, the Mirtazapine feels like it has stopped working. I had a big suicide attempt a few months ago that left me hospitalized. I am still having suicidal thoughts every day, my anxiety is back. I cant do anything, I cant work, I cant walk into town, I can barely drive my car as I feel everyone is looking at me. This is absolute hell. My GP has taken me off the mirtazapine today and moved me to Sertraline, so lets hope this works. Will keep posted ! 

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • deano39
    deano39 hayley13606

    Posted

    I feel the same, not being able to go out, fear of people staring, non stop eating on mirtazapine, no appetite when I don't use them. I have tried most anti depressants over the years. Prozac helped, but no appetite and no sleep. I also take 80mg of propranolol twice a day for anxiety, I feel less anxious in the house, but not when going out. The usual feeling of, people are staring, legs feeling like jelly stomach churning. I wish I could take something that would just make me not care anymore.
    • hayley13606
      hayley13606 deano39

      Posted

      Thanks for the comment Deano, sorry to hear that you are going through this too. Even when you are having a great day, this will just hit you and take control of everything. How am I ever meant to get back to work or get a house and live a life? This has gone on for about 10 years now, really tired of it sad Meant to have an interview in the morning but now the anxiety and depression switch has been flicked in my head I dont know how I can get out the house, let alone walk into an office! brrr even the thought of it is too much!
    • deano39
      deano39 hayley13606

      Posted

      I know how you feel, when I have to go out, I know I'm not going to have a wink of sleep, when the anxiety rears it's ugly head. I just clock watch all night and think about how I'm going to get where I'm supposed to go and what's going to happen when I get there, and then quite often the anxiety stops me going, I just talk myself out of it. It's a nightmare.
  • rich98378
    rich98378 hayley13606

    Posted

    Hi Hayley

    I hope this works for you. Two of my friends are on 100 mg of sertraline and they have done really well and neither of them had any side effects taking it..

    I'm the opposite of you and have just been swapped from 100mg of sertraline to 30 mg of mirtazapine ironically because I suffered from really bad nightmares with sertraline. However I never put on any weight with it in the 3 months I took it.

    Everybody is different and hopefully this is the right anti depressant for you. Please keep us all posted on how you get on.

    Wishing you the best Rich

  • dave1948
    dave1948 hayley13606

    Posted

    i really hope it gets sorted out for you its terrible having to change meds after being on them for a long time so please let us no how you get on god bless
  • Calmer
    Calmer hayley13606

    Posted

    Hayley,

    So very sorry for your suffering; KNOW that there are people on here who are going through a bad time with dep' anx & insomnia who are happy to talk to you & support you through this nightmare.

    I have to seriously warn you that stopping Mirt' "cold turky" i.e. without weaning off very slowly (see Withdrawing from Mirt'" discussions on this forum) you are HIGHLY LIKELY to suffer severe withdrawal ... apologies if you have wdrawn already.  U have been doing "research" on this website to wd myself - please be kind to yourself.

    Also, you might possibly wonder why your doctor didn't discuss this with you - like the DOZENS of other people on here, their doctors don't know ...

    Happy to go further re wd advice if you would like.

    Wishing you well Hayley.  

  • lesley31725
    lesley31725 hayley13606

    Posted

    I am coming off Mirtazapine now. I was on 45mg and have got down to 15mg with no withdrawal symptoms at all. I had been on fluoxitine and had no anxiety at all. But my moods were too erratic - high for a week followed by a bad crash. They switched me to Venlafaxine which was hell on earth. They then put me on Mirtazapine. No bad side effects but i would still crash really badly. I would sleep for 12 hours straight easily. Then my anxiety sky rocketed. I could no longer go out without diazepam. But, the weight!!!! No one told me about the weight. No warning - nothing. I'm already large and have now piled on over 1.5 stone in 6 months. And now I've been diagnosed diabetic type 2. My GP thinks this could have been a contributing factor and is taking me off them without haste. I have also found out it is given to people with anorexia to stimulate appetite!!! I am really angry about this. I've since started pregabalin for my anxiety which after upping to 450mg is starting take effect thankfully. I see my psychiatrist on Thursday (after 4 months) and i will have serious questions. So sorry you're experiencing the same problem. What works for some might not work for others i know but I'm angry i wasn't warned about the weight increase!!
    • rich98378
      rich98378 lesley31725

      Posted

      I have noticed I'm eating a lot more since starting the mirtazapine and I've only been on it 5 days.

      I don't know if your in the UK or not and which brand of mirtazapine you get. Mine are listed from TEVA UK Ltd and the first side effect they list is increased appetite and weight gain.

      So it might be worth contacting the makers of your mirtazapine to see what they have to say . You may be able to claim against them if it is omitted from their instructions..😡

    • Calmer
      Calmer lesley31725

      Posted

      Hope wd goes well for you Lesley I truely do.  There are a lot of people who wd quickly and it gets tough, 14 to 21 days (I am told) the withdrawal kicks in.  However, if you've wd slow you should be in a better place.

      Wishing you well.

    • Mermaid3011
      Mermaid3011 rich98378

      Posted

      Mirtazapine is bad yes. Olanzapine is even worse. 

      If you have the chance, ask your doctor for Brintellix (Vortioxetine). That's a fairly new med, with a very similar chemical structure to Mirtazapine, but without the dulling sedation and especially without the weight gain! I am taking it since 4-5 weeks now and it's perfect! Losing slowly but surely.

    • Mermaid3011
      Mermaid3011 lesley31725

      Posted

      Hey Lesley, there are a few articles out there that point out the issue of weight gain through psychotropic medication and the related higher risk of developing Diabetes II. Your doctor should have actually known that. But most doctors still believe that it's better to feel good and gain weight.... 

      Anyway. I suggest you read this article 

      The Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) task force recommendations for the management of patients with mood disorders and comorbid metabolic disorders 

      It has really opened my eyes. 

      That's why I added Metformin right away when I started Mirtazapine, to outweigh the weight gain. 

      After a few weeks on Mirt I have now switched to a new medication that has a very similar chemical structure as Mirt, but without the sedation and weight gain. It's called Trintellix in North America and Brintellix in Europe. The active ingredient is Vortioxetine. 

      If mirt has worked for you, ask your doc for this one. It will help you lose the weight and as soon as the weight is gone and you are eating healthy, your Diabetes will probably go away too! 

      Oh and if you are researching a bit online you can find a few articles that point out the correlation of obesity and depression. Both affect each other. You can't treat one and not the other. It's a fairly new thing, but fat tissue is now seen as "organ" since it is producing hormones and those hormones effect our hunger/satiety feeling in our brains. 

      My experience is: do your research, do your homework and ask your Pdoc and GP if they have seen this or that and what they think. 

      I had to be very careful to not make them feel like trying "to know better" or "meddling with their job".... but if they are good doctors, they will listen and appreciate your research and look for a solution that works for YOU!!

  • aitchelle
    aitchelle hayley13606

    Posted

    I'm the same, I have become a total recluse. I only feel safe at home. I hope you find a way out of this, I hope we all do
  • Mermaid3011
    Mermaid3011 hayley13606

    Posted

    I am so sorry that you are having such a bad time! 

    sertraline is a good Antidepressant! I hope it works for you! Maybe you need a combination of an SSRI and other Antidepressants. 

    for me Fluoxetine worked for 8 years and booooom it stopped. Now I am on 2 AD's, one Antianxiety med and a sleeping pill to stabilize my sleeping pattern. 

    Oh and ... there is an article online about Mirtazapine and the weight gain. It's awful but inevitable. A lot of people put on massive amounts of weight. You will be able to lose it though fairly quickly! 

    I think Sertraline is weight neutral. If you want something to support your weightloss I am sure your GP will be able to help you. 

    I am on Wellbutrin, which is known for it's weight loss effect. 

    all the best and please let us know how you are doing!!

Back to top

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.