Mirtazapine and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Hello All,

This is my first post on this website.

Sorry it's a long one...

I have seen other threads that are about this topic but none that are recent.

I have been on mirtazapine 15mg for 4.5 years (since Nov 2016) when I went through a period of suicidal depression after working long shift work and not being able to do my job.

I had 3 years of almost complete bliss - I practised mindfulness everyday, meditated everyday and could enjoy life without constant thought making noise in my head. In the early months I found 7.5mg perfect.

In 2019 I had some big arguments with my mother throughout the year and combined with a long commute to London, I felt the effects of Mirtazapine were no longer as strong as before.

In October 2019 I went on holiday where I caught a virus where I had a severe sore throat, severe fever, very dry cough (like a chest infection but no phlegm even though it felt like I should have), lost my sense of taste, lost my sense of smell etc you get what I am trying to say (and yes it was October 2019..). It got so bad I felt suicidal, which is weird as I was on holiday. I don't remember much about when I flew back but I think I still had chest pain and was still suffering.

After returning, my cat became very ill. The following three weeks was spent trying to keep my cat alive, sadly she died in Nov 2019. A week later I woke up one day and I had weird sensations where I felt like I hadn't slept at all even after 8-12 hours sleep, was dizzy, faint, headachey, problems with my balance.

After that day I suffered from feeling like I haven't slept, shaking, muscle weakness, noticeably shorter breath/breathlessness, prickly skin, brain fog etc

Since Nov 2019, I have had well over 10 blood tests and many phone appointments with GP who do not seem to care about the pathetic weakness I am suffering from. I have been tried on many different magic potions including:

*Pregabalin + Mirtazapine 15mg

• Trazadone - no Mirtazapine
• Amitryptiline + Lower Mirtazapine to 7.5mg
• Sertraline + 7.5mg Mirtazapine
• Propranolol + 15mg Mirtazapine
• one or two Benzodiazepines + 15mg Mirtazapine
• Upping my Mirtazapine to 30mg, though only managed 22.5mg and felt like I couldn't move no more.

I feel I am missing one or two other medications I have tried but you get the picture. None, absolutely none helped my condition.

I spent most of 2019/2020 guessing different ailments/diseases/syndromes I might have ranging from diabetes to balamuthia mandrillaris, because no one was helping me.

After pestering my GP enough (calling basically every week to say I am still feeling like I have been awake since 2019), he finally gave up and diagnosed me with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

From what I know CFS is caused by a combination of virus infection, bereavement, crazy stressful situations like car crashes etc. I feel mine might have been caused by combination of virus, my cat dying, commute being stressful and also being on Mirtazapine.

I have tried coming off mirtazapine and basically end up fluctuating my dose because I think my mind is conditioned that it will help me like the first few years of taking it, but it just makes my CFS even worse and possibly even the cause of it.

Since suffering these terrible symptoms (already was suffering them) I have lost my job and my house.

Anyone else had something similar?

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