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Mirtazapine and suicidal ideation

Posted , 11 users are following.

Jean1968
Jean1968

Has anyone else felt this while taking Mirtazapine? Have been on 30mg since Nov 2015. I'm ok one day and at my lowest the next. Confused and desperatesad

0 likes, 28 replies

28 Replies

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  • Ness88
    Ness88 Jean1968

    Posted

    Hi Jean,

    How are you doing? I hope your appointment with your psych went ok.

    Increase in suicidal ideation is a risk factor for most anti-depressants. It's something that if you notice then you need to tell your health professional as soon as possible. Individuals react differently to medication and it's hard to know who will be helped by the meds and who they might make worse. However just because one doesn't work, doesn't mean they all won't.

    I personally can't take SSRI's. For some reason they really increased my suicidal ideation and had to be taken off them (I've tried a few) rather sharply. Mirtazapine was the only drug which seemed to genuinely help me. It's not uncommon to struggle with a med and after years of feeling like I wouldn't get through my mood difficulties, I did. I hope you believe you can too even if it feels terrible right now.

    Sending good thoughts.

    • Jean1968
      Jean1968 Ness88

      Posted

      Thank you 😊. I have been getting by by taking the occasional Ativan, but am wary as I don't want to become dependant on them. My dilemma is that I still have to get myself to work and sometimes it is impossible such as yesterday when I just could not stop crying.

      I did not have an appt with the psychiatrist in the end, they could not fit me in, but to be honest the $ is ridiculous and they are probably only going to either up my dose or try something else. This has been my experience previously with Sertraline which did not work. I think with my families' (and this threads) input I can try to work out what is the best thing to do. I already see a counsellor, so that's under control CBT etc. The only med that has really worked for me in the past is Fluoxetine so I am thinking maybe (with my GP's blessing) I start on a low dose of that. It made me very sick to begin with but worked very well after about 8 weeks. I know I can take this at the same time as the 30mg Mirtazapine as well. I am too scared to try tapering Mirtazapine just yet due to the WD.

    • deborah93854
      deborah93854 Jean1968

      Posted

      I take fluoxetine with Mertz and they work v well together for me, however I am going to start tethering off Mertz at the end of May. I will have been taking Mertz for over 6 months. Just hope I don't get WD symptoms!! Good luck with Fluoxetine.

      D

    • deborah93854
      deborah93854 lynne82155

      Posted

      Thank you for that bit of advice Lynne. I wld never just stop taking them, as I know what cld happen.
    • Ness88
      Ness88 Jean1968

      Posted

      It's a tricky one when you still have to function and appear fine, when things are really not ok. Try and be gentle with yourself at the moment, do what you can and rest when you need to. I think those that are overtly conscious about becoming dependant on a med like Ativan are the ones that are usually not too bad. Yes it can be addictive but as long as you're not taking them constantly and having to continously up the dose than short term (which I imagine is all your doctor has perscribed anyway) shouldn't be too terrible.

      I understand what you mean about the psychiatrist, some of them can be very helpful but often their answer is to play around with medication which isn't always what you need. I hope you do feel supported both online and at home because that will make a difference in how you get through this. There is nothing wrong with asking for help when you need it. My only advice would be to keep talking, even on the days you don't want to anymore.

      Fluoxetine is a route to consider but have a chat with your doctor and see what he thinks. I can understand the anxiety of tapering your mirtzapine (currently going through that process myself) but it's also an option if you think it is that which has made the sucidal ideation worse.

      Be safe.

    • Jean1968
      Jean1968 Ness88

      Posted

      Thanks for your kind words Ness, I really appreciate it😊 I wish you all the best with Mirt taper and would be very interested in how you go. I find it so strange in mirt worked really well to start with but recently this breakthrough anxiety has been awful. I do have other stressors in my life but still thought the mirt would have taken the edge off (as fluoxetine has done previously).

      Deborah, why have you decided to taper off Mirt, is it the weight gain? It's reassuring to hear that Mirt/fluoxetine has worked well for you. I think your words 'mental torture' are so true, although I also get a feeling like low blood sugar, nausea, diarrhoea, and tight chest.

      I feel a little better today but am worried the cycle will start again. My plan is to sit tight for a week and see if this settles, eat well, no alcohol etc and Ativan if needed. If I get bad again I will ask the GP about starting fluoxetine. I won't attempt to taper Mirt until

      I have stabilised ( I hope I can while still on Mirt). Thanks again for all of you replying and I wish you all the best possible result XXX

  • wendy23602
    wendy23602 Jean1968

    Posted

    Hi wondering if anyone can help me, I don't have much support or anyone to turn to, I was on mirtazipe 30mg for 10 months, and wasn't working as great so doctor upped it to 45mg been on it 4 weeks, and for the past week or two anxiety has been worse does anyone know if it's just side effects from the dose being upped? Can't get hold of gp, thanks in advance 😔
    • lynne82155
      lynne82155 wendy23602

      Posted

      I was on 45mg of mirt for 6 years for depression didnt have any problems with it,apart from the weight gain it stopped working for me in December and thats when my anxiety started.

      From what I can understand mirt is good for depression but not so good for anxiety,also the higher the dose the lower the sedative.

      I was at my psychiatrist this morning and thats what he told me.

      Im on sertraline now and being treated like a guinea pig!!!!!

      Stay Strongcool

    • wendy23602
      wendy23602 lynne82155

      Posted

      Thank you for the reply, when i started them they helped with my anxiety, I was coping just until about 2 weeks ago, and I've been on the 45mg for 4 weeks, (I was on 30mg) the agitation and anxiety is through the roof that's why I'm wondering if it's just because they have been upped, I'm really struggling x
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