1. Community
  2. Mental health
  3. Anxiety Disorders

Mirtazapine for Anxiety?

Posted , 5 users are following.

thomas96833
thomas96833

Hello,

So I have had quite a bad spell of Anxiety and mild depression lately. The anxiety symptoms are there basically 24/7 even with a clear mind, it's like my body just can't handle stress anymore!. I have these shake's all day and just feel dreadful constantly. Propranolol helped for a while but slowly my dose is creeping up and up.

My biggest physical problem is muscle tension and sleep. I am a tensed up mess and I average 3/4 hours sleep a night. I just can't switch off and enter a deep sleep no matter how much relaxation, mediation techniques I have tried.

After an emotional trip to the doctor (again) he thinks I am more stressed out (probably due to never sleeping) and thinks that Mirtazapine is the best course of treatment to take.

The side effects don't seem as bad either. Mainly weight gain (could do with tbh after these past few months) and sedation which I'd hope!

It's to helpfully stop me grinding my teeth, restless legs at night, not sleeping and pick up mood a bit / relax my body. Not sure how it tackles anxiety.

It sounds like what I need compared to Sertraline and Fluoxetine (both were not pleasant).

Has anyone had any positive experience with this? Hoping for third time lucky playing antidepressant roulette.

Thank you.

2 likes, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • arlene09047
    arlene09047 thomas96833

    Posted

    Hi Thoma im on parnomolo for 3 days but my headaches have come back in sorry to hear u don't sleep much i find it hard to get threw the day but at night I sleep well have u ever been on that medication try a walk it takes edge off it how long have u suffered

  • maria_1963
    maria_1963 thomas96833

    Posted

    I am surprised you were given Mirtazapine for anxiety as it never did anything for my anxiety , i take Mirtazapine for night time but i also take Phenergan - a sedative to work along side the night Mirtazapine which helps most nights , for Anxiety i take Pregabalin 3 times a day - might be worth asking your GP about that at a later date if you are still unsettled , what i do to help aid settled sleep alongside my tablets is listen to Audio books - i have them at a volume that i can hear clearly - not too loud an has to be a story that i can listen to , doesn't bore me so it doesn't go over my head so i find that helps too an usually go off to sleep , if i wake up then i just play the cd on where i had ended when i dozed off , if i still have trouble settling then i ring my local Crisis number ( have to use when my mental health centre is closed so night time an weekends ) an they usually suggest a bath , warm drink , read . I often do Colouring for grown-ups prior to settling to sleep as that also can ease my anxieties . Hope you have finally got the right medication to help you through a few hours sleep an maybe once your body has relaxed to a sleeping pattern then you will gradually build up longer hours asleep , take care x

    • thomas96833
      thomas96833 maria_1963

      Posted

      Thank you Maria. He did mention about Pregablin but he didn't want to mix to many tablets so soon. I am use to propranolol and that stops the anxiety throughout the day (well calms the physical symptoms) so thought we'd stick with that. How are you managing your anxiety?

      I think the sleep is more annoying as you just don't have the energy to deal with anything. I work 10-12 hour days and often have found myself falling asleep in my car on break. Not great!

      Audio books is a very good idea. Will have a look into some. I have tried everything to relax abd generally I can get to sleep, its just 20 mins or so later I am wide awake! So frustrating. I also get weird shake's at all night which is just anxiety. The propranolol helps again but if I have one at night I get freaky nightmares. So vivid it's scary!

      Have you noticed any worrying side effects from the Mirtazapine?

      Thank you!

    • maria_1963
      maria_1963 thomas96833

      Posted

      That is understandable as you do need to allow your body to get used to a medication an that can take a few weeks , if Propranolol is helping daytime then best to carry on with that until you can see if the night time tablet works well with the daytime one , i am not able to work due to physical illness so am fortunate not to have to deal with commitments like work , your job sounds stressful with those hours so that probably doesn't help your anxiety , make sure you try an have regular meals as lack of food can cause problems - i found that out last week when i was eating very little ( had no appetite for a while now ) an i was more tired then usual , hopefully once these tablets settle in you - get used to them then hopefully a more restful sleep will come or your doctor can gradually introduce new medication , there is the Phenergan as well to consider next year to help the night time tablet , not daytime as it may cause danger to your drivng , i have never had any side effects from Antidepressants an i have had quite a few over the years , i know there is the weight gain that some people have commented on but it is not something i have noticed as i am unable to do a lot of exercise nowadays so if it did cause weight gain i do not know , recently with my lack of appetite i have been losing weight . We all react differently to medication , might be worth putting down in a diary , notebook how your body , etc has been each day , night - that way you an your doctor can see if there any changes in your body reactions , etc , take care , take each day as it comes x

  • julie08522
    julie08522 thomas96833

    Posted

    Hi i was given mirtazapine last week for mild depression and lack of sleep (caused originally by anxiety) was on sertraline but they didnt work. mirtazapine has def worked for me. Had a great night sleep every night. This has helped with the eating and anxiety and depression too. I am also seeing a therapist. hope this helps.
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.