Mirtazapine - one month off it. Let's talk about weight
Posted , 5 users are following.
So I have been off mirtaapine for a month now and I want to let you know what I have observed about weight.
When I gained 20lbs after being on mirtazapine for a while, I started to watch what I ate. It was hard because as you all know, it gives you a huge appetite! Soon just watching what I ate wasn't enough. I used an online calculator which worked out that with my age, height and activity level, I needed 2100 calories a day. So to lose a pound a week I needed to eat no more than 1600 calories a day. Soon it became clear that doing this did not make me lose a pound a week. In fact it was bearly a quarter pound. So I upped my exercise to vigorous cardio every day and finally lost that pound a week. Over the weeks and months, I calculated that the mirtazapine was causing me to need 400 calories less than what all the online calculators said I needed. People who say they gain weight on mirt even though they are not eating any more than before, are telling the truth. It is not just the cravings that make you put on the weight.
Anyway, as I tapered off the mirt, the cravings stayed with me until I reached just 5mg a day. But I still needed the same amount fewer calories a day to maintain my weight. This effect stayed until two weeks AFTER I came off the mirt. I was still gaining weight as soon as I ate normally!
Then suddenly, three weeks after being free of mirtazapine I am losing half a pound a day, without even trying. I have no nausea causing this and am actually consuming close to 3000 calories a day. Yesterday I had 3 chocolate bars and still lost weight. I work very hard physically mucking out horses etc, so need a lot of calories, yet on mirt I actually only needed 1800 calories to stay the same weight when working out every day plus doing the horses. That's a difference of 1200 calories! No wonder so many people gain weight on mirtazapine.
1 like, 27 replies
sharon12462 evergreen
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evergreen sharon12462
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Staz sharon12462
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How did you get on at the hospital?
sharon12462 Staz
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Staz sharon12462
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Sorry to here that and much love from me.
Ven is supposed to be very effective as well. I didn't realise the lithium issue with cit though. Don't get too hung up on tapering either. Very often the fear of switching is worse than the actual effects of doing so. All you can do is give it a go so give it your best shot and hopefully things will start to improve. For you.
sharon12462 Staz
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We have a small amount of meds here ..& get given the cheapest before the best.. she wouldn't entertain cit just said we dnt really use it here ... when i told her of the side effects she said shes never heard such thing from any patient.. she just made me feel like a hypercondriack. I I'm gona see my gp ..I need to no why I came off venlafaxine last time. I'm scared it's gona be another weight gain problem. .this is what has triggered off the relapse with mirt .. I convinced myself it's not a problem but then my head exploded with it .iv tried to get some info on here about ven bt had no joy.
Staz sharon12462
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sharon12462 Staz
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Staz sharon12462
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sharon12462 Staz
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Staz sharon12462
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evergreen Staz
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sharon12462 Staz
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Staz evergreen
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lorraine52317 evergreen
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hope you are well ♥ that's really interesting and like you did, I'm now counting calories on my phone app. I have never had a weight issue, so I knew it must be mirt induced.
Whilst you're here .....lol
can you give me your view. ♥ I am once again feeling grim, no energy, sporadic feeling that I'm going to pass out and once again very agitated. Been back on mirt for 4 weeks, the last two at 15 mg. Any ideas, this is what happened to me the first time on mirt, then doc told me to stop cold turkey! It was around the four week mark too! Fed up big time 11 months trying to get better!
Would welcome your views xx
evergreen lorraine52317
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lorraine52317 evergreen
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Feel lost with it all evergreen ♥♥
evergreen lorraine52317
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lorraine52317 evergreen
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I may try 30 tonight would I be correct in thinking I need to give it a good week and then analyse? ♥
evergreen lorraine52317
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lorraine52317 evergreen
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God bless ♥♥