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Mirtazapine sedation/groggy feeling - Does it wear off?

Posted , 9 users are following.

liam28679
liam28679

Hi all, So I've been on Mirt now for about 6 weeks and recently went up to 30mg 4 nights ago but the sedation is horrible and I'm left feeling very tired and fatigued through the day, I feel like i can't do anything and lifes just passing me by. I want to wake up feeling on top of the world and raring to go! 

I do feel like Mirt has helped with my depression but the horrible hangover groggy feeling the next day is unbearable and it makes me feel depressed about it,  I just want to sleep all the time, it lasts all day until I take my next dose.

Does anyone else feel the same on this med? Does this feeling eventually wear off? Because if it doesn't then I'll have to change meds AGAIN as i just can't live like this for much longer!

Thanks,

Liam

0 likes, 147 replies

147 Replies

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  • ZoobyZoo
    ZoobyZoo liam28679

    Posted

    Hi there,

    I was on it too for 7 months and I constantly lived in a fog, no energy, no emotions, constant hangover..yuk...like Julie I tapered off it too  and Im me again now. smile

    • liam28679
      liam28679 ZoobyZoo

      Posted

      Thanks Zooby, I'm deffo going to ask to come off mirt at my next Dr's appt and try something else, this is no way to live how can something for depression actually make you feel worse and give you depressed symptoms! not good. 
  • lazysusan
    lazysusan liam28679

    Posted

    Hi Liam. I'm on 15mg of mirt, I was on 30mg. I just felt so angry on them, still do but not as bad. I sleep well and feel groggy until lunch time then the anger kick's in. Also put on load's of weight. I know what you mean about swapping, I was on cynbalta for 6 years and changed last Sept to sertraline but ended up taking o.d as I couldn't cope. Now on mirt but cant stick with these feelings. Good luck x
    • liam28679
      liam28679 lazysusan

      Posted

      I haven'y felt quite as bad today but still feel groggy and I don't feel like doing much but have managed to get a few things done which is good compared with recent days. I don't get the angry feelings just really chilled out and dull in my head but my body feels like a lead weight. I've read that a lot of people find the sedation wears off after a while as your body adjusts but equally for some it doesn't wear off! Affects us all in different ways. Best of luck x
  • alice0912
    alice0912 liam28679

    Posted

    Hi liam

    I was exactly the same when i started taking mirt. I was struggling to wake up, sleeping all day and feeling groggy. I have been taking the tablets since September 2013 and in all fairness apart from that initial stage i now feel fine! What i feel really makes the difference is going to bed about 30mins/1hour you normally do. I am on 30mg and yes it does hit you hard first but compared to citalapram (is that how you spell it? haha) it has helped me loads.

    Another way i found is to exercise a bit more. Not neccessarily go to the gym/ run but just simple things like walking up to the shop and getting a paper. 

    Hope this helps, i wouldnt give up on it after such little time. 

    Alice

    • liam28679
      liam28679 alice0912

      Posted

      Thanks Alice, I feel really bad today, anxious, suicidal, lifeless, been on mirtz over 6 weeks now I shouldn't be feeling like this at all and it got worse after I upped the dose to 30mg. Managed to get a Dr's appt this afternoon. 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      leam i really believe its mirtz that as a part of it..see if they will change u to something better suited to you..goodluck
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      I've tried so many Juile, SSRI's do nothing for me, maybe I'll ask for venlafaxine as I have had this about 8 years ago and it worked. I am fed up and sick to death I just want my life back
    • alice0912
      alice0912 liam28679

      Posted

      yes definitely go to the docs and ask to change. It shouldn't be making you feel like that! good luck. Hope it all turns out ok. Maybe as well when you are there look at CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy), ive done all sorts of counselling but found this was the best. It makes you see life as the glass is half full not half empty. 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Hi Liam, so sorry that you feel horrible today. It awful to feel so bad. I'm on 30mg down from 45. I'm also on venlafaxine with olanzapine thrown in as well! I've come to hate mirt. Another lady who's been on the forum who i keep in contact with is on mirt and had found it worked at first but then went back down again. What is it with this drug! 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      Yes I've tried sertraline and that didn't do anything for me, I am going to insist that I be put on venlafaxine as it's the only one that has made a positive impact previously in my life. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      I really don't know it seems to have a high failure rate going on what people say in here, there are some it has helped but more often than not it makes people feel worse! Nasty drug. 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      yes if that suits you go back on venlafaxine ..got to be better than mirtz ..goodluck
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      It will be interesting what your doctor says. As I've said I'm on ven and mirt. On thursday my psychatrist upped the ven and put down the mirt. I wonder if your doctor will taper you off mirt first or just add ven. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      I don't that they will change my meds yet but I am going to tell them I want off the mirtz asap it might need tapered but I've only been in it 6 weeks or so, maybe they'll add Ven and taper me down off the Mirtz? What is the starting dose of Ven, 75mg? Can't remember but I want a dose that will get me right! 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      hi liam, i was tapered onto sertline and told to stop mirtz had a few site effects but not to bad! maybe they can give you ven and u can stop mirtz 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      There is a 37.5 tablet of ven. I want off mirt. What time have you got your appt? 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      I'm at the Dr's at 3.20pm, who knows what will happen! I'll keep you informed. 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Yes, let me know. I know exactly how you feel. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      Well I've just back from the Docs and the advice was to cut the dose down to 15mg and taper off for two weeks until my next appt then we will discuss going onto Ven, not quite was I was hoping for! But a step in the right direction to be off mirtz just gotta be patient for a few weeks. 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Sounds like a plan now. It's horrible while your going through all this though isn't it. Then you have to wait for the ven to get into your system! Are you feeling better after seeing the doctor? 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      It's frustrating to know I've got to wait for two weeks to stop the the mirtz and then to start up again on a new med then wait for the effects to kick in. i do feel better for going to the Dr's, suppose 2 weeks isn't that long to wait, hopefully I'll notice a difference dropping down to 15mg tonight! Also picked up some 5-HTP from Holland & Barrett to help boost serotonin naturally, it might help with the tapering of the mirt. Can't see any drug interactions mentioned with mirtz... Might not be a good idea?
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Hopefully you'll start to feel a difference with coming down to 15mg. I've never heard of 5-HTP before. You can only try it. If your worried try asking a pharmacist about any interaction. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      I hope I feel a difference as well! you'll have to do a search 5-HTP rather me explain it lol.... From what I've read online it says don't take it with SSRI class AD's, mirtz is not in that class. I'll give it go as there is some good reviews on 5-HTP. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      Did you start to feel any better when you decreased the dose? I hope the side effects get less with me cutting down! 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      no they didnt suit me i felt more depressed because i had no motivation so wasnt helping me
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      When you started cutting down the mirtz did you start to feel a bit better the less you took? I need to know that things may start improving once I reduce the dose sad
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      i cut down from 30mg to 20mg for 3 days then 15mg! yes i felt better i felt i had more engry :-) 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      I'm halving the dose to 15mg tonight, I haven't been on 30mg long (6 days) so hopefully won't have any withdrawal symptoms. 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      hi liam you should be fine if only 6 days..keep us informed ok??
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      How did you sleep on the 15mg last night?  
    • julie1111
      julie1111 kat50

      Posted

      hi kat50 ive been wondering my self! liam how was last night?
    • kat50
      kat50 julie1111

      Posted

      He's hopefully busy or still asleep! 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      Hi both, took 15mg last night but still feel like crap today! Maybe it'll take a few days for the higher dose to get out of my system? 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Just think that it's one step towards coming off mirt. Did you sleep ok? 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      Yeah I slept ok, woke up a few times but managed to get back to sleep. 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      It's good that you slept ok. Did you take the 5HTP as well? 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      Yeah took that at bed time, might need to take it a bit longer to see if it has any affect. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      Not quite as tired this afternoon, took the dogs out on a nice walk and enjoyed it! Hopefully a sign of things getting better. 
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      Glad to hear your feeling better. Hope you had a good nights sleep on your lower dose. Hope you feel ok today. 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 kat50

      Posted

      Hi Kat, Yeah slept ok thanks about 8 hours. Feel a litle bit more alive this morning! Long may this continue! smile
    • kat50
      kat50 liam28679

      Posted

      I have heard that the lower the dose the more sedative it is. Glad to hear your feeling good. Keep in touch. 
    • Lupingirl
      Lupingirl kat50

      Posted

      How I want to come off the mirt.  I am exhausted and ill on it. My psychiatrist says I can come off it and change.  But they make it seem easy to come off. 
    • Lupingirl
      Lupingirl kat50

      Posted

      Do you think it's easier to come off a lower dose?
    • kat50
      kat50 Lupingirl

      Posted

      Was dosage are you on? I've just lowered from 45 to 30mg. But I'm also on another AD. All I know is that I'm not feeling any better at all. It's easy for a psychatrist just to keep changing our medication isn't it but they're not the one's going through hell. How long have you been on mirt? 
    • liam28679
      liam28679 Lupingirl

      Posted

      I've been taking 15mg for about 5 weeks and then upped to 30mg, I'd only been on 30mg for 6 days and dropped back down to 15mg and I already feel a bit better for it, took a couple of days to feel the benfit. 30mg was too high for me I felt unwell and so tired I couldn't handle it. 
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      hay liam your doing great ur all ready getting the beneifits of coming off mirtz ..keep it up :-)
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      Thanks Julie, hoping it continues. I got up early this morning feeling more positive and went shopping so thats another step in the right direction smile
    • julie1111
      julie1111 liam28679

      Posted

      yay liam :-) thats a great step forward ive managed to get loads done since coming off mirtz today im washing my curtains something i couldnt do when on mirtz...plus im eating better cos i can go shopping to get the right foods! well done xx
    • liam28679
      liam28679 julie1111

      Posted

      Sounds like your doing great off the Mirtz! just goes to show you the negative effects this drug can have on us! Keep going Julie x
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