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Mirtazapine to Dosulepin - Am I making a mistake??

Posted , 6 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Ive had enough of side effects, tablets and anxiety - and its only effected me since this February! sad

I initially went on Mirtazapine 15mg then up to 30mg for anxiety / depression. It helped with the sleeping and depression but my already fuzzy head seemd a lot worse on these tablets.

I asked if I could try another AD, so he put me on Citalopram. What an horrendous reaction (panic, terror, sweats - didn't sleep for 3 days!), he said I had a reaction and so I went back on the Mirtazapine thinking they were my only option.

The anxiety seemed to continue from the Citalopram reaction , symptoms I didn't have before. I have been taking them since.

Iam back at work, but the dizziness is horrible, I keep wanting to fall forward or get slight vertigo is I move my head. Since cutting down to 7mg as Doctor said to come off, that has got better but the waves of anxiety are not nice! (Could be coming off too quick).

The Doctor has prescribed me[b:0b1a13d29b] Dosulepin[/b:0b1a13d29b]. I have read people raving about them and others who don't, I am scared stiff of taking these!

Do all anti depressants fog up your brain, are some worse, can you think clearly on any of them? And do they all have side effects?

I feel I can't go back to the Doctor as he will see me as anxious and paranoid and tell me to see how I get on!

Any advice appreciated - Thank You

0 likes, 24 replies

24 Replies

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  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi SM13,

    Sorry you are having such a rough time. I am coming off Mirt due to weight gain and pains in the joints.

    All I can say is I was on Dothiepin/Doslepin for a number of years. One side effect was a dry mouth but that wore off. I had no sickness or dizziness or any of the effects you seem to get with the newer drugs.(I couldn't take Seroxat or Prozac). Dosulepin served me well. I worked for the whole time I was on it. It helps with Anxiety and Depression and helps you sleep.As I said I was on it for years and probably would have stayed but for a change of consultant.

    When I did come off it I tapered off using the liquid solution and then was fine.

    Good luck. Keep in touch.

    Rayne smile

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Thanks Rayne, was wondering how you are? Hope you are feeling better soon.

    You made me feel better re Dosulepin, Doctor said that beacause I had such a nasty reaction to citalopram to stay clear of SSRI's . Don't know whether this is true with all of them?

    Am having CBT, where is all this anxiety coming from?? Feel like i'm back to square one again!

    We will get there! Take Care, let me know how things go.

  • carol16284
    carol16284 Guest

    Posted

    Doctors now say there are safer drugs now than Dosulepin but people have been taking dosulepin for over 30 years with no side effects. Years ago I had severe anxiety to the point where I couldn't even go to work. Dosulepin got me back on my feet. I came of it in my own time without any problems. Now 25 years on I am having a simliar period of chronic anxiety. The Dr suggested I now try MIrtazapine and I have been on it for a month so far it is not having the same positive results as Dosulepin, so when I go back to see my DR this month I am asking him to put me back on Dosulepin. For me Dosulepin was amazing and got me through a horrendous period in my life with no lasting side effects. Personally, I feel Dosulepin has been around for a long time and it's better the devil you know than takingin newer drugs that are largely experimental.

    • Guest
      Guest carol16284

      Posted

      Hi carol

      have Been on mirtazapine 45mg for severe depression with anxiety,almost 6 years,and have felt 100% well mentally on this drug.only last 18 months the awful bizarre vivid dreaming and nightmares are seriously getting me down.tapered from 45mg to 15mg since May (with every withdrawel symptom mentioned),was going to taper down last 15mg after new year.but I also have some spinal problems with ruptured spinal disks and permanent nerve damage,the Lowe I have gone on this med the pain has been getting seriously worse! Have now up dosed and been on 30mg last 8 days,and it's just starting to help pain,I will make appointment GP after new year to discuss,going onto dothiepen,as I know this agrees with me,and also helps nerve pain.

      can you take mirtazapine while the dose of dothiepen is building up,so to speak?

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Guest

      Posted

      I am having bad problems on mirtazapine so dropping down.  Now original,anxiety symptoms are worse and i wake up moaning each day before my brain gets into gear. Does this happen to anyone else?  I would,like ro,try dithiepin as i have tried ssris and they didnt suit me.  Do you think,psych will,let me have them as im on warfarin? I definitely need something, the anxiety and depression is getting worse.
    • Guest
      Guest ann55375

      Posted

      You need to get an appointment as soon as possible Ann,especially as you say you are feeling much worse.

       

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Guest

      Posted

      Psych is full. First appt march.  Only seeing emergency lift taking patients just now.  Feel theynarent listening to me.  Keep telling me its anxiety and take diazepam
    • Guest
      Guest ann55375

      Posted

      That's a great shame.maybe you need to get routine appointment with your own GP,who maybe knows you,and will take the time to listen to you and advise a plan

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Guest

      Posted

      Yes i have appt 11th with gp but she wont change drugs without psych sayso as im under consult there, though he doesnt seem to be able to help me and has fiven me cpn to try cbt, its not helping and last week he told me i have to just accept this is my life and have to,live a lower level.  I cannot accept this but all anti deps i tried prove it
    • Guest
      Guest ann55375

      Posted

      That's really sad to hear Ann.as you have consultant appointment on 11th,maybe you need to take time to make a list,write down all your symptoms etc,and what you hope to get out of your appointment,unfortunately if GP not willing to change drugs,then you have no option than wait for consultant appointment,unless your GP is able to get you an emmergency one.really feel for you Ann.

    • nicolas95358
      nicolas95358 carol16284

      Posted

      Hi Carol,

      Could you please tell me how long it took to have effects with Dosulepin?

    • carol16284
      carol16284 nicolas95358

      Posted

      Hi Nicolas I would say it takes two to three weeks. It's a good drug IMO with few side effects that I have noticed. My problem was chronic insomnia and it was and is the only drug that has helped with this problem long term.

    • nicolas95358
      nicolas95358 carol16284

      Posted

      Thanks for your answer. In your previous posts you said you were suffering from anxiety. Was it « just » insomnia or was it more global anxiety?

    • carol16284
      carol16284 nicolas95358

      Posted

      Really Nicolas it was both but I can cope with the anxiety better when I get a good nights sleep. Have you been prescribed it? 
    • nicolas95358
      nicolas95358 carol16284

      Posted

      Yes Carol I have been taking it for about 2 weeks but no effect for the while 
    • carol16284
      carol16284 nicolas95358

      Posted

      That's an average dose so should work but I would give it another week because it can take quite a while before it works, especially if your anxiety is long standing. Of course different drugs work for different people so if it doesn't do the job in another week go back to your GP. I was so bad with anxiety and insomnia at one point I was prescribed 150 ml a day of Dosulepin but that is an extremely high dose and any side effects of it were not know then. I am going back over 20 years ago. However I do know people who have been on an average dose for over 25 years with no problems at all. 

    • nicolas95358
      nicolas95358 carol16284

      Posted

      Thanks for your answer Carol. My GP considers I need a little bit more time to feel the effects, around 4 weeks.

      75mg were not enough for you to get results? Did you directly take 150mg?

    • carol16284
      carol16284 nicolas95358

      Posted

      Hi Nicolas No I went up on them gradually and they helped me so much. In addition I found them very easy to reduce when I started to feel better.
    • carol16284
      carol16284 nicolas95358

      Posted

      I went through a particularly bad time as a result of stress and the doctor prescribed several drugs for me but none of them had any effect and my anxiety got so bad I felt I needed to be in hospital. I stopped sleeping almost completely. I would sleep perhaps 3 hours one night and nothing at all the next and this went on for months before I was prescribed Dosulepin. The anxiety got so bad I was unable to do the smallest of tasks and was pretty much disabled with it. During this time although 75mls of Dosulepin calmed me down to some extent, it wasn't enough to completely stabilize me and as I said I ended up having to take a large dose before it completely stopped the symptoms. It was a long time ago that my anxiety was at that level so I can't remember how long it took to kick in from when I was first prescribed it, but I have looked on the internet since talking to you and it seems it can take up to a month before you feel the benefits. I am back on it again now after many years as for unknown reasons my anxiety levels have gone up again lately. Because it worked so well for me in the past I asked the Dr if he could prescribe it again. I am only on a very low dose now though 25mls and that is taking the edge off and helping me sleep. The good thing with Dosulepin is that it isn't addictive and once it kicks in and you reach the right dose it continues to work however long you take it. Hope this helps, but if you don't feel any benefits in the next week or two you will need to re-think whether you want to go up on the dose or try another drug and talk to your doctor about how to go forward,

    • nicolas95358
      nicolas95358 carol16284

      Posted

      Thanks for your answer Carol. I hope it will work as well as it did for you. 
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