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Mirtazapine ....weight gain!!!!

Posted , 13 users are following.

felicity63345
felicity63345

ive been on this for about 3months and have gained 2 stone!!! After the doctor told me I wouldn't!!! Has anyone come off this and dropped their weight or has it been difficult ....I'm at a loss and feel I'm getting more depressed now because of it x

0 likes, 15 replies

15 Replies

  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 felicity63345

    Posted

    Yes, weight gain is a side effect, and yes, I gained weight on this med though not as much as some.  I never had an increased appetite driving it, just seemed that the same intake produced gain.  I am tapering off now, at 13.5 mg, and the weight is starting to nudge down.  A lot of people have posted here with weight being a problem on mirt but they lost it when off.  The problem is, it's a bear to get off of.  Look for Evergreeen's posts in the mirt forum and you'll see how she did a gradual slide off making her own liquid.  I believe the weight is coming off for her.
    • felicity63345
      felicity63345 betsy0603

      Posted

      Thank you so much I'm at doctors on the 1st April, so I'm on a mission to tell him...I've had enough!
  • Pippa1364
    Pippa1364 felicity63345

    Posted

    I realised almost immediately that Mirt slowed my metabolism and increased my appetite! ..Nghtmare.

    I have now worked out a drug combination that works for me and counteracts the metabolism slow down. My Gp did not endorse it, it is simply a combination that tackles my lack of motivation and sleep disturbances.

    I am better off on 20 mg Prozac in the morning and 7.5 mg Mirt at night. This combi has cancelled out the tollerence affect of both drugs for me, for now, but I know I am taking a risk in attempting to experiment ..so please seek knowledgeable medical advice.

    I am very mindful about Serotonim Syndrome and often take Mirt every other day to maintain my lowest possible affective dose 

  • evergreen
    evergreen felicity63345

    Posted

    Most people gain weight on mirtazapine, both because of increased appetite and also a slowing of the metabolism. I did manage to lose most of the 20lbs I gained whilst still on 30mg of mirt but it took a year of calorie counting and vigorous exercise every day. Now I'm off it, I am eating twice as much and exercising less and I am losing more weight.
  • Rosieogrady
    Rosieogrady felicity63345

    Posted

    Omg I've just listened to the Jeremy Vine show on BBCR2 and this drug is the worst for weight gain, I have put on 2 stone and none of my clothes fit me anymore gggrrrr I'm a lifelong insomniac and this was why my GP prescribed them, I was really really unaware that weight gain was a major side affect, I am cutting back from tonight I'd rather be tired than fat!! I'm 62 and very active riding horses every day, but even my lovely husband has now made a comment that I need to cut back!! needless to say i took offence
  • linsey191291
    linsey191291 felicity63345

    Posted

    Hiya, thought I'd drop a comment in here. I'm 25 and have been on mirtazapine for just over a year (started tablets at24), I started at 15mg and worked up to 45 then back down to 30mg. I tried sertraline first but they did not agree with me, I felt horrible. My sleep was terrible, if at all! I had absolutely no apatite and was under weight. Mirtazapine were a god send, they helped my sleep and sorted my apatite but soon enough the side effects kicked in, I noticed I had put on quite a bit of weight and my size 8s' didn't fit.... Or my 10s! I'd gone from a small 8 to a tight 12 in about 7months. I've never been bigger than an 8 in my life! So this it's self then added to my depression sad I also found that the tablets were making me extremely drowsy the next morning and I'd be struggling to get out of my bed for my alarm.. I started taking my mirtazapine at about 6pm to try and counteract the morning drowsiness but it seems it's just made me have a huge tollerance to the drug. When coming down from the 45 to the 30 (45wasnt agreeing with me very well) I was prescribed a two week course of Temazapam 10mg and this seemed to work well and also counteract the morning drowsiness. I would ideally like to come off mirtz in 2017, I worry about withdrawals and also worry if I don't come off I will just keep piling on the weight. Can anyone tell me from the own experience how much the put on and how well the lost it etc thanks x

    • evergreen
      evergreen linsey191291

      Posted

      Hi Linsey. I too put a lot of weight on whilst on mirtazapine. At first I thought it was great because it helped with my morning sickness and I was too skinny, but then I really ballooned and did not recognise myself. I managed to lose nearly all of the weight whilst I was still on 30mg of mirt, but it took a whole year and was so hard to do. I found that I had to eat around 400 calories less than if I had not been on mirt to just stay the same weight. I also worked out very hard on the cross trainer almost every day, plus I had a physicaal job working with horses. But I shead the weight, so it can be done on mirtazapine, it's just much harder! Eventually the mirt stopped working for me and my insomnia returned along with my anxiety and depression and so I decided to come off it. I did this with a slow taper over a period of 4 - 5 months. I lost another stone without trying after coming off it, but the weight loss only started around 3 weeks after I stopped it. I hope this helps.

    • peter38135
      peter38135 linsey191291

      Posted

      hi ive been also on the mirtazpine for over a year . i got so sick of feeling like a zombie !!! and i was on 30 mg and still depressed , even after now giving up elcohol !! i decided tio quit mirtazpine , so icut down , first two weeks 1 tablet second half do this for the first two weeks . no bad symptoms then the next two weeks only half a tablet ever day .and then courter of a tablet every day for two weeks . im feeling so much hapier now . and moving forward . good luck hope this was helpfull for everyone !!

    • peter38135
      peter38135

      Posted

      **sorry about my spelling txt !! i meant . half a tablet next day quarter and so on **

    • slateweaver
      slateweaver peter38135

      Posted

      cutting mine down Peter as well..feeling good to be getting off them..

  • Teto
    Teto felicity63345

    Posted

    If you dont mind me asking, what systems did you have for the doctor put you on this mediation?
  • slateweaver
    slateweaver felicity63345

    Posted

    Flic I'v been on 45mg of Martazapine a day for about eight years now...really bloated my stomach..look pregnant..and I'm a bloke ..depressing it is ...but I feel I need it...sleep well on it though...

  • patricia_98357
    patricia_98357 felicity63345

    Posted

    I’ve been on Mirtazapine 45mg for 6mths and have put 4stone in weight on also my legs are really heavy and sore Should I stop I was put on this for depression but am more depressed with weight 
    • slateweaver
      slateweaver patricia_98357

      Posted

      Patricia, my weight gain is depressing me too, also the ED I seem to have. I've tried to get my psychiatrist to reduce them but he seems reluctant to do so.Fed up with it all.

  • marissa74820
    marissa74820 felicity63345

    Posted

    Cutting calories and working out excessively will not be successful, because this drug screws up the way your body uses insulin and processes carbohydrates.

    If you go on a ketogenic (no-carb) diet, you will lose the mirtazapine weight! Pretty quickly, too! And then by keeping a low-carb diet afterwards (finding the balance), it will stay off!!

    ---

    This drug is GOLD for my anxiety and depression, but gaining 2 lbs/month while eating 1500 cal/day and doing high intensity workouts 5x a week is just NOT sustainable. Believe me, I was doing it. Anyone who says "oh just eat fewer calories, it's simply physics" is LYING. I had never dieted before in my life, hadn't worked out in 4 years and gained more weight in 2 months on this drug than the past 5 years combined. Like, okay, sure, all you have to do is take in less energy than is used... but how does that factor when the mirtaz changes the amount of energy your body stores in the first place as well as what types of energy can be used and when?? It's not healthy to cut down to 600 cal/day and starve yourself because your body isn't handling the carbs right. It IS healthy to trade those carbs out for fats. There's a huge keto community out there and all kinds of fantastic recipes, and there are a lot of health benefits that come from this diet regardless. I'm glad I was forced to find it. Now I'm living a healthier lifestyle, continuing to lose weight, AND I get to keep my mental health!!

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