Mirtazapine weight gain making depression worse

Hi. Whilst I wont pretend how you are feeling Im writing to say I too have been prescribed Mirtazapine but im the reverse and appreciate the weight gain.I have been on the drug now for nine days and my appetite is totally crazy and my head is constantly in the fridge. At one time I could quite easily go a full whole day without even worrying about food but now I eat for Britain. I have not as yet noticed a change in my mood but I guess this will change in time.I weighed in at exactly 8 stone before I was put on the medication and now I have put on 6 pounds in just nine days! I too used to take Fluoxitine but I changed because I did'nt think they were having the desired effect.Have you tried exercise both for your weight gain and your mood. I invested recently in a Cross Trainer and when im feeling low I exercise for just half an hour and it has helped a lot!! Hope this helps x

I too put on loads of weight on mirtazapine and anti psychotics ( 3 stone in a year) theres no doubt mirtazapine is awful for weight gain.Some anti ds can make BP people hyper but Im on venlafaxine and that doesnt cause weight gain or me going hyper so maybe if youre so upset by it you should ask your Dr about changing.Im still trying to lose the weight and its going to take forever.

I put on about a stone and a half in four months on Mirtazapine. My appetite was enormous and I didn't want to (couldn't) stop eating. Really craved carbs and I would have eaten spaghetti with sugar on it if you'd put it in front of me!

Now on Venlafaxine and my appetite has returned to normal. Managed to shift the weight as my GP referred me to a Gym.

I'm convinced Mirtazapine led to me putting weight on.

I also put on a stone and a half on mirtazapine. I am now trying to lose it. I am also taking lithium and prothiaden which have not made me put on weight. If I relapse my pdoc will try effexor/venlafaxine or duloxetine. Mirtazapine is notorious for weight gain but worked well as an anti depressant for me.

Hello there,

Ive not been here before so please bear with me!!

Ive suffered from depression for most of my life,and had been taking Citalopram20mg for about 2 years after switching from prozac as after 5+years I think id become immune to them.

My partner has recently left me after 10 years and I was having a nightmare time trying to sleep,so went to see new GP for some short term help with the sleeping,or lack of it!!

Anyway,getting back to the point..I was put on Mirtazipine 15mg about 6 weeks ago,increasing to 30 mg the last 2 weeks and I have put on an unbeleavable ammount of weight :cry: at least 2 dress sizes.Although I did have increased appetite,I havent been over-eating,choosing fruit etc if it got too much!!

Also,another possible side effect I had was extreamly painful breast pain,I first thought possible infected mastitis and have taken anti-biotics,but really knew it was the mirtazipine....they just didnt feel right from the start but was willing to try this rather than sleeping tablets.

Last night id had enough and chucked the mirtazipine phoned Doc who agreed I have had bad side effects and told me to stop straight away wait 3 days to flush my system and go back on citamopril.

Im really upset about this weight gain and feel bloated and swollen.....does the weight come off again quickly once you stop taking mirtazipine??? Im more depressed than before now :roll:

Huge sympathys to those going though this and any advice would be greatfully recieved!!!

Thanks xx

I am very concerned now, I was on 70mg in the morning of Venlofaxine for over 6 months till 1 and a half weeks ago, I told my doc that I could not perform in bed, that was put down to the tabs, so he stopped them, well cut them to a very small 37g in morning and a 15mg of mirt in evening, please can any one tell me, as I am not happy at all, just weighed myself and put on a half a stone!!!! Plus my back, legs and arms are painfull, and I am getting very strange dreams/ Nightmares! But i do now sleep all of the night without waking up!

Hi. I can relate to all what has been said reference Mirt. Before the doc prescribed the drug to me I purchased some new clothes and now due to the weight gain I cant get in them :x I also experienced similar side effects namely aching of the legs,arms etc and it was a pain! Whilst on Mirt I suffered from immense anxiety and this made my day to day life unbearable. I ended up back at my docs again and he has changed my meds now to Citalopram but from reading some of the postings on here this drug is mainly for Anxiety. So is it going to be whatever drug your doc puts you on is going to be a combination of different side effects to deal with so much so that the new drugs they give you pay attention to the new side effects rather than the actual Depression itself. I am particularly worried about these new tablets as I have read some of the postings on here concerning them. I literally just started them this morning! x

I can also relate to others experiences (ie. weight gain). However, being under-weight anyway it hasn't been so much of an issue. I'm constantly hungry and find it impossible to be \"full up\". The mirt has worked wonders for my mood though so i'm reluctant to shift meds at this stage.

Hi guys

I was on 45mg mirtazapine for a year and a half or so (I was supposed to stay on it indefinitely) and put on 2 stone despite dieting and loads of exercise. I have history of anorexia so am well versed in losing weight(!) but couldn't do anything to shift a pound and was finding my weight would inexplicably increase by 4-5lb which just wouldn't go. In the end, despite the mirt lifting the depression which no other med had managed to do, i had to make the decision to come off it. The weight gain was causing eating problems again The weight literally dropped off over the weeks/months after i stopped. Sorry, i know this isn't a particularly positive experience... but if i hadn't experienced such problems with the weight gain, which then brought all the other problems back, i would have stayed on it because, for me, it really was a wonder drug for lifting a depression which nothing else could even touch. I guess it depends how much the weight gain worries you...

Mirtazapine is an anti anorexic drug that boosts appetite  . Do not believe everything a doctor tells you , check it out for yourself ... allways !

Great drug for short term however it should be for short term use. The weight gain and bad cholesterol increase is unacceptable. Also it has profound withdrawal symptoms like benzodiazepines plus the serious side effects associated with this class of atypical antidepressant that chemically resemble the atypical antipsychotics such as olanzapine clozapine etc. mortazapine is for skinny little women who can't eat not for larger people. Great for sleep and somnelance but you are better going to a something like Zoloft and using a bento like diazepam to help sleep. Why wreck your health for unacceptable side effects that make you more depressed. Personally mirt should be banned! For many people. Unacceptable mirtazapine