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Mirtazapine, weight gain regardless of diet

Posted , 15 users are following.

sem2175
sem2175

I was told about the risk of weight gain but told it was more to do with increased appetite than fat binding, etc and that as long as I watched what I consumed I'd be fine.  Roll on six weeks and I have surgery and after a further six weeks I feel enormous but put it down to swelling and post-op "taking it easy".  Decide to take control and join weightwatchers to find I'd put on over two stone and am the heaviest I've ever been.  One week in with little effort I lose 9lb but three weeks in I've regained 2lb and feel huge again.  Only difference, other than increasing my exercise, was that I'd ran out of mirtazapine 30mg five days before the 9lb loss as my repeat prescription failed to materialise and I started again the day after.  Can weight loss and gain be that rapid be purely down to the mirtazapine?  Having a history of bulimia I am tempted instead to ditch the pills, lose the weight and take the chance that withdrawals are not too catastrophic.  Certainly won't miss the twitchy left eyebrow either!

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  • suzannah28542
    suzannah28542 sem2175

    Posted

    Hi sem

    Yes mirtazapine is notorious for weight gain

    I was barely eating and put on 2 stone I've always been skinny have a small build and I'm short lol.

    Speak to your doc

    Since decreasing from 45 to 30 in 3 weeks I've lost a stone and have been eating more!

    Hope this helps

    S x

  • WantToGetBetter
    WantToGetBetter sem2175

    Posted

    Hi Suzannah & Sem2175

    I too have gained so much weight its really upsetting me to the point I feel even more depressed than when I first started the stupid tablets.  I have gone from 45mg to 15mg and have noticed not difference in my weight loss at all.  Does anyone else know when the weight will start to drop off??  I feel so sad and fat and ugly that I want to just stop taking them altogether but after reading the blogs on here I realise that could be really dangerous to my health and as I need to keep working I dont wany any time off being ill because of it.   So if anyone out there can give me hope that the weight will go that would be good  and at what mg does it start to go?

    Thanks so much

    • suzannah28542
      suzannah28542 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      I only lost weight during withdrawal so i might put it back on yet

      Generally from what I've read all the weight goes once you're completely off of them

      But if your depression is still a problem i would speak to your doc about a change

      S x

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter suzannah28542

      Posted

      Hi Suzzannah,

      I am only depressed about being so fat I cant fit in any clothes and I dont want to look in the mirror I know I will feel so much better once this weight has gone, just wish I could go from 15mg to nothing as soon as but at the moment I am tapering every 2 weeks.   Roll on the weight loss!!  Thanks for your reply

    • evergreen
      evergreen WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      I'm afraid it is quite a low dosage before you notice a difference. My appetite dropped after I got down to 5mg but I hardly lost any weight until I was completely off it. Also it turned out I was hyperthyroid and so I dropped weight like a stone. Much more than I had gained on the mirt. Just take the taper really steady. I made up my own liquid and tapered by 0.1mg at a time for the last little bit. I had virtually no WD symptoms.
    • neuron
      neuron WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Welll.... I've been on them for 4 weeks at 15mg and two weeks on 30mg and I gotta say I haven't been eating too much coz of the anxiety. Andddd, I've lost weight! Half to a full stone I thinks.

      Not really sure what to say about them really after that. Not sure they sort the anxiety out properly either. However I am I right in saying I gotta wait at least three months for them to really kick ass?

  • lynne82155
    lynne82155 sem2175

    Posted

    I put 3 stone on with mirtazapine I was on it for 6 years.

    Consult your doctor before messing with medication.

    Stay Strongredface

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter lynne82155

      Posted

      Thank you Lynne, its awful isnt it, I wasnt was told about the weight gain when I was first prescribed the drug and to be honest I was so depressed and suicidal that I would have taken rat poision if they had said it would make me better lol!!! I have spoken to the doctor and she was happy for me to come off of Mirtz I just wish I could do is quicker then I could shift this weight!!  Thank you for your response
    • suzannah28542
      suzannah28542 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Im right with you in your lack of patience and wanting off ASAP

      But we can't make ourselves ill in the mean time

      Some people come off fine others struggle

      I did quite a big drop from 45 to 30 but i paid for it still don't feel right now

      Im still heavier than I've ever been but i have no interest in men atm and find it quite liberating not trying to impress anyone

      Its who we are on the inside that counts

      You will get there

      S x

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter suzannah28542

      Posted

      Im also with you and not looking for a man but I would like to find one before I get so fat I can no longer count how many chins I have!!  When you say you still dont feel right now, what sort of symptoms are you getting? I have bad headaches, feel like I cant consentrate and very forgetful.  It was really frightening actually as I told my friend a story and an hour later I called her back up and told her the same one, It made me really upset I thought Oh my god have I lost my mind!!!  I also have really bad blurred vision and have to keep blinking to refocus have you had that too?  I know I shouldnt just come off them but I have had these symptoms by coming down by 5mg each time so how much worse can it get ?  Would love to hear back from you thanks
    • suzannah28542
      suzannah28542 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Yep all of that. My eyes were constantly trying to adjust for the light like i was in a dark room and stepped out into the light. Sun glasses help.

      Lol chins!, mines the muffin top looks awful I still got skinny legs and ankles got allnthe fat on my ars thighs and stomach. I wanted it to go to my boobs wink

      Still get headaches but not painful as such just lots of pressure and foggy.

      Hip/back pain and stomach pain is what's the worst for me

      And still getva little anxiety in the mornings which I've never had before mirt

      Dont get me wrong served me well for 3 years but i think I got lazy and used them to mask my problems. I wish now I'd got off them when i was feeling better

      Don't have problems anymore (I kicked him out! ,) wink

      I think we think the same withdrawal is awful whatever the drop but then again we could've been lucky because we only did a little drop?

      This is where we must trust others on this forum that have been there and done it?

      But even they say everyone's different

      Tough one that

      S x

    • suzannah28542
      suzannah28542

      Posted

      I also had 4 days of laying in bed with constant panic attacks

      Did you get that because compared to you i did a big drop 33%

      Thought would be a way of gaging it

      S x

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter suzannah28542

      Posted

      Good for you and Im glad kicking him out has made you feel better, my relationship break down is what made me very depressed never  known sadness like it, but luckily he has moved away and I will never see his face ever again, this has given me my life back thus able to get off these tablets.  I too have a muffin top never had one before and not sure i want to keep it!   I am currently on 7.5 and have been on this for a week, yesterday I felt absolutely exhausted it felt like I was pregnant again horrible and today I feel really foggy in my head and not great.   I really want to stop them altogether this Saturday and the way I see it as I have been coming down slowly and still get blurred vision, headaches and exhaustion so why not just get it over and done with, so Saturday is my last day on these tablets, scared that but Im hoping that once the WD symptoms have stopped I can get rid of this FAT and start to be me again.  Was lovely hearing from you.  Did you say you are off Mirtz now too?
    • suzannah28542
      suzannah28542 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Hey

      Nice to hear from you too smile

      No i still haven't made it any further i still have nasty withdrawals started at 2 weeks lasted a week then felt a bit manic then at 4 weeks i got the terrible nausea and I'm still suffering now

      But don't let me scare you even my own doc says I'm an exception and thinks my illness is to do with mirtazapine tolerance so has now asked mental health to advise as I'm so sensitive to everything

      But you sound like you're doing great

      I'd wait another week if i was you to see how you settle like i said acute withdrawal didn't start until week 2

      How are you feeling otherwise? Is your mood still the same?

      S x

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter suzannah28542

      Posted

      Hi, that does sound bad and are you still nauseous now, are you still on 30mg?  I dont feel normal, I have headaches and I dont feel all there in myself, more foggy and tired and slightly panicky but I no longer feel depressed or unhappy thats why Im so determined to get off of them as I know in myself I am back to being me again and I havent felt like that for nearly 2 years!!  My sister keeps telling me off for coming off them so quickly and I do listen to her but the summer is coming up and I cant fit into any of my clothes and I dont want to buy any more, I liked my old clothes!!  My WD side affects tend to happen after the 4th day and lasts about 3 days and then I feel normal again.  On Saturday Im going from 7.5 to 0 so not so sure how I will feel I will let you know fingers crossed its not too horriic!!   Wishing you loads of luck finding something else that will help you and hopefully they will find you something with very little side effects too xx
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