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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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  • lorraine52317
    lorraine52317 sem2175

    Posted

    Hi sem

    i do think it's purely down to mirtazipine. I have never been a big person but mirt has made weight gain the norm. I am eating between 1000 to 1100 calories and piling on weight. When I came off mirt for a month, the weight dropped off. I wouldn't stop mirt abruptly as this can make ypu very ill. It seems like this medication would be beneficial for your illness. I would honestly stick with it for a while. I am sure the twitchy left eyebrow looks cute! Wishing you better ♥

  • ian72355
    ian72355 sem2175

    Posted

    When I went on mirtazapine, I put on about a stone eating chocolate as midnight snacks, I realsed this could not go on so instead I tried eating low carb healthy snacks such as rye crispbread or museli.   This worked just as well to stop the so-called "sugar cravings" and I lost that stone I'd put on.   I never put on weight after that! smile
  • evergreen
    evergreen sem2175

    Posted

    The weight gain on mirt is two pronged. It increases your appetite and desire for 'bad things', and it also lowers your metabolism/interferes with the way your body uses enery and stores fat so that you need fewer calories to stay the same weight. It also seems to 'fight back' if you do lose weight, adjusting your system still further making it even harder to diet. I gained a good couple of stone on mirt and lost over a stone whilst still on it. But I noticed I would drop a few pounds and then just stop losing any more and plateau despite eating and exercising the same amount. So I would have to step it up, drop alcohol, exercise more and I'd lose 3 more pounds then plateau, so I'd have to drop even more food and I would lose 3 more pounds and so on. It's a very strange drug indeed. It's as though it has a vision of a new larger you and fights tooth and nail against all your efforts to prevent it. It seems able to make new adjustments to get to it's idea of just how big you should be! I think it has a life of its own this drug.
  • sharon12462
    sharon12462 sem2175

    Posted

    Hi yes it's purely down to mirtazapine. . The only way I could lose weight was cutting carbs altogether ..& it takes time.. it causes cravings. This drug was given to anorexics to make them eat. Iv come off it after putting 2stone on in such little time. It made me ill as I suffer with weight issues..
    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter sharon12462

      Posted

      Oh my god that is so bad!!!!!!!!!!!  I would never have taken them had I been told by my doctor, thats shocking these need to come with a health warning
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      No I wouldn't of either never known anything like it.. I was in tears in the pdr office after 4months of taking it ..I went so down hill & was put on zopiclone bcause my sleep went awful on 30mg . So another drug iv had to WD from.. I have no trust in that pdr now ..
    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter sharon12462

      Posted

      Neither do I.  I was told to go on Mirtz and Venlafaxine, taking Ven in the morning and Mirtz at night.   I was so depressed I wanted to take my life I was referred to the mental health team so I just took the tablets as I was told too never ever being told that I should be aware of the effects.  I wasnt well enough to ask questions. It did help for a few months then i had no recollection of what I had said to people or how I had reacted only when my lovely friends told me did I realise I had broken down in tears i had no idea I had done that !! It scared me so much I decided to take myself off Ven which was pretty bad, had brain zaps and felt totally out of it for around 3 weeks.   Then I decided to tackle Mirtz and i have to say this is far worse than Ven.  I actually dont feel depressed at all apart from the fact Im now fat and never was before.  I dont think the drugs are good at all for you in the long run they may stop you taking your life to start with then they just muck up your brain.  I am absolutely determined to come off of these horrible drugs and hopefully get back to being me as I was 2 years ago, just happy to be alive !!!  Thank you for listening
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      I don't understand why they prescribe them together.. 15mg works on knocking you out.. did you have problems sleeping? There's to many side effects with mirt..eyesight aching limbs carb cravings. List gos on n on. I came off mirt with no tapering didn't find it too bad went onto venlafaxine 8 days later ..they work great with me thankgod .. no problem glad to help .
    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter sharon12462

      Posted

      Thank you so much Sharon I am going to come off them sooner, I have side affects anyway coming off them slowly so what the hell the sooner Im off them the better I have no idea why they just hand out tablets just like that.  Glad you found Ven useful, I have been put off tablets for life now I dont want to take another pill ever again.  Fingers crossed I wont need to and the depression has gone for good.  And even more when I lose the weight Ill be almost unbearably happy!!!
    • sharon12462
      sharon12462 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Arhhh good luck I hope it all works out for you ..I went on the Cambridge diet to lose mine ..I lost 8lb in the 1st week & lost every week..
    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter sharon12462

      Posted

      Wow thats amazing, so jealous.  I will being hitting the gym and 1000 calories a day I cant wait to be my old self again, thank you so much for you help and wishing you loads of luck to, here's to being happy again
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      I'm so sorry for what you have been through.  I know what you mean about the mental effects - memory, concentration, for me poor executive functioning.  Been on the Ven/Mirt combo and trying to taper off but very slowly since I'd been on Ven for 12 years and had a failed attempt to come off the year before.  Ended up on mirt because of that and when it didn't "work," ven was added back.  I was fixed within an hour of taking that ven, so proof that it was withdrawal I was having for 10 months!  Now I'm on two instead of one, but hell bent to get of both as I now see the negative impact that ven had on my life for all those years but didn't see it at the time.

      I'm glad you are getting free of them, WTGB.  You'll get your life back, and there are lots of non-drug ways to deal with strong emotions that led us to the meds to begin with.

    • WantToGetBetter
      WantToGetBetter betsy0603

      Posted

      Wishing you lots of luck coming of both of them.  Hopefully now you are Mirtz coming off of Ven will be easier.  I did Ven first and although there were really weird brain zaps and felt dizzy it only last a few weeks, maybe still being on Mirtz helped with the withdrawal.   You are so right there are far more options than just tablets, I had hypnotherapy and he was amazing would really recommend this.  Keep in touch on here and let us know how your withdrawal goes x
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 WantToGetBetter

      Posted

      Thank you!

      Just did a 0.5 mg cut of mirt the last two nights and wow is it more sedating!  I've heard that mirt is more sedating the lower you go, and it is true!  On 12.5 mg and I am sleeping HARD in the early mornings with vivid dreams.  Felt like I could have kept going this morning for hours more!

      I will take turns tapering each one because when I went off Ven, I developed insomnia, so want the mirt to temper that.  That is one thing:  I've slept very well on the mirt!

    • lynne82155
      lynne82155 betsy0603

      Posted

      It really is amazing isnt it

      I was on 45mg of mirt for 6 years I tapered off earlier this year Im now down to 7.5mg at night and Im getting a terrific sleep.

      I am on sertraline as well though

      But I know what you mean about the vivid dreams,I was sure I was going to see my dead father in the lounge when I got up yesterday mornong

      Take care

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