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Not working

Posted , 5 users are following.

Adior6969
Adior6969

I've been on this particular medicine for going on a wk in a half. The first few days it did great but now I don't feel like the medicine is working. It doesn't make me sleepy like it did at first. I eat a lot still assuming that is one of the side effects. I'm on 15mg do u think I need to give it more time ?

0 likes, 16 replies

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  • betsy0603
    betsy0603 Adior6969

    Posted

    Hi Adior, is this your first med, or were you on one before?

    I went off Effexor and had withdrawal that lasted for 10 months before I reinstated.  I didn't know it was withdrawal, thought I had relapsed.  Before reinstating, I was put on mirtazapine, 7.5 mg to start.  At first I felt better, and was able to sleep, something that had been ruined in withdrawal.  But very quickly I could feel it not working and so I began raising the dose, permitted by my doctor.  At 37.5 mg I was totally apathetic, depressed, and agoraphobic.  I knew going higher wasn't going to work and that's when I reinstated the Effexor.  What i don't know is if it was the Effexor WD preventing it from working, or the fact tht it just wasn't going to work anyway.  Now I am stuck with tapering off of it.

    I have read of other people saying it helped at first but then quit working.  Mirt is supposed to work better as an AD at higher doses, but I've read many saying their anxiety went up at those doses, and I have heard that antidepressants are "activating."

    Mit is supposed to be a shorter acting AD, so if it isn't helping by two weeks, then that dose is not likely to help with more time.  Your choices are to go higher and risk it still not working, but now you have much farther to come off, or go off now and try something else.  This drug is very difficult to come off of and must be tapered, even if you were only on it a short time.

    Since it has been such a short time for you, you could come off taking half for a week and then half every other day and then off, I expect.

  • si675
    si675 Adior6969

    Posted

    Hi Adior,

    A friend of mine told me it took him about 4 weeks for it to start working.  I gave it 5 weeks and then gave up.  It kicked in the second day with me waking to suicidal thoughts and a non stop eating binge.  The longer I stayed on the Mirt the worse everything got. It wasnt the drug for me.  But you do need to give it time to see if it helps you.

  • evergreen
    evergreen Adior6969

    Posted

    Hi Adior. It took a few months for mirtazapine to start helping me sleep. Even though it was hugeky sedating for the first few days, this wore off and I started to feel normally alert. However, gradually I managed to start to sleep better than I had ever slept in my life and this effect lasted for nearly four years for me. The antidepressive effect started almost right away but wore off very quickly within two to three weeks. I upped my dose to 30mg and the depression went away again. I actually slept much better too on 30mg, although this is the opposite to what others have found. I think this med is different for everyone who takes it. If I were you I would go up a dose and see if that helps.
    • Adior6969
      Adior6969 evergreen

      Posted

      Hello thanks for replying back so do u think I should let the meds get in my system a little more n then up the dose? N can I trial it by taking 2 at night ?
    • evergreen
      evergreen Adior6969

      Posted

      I think you should only increase your dose after seeing your GP. I can only say what worked well for me, but any change in dose should go through a doctor. Good luck with it. I think if it worked for you in the first few days then an increase in dose might help you a lot.
    • Adior6969
      Adior6969 evergreen

      Posted

      Hello I have another question as I toss n turn threw the night on the meds I have to pee looks like every 2 to 3 hours is dat normal being on the meds? And I believe the meds is not making me sleepy anymore.
    • evergreen
      evergreen Adior6969

      Posted

      Hi Adior,

      Yes mirtazapine can do that. I was on it for four years and in the last year I had night time frequent urination. Sometimes I was going every few minutes! I didn't put it down to the mirt at the time because I was also found to have chronic kidney disease, so I blamed that. However, since weaning off the mirt (I am now taking just 1,8mg every other day), I have hardly had to get up for a pee during the night. Sometimes it's once but nothing like as often as when on the mirt. So yes, I do think it could be the mirt. Perhaps it isn't suiting you after all.

    • Adior6969
      Adior6969 evergreen

      Posted

      So I know I need to go see a GP but with my issue of all of suddenly getting anxiety when driving and having panic attacks and then being scared of being so high n the sad part is I tried not to think on it still happens n I have never been scared to drive what med can I take to make me feel better n have my life back of not being afraid to go places with less side effects? I want to be normal again
    • evergreen
      evergreen Adior6969

      Posted

      Sounds as though you have mainly anxiety rather than depression. Some antidepressants work better than others against anxiety. Personally, I find mirtazapine to be the best antidepressant I have tried, by far. But I don't think it's the best for anxiety. I think you maybe need some therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, or even some hypnosis. You could talk to your GP about these. He might be able to offer you some short term anti anxiety meds such as diazepam. But these are not a long term solution. I hope that you find something that suits you. Remember most anti depressants take around 4 - 6 weeks to become effective. Mirtazapine is usually much quicker acting than the rest.
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 evergreen

      Posted

      I was just reading about cortisol inhibiting vasopressin, which is a hormone that is an anti-diuretic slows down urine production at night so that we can sleep.  If you are having insomnia and cortisol surges, this could be why the frequent peeing.
    • Adior6969
      Adior6969 betsy0603

      Posted

      Hello thank you for responding so should I hang in there or try something different? I heard that the mirtazapine takes time to get in your system I'm on wk 2.
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 Adior6969

      Posted

      Evergreen said that it took a bit longer than that to start helping, so there's no harm in hanging in there a bit longer.  I find it odd that it isn't helping you sleep any longer; is that still true?  What symptoms are you hoping to address with this med, depression?  Has the anxiety increased since you went on mirt? If so, it may not be the drug for you but you would need to see your doctor.  I have read of people having more anxiety at the higher doses so not sure that is the direction to go if your anxiety is increased at 15 mg. I know when I was on 15 mg I slept like a log, no tossing and turning, so that is a paradoxical reaction to the med, I would say.  Probably cortisol spikes in the night, which would also be associated with anxiety.
    • Adior6969
      Adior6969 betsy0603

      Posted

      I'm on the 15 mg it used for depression and anxiety I would take it around 9pm but I will fall asleep around 11 but no it really doesn't help with sleep for me I can tell my anxiety is calming down tho, which is good I use to always feel nauseous before the meds n it fixed that I use to always have headaches n it fix that so yes it healing my body but just takin it's time i guess but it's taken to help me get back to driving n not being so scared of heights which just came along .
  • david28533
    david28533 Adior6969

    Posted

    You want my opinion? I took the stuff for 8 years, and am on my 3rd attempt at getting off it. It has been hell. If you can fing something else that helps you, get off that mess before it gets it grip on you without helping you. This is just my opinion.
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