Sert and Mirt combination
Posted , 3 users are following.
i have been on 200mg Sertraline in morning and 22.5mg of Mirtazapine for about 4 months now. Feeling better but still not normal. 30mg Mirt was too activating and 15mg was not enough serotonin effect. Trying to persevere with 22.5mg. GP, NHS Psych and Private Psych are none the wiser and just seem to agree with every dose change i have suggested in the past. Just want to feel normal again rather than fluctuating between too low or too high.
0 likes, 7 replies
missM SerotoninSurfer
Edited
Hi there
Stay on the Sertraline and get off the Mirtazapine ASAP! Try another drug !
I have a diagnosis of bi polar Ptsd and Bpd.
So over the years I've experienced many different medications and management. I am 42 this year and was diagnosed at 27.
I started this drug years ago as it was the only medication that made me sleep and released me from crippling Anxiety, terrible dreams of past traumatic events and my sensitivity to everything!! The sleep was amazing the anxiety gone, it was a miracle, a lifesaver!!
But then the weight gain (theres only so much exercise one can do) which can lead to further health problems..
But now I'm tapering off 15 to 7.5 etc.
My sleep is horrible, my jaw is clenched, my back aches, restless legs, hypomania, disassociation, irritation, jumpy and depressed for hours or days etc.
A horrible drug and a miracle drug!!
SerotoninSurfer missM
Posted
Hi MissM, thanks so much for your reply. Although its made me somewhat better, the weight gain and the impact its had on my digestion is too much to take as you said. I'm looking to taper off and will take it slowly. Good luck to you too. I was on Sertraline 200mg for 20 years and it was brillaint and the stopped working overnight.
Gareth51625 SerotoninSurfer
Edited
I've been on mirt since late 2018 mostly because of terrible insomnia that came out of the blue and this resulted in me being depressed because of it. My GP didn't want to prescribe sleeping pills longer than a week but to be honest mirt is a sleeping pill because if I stop taking it my insomnia comes back with a vengeance after 2 nights of not taking it. That shows my brain is reliant on it to sleep after being on it for a long time. But anyway the first month on mirt I had a crazy appetite, this however returned to normal thereafter but despite eating normally I've put on close to 4 stone and just can't shift it and that's despite walking a lot. I'm sure this weight gain started to affect my blood pressure as well which I never had issues with before taking mirt. So now I'm on ramipril for that.
In early Autumn I'm going to try and taper off the mirt. I've heard doing it when the nights start drawing in can be beneficial to helping in the sleep department. Whereas doing it soon from now in March wouldn't be as the days are lengthening. Reading other people's struggles with getting off this drug fills me with some dread as it effects so many brain receptors compared to other AD's but I'm going to give it a good go. I want to see this belly disappear to what it used to look like and ditch the high blood pressure tablets.
SerotoninSurfer Gareth51625
Edited
Hi Gareth, sorry to hear your troubles with weight gain and blood pressure. Mirt is very good for sleep which is why it's so hard to taper off. There is a really good Facebook group for Mirt if you're not on already. Guys on there recommend 10% taper at time and gives you instructions on mixing suspension for tablet break down to facilitate this. I bought some syringes and mortar bowls on amazon to do this when the time comes. At the moment i'm on 22.5mg and just split the tablet. i do a lot of exercise and eat really healthily but still only manage to maintain my weight and rarely lose weight. It has wrecked my digestion and i have loose bowels every day. I've even developed Lactose intolerance due to Mirt as they're heavily lactose based. The stuff works brilliant for sleep and mood but it's multiple receptor bombardment and negative effects on me outweigh the benefits for sure. Feel free to DM if you ever want to chat.
Gareth51625 SerotoninSurfer
Posted
Hi Serotonin and thanks. Just want to say the lactose intolerance is interesting because after about 18 months of being on the mirt I began to get terrible stomach pains after drinking milk. Not every time but quite often so now that you mentioned it it's got me wondering about the intolerance thing as I never had this issue prior to being on this med.
SerotoninSurfer Gareth51625
Edited
I've been on Mirt for about 2.5 years and i've switched to Arla Lactose free milk. I get bad reaction if i eat milk chocolate or most dairy products now. I take lactase tablets and they seem to help. However, ive had diarreah for the whole time ive been on Mirt. i can't remember the last time i did a normal poo. I would sometimee get loose stools from time with Sertraline but not every day like i do with Mirtazapine. I've dropped down from 22.5mg to 15mg on Friday night and going to try and stick on that dose and stabalise before trying to reduce further.
Gareth51625 SerotoninSurfer
Posted
Good luck. Personally I've not had the diarrhea issues on the mirt. Just the issues with weight gain, it's associated elevated blood pressure and possible lactose intolerance. But as you say though a good drug for mood, anxiety & sleep. Sometimes too good as even after being on it for a while I can easily sleep 10 hours on it if I've not got to be anywhere and I'm still a bit drowsy after getting up, on a few occasions I've even slept through multiple set phone alarms.