Took first dose of mirtazapine last night...wondering whether to carry on
Posted , 4 users are following.
I was given mirtazapine by the doctor a few weeks ago for severe depression caused by the sudden death of my husband at a young age last year , however after reading about the horrible side effects I have been scared to start it...until last night ( I had horrific side effects while taking sertraline previously including suicidal thoughts ) anyway After feeling completely desperate with a total of around 4 hrs sleep over 4 nights I resorted to trying the mirtazapine.
It certainly did give me the much needed sleep, I slept solidly for around 6 1/2 hrs which did feel amazing! it would've been longer i think if my daughter hadnt got up at that time.
However, there are a few things that concern me and have left me wondering whether i should take it again....
i could feel the effects of the pill working within just a few minutes of taking it! it was like i had literally been knocked out i think if it wasnt as strong as it is i wouldve been in an extreme panic, but it suppressed that .. i felt almost paralysed , i couldnt move my arms, legs or head without trying so hard to rouse myself and really concentrating and then i could only manage a little. as well as this my left leg kept on twitching quite violently, kicking out , couldnt control it. although
this must have only lasted a very short while before i went fully under and slept .
then on waking this morning my head felt almost manic , my body was weak and i could barely move but my mind was in overdrive , so many thoughts, random disorganised thoughts racing . words just popping into my head but my body just didnt match . is all this normal? i have had this mind racing many times before but not on meds and nowhere near as intrusive .
the exreme fatigue wore off mid afternoon to me feeling ALMOST " normal" , but now i find i am very irritable and snappy and cant stand the sound of my daughter chewing next to me at all , makes me feel rage ! which is new for me.
also, what about alcohol ? i do like a drink , usually a glass of wine in evenings and the thought of having a dry christmas is not great .
i'm thinking of skipping the dose for two nights so i can have some drinks but then what effect will that have on me? so i'm unsure about whether to stop now after one pill while i can easily or carry on and try it for longer . the experience last night with the leg movements and paralysis has frightened me .
i apologise this is so long .I'm just after some input from others who have experience on this medication .
thanks
0 likes, 4 replies
julie30069 Issoma80
Edited
i have been on it for 6 weeks and wish i'd never touched the stuff. it does help you sleep but i don't think it's good quality sleep and you still feel drowsy al, day too. i need togoback to work and can't function like this. i also feel very suicidal. i want off it but GP wants me to increase from 15mg to 30mg. scared to death of withdrawal now too. i don't know what to do? i tried to start tapering off but panicked and went back up to 15mg.
Emis_Moderator julie30069
Posted
Hi julie30069,
We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologise for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.
If you are having these suicidal thoughts then we strongly recommend you speak to someone who may be able to help. The Samaritans offer a safe space where you can talk openly about what you are going through. They can help you explore your options, understand your problems better, or just be there to listen.
Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.
If you are having such thoughts then please do reach out to the team at the Samaritans (or the other people detailed in our leaflet) who will understand what you're going through and will be able to help.
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Patient
Liam36009 Issoma80
Posted
Hi. These start up side effects can happen but usually go away with time so I would stick to the medication. And to answer your question on alcohol you can drink whilst taking Mirtazapine but it can make drowsiness a bit worse but nothing major in my experience. I drink alcohol about once a week though, usually about 5 pints of beer and I also take Mirtazapine before bed straight after drinking. But that's it I don't drink more than once a week.
If I start to drink every day my depression gradually gets worse because alcohol is a strong depressant. Antidepressants and alcohol clash, chemically they are polar opposites so you won't get the full benefits of the Mirtazapine (or any other antidepressant for that matter) if you are a regular drinker. But if you only drink one glass of wine a night then that's not too terrible and probably won't effect the medication that much. It's people who drink a full bottle every night that's scuppering the medication.
joshuapryce1987 Issoma80
Posted
Its okay to take prescribed medications but the problem is over time the body become reliant on medications, so its better to be light on the dosage. Do not settle for less.