Crazygorilla Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) ... Edited November 3, 2015 by Crazygorilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 Mirtazapine was great for my depression. Unfortunately I gained a lot of weight when I was on it and as a result I had to stop taking it which was a pity as it was a great antidepressant.I was already overweight when I was commenced on it, not very overweight though. As soon as I went on it my appetite increased which was considered good as I had been very depressed and stopped eating. Anyway after being on it for 4 months and weighing 30lbs heavier I gave it the boot. A few weeks later I was in the depths of depression again.Sometimes it is hard to win.Everyone is different. Just because I gained weight on it doesn't Mean that you will.Give it a shot and see how it goes.All the best!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadjet Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I have been on Mirtazapine for years now and haven't gained any weight, so the only way you know is to try it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) I agree with wadjet. You will only know if you try.I did gain weight on mirtazapine, but not an ungodly amount. There are methods to avoid weight gain like having a lot of healthy snacks around and taking your dose immediately before you go to sleep to avoid the worst of the munchies.It is very, very sedating at first. I would not recommend taking the med if you have something important to do the next day. It will lay you out for a couple of days. The sedation does go away though. It might take a couple of weeks, but you will adjust to it. I am at the point where I can even take my dose during the day and be fine.It's a good med with a reputation for working fast, and it has few to none withdrawal effects if you have to go off it. It's not like the SSRIs. EDIT: One thing that is nice about mirtazapine is that it doesn't cause apathy or sexual side effects like the SSRIs can. Edited September 21, 2015 by jt07 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Right Honourable Jimmy Posted September 21, 2015 Share Posted September 21, 2015 I'm taking 30mg of it and I haven't gained any weight, however watch your sugar intake because it does increase your sugar levels which can lead to gaining weight. I my self haven't been gaining weight because of my appetite being shite because of my low mood. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazygorilla Posted September 21, 2015 Author Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) ... Edited November 3, 2015 by Crazygorilla 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wadjet Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 You don't have to apologize, you didn't say anything wrong. Besides we are all crazy here. I hope the Mirtazapine works for you. And that is the first time I've used an emoticon thing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fluffypinkbunny Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 My pd gave me Remeron as a sleeper. Works well for that. However, It made me want to eat sugary stuff right after taking it. I gained 15 pounds in three months. Decided to let it go and use something else for sleep.Now, if it had taken care of my depression I would have stayed on it. Everything is trial and error. Give it a try and see how you do with it. Maybe you'll be one of the lucky ones that doesn't gain weight on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowan77 Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Good luck with it!! Hope you respond well and your depression really improves. Take care...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazygorilla Posted September 22, 2015 Author Share Posted September 22, 2015 (edited) ... Edited November 3, 2015 by Crazygorilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heilmania Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Hi Crazygorilla, yes, give it a shot! I took it for a month and a half (at night), and while it did make me hungrier than usual, I didn't gain, as I was super nervous about fitting into my wedding dress and so didn't eat any extra. I guess as long as you are conscious of its ability to make you want to eat the whole world (or whole box of Cheez-its), you may not gain weight. I gained like mad on Abilify, though, and I don't think I ate any more than I had been, so who knows. It sucks jumping from med to med and feeling like a guinea pig waiting for the side effects to kick in, but the alternative is no fun, either.FWIW, the mirtazapine did help with the depression in a big way. I took it when having a super-duper depressive period while I was waiting for my increased Effexor dose to take effect, as it kicks in pretty quickly (like one or two weeks). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apsdecatur Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Crazygorilla - we're in the same boat! My psychopharmacologist prescribed it today for me - 15 mg to add to my venlafaxine 375 mg. I'm more anxious about possible serotonin syndrome than anything else, though my doc says the risk is still pretty low. Still terrified about it though. As a recovered anorexic, you'd think I'd be worried about weight gain, too. But at this point with how terrible I feel, it's the least of my concerns. Heck, I've contemplated which body part I'd be willing to lose if it would make me feel better! Anyway, my doc says the increased appetite can be managed and that weight gain from it isn't universal.Best of luck on the new med! Looks like people say good things about it overall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apsdecatur Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Hi Crazygorilla, yes, give it a shot! I took it for a month and a half (at night), and while it did make me hungrier than usual, I didn't gain, as I was super nervous about fitting into my wedding dress and so didn't eat any extra. I guess as long as you are conscious of its ability to make you want to eat the whole world (or whole box of Cheez-its), you may not gain weight. I gained like mad on Abilify, though, and I don't think I ate any more than I had been, so who knows. It sucks jumping from med to med and feeling like a guinea pig waiting for the side effects to kick in, but the alternative is no fun, either.FWIW, the mirtazapine did help with the depression in a big way. I took it when having a super-duper depressive period while I was waiting for my increased Effexor dose to take effect, as it kicks in pretty quickly (like one or two weeks). Good luck! heilmania, i'm glad to hear the mirtazapine worked well with the effexor for you. I'm on 375 mg of effexor that is just not cutting it for me anymore (after a good 10+ years). As I mentioned to the original poster, my psychopharmacologist added mirtazapine 15 mg. I'm nervous about taking it. What was the drowsy factor the next day? And what dosage were you on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heilmania Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) Apsdecatur, I had increased my Effexor to 375mg, and I was taking 15mg of mirtazapine to bridge the gap between upping the Effexor and seeing it take full effect. I had a problem waking up in the morning while taking it and was actually happy to go off of it and substitute Abilify. I literally had to buy a louder alarm clock (the kind that sound like "rrr rrrr rrrr rrrr", like someone is stealing a car. Or a barge horn.), and I still kept waking up to my fiancé poking me and saying the alarm had been going off for a while. It was so loud I couldn't believe I didn't hear it. I kept waking up with pillow marks all over me from, I guess, just not moving at all while I was asleep.I tried taking it as early as 7:30pm, but it didn't help very much, and it wasn't feasible to take it in the morning or afternoon, as I would have zonked out at my desk. I stuck with it for like a month and a half, thinking the dead sleep would wear off as my body adjusted, but it never did. My psychiatrist was very surprised I was having so much trouble with waking up, though, so I don't know if that's a common experience! Edited September 23, 2015 by heilmania Forgot to specify who I was responding to! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Mirtazapine definitely makes it harder to wake up in the morning, but that is one effect that also seems to go away the longer you are on it. I still require about 9 hours of sleep but I do wake up naturally and refreshed. Earlier I required 11 hours of sleep and would wake up groggy, but as I said, it goes away the longer you are on it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heilmania Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Mirtazapine definitely makes it harder to wake up in the morning, but that is one effect that also seems to go away the longer you are on it. I still require about 9 hours of sleep but I do wake up naturally and refreshed. Earlier I required 11 hours of sleep and would wake up groggy, but as I said, it goes away the longer you are on it.Yes, I tried so hard to stick it out! I figured it was like many other meds I've been on that just take a while for your body to adjust. I'm happy to hear that you are waking up feeling good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Just an example how the sedation goes away for the most part: Last night I took my night meds which include Remeron at around 8:30 (don't ask why so early ... it's because I eat a snack and want to have the worst of the munchies out of the way after that snack). By 10:15 I was sleepy and dosed off. I woke up at 11:30 to take the dog out. I could not go back to sleep. In fact, I did not get to sleep until after 3:00 am. This goes to show that the sedation is now down to a few hours for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazygorilla Posted September 23, 2015 Author Share Posted September 23, 2015 (edited) ... Edited November 3, 2015 by Crazygorilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt07 Posted September 23, 2015 Share Posted September 23, 2015 Makes it harder to wake up??? I've slept for near enough 20 hours???!!! I've woken up a few times but just go straight back to sleep after, I hope it's not the med and my mind just wanted to be nice and let me try and catch up on sleep, I've not been allowed to have, Oh god I feel awful, I need to try and get into the shower and a coffee and hope that helps me come " alive " So I can reply properly...This is why people are advised not to start it if they have something important to do in the following couple of days. It'll get better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts