Mirtazapine and weight gain?

I started taking Mirtazapine in October for BPD, and am already coming off it. I can't be sure if it helped my mood or not, but 30mg each night made me gain a stone in a month! I was a size 8 and now I just feel very self conscious. Haven't lost any weight yet but hopefully once it's out my system it'll disappear. I miss the good nights sleeps though!!

Yes, you are correct. If you eat healthy and within reason most likely you will not gain weight. HOWEVER, I have eaten healthy and within reason my entire life. I was probably even a little obsessed with staying slender. This medication gave me a voracious appetite!!! I wanted sweets all the time. I could not get enough!! In two years, I went from 140lbs to 220lbs (5'8"). That absolutely is not an exaggeration. It was as if I had no control. I got off of it 6 months ago and I've lost 30lbs. I don't really have the cravings for carbs and sugar anymore but now my metabolism is shot.

I know my experience is somewhat unusual because of how much weight I gained but it happened. I guess what I'm saying is, my self control was virtually non-existent on this medication.

Mirtazapine puts weight on. I’ve been on it 15 years. The first two weeks of onset I immediately started to look pregnant. It may not everyone but I’d say most folk WILL put weight on. I fasted for two weeks. My weight did not change. I think it upsets the metabolism/system. Eating more may contribute to weight gain, but that’s secondary. I went from a size 10/12 to an 18 at full dose. A small frame but I’m tall. It’s taken a long time to lose weight, it’s a slow process. I’ve weaned to a very low dose now 3mg’s. I’ve lost 10 kilos. My tummy is still quite big but I’m trusting in stopping this drug, I’ll return to my normal weight.

"Metabolic
Very common (10% or more): Increased appetite (up to 17%), weight gain (up to 12%)"

Unfortunately, almost ALL psychotropic medications have the potential to cause metabolic changes in the way you process food and in fat storage mechanisms. Diet and exercise do not affect this.
Some antidepressants are considered "weight neutral" as they can cause an increase OR a decrease in weight. If your weight gain is medically significant you should discuss switching to one of these medications with your doctor.

Hope my answer helps, I was put on mirtazapine 2 months ago, I’ve ate healthy my whole life and still ate healthy even when my appetite increased, but in these 2 months from being on mirtazapine I’ve put on 2 stone! Been told that’s it’s virtually impossible to lose weight whilst on this medication so I’ve now got to see a doctor about orlostat. Weight gain is the most common side effect of this medication in the uk. Hope this helps.

I've been on Mirtazapine for almost 4 months and in the first 6 weeks I gained 20 lbs. My diet barely changed at all during that time. I kept craving sugar but since I had blood sugar issues before the medication I just ate fruit when I craved sugar.
I'm still putting on weight, but not anywhere near as fast as I was in the begining. I tried bringing it up to my doctor but all he did was ask if I was pregnant (I'm not) and tell me he wanted to wait some more before changing my medication again.
Now if it actually helped my depression I wouldn't mind the weight gain, but it doesn't. It doesn't make me straight up suicidal or aggressive like the other anti-depressants I've tried have, but it's not doing anything but making me pudgy. I was 125 when I started the medication. I'm 160 now.

I was prescribed Mirtazapine 3 yrs ago when I got sober. I was prescribed it for sleep. I did not feel the grogginess and lethargy that others are describing but it did help me sleep. Three years later, I am 80lbs heavier!! Yes, I was newly sober and eating sugar like it was going out of style but 80lbs is crazy!! I had done a bit of research on my meds and found that mirtazapine could cause weight gain. To my surprise, my doctor informed me on Friday that they give mirtazapine to the elderly to increase their appetite and induce weight gain. Wth?? Like many others have mentioned it has completely changed my body weight composition. I used to have a nice bottom and a tiny waist but now I have an enormous waist. I'm very frustrated and needless to say, I am being weaned off of it. I will update everyone on my progress if there is any.

I'm glad this site is here!

I was on 7.5 mirtazapine twice daily. It made me want to eat the refrigerator. It is considered to cause more weight gain than any other antidepressant. I gained at least 10 lbs in no time. It also made me extremely lethargic. Some people like it because it is not suppose to affect libido. I felt extremely tired . I currently just went up from 25mg to 50mg of Zoloft for OCD. 25mg was not doing the job.

I currently take mirtazapine. Within a year I went from a toned 130 lbs to almost 170, with a large percentage of fat going to my stomach. I have rolls of fat in places I didn't think you could get fat. Yes, you will gain weight !!! Its known to do that. Doctors still don't understand why. My doc wants to switch me to another med, as the extra weight gain is becoming as unhealthy (or worse) than the illness I take it for. Mirtazapine is a great drug if you can afford an extra 30+ lbs

I've gained over 100 lbs on this medication in less than a year, TWICE. The only way I was able to make it stop was a plant based diet & high dosages of potent stimulants. This time I have only lost 7 lbs since early August (its almost Nov) and I have to stop the stimulants because there's something wrong with my heart or lungs. I've got shortness of breath, fatigue & chest pain with only mild exercise. I can't burn any calories at all at the moment. I've also got hypothyroidism, hypertension and high cholesterol. When I get below 30mg though I get sick with withdrawal and can't sleep, yet it makes me manic because it's an antidepressant.
For now I stay fat. I'll probably have to check into the hospital when it comes time to really detox off it & there's no more pills yet. In 3 yrs I haven't won this battle. It's probably a lost cause for me. I can't stand puking and having intestinal distress.

I’ve been on 15mg for 4 weeks and put on 12 pounds right away. I am constantly eating any carbs put in front of me. I couldn’t button my pants anymore and started feeling depressed from the weight gain so I stopped. After two days, my carb cravings went back to normal and I wasn’t even hungry (which is my normal).
Went back to the doc today and she says she is going to up my dose to 30mg. She says the higher dose actually lowers the sedative effects and the appetite stimulant (which seems counterintuitive but she went to med school, I did not). I’m going to try this for 3 weeks and then I’ll see her again to report back my findings.

I do have to say that it has had the best impact on my sleep problems and anxiety than anything else. I did have vivid dreams but didn’t wake up groggy. I was able to lower my Xanax from 4 times a day to 3. Also, I take about 30 minutes before I want to go to sleep and once I hit the pillow I’m out.

I was started on mirtazapine. I am wondering how long you were on the medication when the increased appetite started? Did it take 1 dose and you noticed your appetite increase or did it take longer like a week or month?