Mirtazapine and Depression: What Users Say (Page 3)

• kym...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 28, 2023

For Insomnia "Great for sleeping and anxiety, but unfortunately not good if you do not want to experience massive weight gain. I feel it should be mentioned this tablet is also used as an appetite stimulation. Not great as now I'm depressed over my weight gain."

• kay...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 15, 2015

For Depression "I have been on paroxetine 60 mg for seven years now, and in the last five months, I started to have massive anxiety, crying all the time and depressed. I did lose my friend to cancer, and I am finding employment and my relationship with my partner was not going well. My partner became mentally unwell, and that affected me too. I saw my specialist, and he said it sounds like the paroxetine is not working for you anymore, you probably have reached a tolerance to the paroxetine. So my specialist looked on his computer and said let's put you on mirtazapine (AVANZA), and on the third to fourth day, I started to feel better in myself. I am weaning off the paroxetine. It's been two weeks from 60 mg to 40 mg and now two more weeks from 40 mg to 20 mg. Good things take time."

• Nat...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 10, 2018

For Anxiety "I was on mirtazapine for almost 3 months for anxiety. It started off good, it gave me motivation, and I was feeling great every day. After that, it just went downhill. I had never had depression or intrusive thoughts, and the medication was causing them. Withdrawing from it was a nightmare. I would have panic attacks every day and racing thoughts that would torture me. I'm still not myself again 100%. It may help some, but you should be wary that this could happen to you too. I didn't know it would be this bad."

• Sup...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 1, 2019

For Depression "This drug really affected my other half badly. He had depressive episodes and would become extremely agitated to everything, which was very out of character. If you have this side effect, let your doctor know ASAP and get off it immediately. This side effect only gets worse over time as my partner got increasingly irritated over smaller and smaller things and would have full-blown outbursts. We couldn't wait for this side effect to pass (if it even would have) because it was going to cost him his job and potentially our relationship. Absolutely awful."

• Ene...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 11, 2019

For Depression "The mirtazapine was the best antidepressant I used until I started putting weight on, like you wouldn't believe. I used to be stick thin and eat what I wanted and not put any weight on until 2 months into taking this tablet, lowest dose. Which then made me even more depressed. I never thought it was my medication until I looked it up."

• che...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 4, 2021

For Anxiety "I’ve had generally a great experience. My sleep has been 10 times better, including the amazing random dreams I get from it. I have trouble with gaining and keeping weight, and mirtazapine has kept my weight at a healthy, steady weight. I haven’t noticed much about it affecting my anxiety, because I still struggle with it severely, but it definitely has kept the depression out of it."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 11, 2023

For Depression "Being on these for 6 months was going OK. But now just crashed and burned... feeling depressed and not interested in anything. I can't even bring myself to go to work. It helps with sleep, but my mood has gone right down."

• Chr...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 30, 2018

For Insomnia "I have had to deal with MS for more than 25 years. When I have a flare, I have severe insomnia. Years back, I was given Seroquel for the insomnia. I had gotten off of it but had to use it again for a flare with bad insomnia again. It didn't work as well. Then I developed depression from a change in MS drugs and just the disease itself. Doc put me on mirtazapine, and I've only used 7 mg the past 4 nights. It worked amazingly well. Slept 8 plus hours straight each night and didn't use Seroquel at all!!"

• JWi...
• July 6, 2016

For Major Depressive Disorder "Started 7.5 mg of Mirtazapine on June 3rd for anxiety and depression. My episode started in the beginning of May, and I was having good days and bad days. After starting the Mirtazapine, I still feel general sadness and not myself. I had moments of clarity but just wasn't feeling enough effect. After three weeks, I upped my dose to 15 mg. I immediately felt better and like my old self. I was so excited, but that only lasted for a week. The last two days, the depression/sadness has crept back in along with the worrying. I called the doc to see about upping my dosage to 30 mg. She wants me to give it another week and then go back and talk about upping the dosage or trying a different med. I can't do SSRIs, they sent me off the deep edge."

• Bet...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 7, 2018

For Depression "Started mirtazapine at 15 mg. Helped sleeping for about a week as I was only sleeping 1 hour a night for over a month, but then had little effect. Could go to sleep but would wake up after about 3 hours and couldn't get back to sleep. No increase in appetite at all. Increased to 30 mg, but still had bad anxiety and some depression after a few weeks. Then depression started creeping up, so I increased to 45 mg for 1 week, but depression increased to the point I felt like I had no purpose in life. No motivation to even get out of bed. Even brushing my teeth was a huge task. Going to stop cold turkey as I haven't felt this bad ever. Going back to pDoc to try something else. Lifelong anxiety and depression sufferer."

• Har...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 28, 2018

For Insomnia "This is by far the most hideous antidepressant I have ever been on and absolutely horrific to get off! I now have postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), vision issues, neuropathy, worse anxiety, depression, akathisia, weakened immune system. Yeah, it will make you sleep, but the sleep is horrid with hallucinations and nightmares. I now have histamine issues and allergic reactions I never had before this drug. Lost a ton of hair. Have major breathing issues now. And never have felt so agitated in my life! This drug is absolute poison to the mind, body, and soul. Destroyed me and my life. Very debilitated by this drug. In absolute hell every day."

• Der...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 18, 2020

For Depression "I have been on mirtazapine 15 mg for two years now. I tried to up the dose to 30 mg, but my restless legs got too bad, and my stomach became bloated. Now the mirtazapine is not working as well. It puts me to sleep okay, but I am waking up early in the mornings and feeling really depressed and anxious. My doctor wants me to take escitalopram 10 mg with 15 mg mirtazapine. I don't do well on SSRI antidepressants, and I am scared to take both antidepressants together."

• G28...
• February 8, 2018

For Anxiety "First week: drowsiness and hunger, ate loads craving food. The drowsiness made the days difficult to go through. I started my course of meds 2 days before the weekend, and those two days of work were difficult. Everything did settle down, I only got drowsy before bed and had a small increase in appetite than usual. 2-3 weeks: slight increase in suicidal thoughts and a more depressive mood. Although my doctor had discussed this with me, it wasn't fun. After a few months, everything did get better with my overthinking and my anxiety. Worrying all reduced, I feel safer going outside. It's made life better. I've been on meds for almost a year now. My dosage has gone all the way up, and I'm on my way back down currently. I've personally coupled this with CBT therapy. Withdrawal effects for me have been as bad as not sleeping due to accidentally missing doses. Overall, I'd say being persistent with meds for months or years will be good. I'd like to think I'm not ashamed of being on meds, and I know I will get better now."

• ava...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 7, 2021

For Insomnia "It worked for a while on insomnia. The sedation effect calms the racing mind when you go to bed. However, the body gets used to it over time, you might be back to square one while 'hooked' on it. It did nothing for my depression, maybe it made it even a bit worse. It works somewhat on anxiety. I withdrew slowly over some 7 months from mostly 15 mg (peaked at 30 mg). At 30 mg, it made me very dizzy and depressed. Better on 7.5 mg. During the lower part of the tapering and after jumping off, my insomnia got worse, like my hopelessness. I thought I would never be able to sleep again or feel happiness. Today, some 9 months after my last dose, I can sleep through the night, wake up refreshed, and I feel motivated. Feeling great now! There's hope, never give up."

• ava...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• March 7, 2021

For Insomnia "It worked for a while on insomnia. The sedation effect calms the racing mind when you go to bed. However, the body gets used to it over time, you might be back to square one while 'hooked' on it. It did nothing for my depression, maybe it made it even a bit worse. It works somewhat on anxiety. I withdrew slowly over some 7 months from mostly 15 mg (peaked at 30 mg). At 30 mg, it made me very dizzy and depressed. Better on 7.5 mg. During the lower part of the tapering and after jumping off, my insomnia got worse, like my hopelessness. I thought I would never be able to sleep again or feel happiness. Today, some 9 months after my last dose, I can sleep through the night, wake up refreshed, and I feel motivated. Feeling great now! There's hope, never give up."

• Jer...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 31, 2020

"I was on this drug for about 2 months, at 7.5 mg to increase my appetite and make me gain weight. I’m going to stop this drug cold turkey before I have to go back to work. It makes me sleep for 12-14 hours, and when I wake up, I feel extremely groggy, like I’m hung over, for 4+ hours. Then I feel normal, and it’s nighttime, and I have to take it again and go back to bed. As for weight gain, I started eating LESS when I took this. I was very motivated and getting a lot of stuff done, and once I started taking this, I was lazy, tired, and unmotivated."

• Vip...
• July 5, 2017

For Insomnia "My GP prescribed this drug to me to help me sleep as I have borderline personality disorder and OCD. I was to take 1 tablet a couple of hours before bedtime; I did just that. Within an hour, I started to feel slightly paralyzed and severely slow, like a sloth. By two hours, I wasn't able to properly hold a sentence without slurring. I went to bed and felt like I fell asleep instantly. The next morning, on the school run, I was completely unable to get up. My child stayed home and watched TV next to me whilst I slept until 12 pm. I awoke feeling severely slow and like I had severe depression. The effects lasted until the next morning. Anyhow, I took half a tablet a week later, and the same effects were there but not as severe. PLEASE BE CAREFUL."

• Don...
• January 1, 2022

For Depression "I started taking mirtazapine 15 mg by Apotex Corp., about 7 months ago, and it’s just working great for me. I had lost weight, and it has helped me gain it back. I couldn’t sleep, was irritable, nervous, and depressed all the time, and this has made me more happy and feeling better. I was taking Xanax 1 mg, 3 times a day, Ambien at night, which wasn’t working. Now I’m off those meds, so glad this worked for me. If this helps anyone, 3 weeks ago I had my thyroid medicines renewed. They gave me Euthyrox brand, sold by Walmart, and I’ve been having vertigo and other problems. I called the pharmacy, and they are giving me my regular brand. I googled this, and it has a lot of side effects, so beware of meds."

• CAL...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• May 18, 2017

For Depression "Starting a new college last year, I became very depressed, strongly related to a sudden onset of chronic insomnia since I couldn't sleep in my new bed at school. I took mirtazapine to alleviate both conditions. It definitely helped my insomnia initially, but then its sedating effects wore off within weeks. It probably made me less depressed because I didn't have as much insomnia, but it also certainly made me emotionally numb and extremely groggy for the past few months. I regret taking it for more than a couple of weeks. This should be a short-term drug for insomnia, not a long-term drug for depression. Tapering off after only 4 months on 30mg has been very difficult; 3 months later, I'm now on 2mg and getting off it in a week. Short term only."

• Gar...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• August 15, 2021

For Depression "I was on these tablets for 1 year. I put over 2 stone on in weight, my anxiety and depression were off the scale. I began to self-harm and even became abusive! I soon realized these tablets were not for me, and gradually I weaned myself off them! Nearly one month on, I've stopped self-harming, and I've lost over a stone in weight, and for the first time, I think I’m on the mend. I would not recommend these, and for a short time, I thought I was going crazy. For me, these were nasty."

• Ian...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 23, 2020

For Depression "Mirtazapine 30 mg and (after a month) 45 mg before bedtime initially made me sleep very well, at least 9 hours uninterrupted, and it also reduced daytime anxiety levels. However, its effectiveness in these effects diminished after about 50 days. Like most other antidepressants, it made me emotionally flat. Unfortunately, so far it has been totally ineffective for reducing my depression. I am just as depressed and full of hopelessness as before."

• Lil...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 6, 2019

For Depression "I was prescribed initially 15 mg, then 30 mg for depression and anxiety, which were a result, let's say, due to difficult life circumstances. I can say it is definitely helpful, however, you have to pay a certain price for improvement. What I experienced at the beginning: huge appetite, being sleepy and withdrawn, problems with attention and concentration (which seems quite obvious), also dry mouth and feeling constantly thirsty. However, later, the monstrous appetite became quite normal, I'm not that sleepy. Certain minor physical symptoms (dry mouth and increased thirst) remained. What concerns me is a sort of confusion about myself. Sometimes I find it hard to define what I'm feeling or how I am (physically). I would like to stop taking this medication, but I need a doctor's advice first."

• Tyl...
• March 7, 2017

For Major Depressive Disorder "I have been taking mirtazapine for a little less than 2 months for my Major Depressive Disorder, insomnia, underweight, and have already noticed an improvement with my depression and insomnia, and have been steadily gaining much-needed weight. However, the side effects of this drug are not to be underestimated. I personally have suffered the following side effects: exfoliative dermatitis, odd dreams, dry mouth, nausea, eye pain, and at some points worsened depression. Aside from my negative experience with its side effects, I'm relatively pleased with the effectiveness of this antidepressant."

• She...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• May 10, 2018

For Depression "After suffering from anxiety, sleep problems, and depression for a prolonged period, my GP prescribed me Mirtazapine 15 mg initially and then onto 30 mg for the past 2 years. I can say that as soon as the dosage was upped to 30 mg, I found sleeping issues were gone fairly quickly. However, I don't feel as though the issues with anxiety and depression have been helped any from taking the pills. I still feel extremely anxious at times, so much so that I feel afraid to attempt things. And as far as the depression and mood control are concerned, I still feel angry a lot of the time, mostly internalized and kept to myself. Or I can be sitting watching TV and find myself welling up and crying at everything. So, needless to say, I am not feeling the benefits that others have. I do have the weight-gain issues others have mentioned and have gained almost 4 stone over the time I have been on them."

• mut...
• March 12, 2013

For Depression "During the early weeks, insomnia was a problem, and Dr. was okay with me splitting the 30 mg into 15 mg in the morning and 15 mg in the evening. Weight gain is my big problem (up 2 sizes). This worried me, so even though this medicine made me feel so much better, I tried to switch to Pristiq-BAD move, anxiety went through the roof. Back onto mirtazapine and after 6 months dropped to 15 mg daily. I felt heaps better, and after 6 more months quit again in order to get rid of the weight. Another BAD move. Sure, I lost a few kilos and felt okay for 3 months until the original old stressor loomed, and now here I am starting up again. 2 wks at 15 mg daily, then 2 wks at 30 mg. I'm not feeling any benefit yet, very depressed and anxious, though getting more sleep."