Mirtazapine and Depression: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Anonymous
• December 16, 2022

For Insomnia "Be careful with the mirtazapine dosage. 15 milligrams made me feel good for a few weeks, then I felt that it wasn't there; I wanted more and doubled the dose. As a result, I cannot sleep anymore, got insomnia and depression. Later, I learned that if you want more results from this stuff, you have to reduce the dose. In addition, withdrawal syndrome is difficult. It will pass; otherwise, suicidal thoughts are severe."

• Gro...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 16, 2017

For Insomnia "I was given 30 mg to help with my insomnia. And after hallucinating and heart palpitating all night, I was so zombied out all day long I can't function properly. I'm gonna lose my job over this medication. I have to discontinue. I feel detached from my mind and body. My doctor said lowering the dose will cause more sedation. Any advice?"

• Tri...
• December 1, 2018

For Depression "I was given mirtazapine after unsuccessfully taking sertraline and citalopram, as they had side effects. I have health anxiety, not depression! I was finding it hard to sleep. However, I have congenital nystagmus, and it has really messed with my head. My vision is so bad now. I have been tolerating it for 5 weeks at 15 mg, so I cut down to 7.5 for a week and now on 3.75 for a week due to side effects. I felt so much worse, it gave me depression!!"

• Anonymous
• September 15, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I started taking mirtazapine about 5 months ago, beginning with 7.5 mg and eventually 30 mg. My doctor prescribed this as I had MDD, which caused severe unintentional weight loss of 25 lbs and insomnia. The most positive benefit I felt from this medication was that it actually gave me the desire to eat again. My doctor instructed me to take it before bed, which I initially tried, but I am used to taking medications like Ambien right before getting into bed because of how quickly they take effect. However, mirtazapine has never caused drowsiness for me. I think it helped me fall asleep easier for a while, but it never directly caused drowsiness. Mirtazapine was most beneficial to me when I learned to take it in the early evening rather than at night, so I had a few hours to eat before getting ready for bed. Mirtazapine no longer worked after a few months. I noticed that it made me very antisocial and apathetic. It definitely impacted my relationships. Some positive and some negative results."

• Bra...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• July 27, 2019

For Depression "I was having audio and visual hallucinations, suffering from severe depression and problems sleeping. I have hypoxic brain injury, which is the main cause of my depression. It has helped me a little with my sleep patterns."

• Ema...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• October 27, 2017

For Insomnia "Struggling with insomnia caused by severe MDD, this stuff puts you to sleep like no other. BUT, I gained 30 lbs!!! It made me even more depressed. If you have the same problem, I suggest you talk to your doctor. Hope this helped!"

• Ray...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2022

Mirtazapine "I complained of inability to sleep and the feeling of being stressed out all the time to my doctor. Remeron 7.5 mg was prescribed. I took Remeron at 8 pm before I went to bed. Two hours after taking Remeron, I had the feeling that my bladder was about to explode. I went to the bathroom, and to my surprise, I could not pass my urine. I knew I had to urinate, so I waited, and only trickles of urine came out. I drank some water and went back to bed. All night long, I had to go to the bathroom, and every time, only a few drops of urine came out. At 7 am, to my greatest relief, I was able to urinate, but the feeling of fullness in my bladder persisted. For the next 4 hours, I was able to pass my urine, and the feeling that my bladder was fully emptied came back. Aside from this, I was feeling down and depressed and did not want to do anything but sleep all day. I did not take the Remeron again. I think it did more harm to my body than solve my problem. I hope my experience will guide others and make them aware."

• Ray...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 4, 2022

Mirtazapine "I complained of inability to sleep and the feeling of being stressed out all the time to my doctor. Remeron 7.5 mg was prescribed. I took Remeron at 8 pm before I went to bed. Two hours after taking Remeron, I had the feeling that my bladder was about to explode. I went to the bathroom, and to my surprise, I could not pass my urine. I knew I had to urinate, so I waited, and only trickles of urine came out. I drank some water and went back to bed. All night long, I had to go to the bathroom, and every time, only a few drops of urine came out. At 7 am, to my greatest relief, I was able to urinate, but the feeling of fullness in my bladder persisted. For the next 4 hours, I was able to pass my urine, and the feeling that my bladder was fully emptied came back. Aside from this, I was feeling down and depressed and did not want to do anything but sleep all day. I did not take the Remeron again. I think it did more harm to my body than solve my problem. I hope my experience will guide others and make them aware."

• Mem...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• March 12, 2022

For Anxiety "This drug initially saved me. I had fallen into a deep hole of anxiety, panic, depression with insomnia. With only 15 mg, I truly felt like myself again. After a year on it, I felt great, so I tapered off. Sadly, after 2 weeks off it, I experienced withdrawal/relapse. All the symptoms that made me go on it in the first place came back. But I don’t want to stay on any drug long term, so I will power through and continue with CBT and exercise. Bottom line: this drug works. But be prepared to have a difficult time coming off it. So if you don’t want to stay on a drug long term, I wouldn’t recommend."

• Tyl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2021

For Anxiety "Was prescribed this for GAD and PDD. Dosage was 15 mg before bed. Took my first pill at night, and about 15 minutes later, felt extremely heavy and weak. Felt as if I was severely stoned. Laid in bed and was extremely restless. My legs could not get into a comfortable position. I feel as though every crumb in my bed was a boulder. Finally managed to fall asleep and woke up feeling like a zombie. I knew I would be groggy the next day, but nothing could prepare me for this. I felt as if I was still in a dream. Took everything out of me to get out of bed. I switched to tea 2 months ago because coffee was giving me anxiety, and I had to have 2 coffees this morning to feel 'normal.' I went about my day exactly like a zombie, having no motivation or energy. I struggle now with energy and can't understand why my psych would give me this. All I wanted to do all day was sleep and wake up feeling myself again. That evening, I had severe depression and really dark thoughts due to the way I felt."

• Tyl...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 24, 2021

For Anxiety "Was prescribed this for GAD and PDD. Dosage was 15 mg before bed. Took my first pill at night, and about 15 minutes later, felt extremely heavy and weak. Felt as if I was severely stoned. Laid in bed and was extremely restless. My legs could not get into a comfortable position. I feel as though every crumb in my bed was a boulder. Finally managed to fall asleep and woke up feeling like a zombie. I knew I would be groggy the next day, but nothing could prepare me for this. I felt as if I was still in a dream. Took everything out of me to get out of bed. I switched to tea 2 months ago because coffee was giving me anxiety, and I had to have 2 coffees this morning to feel 'normal.' I went about my day exactly like a zombie, having no motivation or energy. I struggle now with energy and can't understand why my psych would give me this. All I wanted to do all day was sleep and wake up feeling myself again. That evening, I had severe depression and really dark thoughts due to the way I felt."

• pic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 30, 2022

For Depression "I've been on mirtazapine for about 4 months now, and I take 22.5 mg nightly to treat my severe depression, PTSD, and severe anxiety disorder. I've been on a lot of antidepressants over the years, more particularly SSRIs and SNRIs, all of which either made things worse, stopped working, or had horrible side effects. Mirtazapine has worked incredibly well for me, and I’m doing better than I have in a long time. But to reach this point, I also had the assistance of steady therapy and attendance at a partial hospitalized therapy program. Mirtazapine seems to pair very well with therapy. I will say in addition to reducing my anxiety significantly, it has also reduced my ability to get excited or nervous for things that I think I should be. This may be a case of emotional blunting, but I do find myself able to still belly laugh and enjoy myself. I recommend mirtazapine if other meds haven’t worked, but it also seems to have cut off the extremes (good or bad) in my range of emotions."

• Lor...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 22, 2022

For Anxiety "I absolutely want to stress the fact that every drug works differently from one person to another. I went on mirtazapine 15 mg last November for anxiety and depression. During the first week on the drug, I felt more depressed, but after around 12-15 days, I started to feel better: good night sleeps, more appetite, more energy, etc., but nothing exceptional. I mean, I was 50% better than before. After 4 months, I started to feel anxious again, and I need to take Rivotril to function. I think I need to go to the doctor to adjust the dosage or change medication."

• ewh...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 20, 2017

For Depression "Very sedating at first, but I noticed my mood brighten within a few days. I started waking up feeling better - more rested (as I had previously had trouble with insomnia) and more cheerful (the sound of birds is now pleasant and I notice the sunshine more). I still get some depressed moods and occasional drowsiness in the daytime, but it has helped a lot."

• Frp...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 20, 2021

For Depression "I was taking fluoxetine for a year with no results, was still depressed and erratic. Upped dosage from 20 mg to 60 mg with no results. I was swapped to mirtazapine and have been taking 30 mg for almost 10 months, and it hasn’t helped either. I am 20 years old, about to turn 21. I’m unsure of my proper diagnosis, but I have been seeing a psychologist since I was 15 years old and have been seeing a clinical psychologist for the duration of my mirtazapine prescription. I believe it would be something along the lines of a severe depressive disorder. Mirtazapine helps me sleep, and I am no longer erratic, but my mood is still horrible every day. I have no motivation for anything, I don’t have a social life, and I live mostly every day in a constant state of emotional limbo. I don’t know if my psychologist sessions are helping, and I don’t know why my doctor or psychologist hasn’t suggested upping the dose or trying something else. All being said, I have seen minimal improvement in my life."

• Ano...
• Taken for 10 years or more
• October 8, 2018

"I have been taking Remeron for 15 years for sleep. My eating was out of control, and I gained 20 pounds really quickly. Could not lose that weight for 10 years, until something tragic happened in my life which made me so depressed that I couldn't eat much for 6 months. That was 3 years ago. Back to my normal weight, still taking Remeron and have not gained one pound since."

• JMW...
• July 8, 2021

For Depression "I was put on this at the beginning of 2020. I was slowly increased within a space of 4 months to 45 mg. The sleep helped at the time, and the effect of not stressing as much was nice, as I was off work for 'work-related stress.' But when I was stressed, it made me tired. I eventually returned to work, still on 45 mg, and began noticing I wasn't able to come around fully (unable to connect in conversation, unable to think at all, talking slower, emotionless) until 1-3 PM. I felt like a zombie. The main problem was when I did feel anxious, I'd be zoning out and unable to let people know. I asked for doctors to lower it, but they wouldn't at first, as it suppressed my nausea and vomiting. When I did miss a day, I had mostly all side effects within a day. It was helping when I was mentally exhausted, but now I'm not in need of the sleeping side of it, and it's not exactly helping my anxiety/panic attacks, it's becoming an inconvenience."

• Vee...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 16, 2021

For Anxiety "I was on this for depression, anxiety, insomnia. Pretty immediate change in anxiety. Still have rough days, but in general, it seemed to lessen. Rarely helps with insomnia, depression has stayed the same, if not gotten worse. Somewhat reduces anxiety, but doesn't help much else."

• pOp...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• April 2, 2021

For Anxiety "I have been taking mirtazapine (30 mg) for around a year. I had led a messed-up lifestyle for many years, and after I'd knocked all that out of my life, I was seriously down and couldn't get more than 3 or 4 hours of sleep a night. The medication has made me sleep better at first. Now I'm sleeping at least 12 hours every night and wake up feeling like I've been hit around the head with a brick, have no motivation at all, and am tired all the time. Also, I have put on so much weight, mainly around my belly (had a six-pack before)."

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• September 2, 2021

For Obsessive Compulsive Disorder "I took mirtazapine to deal with depression and anxiety as well as OCD. Well, I used it regularly for a while, but it made my anxiety and depression so bad that the only thing I was using it for was to pass out to avoid compulsive thoughts and behaviors. So not only did it not work, but it started me on a trail of substance abuse (it even made me more suicidal when I was awake). I showed up to exams, taking it in the morning (I know it's more of an evening drug) and passing out during a psychology exam. I failed university that year because the drug was so horrible. The only thing I can really see it working for is sleeping issues. It's definitely pretty good for passing out at night, I found, until I began the substance abuse issue. After giving up on medication because of mirtazapine, I'll be starting Zoloft soon. If your intrusive thoughts are so pestering like mine were (literally couldn't keep a job, eat, or even sleep or function), then I wouldn't recommend."

• Hol...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 2, 2018

For Depression "Did this for almost 2 years. Good sleep, anxiety got worse, paranoid, super depressed, so switched to serotonin. I feel good now."

• Ano...
• March 30, 2017

For Anxiety "I stopped Zoloft 2 months ago. Now my anxiety returned with severe insomnia and bouts of depression. Was prescribed Remeron. Am scared about trying it. Will it help me sleep from day 1?"