Mirtazapine and Insomnia: What Users Say (Page 3)

• And...
• Taken for 2 to 5 years
• January 13, 2022

Mirtazapine for Depression "Dangerous drug caused me spasms, heart racing, no sleep, and it’s near impossible to come off. Severe anxiety, anger, shivers, suicidal thoughts. Stay clear, it may work in the short term, but long-term dangerous should be illegal."

• Rie...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• December 1, 2016

For Insomnia "I suffered a neurotoxic reaction to another drug, metronidazole; it caused lesions to form on my brain. This led to neuropsychiatric symptoms, including severe anxiety, major depression, suicidal thoughts (just a month before, I was happy), and horrible insomnia. I was given mirtazapine, and it greatly helped, especially with the insomnia. I had barely slept for eight days--even Ambien couldn't knock me out after the first night (I'd never taken a sleeping pill in my life, and even Ambien couldn't help). Mirtazapine was a life-saver, literally. Metronidazole had overstimulated my central nervous system, and mirtazapine helped to calm it down. It took longer to treat the other symptoms, but they, too, resolved."

• Deb...
• August 1, 2019

For Anxiety "I started mirtazapine when insomnia and fear came together, keeping me up at night. I have a history of approx 6 years plus of terrible OCD. This medicine helped me sleep the first 3 nights at 15 mg, but no more. My GP added zopiclone 7.5 mg half tab nightly, which works. Mirtazapine makes me want to binge eat straight after taking it, so bedtime is good to avoid eating. Has helped pretty well with anxiety and fear, but not OCD - the words remain. This pill is better than sertraline for me and worked quicker, within days for the worst anxiety. I am thinking of upping to 30 mg as I am a bit slow and OCD may improve? This medicine was fine from the first dose, just a bit of tiredness, no weird feeling. Sertraline and fluoxetine made me feel odd for weeks before they began to work, but not this pill, immediately fine, I just felt more like 'me'. Recommended."

• jep...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• February 3, 2020

For Insomnia "For the first 2 months, mirtazapine probably helped me with insomnia with a dose of 7.5 mg, but it made me groggy and caused brain fog. It's also very difficult to quit because withdrawal symptoms are terrible (insomnia, anxiety, increased tinnitus). Also, mirtazapine causes significant weight increase, so if you are already overweight or close to being overweight, then I wouldn't recommend this medication."

• Anonymous
• March 30, 2023

For Anxiety "Only started taking mirtazapine due to severe insomnia, but now nearly 3 years on, I have the insomnia again and the weight gain is unbelievable. It's like being on weed. The intense cravings for sweets/chocolate haven't stopped, I'm afraid. It just gets worse. I'm also 30 weeks pregnant and am now not allowed to come off it even though it doesn't do anything for me anymore except make me gain nearly 2 stone this pregnancy. I've tried so many times to come off these antidepressants, but the withdrawals are similar to severe flu. Do not take this medication."

• Fin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 16, 2022

For Insomnia "I almost never write a review for anything, but I’m writing one for Mirtazapine because it has saved my life! So have all of the reviews that made me feel comfortable to try it. So thanks to everyone who shared their experience so others could be informed. Bottom line is, I have terrible insomnia from a medication I’m on. Without taking anything, I would literally never sleep, so I’ve been on and off of Zolpidem for 3 years, but it isn’t very effective for me, and I was scared to death of taking benzos. I took a chance on the Mirtazapine after reading all the reviews and discussed it with my doctor. The plan was to start by breaking the 7.5 mg in half and starting there. I did just that and slept almost 10 hours last night. Deep, restful, restorative, beautiful sleep for 10 hours. I have found my new go-to med, and I couldn’t be more grateful! I would highly recommend giving this a try. Good luck, everyone!"

• Tra...
• September 1, 2015

For Depression "I was initially prescribed escitalopram for situational depression without being warned about startup anxiety and insomnia. After a week, I was switched to mirtazapine 7.5 mg, which helped me sleep and regain the 10 pounds I had lost the previous week. However, as the situation worsened, my dosage was increased to 30 mg, at which point the drug became too activating, and sleep disappeared. When I attempted to reduce my dosage, I got hit with massive withdrawals. I now have chronic insomnia, severe cognitive problems, and an anxiety disorder that resulted in countless additional medications, including an antipsychotic. These drugs have rendered me numb, unmotivated, impotent, and stupid. Simply stated, this drug ruined my life."

• Tra...
• September 1, 2015

For Depression "I was initially prescribed escitalopram for situational depression without being warned about startup anxiety and insomnia. After a week, I was switched to mirtazapine 7.5 mg, which helped me sleep and regain the 10 pounds I had lost the previous week. However, as the situation worsened, my dosage was increased to 30 mg, at which point the drug became too activating, and sleep disappeared. When I attempted to reduce my dosage, I got hit with massive withdrawals. I now have chronic insomnia, severe cognitive problems, and an anxiety disorder that resulted in countless additional medications, including an antipsychotic. These drugs have rendered me numb, unmotivated, impotent, and stupid. Simply stated, this drug ruined my life."

• Sco...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• June 11, 2022

For Insomnia "This drug saved my life - I was in the death grip of OCD, sleep anxiety, and insomnia for months. I was highly suicidal, and I needed help. Eight months later, I’m in no way fully recovered, but I sleep most nights, and my OCD is a lot more manageable thanks to this drug and ERP therapy. I only take 7.5 (anything higher causes insomnia for me). If you’re taking it for sleep, don’t take the full 7.5 the first night. You will get destroyed. Start with half a 7.5, even less; make sure you react well and take it an hour before bed. Over time, the sedation is less and less, but it’s still very effective at calming me down and helping me relax."

• Bre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 18, 2015

For Anxiety "Might try this one again someday. Was on it 3 weeks. Sleep started off OK but got worse with time, along with feeling more anxious and exhausted each day. 3rd week, I'm lying in bed and start to panic. Try to get up and collapse on the floor. My brain felt like it was being lightly electrocuted. Broken sleep and nightmares the rest of the night. Next day around 3 pm, I started to feel better. Great even and slept great that night, but the night before freaked me out so much I swore to never take it again. Withdrawals were horrific. Worst thing I ever experienced. Still, that one day and night was amazing and think it might have been the one if I stuck it out another day or two. Weird reactions, I know. It works great for my dad."

• Boo...
• August 15, 2016

For Depression "Been on this medication for 3-4 months for depression and insomnia. Does not help me get to sleep at all. I'm up for hours trying to fall asleep every night, no matter what dose I'm on (started at 15, now at 45). I can't wake up most mornings, have to drag myself out of bed. Hasn't really helped the depression, just made me have even less energy to do anything productive. I eat so much, then feel so upset about my body due to the appetite change. I get really weird and vivid dreams - sometimes really bad nightmares that I can't tell if they are real or not. Changed my personality, even at my deepest depression points, I would still be funny and try to lighten up every situation. Now I'm irritable, can't talk to anyone, angry, just can't socialize."

• Har...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• July 16, 2021

For Depression "Mirtazapine will screw your head up in the long term. Been on for over a year, started to get angry and snappy. Intense itching of legs, shortness of breath, memory problems, no sleep. Blurred vision and can’t move, no motivation, lack of appetite."

• Sec...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• June 28, 2016

For Depression "I started taking this medicine due to a bad bout of depression. The only side effects that I have had are very strange dreams (which isn't a bad thing, they're all funny dreams, no bad ones) and also finding it hard to wake up in the morning due to sleeping like a log. This usually lasts around 30 minutes, and I have to literally force myself out of bed, which is hard some days. On the plus side, after around 30 minutes, I feel refreshed and better than I have for a long, long time, and I would rate the treatment a success. One thing to note: if you drink more than a few pints of beer, it will not be the treatment for you, as it does not mix well with alcohol."

• not...
• March 23, 2019

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was given this med to deal with depression, insomnia, and anxiety. The first night I took 7.5 mg, and yes, I slept, and slept, too much. Was told to bump up to 15 mg, and the first day and night I felt good. Now a month later, I am more depressed than ever before, shaking, feel like I have the flu, and can't sleep more than 2 hours. Worst part is the horrendous heart palpitations, my heart literally skips beats now. I won't even talk about the 7 pounds of weight gain in a month. I wish it had worked as it seems to help some people."

• Ano...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• October 3, 2021

For Anxiety "Disclaimer: This is based on my own personal experience with mirtazapine, and I am aware that not everyone will have the same reaction and experience as myself. I would not recommend mirtazapine to anxiety and OCD sufferers. I decided to come off sertraline and try 15 mg of mirtazapine in the hopes that it would better manage my anxiety and OCD. Oh, how wrong was I? This medication made me feel incredibly emotional, overly sensitive, and angry at everything. I would cry multiple times a day, and I became depressed while taking this medication, resulting in intrusive thoughts, which are very distressing. But the worst part about this medication is the withdrawals! I decided after 4 weeks that I would stop taking this medication as I saw no improvement, and it did nothing to help my anxiety and OCD. Incontrollable shaking, high anxiety, suicidal thoughts, nausea, trouble eating, and sleeping are just some of the withdrawal symptoms I am still dealing with as a result of this medication."

• Ric...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• May 22, 2021

For Depression "I have been taking mirtazapine for 2 and a half months now, and only went to 30 mg a week ago. When I started on 15 mg, my anxiety subsided fairly quickly, and after three weeks, I started to feel pretty good (joyous). This lasted a week or so and then stopped, and the anxiety returned. My GP has upped the dose to 30 mg as a consequence, and I've been on that for 9 days, with no noticeable improvements as yet (perhaps a bit less anxious). I know that it's too early to judge, really. I think that I am an atypical patient in as much as the drug keeps me awake in the evenings (both 15 and 30 mg), and my weight hasn't changed. I am moving around a lot more in the day, like to stay busy and exercise regularly, as well as eating a healthy diet. I'd love for the antidepressant characteristics to kick in soon."

• Ces...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 31, 2019

For Insomnia "Some people will hate this medicine, some will love it, some will be saved by it, some will not. Guess what, we’re all different, there’s no way to know if this is the perfect drug for you or the worst of this class. In my experience, it’s strong if you can’t sleep. This will put you to sleep. Maybe too much. I need some stimulant to come back to life most of the time with this. Pharmacologically speaking, it can help mild to moderate depression if insomnia is the major offender. The sleep will be good and restful, and stress will be greatly reduced. Where this may actually shine is as an add-on to something else. For example, this with some SSRI will negate the side effects of that medication. Anyway, for major depression alone, this will be a waste of time."

• Kim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 7, 2018

For Anxiety "Was previously on citalopram, which hindered my sleep, messed with digestion, and made me gain weight. I also found sleeping a problem. Was initially scared of trying mirtazapine because I heard of weight gain, so the doctor put me on a low dose. Started falling asleep easier, metabolism speeded up, and now losing the weight I put on with citalopram. Up to now, I'm finding mirtazapine brilliant."

• Anonymous
• January 18, 2012

Mirtazapine for Depression "I'm in the Marine Corps, and I've been on Remeron for a little over a month now for anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and I gained 15 lbs. I get about 8 hrs of sleep a night. But, if you have a job that requires you to be a certain weight, I would advise you to ask the doctor for something else. I quit taking it because of that and literally cannot sleep again because I have to 'weigh in' soon. Now I'm back to not sleeping, and I literally have not eaten for 3 days just so I can make the right weight. Wish me luck!"

• Anonymous
• November 2, 2015

For Depression "Well, I am on mirtazapine for a month now. I would say it lifted my depression pretty fairly. A few weeks ago, I was almost unable to go out for a shower or even to the toilet... As for now, I can go out shopping, it is a big improvement. I am on 30 mg taken at bedtime. My only problem is the restless sleep from the med, but I hope that will fade away with time..."

• Jay...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• October 31, 2024

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Have anxiety, depression, not eating, functional neurological disorder, PTSD, trauma, insomnia, etc. This drug will be different for everyone, here’s my experience: 15 mg nightly. When I started taking the drug, it made my symptoms much worse for several weeks. I didn’t leave the house, etc. I was told to persevere, I was dubious as I’ve been told that with several antidepressants before, and things didn’t get better, and sometimes worse. I am highly reactive to medication. However, after a few weeks, I felt somewhat improved. It makes me sleepy, but then I had insomnia, so it helps with that, and I eat a lot, especially sugary things, the cravings are huge. I’ve put on over two stone in two years. However, I was eating nothing before, so I guess it’s an improvement. I also have the side effect of vivid nightly dreams, sometimes nightmares. I recently missed a dose, and it was very bad: suicidal ideation, insomnia, depression, headaches, for days."

• Anonymous
• January 31, 2011

Mirtazapine "Please give this medication at least two weeks to work! I have had severe panic attacks for a number of years. I am on day 10 of taking 30 mg each night, and I have finally been able to get out and do the things that had caused instant panic in the past. The first week was hard. I wanted to sleep and eat constantly. After about day 7, I woke and felt great. My mood was good, and I have not had a panic attack in a few days now. It is a hard medicine to get used to, but please give it time. It may work as well for you as it has for me."

• Ano...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• April 19, 2022

For Depression "After previously having success with Sertraline for anxiety and depression, I was prescribed it again after a breakdown due to work stress. It didn't help this time, so I was prescribed Mirtazapine and increased to 45 mg daily. Initially, things went quite well, I was able to have a full night's sleep again, and my mood improved. After that, things went downhill fast. I was still getting the sedative effects, but I needed 10-12 hours of sleep to feel any kind of rest, and I would be lethargic for hours after waking. My anxiety and depression returned with a vengeance to the point that I could barely get out of bed most days and was having very dark thoughts. I also had a huge appetite, particularly at night, when I would snack repeatedly but never feel full. After 6 months, I decided I can't take it anymore, and I have now stopped the Mirtazapine and started Venlafaxine. Apart from insomnia, the withdrawal wasn't too bad, and I hope the new meds will help."

• Luc...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 17, 2018

For Anxiety "I have been taking 15 mg at night for 2 weeks now. The first week, I slept well but felt really sedated the next day well into the afternoon. My anxiety seemed to dampen down, which was a relief, but after a week, the sedation effects started to wear off, and I was having broken sleep. My anxiety has intensified slightly, and now I’m having trouble sleeping again. It also has not had an effect on my depression."

• Nic...
• February 2, 2020

For Anxiety "I was previously on 30 mg citalopram for anxiety and depression but had suffered with insomnia for years and the last year and a half with breathing problems (which can be a rare side effect of citalopram). I still take 10 mg citalopram every 3 days as I'm weaning slowly off and have been taking 15 mg mirtazapine nightly for nearly two weeks. It's really helped my sleep, but I struggle to get up the next morning and feel lethargic and groggy throughout the day, which makes it kind of pointless to me. I know I've not been on it a long time, but I will be telling my doctor I don't wish to continue when I see her this week."