Mirtazapine and Vivid Dreams: What Users Say (Page 4)

• Vbf...
• March 26, 2017

For Insomnia "Take as prescribed, 1/2 when required for sleep. Helps to sleep, strange dreams and recalls of conversations from months ago. Hangover and zombie feeling next day. Head-to-toe numbness, but okay. Just related. Don't take it all the time."

• Tan...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• September 3, 2019

For Depression "I was given mirtazapine after quitting Xanax cold turkey. Xanax was a nightmare to come off of. The mirtazapine helped me out tremendously. I slept like a log! I also gained about 25 lbs. After 7 months I weaned down from 45 mg to 15 mg. And was also on Ambien... it worked. I have tried to eat proteins and vegetables, and my stomach has gone down a lot, and I have lost a few pounds. I feel like sleep is more important than the weight at the moment. I can't function without sleep. I also think it's helped with my depression. I'm also on Cymbalta, which I've been on for years. I have attempted suicide a lot, but not since I have been on this. I do have very vivid dreams at times and dry mouth. I have been out over a holiday weekend, and I have not been sleeping. I can tell it's going to be hard to get off of. I can't wait to pick it up today and maybe take 30 mg and sleep tonight. It's a rollercoaster with these meds!"

• Ray...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• March 9, 2021

For Depression "I left a review about a month ago regarding 15 mg mirtazapine. In 2 days, it will be a month I am off of it. I see a lot of good reviews and bad, I was one of those who gave a bad review. And here is why: this medication, at the beginning, will knock you out, and if you can fight it, after 2 weeks it starts working, but after a month, all those good feelings disappear, and you feel like a zombie and numb. The vivid dreams felt so real, sometimes, when I was awake, I questioned myself if I am awake or still asleep. This medication should not be recommended for anxiety or depression. It is for insomnia or someone who has an eating disorder. I still freak myself out when I think about how it made me feel - and it's been a month, and I don't think it's out of my system yet..."

• gra...
• May 17, 2014

For Depression "I started Remeron as an add-on to Lamictal. Since then, I've had swelling of legs, loss of weight, abnormal dreams (nightmares), and wake up with palpitations about 2 hours after taking. I've had to take antibiotics every month for sinus infection and urinary tract infection. No help with depression after 1 year and just want off this medicine. Have pain in liver area too. That's at 15 mg. Also, muscle pain and arthritis symptoms."

• Gin...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• October 4, 2019

For Depression "I was taken off Zoloft and prescribed Mirtazapine for depression and insomnia. I took it once. NEVER AGAIN. Very sleepy within 1/2 hour, another 1/2 hour and I was unsteady, dizzy-ish. It took 2-3 hours before I slept -- then only on and off, with extremely vivid dreams (not unpleasant). I would doze off and wake, realized my breathing was troubled. I could breathe in just fine, but breathing out, I had to push, like blowing up a balloon. I have NEVER had this before. I felt jittery all night; woke 3-4 times with cramps in my calf muscle. The next day I was out of it, but not able to sleep. I had the vivid dreams for the next 5 nights, and now, day 12 after only one dose, still feel dizzy."

• 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."

• Old...
• August 4, 2017

Mirtazapine for Depression "Have been on a combination of 60 mg Cymbalta and 15 mg of Remeron for 2 years, the latter for insomnia, which I had when on only Cymbalta for GAD. This has reduced my symptoms almost completely. I do dream frequently, but nothing that causes a problem. I do move about while sleeping and have fallen out of bed on occasion. Pillows on the floor eliminated the danger."

• MBP...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 14, 2021

For Major Depressive Disorder "I was prescribed this after being diagnosed with MDD. I was having difficulty sleeping and had a reduced appetite (along with a history of ED). Started with half a pill (7.5mg) for two weeks and worked up to a full pill (15mg). The first two weeks I was insatiably hungry, feeling very groggy, and having such vivid dreams that I was waking up multiple times (4-7 times) per night. After upping the dose to 15mg, a lot of the drowsiness subsided and the hunger became easier to manage. It definitely took the intensity out of the depression. I was feeling a bit more anxious, most notably 'rushes' of anxiety that made me pretty jumpy for a couple of weeks. This eventually subsided too. As someone who always took ages to fall asleep, I love that 45 minutes after I take my dose I will be asleep. I'm still able to access a full range of emotions, which I really like because I always fear taking an antidepressant would flatline me emotionally. I tried 22.5mg and it was far too sedating for me."

• ELK...
• March 10, 2018

For Insomnia "Do not use because all hell breaks loose in your head with bizarre dreams. You will fall asleep for a couple of hours and wake up with the thought, what the hell just happened. You put on weight, so after a week, I stopped taking them."

• Phi...
• Taken for 6 months to 1 year
• January 23, 2021

For Anxiety "Was on a heavy dose of 45 mg mirtazapine for 6 months and now down to 15 mg. I'm being completely weaned off them, my mental health problems have eased up. I do feel ready to come off them. They help you get to sleep, but it's not a proper sleep, I have very vivid dreams and nightmares on them. They also make my mouth as dry as a desert at night, and they make me feel like a zombie all day. I honestly can't wait to be completely off them. Not saying no one should take them, but they aren't for me, and I'd say plenty of people have shared the same experiences on them."

• Pus...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 30, 2019

For Depression "Been on mirtazapine for 9 days. For me, I'm not sure it works. 15 mg per day. It gets me to sleep within an hour, but I'll just wake up every hour or so, crazy vivid dreams every time, and starving hungry. So, generally, sleeping is now a weird, irregular experience. Getting out of bed, I'm still tired, dizzy, foggy. Lasts all day, really, that feeling. I'm not even sure it's helpful for my anxiety, though I do think I care a bit less about the stupid things. But after 9 days, I'm going to half the dose for two days, then stop."

• Mic...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• February 20, 2023

For Anxiety "I take mirtazapine with escitalopram (which I'd been taking for a year prior to mirtazapine for depression). Mirtazapine works really well for me. I can still feel that I have anxiety down there somewhere, but it stops it from getting into my head and lets me feel more normal. It puts a cap on those feelings. I had tried different meds prior, but they didn't help (beta-blockers, etc.). I'm being currently assessed for ADHD, which I know is the real problem. One thing I must point out: since taking mirtazapine, I often have very lucid dreams. I'm in there and know I'm dreaming. It's fun a lot of the time, but sometimes uncomfortable. My brother is a GP here in the UK, and I've asked him if he has any patients that describe this effect, but he said no. He prescribes mirtazapine to many people and, in fact, suggested it to me to discuss with my own GP, who then prescribed it to me. So maybe this lucid dreaming thing is just me. I would still be an anxious mess without mirtazapine."

• Msa...
• October 5, 2021

For Depression "I've been taking mirtazapine probably for more than 10 years. I do appreciate what it has done for me, but at the same time, it is difficult to give a verdict on whether it is good or not. Having it easy to get to sleep can help, but at the same time, you feel like even after sleeping 9 hours, you still didn't get enough. Weight gain depends on your current weight. When I was very skinny, I did appreciate it, now, not so much. It seems to give some numbness that helps with anxiety both in mind and body, but it comes with the bad effects of that also (numbness of emotions, feelings, lazy muscles, etc.). I can live with all that. What I would say is the worst side effect in my case is difficulty quitting. Even taking 30 mg and going to 25 mg comes with sudden withdrawal: strong tightness of body and neck, difficulty defecating, vivid dreams, etc. So tapering very slowly is what I'm trying. If I can quit, I would recommend it, if not, no."

• Emm...
• October 5, 2017

For Depression "I’ve been on mirtazapine for about three to four years now. In the beginning, I was groggy throughout the day, and I have gained quite a bit of weight, but it’s worked wonders for my depression. I find it’s less effective against the anxiety, for which I am taking quetiapine and propranolol. It has a sedative effect, so I take it before bed. I also found, though, with this medication, I would have bizarre dreams that felt very, very real. Overall, very little side effects, and wonderful at tackling my depression. But again, I wouldn’t use this for anxiety."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 13, 2017

For Anxiety "These are absolutely horrible! I literally took one tablet, and they've knocked me out for 3 days. I feel like an absolute zombie, can't drive, can barely string a sentence together, and sleeping horribly. They're making me have very weird, vivid dreams, and I wake up exhausted. I will never, ever take these pills again."

• Kat...
• August 18, 2018

For Post Traumatic Stress Disorder "Huh. I’m feeling like crud on Remeron. My psychiatrist has me taking 90 mg at night, 75 mg of Effexor, and 750 mg of gabapentin. She prescribed it for PTSD, anxiety, and depression. I have crazy dreams, and I guess I sleepwalk according to my housemates. It’s hard to wake up and run my business. My issues sucked, but this is worse."

• mom...
• July 30, 2013

For Depression "I am so sleepy during the day that it is interfering with my usual busy life. Unlike other patients, I have lost my appetite, but like others, my dreams are more vivid than ever. I have mild depression, which it may be helping with, but I think I must discontinue this product because of the somnolence."

• mer...
• August 3, 2019

For Anxiety "I'm 22, and I've been on 15 mg mirtazapine for some weeks now. I've always been anti-medication, however, anxiety and depression are ruining my life. I can't say it's working just yet, as I've had a couple of panic attacks since being on it and still don't really feel less anxious or depressed. I've read it knocks people right out, but for me, I'm having very broken sleep because of the dreams. I'm used to having terrible nightmares and vivid/lucid dreaming, but these dreams are something else. Extremely vivid, and a lot of the time I dream that I wake up, so when I really do wake up, I'm completely confused, and it feels like I'm not in reality whatsoever. I am more irritable and lethargic every morning, I put it down to the confusion from the night of insane dreams. Hunger is a very real and extremely annoying side effect, as I can safely say I've put on a considerable amount of weight in just a few weeks. Besides the dreams, hunger, and irritability, there are no other negative side effects for me."

• Bov...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 20, 2017

For Depression "Have used other meds for depression, citalopram, sertraline... headaches and stuff. Mirtazapine, maybe because I take it at night, I don't have many bad symptoms apart from bad dreams. Anything for a better life... :)"

• HTa...
• March 3, 2021

For Anxiety "I have been on mirtazapine for a few years. My experience has been positive overall. Initially, I was very underweight due to depression, couldn’t sleep, and found other tablets that weren’t sedatives made my anxiety worse. I had the normal side effects of the tablets of feeling worse at the start, but the sedative side really helped me to rest, as sleep is so important. I did have very strange dreams, but these passed for me. I did put on weight, however, I am a very active person, so I feel I’ve kept a lot of the weight gain at bay. For others, I know the weight gain can be a big thing. I get some water retention in my face from these. I was on 15 mg every night and now am on this every other night. I’m looking at dropping this to 7.5 mg every other day to try and slowly come off (quite sad about it as I’ll miss the good sleep). My experience overall on these has been positive."

• Mas...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• July 19, 2021

For Depression "I take this tablet in combination with promazine (phenothiazine antipsychotic), and honestly, before I started taking these medications, I was sleeping for 2-3 hours a night, which made my depression and ADHD worse, and I was in and out of A&E for mental health problems. But these medications and my doctor have saved my life. Mirtazapine is just as effective as benzodiazepines for sleep, in my opinion, and with a lot less side effects. The only negative thing I can say is it does cause vivid dreams, but that’s about it for me anyway."

• Tim...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 4, 2021

For Anxiety "Mirtazapine was given to my 16-year-old for insomnia, anxiety, and OCD. It caused bad dreams, irrational thoughts, and low mood during the day, leading to outbursts and a panic attack. Ordered by doctor to stop taking it."

• Cra...
• April 21, 2021

For Insomnia "I have insomnia. Doc took me off Ambien for Trazodone, but I couldn't swallow, it was like I forgot how. Switched to Remeron 7.5, and that worked a bit, but he told me I could double it if I couldn't sleep, so I did. First night was weird. Side effect was that I became very sexually aroused. Only happened that first night. I noticed I was having a milder version of not being able to swallow. Now I'm dreading sleep because it's giving me vivid nightmares. Don't know how much longer I can keep taking it. I'm weaning off Xanax, these dreams are not helping. Next side effect took me a while to realize it wasn't asthma, it was Remeron. I get breathless while doing almost nothing. Went to get the mail, a 2-minute job, turned into 15 because I had to keep stopping to catch my breath. It does help me get to sleep, but the side effects are not worth it. If it works for you without side effects, stick with it!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• January 5, 2018

For Depression "I was taking Effexor for about 7-8 months, and I felt the medication didn’t do anything, and the dosage was too low for me. My doctor prescribed mirtazapine instead, and my mood has definitely changed compared to what it was. I suffer from depression and anxiety. It is not easy to find an antidepressant that adjusts to my body. I have been feeling sleepy and drowsy for 2 months. Even though my sleep has gotten better, I have weird dreams that feel extremely real, I feel that things move around me sometimes, and I have gained a lot of weight since this makes me hungry. Also, I constantly feel constipated and bloated. Overall, I hope this mood swings and side effects ease a little. But it definitely has eased my depression."

• Mil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 18, 2021

For Insomnia "So I got this prescribed past Sunday only for 8 days. First night I slept only 2.5 hours, and I woke up and didn't fall asleep again till 6 am and woke up at 8 am and had such weird dreams. Second day I took 15 mg before sleep, and it knocked me out in 30 minutes. I got 4 hours of sleep. Third night I skipped it, I needed to rest, so I took Valium 15 mg. I slept like a baby, and tonight I took mirtazapine 15 mg at 12:30, and now it's 2:22, and I still didn't fall asleep. I literally begged my doctor for Valium because only that makes me sleep well, and I don't know why. Ambien also never worked good for me."