Mirtazapine for sleep

[pally pete]

I have some 30mg Mirtazapine tablets,ive been told it very sedating and good for sleep,im yet to try it as ive been using benzos for the past 4 weeks so had no sleep problems,im now stopping the benzos so i expect some sleepless nights ahead!

I m preparing to have some nights where im going to have to use some Mirtazapine,although i dont want to get into an 'every night' habit.I also suffer sleeplessness sometimes whether benzo related or not. So i will likely use Mirtazapine on these nights also.

My questions are whats the recommended doseage for sleep? how long do they usually take to kick in? do you feel next day hangover? im also on an SSRI (Sertraline) will there be any dangerous interactions?

Thanks

 

[mgrady3]

30mg is the upper limit (depending on who you talk to, perhaps 45mg) for sleep dosages;
in higher dosages mirtazipine loses its strong anti-histamine qualities and its anti-depressant qualities become more pronounced; it can even be mildly stimulating at higher dosages, thus defeating its use as a sedative at these dosages.

I would suggest first trying 15mg (hopefully those 30mg tabs are scored so u can break them in at least half)
My doc said you can even do 7.5mg (but I had 15mg tabs that were scored so i could easily get 7.5mg, if your 30's are just scored into two parts you can do 15mg but 7.5 might be a bit harder / inconsistent )

I believe mirtazipine can be rx'd along side other anti-depressants such as prozac, celexa, efexor, etc... so its probably ok with your zoloft.

I'd give them 25mins to 1 hour to kick in; do your best to be ready for sleep when you take them; ie. don't take them then remember you need to walk the dog or take out the trash, let them sedate you and try to go to sleep, don't fight it.

The hangover can range from non-existant to pretty damn bad; I had everything in-between. This is just my personal experience so listen to others as well, it can be very different for people.

-it gave me weird dreams on occasion
-it often left me feeling very dehydrated in the morning (which makes grogginess far worse)
-sometimes I was fine but many mornings I just wanted to instantly go back to sleep
- I was frequently lethargic in the morning, made worse by the dehydrated feeling; so waking up was just a bumer alot
-they didn't help me sleep a frequency / reliability that justified continuing to take them (dosages ranging from 7.5mg to 30mg)

so I stopped - but for some people they work just fine
I sincerely hope they help you, weening of benzos can be rough. cheers mate

 

[Mugz]

I would definitely only take 15mg if you are taking it for sleep, even 7.5mg might work for you.

I was just prescribed the 30mg tablets today for anxiety and depression and sleep issues, my doctor told me to start on 15mg at first.

I used to take them occasionaly in the past to help me sleep when I couldn't sleep and they always worked really well with 15mg, and would often work really well with only 7.5mg.

I wouldn't recommend taking them off label for sleep too often though as that is not what they are really designed for.

 

[Acidtek]

Mugz is right, my doctor told me that the lower doses are more effective for sleep

 

[pally pete]

Thanks for the info guys.

Took a 30mg tab last night and within 30 minutes or so i was spinning,slept like a baby for hours.

Like you say dont use too often,i wont use these unless i absolutely have to.

 

[Iron666Maiden]

As this is an old thread ill just add that definately smaller doses for sleep...im on 45mgs a day but i have half in the morning and half before bed...they seem to work a treat for me that way...

 

[theGirlWithBlueHair]

Mirtazapine is used in dosages up to 90mg for depression. I wouldn't necessarily say that 30mg is the upper limit for sleep. When I was going through mild withdrawals from cannabinoids, I wasn't able to get any hypnotic effect from mirtazapine unless I took at least 45mg. So it's safe to assume that 45mg is ok. But it definitely does have stimulating properties. It antagonizes alpha 2 adrenergic and 5-ht2c receptors, both of which increase neuronal norepinephrine levels quite a bit. The latter increases dopamine, as well. Were it not for it's potent antihistaminergic effect, both of these effects would outclass its antagonism at the 5-ht2a receptor.

 

[embryo923]

Lower doses are incredibly sedating and the effects last at least 12 hours or more until you gain some tolerance. I find them great for DXM withdrawal and those long first few nights where I sweat profusely and wake up multiple times having to wipe myself off and change clothes. Also helps get through the days of boredom and depression.