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experiences with mirtazapine (avanza)

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psytaco

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Nov 20, 2005
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I've been taking 15mg of mirtazapine for depression for about three weeks now. I am actually feeling great. My mood has lifted and I have energy and the ability to concentrate again too. I'm starting for the first time in about half a year to feel optimistic about the future and haven't been having mini breakdowns when dealing with stressful events. It is also amazing for my sleep and I am generally sleeping 8 hours a day. For the last 5 months, I would be lucky to sleep for 4 hours and was needing to take alot of stilnox to get to sleep.

One thing that is concerning me is that my appetite has increased quite a bit and I am noticing I am beginning to put on weight. The one good thing about this last depressive episode was that I lost 10-12kg and was looking pretty good. What have other's experiences with weight gain on this drug being like? Do you generally just put on a bit of weight in the first month or so and then it tapers out or do you just keep packing on the kilos?

Eventually, I would like to stop taking it when the depression has completely gone and I have been built back to my old self. How were the withdrawal symptoms of mirtazapine? Better or worse than other antidepressants? I was on zoloft 2 years ago at 50mg a day for 6 months. even with tapering the withdrawal symptoms were pretty shitty. I could study and exercise and the like but I felt pretty terrible. I'm starting a new job soon that is going to be pretty demanding so am hoping to be able to work whilst going through the withdrawal.

Any other comments on the drug would be welcome
 
during my wreckless years, I scored a heap of boxes of this stuff. I was eating 4-5 15mg tabs a day for about a month. There has been no other substance that gave me the munchies quite like mirtaz. At one point I headed to Volcano Joes (an all you can eat) 5 days in a row. It was like an unquenchable thirst. It got to the point where food felt like an addiction.

As far as withdrawl goes, I was ok. Although I wasn't taking it for purpose, I just did it so it is hard to comment on.

I am glad to hear it is aiding you, and hope everything continues well.
 
earlier in the year i was put on a 15mg dose at night time for psychosis and sleep related issues but found it did no good for me. never got tired from it, appetite never increased. i had come off a long time opiate habit as well so PAWS would have been playing a fair factor as well - hadn't been opiate free for more than 6 months over the last 8 years. "anti-depressants/psychotics" have never really done it for me apart from risperidone (1mg) when i was in acute stages of psychosis. i have ceased that now as well.

i found cutting back the marijuana, the cause of the psychosis at the time, made most of my problems go away and i was able to start a fitness regime which picked me up out of my depression and i was sleeping like a baby within a few weeks, though still struggling with my pain. admittedly i couldn't handle the pain after a few months and was recommended a GP by my father who took over my prescription regime from the mental health department (were fucking hopeless in my case) and started me back on oxycodone initially with codeine for breakthrough and valium for sleep problems/muscle spasms relative to my DDD.
 
heythatsmybike said:
during my wreckless years, I scored a heap of boxes of this stuff. I was eating 4-5 15mg tabs a day for about a month. There has been no other substance that gave me the munchies quite like mirtaz. At one point I headed to Volcano Joes (an all you can eat) 5 days in a row. It was like an unquenchable thirst. It got to the point where food felt like an addiction.

As far as withdrawl goes, I was ok. Although I wasn't taking it for purpose, I just did it so it is hard to comment on.

I am glad to hear it is aiding you, and hope everything continues well.
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yeah its doing a good job. things are alot better

I had the ravenous bottomloss pit type hunger on the first few days but now it has kind of just given me more of an appetite than I have had over the last few months. Maybe it is just my usual appetite returning.

Just out of interest, how come you were taking it recreationally? I can't say I see the recreational value much (or maybe you get it on higher doses). First time I took it it knocked me the fuck out for like 10 hours and I was like a zombie for the next day. Now it just helps me go to sleep a bit, might give me a bit of restless leg syndrome, a few weird brain zap type things before going to sleep and then when I wake up feel a bit groggy for an hour. Other than that I haven't noticed any altered state except being in a better mood and less anxious
 
It was the first AD I was ever prescribed. Initially was good. Elevated mood and motivation, increased appetite and a decent hypnotic. Cut a long story very short - This is strange I know because I was fine tolerating it for approx. 12 months and then suffered side effects (and I believe my psych. didn't believe me. I believe this as he didn't change or stop my use), a side effect which is hard to explain but I I believe was Akathesia. An inability to sit still or remain motionless and relax physically and mentally to the point I seriously considered suicide it was that bad and intolerable. I saw a GP and while she didn't confirm what I was experiencing she put me straight onto Zoloft after ceasing use of it myself. Been prescribed most the AD's around these days and never felt this feeling before although sometimes on a decent dose of Seroquel I get hints of the same side effect but nowhere near as bad. I didnt suffer the 'discontinuation syndrome' as I was glad to not be feeling like this and I know it was the Avanza as it only happenend when I took said drug. Also it was only a few days before I got onto Zoloft. This side effect is probably rare but this was my experience in a nutshell. Feel free to ask anymore questions about it as I was on it for a fair while and at different dosages and as said have been on most Ad's...
 
After my small stint with esciltalopram my doctor asked if I wanted to try an AD called avanza. But judging from the bad side effects I got from esciltalopram, I said no.

She did mention that it's one that can help with sleep. As opposed to the ssri's.

I may try it one day, if my life calls for it and there's not much else.
 
I got prescribed it for my insomnia, I did 15mg of it for a couple weeks, it didn't do any for my anxiety and depression, but it did wonders for my sleeping and I loved the muchie side-effect since I'm skinny and trying to bulk up I put on 6kg in 2 weeks! Also love the fact that it doesn't interact with MDMA and other drugs like SSRI's so. I might go to the doctor again and get another script and maybe try a higher dose because I'm sick of relying on valium for my anxiety and sleeping.
 
psytaco said:
yeah its doing a good job. things are alot better

I had the ravenous bottomloss pit type hunger on the first few days but now it has kind of just given me more of an appetite than I have had over the last few months. Maybe it is just my usual appetite returning.

Just out of interest, how come you were taking it recreationally? I can't say I see the recreational value much (or maybe you get it on higher doses). First time I took it it knocked me the fuck out for like 10 hours and I was like a zombie for the next day. Now it just helps me go to sleep a bit, might give me a bit of restless leg syndrome, a few weird brain zap type things before going to sleep and then when I wake up feel a bit groggy for an hour. Other than that I haven't noticed any altered state except being in a better mood and less anxious
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I was working night shift, i would wake up at 5pm, still groggy from the previous cycle. I would then get something to eat, usually shitloads. Before i started my shifts i would smoke meth, and when i got home at 8am I would continue smoking it up until lunch time and then started taking mirtaz when i could force myself to put down the pipe. Would have one or two every hour until i went to sleep, then started the cycle again. It was truly brutal.

The mirtaz was the only thing that enabled me to eat and sleep during that shitty part of my life. You can see why it's hard for me to comment on its other properties. I wasn't taking it on a recreational basis, but it allowed the partaking of other recreations.
 
mirtazapine is a strange drug in the sense that it's hypnotic effect (sleep) is stronger at smaller doses. 15mg better dose if you want it for sleep rather than say 30mg or 45+. My Psych. told me that, and i'll try find literature to back it up as I know iv'e read it aswell. Plus experienced it. My highest prescribed dose was 90mg.
 
I took 40mg once to test the slight 5HT-2a activity, forgetting I had an exam the next day.

Couldn't sleep for ages due to RLS, but was deadly tired.

Next day I felt like hell (the drousy beginning) and took ephedrine to cancel it out, no caffeine left.

OH man, it was death but I got a B+.

Mum tried it for actual depression, says it's just too much to get past the starting period, it's too strong and sleepy at the start.
 
I'm not a big proponent of anti depressant medications generally, but I really owe mirtazapine a lot. I started on it during a really rough period in my life, when I was suffering from severe, suicidal anxiety. It really helped - it gave me the crutch I needed to start the slow process of rebuilding my sanity. I found it effective for my anxiety - it calmed me down and slowed me down - which is exactly what I needed at the time.

Weight gain was a significant side effect for me. I consistently put on 1 kilo per month - which I really disliked. I stayed on it for 6 months, because I valued my mindstate more than my weight - but weight gain was the primary reason I sought to get off it as soon as I felt it was safe to. Weight gain seems to be a very common side effect of it. One of my best friends put on 20+ kilos during the year she was on it - though she lost most of it incredibly quickly as soon as she stopped taking it. I found the withdrawal of it non-existant. IIRC I did a short taper over one or two weeks, but I do know that for me, it was entirely painless.
 
Sorry this is an oldish thread, but I've just been handed a prescription for Mirtazapine and this thread has been useful. :)

I've got pretty bad anxiety/ depression, probably due to tapering off benzos, and was given a prescription for this today. I've always been reluctant to play guinea pig with other antidepressants from my doctor, but this one seems to have less severe side effects and a positive response on here which is always good.. However, the weight gain issue is the only thing stopping me from wanting to take it. I know it sounds stupid, but I'm worried if I take it, and start gaining shit loads of weight it'll just trigger my eating disorder more, make me binge and just make me more depressed.

Is the weight gain really that common for people taking this? Is it due to how the drug effects the metabolism or primarily how it induces appetite just causing people to crave food?

I'm hoping if I do take it, I could counteract the weight gain by exercising a shit ton. But is weight gain inevitable and is it really hard to fight the munchies off this stuff? I'm just so scared of gaining weight.
 
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Hi,

I have been taking this med for just under a year. Doses from 15 mg - 90. It has been the most effective antidepressant I have taken although apart from fixing my sleep issues completely it hasn't done much for my depression or anxiety.

I take 30 mg now.

Re the weight gain I think it's hit and miss. I actually lost 20kgs last year through lots of exercise. I find if you make sure you have had dinner before taking it this greatly reduces the mirtazomunchies.
 
You do get used to them a bit but I have a fast metabolism and still get the mirtaz munchies, I had dinner twice last night (Risotto)
 
I guess I have put on a little weight since starting them about 5 weeks ago. Not enough to bother me. The munchies were gone after a week. With all that said, they are working incredibly well. Don't feel depressed anymore and am able to concentrate, sleep and be in a general good mood. Haven't felt happiness or optimism for six months until now.

I would say, give mirtazapine a go. If you put on too much weight you can always stop taking it.

In terms of using drugs and mirtazapine - is it safe to use meth? Does it lead to diminished effects? What about other drugs such as LSD or mushrooms. I don't think i will bother with MDMA as a) it has been responsible for some terrible downturns in my depression in the past, b) I doubt it would even do anything if I took it. When taking MDMA with mirtazapine is it the same situation as with SSRIs and you feel nothing or does it still have an effect?
 
MDMA, most people report that they get the same effects with about 1/4 of the people saying they need about 25% more of their dose, I would still recommend staying away psytaco. I am all too familiar with how bad depression can get when mixed with MDxx or any of their analogues.

Mirtazapine can (and does from my experience) lead to increased sensitivity to stimulants, however I noticed that it was mostly the side effects that increased dramatically mainly anxiety, pulmonary hypertension and psychosis. Be careful with high dose meth while on Mirtazapine, I have had some pretty scary pulmonary hypertension from that and also you can feel the two really take their toll on the liver, enough so that I thought my alcohol tolerance had dropped dramatically but turned out it was just my liver function that dropped :/. Also interestingly, Mirtazapine has been linked to reduction in methamphetamine use and cravings. I have definitely found it easier to use meth less when on it however both times that has been because I wanted to use less meth at the same time.

Psychedelics you will really have to find out for yourself, there are very conflicting reports out there and I would suggest you do a google into the combinations before trying and see other users accounts. Some people say that they have dramatically increased effects of side effects, slightly less report that they have barely any effect at all. Personally I found that LSD/Mushrooms and Tryptamines could only just get me passed threshold no matter what the dose and with a lot of side effects but Phenethylamines seemed to work fine, which was all good with me. There's this thread over at PD about it now.

Also, Mirtaz is a NMDA antagonist so there's increased risk for Olneys Lesions when combining with dissociatives (DXM is still going to be a dangerous combination) however I used Mirtaz and MXE daily for 6 months and didn't have any more than the usual side effects from that. :)
 
Jakeperson said:
MDMA, most people report that they get the same effects with about 1/4 of the people saying they need about 25% more of their dose, I would still recommend staying away psytaco. I am all too familiar with how bad depression can get when mixed with MDxx or any of their analogues.

Mirtazapine can (and does from my experience) lead to increased sensitivity to stimulants, however I noticed that it was mostly the side effects that increased dramatically mainly anxiety, pulmonary hypertension and psychosis. Be careful with high dose meth while on Mirtazapine, I have had some pretty scary pulmonary hypertension from that and also you can feel the two really take their toll on the liver, enough so that I thought my alcohol tolerance had dropped dramatically but turned out it was just my liver function that dropped :/. Also interestingly, Mirtazapine has been linked to reduction in methamphetamine use and cravings. I have definitely found it easier to use meth less when on it however both times that has been because I wanted to use less meth at the same time.

Psychedelics you will really have to find out for yourself, there are very conflicting reports out there and I would suggest you do a google into the combinations before trying and see other users accounts. Some people say that they have dramatically increased effects of side effects, slightly less report that they have barely any effect at all. Personally I found that LSD/Mushrooms and Tryptamines could only just get me passed threshold no matter what the dose and with a lot of side effects but Phenethylamines seemed to work fine, which was all good with me. There's this thread over at PD about it now.

Also, Mirtaz is a NMDA antagonist so there's increased risk for Olneys Lesions when combining with dissociatives (DXM is still going to be a dangerous combination) however I used Mirtaz and MXE daily for 6 months and didn't have any more than the usual side effects from that. :)
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Great response, Jake.

In regards to MDMA. Yeah, I am planning on passing on it for the forseeable future. Over the past year the comedowns have been absolute hell. I'll generally spend the three days afterwards not really leaving my room and my brain doesn't feel right for at least a week afterwards. I can definately feel a huge ramp up in paranoia, anxiety and depression a week or two after use. I mainly wanted to know if I happen to get drunk and end up taking some whether I am at risk of serotonin syndrome.

That is interesting about the liver function test. Does mirtazapine itself cause alot of strain on the liver. I ask because I have been suffering from upper back pain as of late and have been taking paracetamol and codeine most days. I generally stick to the recommended dosage but sometimes go one or two tablets over. I'm hardly drinking at the moment (too much work to do) and am really not using any recreational drugs. I drank last week and had a few glasses of wine. That is about the extent of my drinking. Once a week, if that. I was thinking of doing a bit of meth in a couple of months but really I am just focusing on work and keeping a healthy mind at the moment.
 
I don't think it is terribly straining on the liver, mine recovered from low functions whilst still taking it (and nothing else besides weed) in 2 weeks but the doctors told me it should have taken 6 weeks so it can't be too bad. I was just mixing it daily with meth and then alcohol on the weekends. Occasional meth use and the odd drink probably won't bother you but that panadol might. I had to have a liver function test when I first started taking it a few years ago but the doctor has never done a follow up besides that one time.
 
A good anti-depressant if it works for you and you experience no major side effects. Fuck ESPE is serious shit and as Avanza has an anti-psychotic component I'm not surprised, although it's very rare for Avanza (Clozapine is a different story but lets not go there) EPSE involves side effects like head twitching and involuntary muscle movments and are major adverse effect and can cause permanent neurological changes ie you will have th EPSE for life with or without the medication. Also bad EPSE can be life threatening ie you will die very, very quickly without proper medical assistance. Positives it's good for munchies, kinda a vague stoned feel to it like a very low dose DXM or smoking leaf and tips. Great to get some sleep at least for the first few weeks. Not super interactive with other drugs especially psychedelics which is weird as it has SSRI and anti-psychotic activity just very different to every other anti-depressant. Many early anti-psychotics (and some newer ones) were developed from anti-histamine derivatives and Avanza has just that kind of activity (helps my asthma) Great for PTSD and anxiety as both a primary parmacalogical intervention and as part of a two drug therapy ie Prozac in the morning Avanza at night. A good drug and one not to be ruled out if you need some help getting the black dog off your back.
 
A good anti-depressant if it works for you and you experience no major side effects. Fuck ESPE is serious shit and as Avanza has an anti-psychotic component I'm not surprised, although it's very rare for Avanza (Clozapine is a different story but lets not go there) EPSE involves side effects like head twitching and involuntary muscle movments and are major adverse effect and can cause permanent neurological changes ie you will have th EPSE for life with or without the medication. Also bad EPSE can be life threatening ie you will die very, very quickly without proper medical assistance. Positives it's good for munchies, kinda a vague stoned feel to it like a very low dose DXM or smoking leaf and tips. Great to get some sleep at least for the first few weeks. Not super interactive with other drugs especially psychedelics which is weird as it has SSRI and anti-psychotic activity just very different to every other anti-depressant.

That said it does increase stimulant effects when doing any psychedelics including increased heart rate and hypertension so being careful to dose correctly when taking Avanza can be the difference between a fun night out and a trip to ED. Also drugs you know that even low doses of cause heart/circulation issues are best avoided ie: 4-meo-mipt. Many early anti-psychotics (and some newer ones) were developed from anti-histamine derivatives and Avanza has just that kind of activity (helps my asthma) Great for PTSD and anxiety as both a primary parmacalogical intervention and as part of a two drug therapy ie Prozac in the morning Avanza at night. A good drug and one not to be ruled out if you need some help getting the black dog off your back.

One more thing it has killed the desire for meth off big time. I don't think even looking at shard would do more than make me want to vomit. Avanza is a big turn off for meth use but still allows one to enjoy some of the less physically taxing psychedelic drugs and milder stimulants without to much of an issue. EP and avanza go ok, MDPV is a trainwreak waiting to happen, 4-MMC is ok if you keep the dose low (fucking hard to do) 4-MEC is just shit anyway so don't bother with this crap. All other drones suck due to bad effects on heart and circulation due to the recreational dose providing these lovely side effects! Drugs like ethylcathinone and pentadrone??? or some other shit like buphedrone, all shit. Super taxing on the heart and worse come down and crap high compared to Mcat. Avoid cathinones and Avanza, avoid meth and Avanza, avoid having 10 or more cups of coffee before 10 am when you have only been awake 3 hours. Happy to be taking it and apart from hunger that possessed your every waking moment for the first week and a half no bad effects thus far in 6 months. :)
 
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