Mental Health Mirtazapine

Zephyn

Bluelighter
Joined
Oct 31, 2020
Messages
2,054
I live my life these days In immense suffering as if in permenant withdrawal. Some drugs cause a bit of an afterglow, but nothing compares to the day after I take some mirtazapine. I magically feel better, want to socialize, rather than isolated, etc. One dose after 2 months of not using it couldn't work as an antidepressant that fast.. no way... but I've noticed this a few times, and before I quit taking it everyday I didn't feel so bad. Could this be withdrawal from mirtazapine (I was only on it for 3 months this time, but have been on and off it for year), or does it help as a medicine? Should I push thru and hope it gets better or just bite the bullet and get on it?
 
For what it's worth, I've been on this since 2004. I've tried coming off it, and each time was major insomnia where I was completely unable to sleep for days, and mixed insomnia for several weeks/months, which then lead to ongoing psychiatric problems.

I ended up back on it. I would say it is no where near as bad as benzo withdrawal, but it's pretty awful. I'm on 60mg per day which is the highest recommended dose.
 
i quickly and easily tapered off 22.5mg after over a year of use. but i went back on 15mg after about six months off. i respond well to it.
 
Seems to be an effective antidepressant. Has some antipsychotic and soporific qualities as well, without the dependence potential of controlled substances.
 
It made me sleep and allowed me to collect myself a bit when I used it. Unfortunately it led to extreme overeating and weight gain. At the end I stopped it, because I was gaining 2-3 kilos per week, and the idea of obesity became another source of depression.
 
I was prescribed this for about 6 months back in 2004 because thats all I was able to stand it for. I couldn't understand how anyone could function on it as it left me in a perpetual fog (an even worse fog than when I was off it). I think they were the 30mg tabs and I'd take one in the morning, get into school and more often than not I'd literally fall asleep in-class. I'd take them most days and gave them the best chance I could but eventually I had to come off them as they werent working out and the withdrawals were horrible too (of course they always are when coming off psychotropics).

Mirtazapine was one of the worst all around due to the massive weight gain and how sluggish, mentally dull and emotionally void they left me feeling - the latter being a symptom that would take months to go away even after I had discontinued them, not to mention the 'brain zaps'.

What they did come in handy for were getting to sleep when experiencing bouts of insomnia during opioid withdrawal - that's about it though. Ultimately I'd come to the conclusion MANY years later that my issues were rooted in anxiety (which likely began as separation anxiety as a child due to being moved around to different nannies and not seeing any of them for an extented amount of time due to there being 3 of them) and depression was only a symptom of that. Anyway, I dont want to go off on a tangent. Not an effective medication for me but it had its place for insomnia thats for sure.
 
Top