I have read a number of experience from this forum both about Fluoxetine when I was taking it at 20mg before I went up to 40mg, and then some of these Mirtazapine experiences before I switched.
Today is the first day on Mirtazapine, I took it last night before sleep at 15mg.
I woke up this morning feeling like I'd been drugged with chloroform!
The feeling lasted throughout the day, I had to drink a hell of a lot of coffee to make it through seminars today, and then fell asleep when I got home.
Does this effect diminish after taking the medication for some time? I can't possibly continue like this, I won't be able to function! After two weeks I am supposed to go up to 30mg.
I realise it makes you sleepy, that's why you take it before bed. But does the extreme drowsiness through the day get any better? Could it also be that fluoxetine is still in my system because I only stopped that yesterday after cutting down from 40mg to only 20mg for a few days first.
I understand that fluoxitine can stay in the system for up to 2 weeks. This was told to me by a psychiatrist as I am about to start a course om mirtazipine. Hope this helps
I went from prozac to mirtrazapine and felt the same, in fact I felt spaced at times, however my mood is 110% better and Im sleeping however be prepared for the weight gain.
Im now on the 30mg tablets and feel a lot better but Im concerned about the weight issue.
I've now been on it for a few days. I still feel really sleepy when I get up but it isn't quite as bad as the first day. It just takes longer to wake up in the morning. I think it's had some effect on my mood already, if only in the sense that I haven't felt really bad since I started.
Plus I'm getting to sleep which is good. And I have finally got my appetite back!!
Mirtazapine has strong sedative effects in the lower doses. These drowsy feelings which continue during the day should go off after a week or so. You should not attempt to drive if you are feeling drowsy. Hopefully the benefits of the drug will start to kick in too.
I too was prescribed Fluoxetine by my doctor. I recently visited him in the last few days and he has transferred me to Mirtazapine. On evening one I felt like I was drunk,my vision was unreliable and I felt quite woozy.It is now night four and those symptoms have passed. I was told by my doc to leave it about four days before switching to another drug so switching straight over like that isnt advisable as one drug needs to be out of your system before you start another.Hope this helps....
I just want to thank you for your posts they have restored my faith in starting mirtazapine. I was on fluoxetine for 4 weeks and have never felt so awful, I am now on a week off and dread wakening in the morning but I have to get this out of my system before starting mir. I worry about the weight gain as I also have had no appetite on flu and have managed to drop a few pounds however if mir does make me feel good perhaps I will want to be out and about doing more and won't veg in the house eating (fingers crossed) Does anyone know if it's okay to have a glass of wine when taking mir.
I only experienced drowziness after I take the dose which was great for me since I take it at night. I feel sort of cloudy in the morning, but I haven't experienced the 'zombie' feeling you and other people have reported.
Unfortunately, my mood hasn't improved (if it has the amount is negligable) and I've developed a full-blown anxiety disorder with derealisation/depersonalisation and frequent panic attacks. Therefore, I'm going back on to Fluoxetine as soon as I've tapered off the Mirtazapine for a few weeks.
I'm glad others are having success with Mirtazapine though, and I wish you all the best of luck.
I've also been prescribed mirtazapine after fluoxetine as the flu made me feel dreadful, however my g.p said I had to give the flu a week to get out of my system before starting mir and also after a few days of taking it you apparently wake up feeling refreshed. I have big hopes for this drug but I'm a little scared of taking the first one (tomorrow eve) as I felt sooooo bad on flu. Fingers crossed and good luck to you guys.
:D I was on fluoxetine for years and it didn't seem to work for me. I told my doc that I'd been on mianserin years ago. He prescibed mirtazapine 15mg and to my amazement I soon started feeling GRRrrreeat! The only problem I find with them is that I can't stop eating. Will increasing to 30mg make that worse?
Oh wow, im so glad to be reading all this, i have just come back from seeing my Phciatrist (cant spell) and after 9 months on Flu she has prescribed me Mirt as i had bad sleeping patterns, so im looking forward to taking them tonight and will get to bed early just incase. But this weight thing dont sound good for me as i have a bad self image as it is already so this is a slight worry, but I have hope again, but am concerned as i have to be weened off 150mg Flu and not looking forward to the side effects, really im just posting to know that apart from the side effects and weird dreams etc, do the positives outweight the negatives, was it all worth it!! are the benefits to Mirt worth all the side effects.
Hi, I have been on Flu for 8 months which I am now coming off & have been taking 15g Mirt for the last 3 weeks. I take 20g Flu in the morning & Mirt at night. The doctor said that these two drugs are safe to be in the body at the same time. The side effects that I have had from Mirt are weight gain, night sweats, aching lower body & very vivid dreams. But now after 3 weeks I am starting to feel better about things & more positive. I sleep much better & don't have the drugged feeling when I wake up, that only lasted about 4 days when I started taking them. I have filled my fridge with fruit to snack on & drink a lot more water as I never feel full. I will give the Mirt another month to see if the positives outweigh the negatives. Good luck.
Hi i've found all this information really helpful.
I've been on prozac 20mg for the first month with no improvement so dr increased the dose to 40mg and again no improvement over the two weeks to date.
Saw the Dr today and has put me on mirtazapine 15mg at night (first one being tonight) and i've got to reduce my prozac down 20mg for a week and then one 20mg tablet everyother day for a week.
I might post a daily report on how this has affected if people would be interested?
My partner has been prescribed mir and took his first one last night....its now 3pm and he's been asleep since 1am last night, previous to this his sleep pattern has been all over the place due to his depression. I am worried and a little scared to be honest with you....I never experienced depression before and although Ive read many websites on how to help your loved one, I still don't really know who to help him or what I can do to help him...
sorry im rambling!
He's on 15mg....will his sleeping get better in the sense of not sleeping all the time? He wont be impressed with the weight gain...oh dear!
well I take my first one tonght so i'll keep you posted if i remember, just hang in there and things should get better just be supportive and let him know you care (my wife does the same for me and it helps)
well I take my first one tonght so i'll keep you posted if i remember, just hang in there and things should get better just be supportive and let him know you care (my wife does the same for me and it helps)
Mike
Hi Mike, thanks for getting back to me...I too will keep you posted
Well i've just woken up and its now 9.45 am and feel really tired and very slow this morning and have a really fuzzy head and struggling to write this but will try and continue.
I took my first 15 mg mirtazapine tablet at 9.30pm last night and took roundabout an hour for it to kick in. I took myself to bed at about 10.30pm and can't seem to remember getting in to bed or falling asleep, i vaguely remember waking breifly during the night but fell straight back to sleep.
I had approx 11hrs sleep after taking my 15mg of mirtazapine, while on prozac 40mg i was lucky to get 4-5 hrs of un broken sleep.
well after dose 2 last night been feeling really low today with bad thoughts can't seem to get rid of the thoughts at all became really tearful (this is not me at all to cry) this morning sitting in the car on the way to in laws.
can't bring myself to tell my wife about my bad thoughts as i know it would upset her.
not sure if it's the mirt doinging it or the withdrawal from flu ????
well after dose 2 last night been feeling really low today with bad thoughts can't seem to get rid of the thoughts at all became really tearful (this is not me at all to cry) this morning sitting in the car on the way to in laws.
can't bring myself to tell my wife about my bad thoughts as i know it would upset her.
not sure if it's the mirt doinging it or the withdrawal from flu ????
mike
After being on mirt for 2 weeks (started on 15 then incresed to 30 the following week) I have now taken myself off of them. I know you are not ment to do this but I felt I was going to harm myself. These tablets have put me back 2 years, I have been sucidal, cried more than I ever had, whole bady feeling like lead. I do not want to feel like this so have given up on them. My aunt is on them and they have done wonders for her. Shows tablets work different ways on people.
I do feel a lot better today, i know its only been a day but I feel alot happier. Still have a bad temper but hope this will go too.
Please tell your wife how you feel as the saying 'problem halved etc: I am on my own and would love to be able to tell someone how I feel, so do share how you feel. My concentration is still a bit sketchy, but will up-dated again to let you know how I am getting on. take care.
I've been on Mirtazapine for about four months now. I was switched onto these mainly for their sedative qualities but wasn't at all prepared for the effects. I was absolutely wiped out for the first three weeks. For the first week it was taking me until about lunchtime to function, before this I couldn't physically get out of bed or talk even though I could hear later in the day, and even after 12'ish I still wasn't quite with it and would have several naps during the day. Gradually over the second and third week I could function to some degree and was ok after the third week. There was absolutely no way I could have gone to work during the first three weeks, luckily I was ill with something else around the first week and so my doctor wrote my sick note for week stating the other illness rather than depression as this would not be tolerated by my place of work.
After about two months I had a gap of about a week following a cock up with my prescription at the pharmacy, and had pretty much the same side effects but slightly less so and only for a week.
As for the weight I put on about half a stone, but I'm not sure if I can put that down to the Mirtazapine alone or not.