exercising with mirt

Treatment and medication
1

Hi

been taking mirtazapine for couple of months now,15mg, and mood improved but has slipped back again. But one thing g I have noticed is, despite me being really quite physically fit since I started taking it my form ( I do lot if cycling and running) has dipped alarmingly  over that period. Anybody else had this?

2

Hey Mark!

The weight gain was why I stopped taking the stuff after about six weeks.Still have not found anything else that helps my depression/anxiety, but am working with a shrink trying various things.

3

Hi Mark, I too do quite a bit of cycling and running and while I wouldn't say my form dropped off alarmingly since starting Mirt it certainly has had a negative effect. I can't seem to go at the same intensity and also don't have the longevity I usually do when exercising. That coupled with the weight gain (which I've tried everything to lose) has made me decide to quit the Mirt. I'm not stopping cold turkey though as it does have withdrawal symptoms. Going to ween myself off them over a couple of weeks. 

4

Yep, completely knackered me over a 3 month period. Was on 30mg, been tapering off for the last 5 weeks, downy to ~ 8mg now. For me the lower doses have been very sedating or tiring, very hard to get up in the morning, then tired all day. Will try and get off it ASAP. Some people can just stop taking it, most find tapering is the only way, as I did. Cheers Norm

5

Hello Mark and All, in my case I can say Mirt caused an increase of between 5 and 10 bpm in heart rate for the same work output. What I could sustain for 30mins at 150bpm became 20mins and closer to 160 at the end. The HR increase exactly reflected how I felt, like I was carrying an extra load.  So I have just reset my expectations and gone back to long slow work. I think the very nature of the control that Mirt has will mean that we can't do as much. A bit like exercising at altitude? Whatever it is, for me it's better than being a scared mouse doubled up in pain from panic attacks. Cheers, David.

6

Thanks for the replies, bit of a comfort to know that there is a reason!