Started on mirtazapine 30mg early December which helped massively with sleeping but now been upped to 45mg and I'm having very little sleep now. The depression is much better but the anxiety is not good presently either but I have decided to stop beta blockers which may not be helping with the anxiety. Just wondered if anyone else has the same problem. And darent take Zopiclone as when first on Mirtazapine took one and speech was very slurrly and could hardly walk. And Nytol just doesnt work for me anymore. Any suggestions gratefully received.
Rachel, I was on 45mg for depression for about 4 years. I had been on lower doses for sleep, but with exacerbation of depression GP increased the Mirtazapine eventually to 45mg. My anxiety levels shot up. I thought it was just me and that I had to deal with unresolved depression. A counsellor told me that Mirtazapine can stop working so I thought I'd try to come off it. As soon as I started reducing the anxiety subsided. I'm now down to 7.5mg, I can't sleep at lower doses. I reduced in small increments and very slowly.
I hope this helps. All the best. Catherine x
Ps smaller doses tend to be more sedating.
5mg which i have to say just seems to help me sleep and that is a great help, but as for the anxiety, need some help there. Ssris. help some but i cant take them. Be interested on your progress message anytime.
Sorry lost half my message, im on 7.5 mirtaz after having to decrease it due to anxiety rocketing on increasing.
I guess that your dose of mirt was increased to counter anxiety or depression.
Unfortunately doing that removes its ability to help insomnia.
It is common to treat the problems separately: take a low dose of mirt for the insomnia and ALSO take another AD (eg an SSRI) for depression/anxiety.
Best wishes.
Thanks everyone. Yes dose increased to help gad and depression. Looks like I need to ring gp. :-(
Yes Rachel, I've read of folks being the same on higher doses ... sometimes, as long as Mirt is helping with any insomnia it sorts out the anxiety AND depression; in mho, if 30 mg helped you I would step back down to it. But gradually, step down to say 37.5 (30 + 7.5 mg) for a week or 10 days, then to 30 mg ...
I wouldn't advise taking Zopiclone with Mirt, Mirt has a large amount of sedation in it anyway and therefore it could be dangerous. Nytol works with anti histamine, same as Mirt - be interesting to know how much active anti histamine is in Mirt, I know Nytol is either 25 or 50 mg of the active ingredient.
Wishing youu well
Thanks calmer unfortunately 30mg just didn't resolve my depression and anxiety which was why gp increased. Think I will have to speak to my gp again but thanks for advice about zopiclone as was gonna take one tonight as getting desperate but best not risk it.
Just as a matter of interest, have you tried lowering dose of mirtazapine to see if the anxiety and insomnia dissipates a little. It certainly did for me and i sleep better at 7.5mg but my anxiety is still there. Like you i did have Zopiclone short term, disposed of it as it can be habit forming. I would also be interested to hear if your anxiety lowers on. 45mg.
As a retired RMN 45mg is to treat depressive and anxiety symptoms. I take 15mg myself for sleep only and another antidepressant sertraline 150mg. If you are only treated by ur GP they are reluctant to give two antidepressants.
I'm a chronic insomniac and over my 55 years have tried everything including sedating antihistamines which as promethazine ie Phenergan and nytol etc.
I take 9mg of melatonin which I buy from website Biovea, plus mirtazapine 15 and 100mg Pregabalin at night. Pregabalin can be prescribed to help anxiety but GPs don't like prescribing it as it's expensive.
Hope you find something as not sleeping is terrible.
Ann I would say that my anxiety has increased on the 45mg and panics have started up regularly again, even come on without me thinking about anything now, but as I said in the original post I have stopped taking beta blockers, just because I think this is here to stay and I need to start living with it. The depression is noteably better on 45mg. I darent try reducing dose as I really dont want the depression back.
Lynn I did actually sleep last night, so that gives me the excuse to chicken out of seeing/phoning the GP, and like you say I can't see her giving me two anti depressants anyway. And I do feel better than I have for months so I'm not gonna rock the boat.
Thanks for your support everyone x
WOW Lynn, I so feel for the chronic insomnia you have been struggling with. Are you UK, did you get hold of the Daily Mail today? The article and seemingly excellent advise with sleep diary looks very promising - its by Professor Jason Ellis, Director Of The Northumbria Centre For Sleep Research. You can read it on line but you would need the sleep diary and it appears they are sending them free of charge, double check.