Hi...
Just came onto this site as a matter of curiosity as I have now been taking Mirtazapine for just under a week and thought I might compare my experience with other people's.
First of all I should say that I have been suffering from some pretty severe anxiety stemming from panic attacks (which has lasted about 8 months now) so that is the main reason I had been prescribed these tablets, though I have definately been experiencing some pretty heavy depression at times which I believe to be a side-effect of feeling so anxious for so long. Ironically I had been avoiding taking any anti-depressant medication because I was so anxious about the prospect of the medication making me even more anxious as a result of taking it! Such is the nature of an anxiety illness of course - it just feeds on itself and makes you think all sorts of anxious thoughts!
Anyway, the reason I finally decided to take medication is because I reached a stage within my anxiety/depression where I felt that things just weren't getting better naturally as I had hoped they might. I had tried taking St. John's Wort to no avail and although I definately experienced some overall improvement as time went by, it was very up and down and the obsessive nature of my anxious thoughts just kept holding me back. So, having had these Mirtazapine pills sitting on my shelf for so long, I figured it might just be time to give them a go. I know a few other people who have been through some pretty difficult times for various reasons and have taken anti-depressant medication as a result, all of whom are now off the meds and back to living a normal life - and some of the people I'm talking about had been taking them for up to 3 years.
Well, after almost a week of taking Mirtazapine (1x 15mg tablet a night) I can safely say that they have helped so far. Within 24 hours of taking them I already felt some sort of a 'lift' in my mood and definately noticed a more positive feeling within. I was also extremely tired with it and for the first couple of days, I felt like I could sleep forever. This wasn't such a bad thing however as the feeling of tranquil lethargy and the benefit of a good sound night's sleep was a welcome change from feeling so anxious all the time. In any case, I was aware of this potentially happening as my Doctor did inform me that Mirtazapine has a sedative effect (hence the reason for taking it at night before bed) and it also says something to that effect on the information leaflet you get with the tablets. The extreme tiredness only lasted for a couple of days, though a week in I still feel pretty tired throughout the day but it's not so much of a lethargy as just feeling like you have to shut your eyes because they are so heavy. It does come and go though and it's worth mentioning that I have to get up at 06:30 every morning and then have a 1 and a half hour commute to work so that will inevitably affect how tired I am during the week as well.
Additionally, I have noticed an increase in appetite (also mentioned in the side-effects list) and have been eating a bit more of late but it's the kind of thing that you can keep tabs on as long as you stay aware of how much you're shoving into your gob! I think the best thing for that is to make sure that if and when you do feel the urge to eat, you just make sure you eat something healthy and avoid the decadent snacks.
Other than that, I have felt a little light-headed at times and on occasion a little foggy, like I'm having trouble processing or vocalising my thoughts, but on the whole it has been a far less traumatic experience than I originally anticipated.
As for the main reason I started on Mirtazapine - well my low mood much improved, and the anxiety although still somewhat apparent is not nearly as intense as it was before. Although I still have the anxious thoughts, they are intermittent rather than constant and feel like they are round the corner somewhere rather than right there in my face, if you know what I mean. More importantly, for the first time in ages I feel like I can do things without the dreaded trepidation of old which is a huge boost to my everyday life. I also feel hope as opposed to the sense of despair and isolation that the depression can cause.
It is still early days yet - I understand that it can take up to 6 weeks for anti-depressants to have their full effect - but so far so good. I have still to go back and see my Doctor about my progress to discuss dose etc but if it goes on as it is then I think my inner anxiety demons will just fade into the past and I should be well on my way to being normal again.
Well I hope this sharing of my experience serves to help anyone reading this who may have concerns about taking Mirtazapine or starting anti-depressant medication in general. Obviously side effects and experiences vary from person to person but I'm sure some positive feedback will do no harm.
Give me a holler at ****** if you want to talk some more about it... I'm happy to share any info etc.
Take care!
Skindizer
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