Mirtazapine

[JaneCrory]

Hi folks,

I was previously on Citalopram, and after about 12 weeks I decided it was doing nothing for me so my doctor changed me to Mirtazapine. I started off on 15mg which I found initially done wonders for me - helped my sleep, appetite and I was generally feeling more upbeat. I was doing things again and feeling positive. But lately I've found I've been very on edge, irritiable, angry and now I just feel really down. My doctor has upped me to 30mg.

If anyone could give me some advice on this I'd be grateful.
x

[Anne1221]

Give the 30 mg a chance to work. It may take up to six weeks to see the full effects. It takes time before you really know if it's helping or not.

[jessed03]

Mirtazapine is weird like that. The 15mg works amazingly well, then poops out after a month. Seems to happen to everyone.

The 30mg should pick up where the 15mg left off. That's the therapeutic dose. The lower one is more for sleep benefits.

You should start to feel better really quickly. Sometimes the drug works in as little as three days (although do give it a little longer if it happen that quickly for you). 30mgs sounds like it'll hit the spot.

[JaneCrory]

Thanks folks, really hope it picks me up.

It has me worried as I find myself not bothered about doing anything. We went to our cousins last night for a house warming, and I sat in the corner most of the night just minding my own business. I know people will say fake it until you make it, but I can't even seem to do that.

A lot of my cousins were asking me if I was okay, and of course I just instinctively say yes, as I'm not the type to bore people to death with how I'm feeling. I'm going to ring my GP tomorrow and see if I can get a line for work. I just get so frustrated as I was doing great when I first started the Mirtazapine. I even sometimes can't be bothered with my dogs, and I bloody love those kids to death.
x

[cloudy black]

i know the fake it until you make it stuff. i avoid people when i am really in a dark place. gosh if people were to see the real me...whoever she is.. and like you say you dont want to talk about how you are feeling i understand you on that. my counsellor is trying to encourage me to talk about my anxiety and depression and i say, "what is there to say other than it has truly screwed my life up". i can always say things in one sentence!

[jessed03]

Thanks folks, really hope it picks me up.

It has me worried as I find myself not bothered about doing anything. We went to our cousins last night for a house warming, and I sat in the corner most of the night just minding my own business. I know people will say fake it until you make it, but I can't even seem to do that.

A lot of my cousins were asking me if I was okay, and of course I just instinctively say yes, as I'm not the type to bore people to death with how I'm feeling. I'm going to ring my GP tomorrow and see if I can get a line for work. I just get so frustrated as I was doing great when I first started the Mirtazapine. I even sometimes can't be bothered with my dogs, and I bloody love those kids to death.
x

Have you been affected by fatigue at all? As it's a sedative, that can play a role.

[Im-Suffering]

Two or more psychological frameworks here. Depression over the seeming lack of control in your life, and depression over the effects of the drug, both seen as personal failures. The overall powerless feelings include the nagging infuriation with yourselves at the need for the drugs at all. 'why me'?

One learns over time the lesson of personal power, esteem, worth, and so forth, eliminating the symptoms and need for the drugs.

The drugs deaden the feelings associated with errant thought (incorrect assumptions or beliefs about who you are, and also about the world at large) - where one does not face the problems that caused the disorder to begin with. And so there is always that feeling of powerlessness that needs to be addressed. Ultimately you can take a vacation break, but you must then return home to face yourself, as you see, the drugs lose their effectiveness or in greater terms, the appeal they once had. The ideal, and I am not saying to stop drugs altogether as long as you believe in them, but to eventually do the mental work allowing your own bodies 'natural' drugs to do the healing.

Your bodies cannot function as they were meant to, instead they attempt to fight the foreign drug itself. You all know of the 'happy' chemicals you manufacture within yourselves. That would bring you out of your depression should you have a 'thought transplant', and solve your life problems without rumination or dwelling on the issues or taking firm decisive steps to resolve them.

[jessed03]

Two or more psychological frameworks here. Depression over the seeming lack of control in your life, and depression over the effects of the drug, both seen as personal failures. The overall powerless feelings include the nagging infuriation with yourselves at the need for the drugs at all. 'why me'?

One learns over time the lesson of personal power, esteem, worth, and so forth, eliminating the symptoms and need for the drugs.

The drugs deaden the feelings associated with errant thought (incorrect assumptions or beliefs about who you are, and also about the world at large) - where one does not face the problems that caused the disorder to begin with. And so there is always that feeling of powerlessness that needs to be addressed. Ultimately you can take a vacation break, but you must then return home to face yourself, as you see, the drugs lose their effectiveness or in greater terms, the appeal they once had. The ideal, and I am not saying to stop drugs altogether as long as you believe in them, but to eventually do the mental work allowing your own bodies 'natural' drugs to do the healing.

Your bodies cannot function as they were meant to, instead they attempt to fight the foreign drug itself. You all know of the 'happy' chemicals you manufacture within yourselves. That would bring you out of your depression should you have a 'thought transplant', and solve your life problems without rumination or dwelling on the issues without taking firm decisive steps to resolve them.

I like it.

Long time since I've been on a thread with you as well! Hope you're doing well, brother.

[Im-Suffering]

Love you brother, my good energies will always be with you.

[JaneCrory]

Have you been affected by fatigue at all? As it's a sedative, that can play a role.

It helps me sleep, but I do feel tired during the day. Not exhausted, but tired.

[JaneCrory]

Update on the Mirtazapine.......In some ways I feel worse, I've been on the 30mg now for a few weeks, and I feel so flat. I feel very unmotivated and seem like I'm just stuck to the sofa and not wanting to do anything.

[Anne1221]

Is your mood better? Do you feel more hopeful? If not, then that antidepressant is not helping you like it should. Or, are you stuck on the sofa because it makes you feel tired. That one is known for being strong, but it does help people sleep. I was afraid of it because it can cause weight gain. That's why I take a different one, because I have a tendency to gain weight.

[JaneCrory]

No my mood isn't great, most of the time I just feel nothing. Or I can be extremely irritable for days, like today I am very irritable. My dogs barking has driven me round the bend, when normally it would just be water off a ducks back.

I've requested a call back from my GP, I want to talk to her about the tablets. I honestly don't think they're helping me at all. All I know is that my moods have swung in different ways the last 6 months, and in that time I've been tried on 2 different medications - Citalopram and Mirtazapine. I'm also on beta blockers.

[JaneCrory]

Update - I got a call back from my GP who said if I don't feel the Mirtazapine isn't working, then it isn't and I should wean myself off them.

Something definitely isn't right with me, my dog barking earlier nearly had me walking out. I grabbed him by the collar and literally screamed at him, I then burst into tears.

I'm coming off all my medication, I honestly don't think it's helping.

[Blinkyrocket]

Update - I got a call back from my GP who said if I don't feel the Mirtazapine isn't working, then it isn't and I should wean myself off them.

Something definitely isn't right with me, my dog barking earlier nearly had me walking out. I grabbed him by the collar and literally screamed at him, I then burst into tears.

I'm coming off all my medication, I honestly don't think it's helping.

People with high histamine and low methylation are characterized as being hyper active and highly motivated but restless and tense. Mirtazepine is a VERY strong antihistamine. So if your methylation is relatively high, lowering histamine will expose the symptoms of high methylation. Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) can raise histamine (sometimes, in certain situations) and at least lower methylation a bit. Obviously this isn't doctor's advice and you've probably already discontinued the medication so... Eh. However, I think it is known that there is an interrelationship between histamine and methylation and mood. Your getting very mad at your dog and then crying afterwards is very indicative of high-ish methylation problems. At least, it's been observed in schizophrenics (obviously you're not schizophrenic but it still applies, just not in as big of a way) that have low histamine and high methylation that they're prone to outbreaks of anger with extreme guilt after committing the deed.