Triggering (SI/OD) - Mirtazapine questions

persephone · 29-10-2008, 07:47 PM

hey,

Sorry I know there are probably a million threads on this already but I'm new here so please bear with me. I had a bit of a flip out last week..alcohol induced so my own fault but I had been having some problems lately following the death of my sister last year. In short my SI had increased and I had started to feel more suicidal.

Anyway after seeing my dr my meds got changed. I'd been on 40mgs of Citalopram for nearly two years but about a month ago dropped it to twently in order to feel less numb. Then I was told it was either back up to 40 or try something else. I went with the something else - which was mirtazapine 15mgs to start with. I was reticent because I'd read about weight gain and this was an issues to me as I've struggled with an eating disorder for over a decade but thought I would try. Anyway I took my first one last night and I've felf like a zombie all day

Not jut a bit sleepy but really foggy and distant, and i've spent so much time in bed. I am really not liking sleeping so much...I've had insomnia for years and oddly enough it's familiar and at least I know where I stand.

My question is does this go away or is this how it is? i know it has a seditive effect but eventually I have to go back to work and have a life. I'm so worried. At the moment I'm signed off for 2 weeks and gp wants me to stay on 15 for those weeks but I still want to function. It's an effort to talk even. Plus I'm concerned about the weight gain and increased appetite. I want to try and see if it helps but if not my only option left is effexor and having been on them many years ago I can remember how diffcult it was to get off them. So really I'm asking for opinions or experience? Sorry it's a bit rambled, foggy head and all

!

P xxx

Stellata · 29-10-2008, 07:53 PM

My experience is, yes, the extra sedativeness does pass. I never had any issues of over sedation when I started on it - maybe because I was so sleep starved and relieved to get a decent night's sleep for the first time in decades!
You'll probably go upto the standard 30mg dose. It's less sedating at higher doses.

Oh yeah, and I've not gained any extra weight on it at all in the 3 years I've been on it. Just what I lost when very ill and on the wrong med.

sherlock holmes · 29-10-2008, 07:54 PM

I'm on 45mg Mirtazapine.

Honestly, the sedation does wear off. You do feel like a zombie to start with, but for me that went away within two weeks. And the higher your dose of mirtazapine, the less sedating it is (apparently, according to wikipedia).

I did gain some weight initially, but have since lost it all (and still on mirtazapine), although my weight gain could have been due to the fact I was IP at the time, and when I'm in hospital I comfort eat. A lot. Like, four chocolate bars a day and crisps and biscuits on top of three meals a day with extra helpings!

persephone · 30-10-2008, 01:49 PM

thanks for the replys, funnily enough I feel less sleepy today took the 2nd one last night. Think I need to take them earlier as it still took me a couple of hours to get off.

another question though - what about alcohol? It's my friends b'day tomorrow and it would be nice to have a glass of wine. I've always drunk on other meds but don't want to make myself any worse than i already feel

Thanks x

sherlock holmes · 30-10-2008, 02:30 PM

It's not advisable to drink alcohol on any anti depressant, but I think that probably applies moreso to mirtazapine because of it's sedating properties. You might get away with a glass of wine, but you should probably play it safe and stick to soft drinks.