Mirtazapine, considering trying it for sleep and recovery

Please can anyone tell me if they have found Mirtazapine useful as and aid to recovery, post taper

I am almost 7 months off diazepam now and in such a bad way,

I was on diazepam tor 20 months in total 3-4 months a approx 4mgs  then a 3 month taper  to 2.5mgs,

Ended in hospital for 3 days and back to 4mgs, Tapered from for 14 months to zero and  finished taper 14th December 2018

I have taken nothing since then except  a couple of propranolol for anxiety but did little as I do not have a fast heart rate or palpitations, etc

I am so down, I get little sleep, I am so thin now, I shiver with fear and stress, and don't know what to do to become functional again

I have a healthy fear of all meds now but I am considering that maybe I need something for sleep and calming

I did try Mirtazapine in May and July 2018 for a week each time but was still on valium, at the time and I do not know if that caused me to feel bad on it, or not

I really feel in need of some help and wondered if anyone had found Mirtazapine useful of made things worse for them.

Any good or bad experiences re this drug ?

 

Jen

 

aged 75

Considering that too..So may be you will update me.Prozac seems to not work.

Chinchuck

 

I have been taking Mirtazapine for a year now.  I find it very helpful for sleep and have not noticed any bad side effects.  I do notice that if I do not take it my sleep isn't as good.

 

Hope this helps.

 

I tried it for 3 months during my diazepam tapering (down to 1.25mg benzo right now per day).  I regret it.  Yes, it helped me sleep deeply, but it always made me VERY DEPRESSED the next day.  It's supposed to be an anti depressant but it was horrible for me and it just made the symptoms of my Benzo taper worse.  I would NOT recommend from my experience.  The withdrawal from Mirtazapine is NOT FUN and depending on your sensitivity it can take many months.  And I was on a low dose.

I considered mirtazapine for help with sleep during clonazepam taper, but decided against b/c of side effect profile.

I use a small amount of cannabis in the evening, and it often but not always helps with sleep.

Personally I could do without the other effect, but the appetite stimulant effect of cannabis might help you.

I tried it for 3 months during my diazepam tapering (down to 1.25mg benzo right now per day).  I regret it.  Yes, it helped me sleep deeply, but it always made me VERY DEPRESSED the next day.  It's supposed to be an anti depressant but it was horrible for me and it just made the symptoms of my Benzo taper worse.  I would NOT recommend from my experience.  The withdrawal from Mirtazapine is NOT FUN and depending on your sensitivity it can take many months.  And I was on a low dose.

 

How did you taper off Mirt? I'm on 7.5 mg and I'm so tired I cannot get out of bed.  I need to quit taking it. 

I have mixed feelings about the Mirtazapine from experience.  For some, it appears to be very helpful. 

 

I am afraid of it personally but still undecided "if I should" try it again.  My first two times have me thinking no.  I struggle with high cholesterol and rise in lipids is common on this drug.  The other drawback is the weight gain although not my concern now.  I'm not sleeping hardly at all so I am tempted to try but to withdraw yet again?  I've yet to find good factual information on whether it is actually used for benzo withdrawal. 

 

When I told psych how it makes me feel, he said I was drawing a conclusion not based on fact.  The fact is I don't feel good on it and believe it caused me to feel more impulsive.  My first try was last October 2019.  It happened the second time (May 2020) so now I am scared to try it.  In the midst of benzo withdrawal it's hard to really separate the withdrawal from med side effects. 

 

It is an odd drug in that the lower the dose the more sedating it is.  I had more severe heart palpitations on the mirtazapine, especially upon waking, but now getting holter monitor for 24hrs this week.  Maybe it will prove to the drs that it's happening to me. 

 

I don't know what to do either but felt it might help to describe part of my experience.

 

🐥FragileBird🐥

I take Remeron (7.5 mg) nightly. It works wonders for me as both a sleep aid and a welcome respite from my withdrawal symptoms. When I feel it kick in, my symptoms improve, I feel tranquil and sleepy, and I sleep solidly for several hours with no next-day grogginess. Two things I noticed:

 

1. For the first few days I was on it, daytime drowsiness was quite intense. It disappeared by day 4 or 5.

 

2. When I was bumped up to 15 mg, it was less effective, and I was put back on the 7.5's. My doc explained that the hypnotic effects can actually decrease with a higher dosage.

 

I am very grateful for Mirtazipine's role in my withdrawal process.

Just wish to say that it's good to hear positives about Mirtazapine.  I was actually wondering if it's helpful for withdrawals off benzos.  It seems from what I'm reading that for some, it really is good for this. 

 

My wish is that physicians will one day become more familiar with the benefits and also that the side effects are different for each individual. 

 

This is wonderful site.  So full of info.

 

 

Please can anyone tell me if they have found Mirtazapine useful as and aid to recovery, post taper

I am almost 7 months off diazepam now and in such a bad way,

I was on diazepam tor 20 months in total 3-4 months a approx 4mgs  then a 3 month taper  to 2.5mgs,

Ended in hospital for 3 days and back to 4mgs, Tapered from for 14 months to zero and  finished taper 14th December 2018

I have taken nothing since then except  a couple of propranolol for anxiety but did little as I do not have a fast heart rate or palpitations, etc

I am so down, I get little sleep, I am so thin now, I shiver with fear and stress, and don't know what to do to become functional again

I have a healthy fear of all meds now but I am considering that maybe I need something for sleep and calming

I did try Mirtazapine in May and July 2018 for a week each time but was still on valium, at the time and I do not know if that caused me to feel bad on it, or not

I really feel in need of some help and wondered if anyone had found Mirtazapine useful of made things worse for them.

Any good or bad experiences re this drug ?

 

Jen

 

aged 75

 

I found it useful but now after 6-months I'm having side effects that are awful.  I'm very tired most of the day and there are nights when I don't sleep so the effectiveness has worn off.  I have gained 20- pounds which I hate, my stomach is always bloated and my digestive system is a mess.  All my issues are side effects so I have to come off.  It helped me to get off Clonazepam and I am thankful for it... however I now have to worry about withdrawal symptoms when I wean off and possibly feeling like crap.  I'm not happy about the side effects but if put in the same situation again I would most likely make the choice to take it because the Benzo issue was so huge.  So I guess there's good points and bad points like all drugs.  Possibly there is another med that is not as addicting as Mirt with less side effects that would work better? My Dr. would not let me do the Valium crossover and I think that would have worked better for me.  That was my first choice, but she said no so I didn't have any options. 

I was told by my psych that a standard antidepressant taper over 4 weeks was all that was needed in the case of Remeron, and that withdrawl symptoms are more uncommon with this drug than with many other antidepressants. I've read other accounts online about difficult withdrawals from it, but I imagine you can find a certain number of people who have atypical experiences with just about any drug. I'm choosing to believe my doctor for my own peace of mind, and the numbers say it's more likely than not that a person will have an easy withdrawal.

 

Regarding weight gain: I was advised to take it right before bed to avoid nighttime munchies. So it hasn't been an issue for me because the appetite stimulating properties (in my case) don't extend into the following day.

Please can anyone tell me if they have found Mirtazapine useful as and aid to recovery, post taper

I am almost 7 months off diazepam now and in such a bad way,

I was on diazepam tor 20 months in total 3-4 months a approx 4mgs  then a 3 month taper  to 2.5mgs,

Ended in hospital for 3 days and back to 4mgs, Tapered from for 14 months to zero and  finished taper 14th December 2018

I have taken nothing since then except  a couple of propranolol for anxiety but did little as I do not have a fast heart rate or palpitations, etc

I am so down, I get little sleep, I am so thin now, I shiver with fear and stress, and don't know what to do to become functional again

I have a healthy fear of all meds now but I am considering that maybe I need something for sleep and calming

I did try Mirtazapine in May and July 2018 for a week each time but was still on valium, at the time and I do not know if that caused me to feel bad on it, or not

I really feel in need of some help and wondered if anyone had found Mirtazapine useful of made things worse for them.

Any good or bad experiences re this drug ?

 

Jen

 

aged 75

 

It helped me sleep at first but that was it.  The rest of it makes me feel terrible and my memory is worse now.

I take max. doze of Remeron (Mirtazapine) which is 45mg.

It helps me enormously with sleep. I can fall asleep even with 15mg of that medicine.

The downside, you gain weight very easily while on this medication. I could literally eat a spoonful of plain sugar in the beginning about half an hour after I take the medicine. Hope it helps.

 

 

Massive weight gain, made me so grumpy, didn’t help me sleep just sedated. I’m glad it helps some but definitely didn’t have a positive experience x