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Mirtazapine/Remeron Side Effects

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Posted 6/3/2010 12:04 AM (GMT 0)
I'm not posting here for depression, but this seems to be the appropriate forum to discuss this medication. If someone can suggest a better place to post this question, I'll be happy to post there instead.

My doctor has prescribed me mirtazapine/remeron for insomnia. I have severe insomnia due to Lyme disease. My insomnia is holding back my recovery because my body is so exhausted. I've been procrastinating for months about taking this medication because of the potentially nasty side effects that it has. I've taken other mood altering drugs for my insomnia. They always make me feel worse, not better. In some cases, certain drugs have actually caused me to have depression when I didn't have any to begin with.

I'm not sure how to make a decision about this medication because I have no way of predicting whether I will have these side effects or not. Does anyone have any experience with this medication? Thanks.
Posted 6/3/2010 12:58 AM (GMT 0)
Hi IH8ticks,

I took remeron for depression and it made me too sleepy. So I think it would work rather well for insomnia. I am sure you already have, but have you tried melatonin or sleepy time tea? How about meditation. I like meditation because I have nothing to depend on other than myself for sleep. I do take ambien though on occasion. It does give me a restful sleep.

But I took the remeron for a couple of months. I had no side effects other than sleepiness, and no problems going off of it. I hope that it works for you and that you don't have any unwanted side effects.

Take care,

Hugs, Karen
Posted 6/3/2010 2:13 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Ihatetiks, just thought I would let you know that my husband started taking mirtazapine since the beginning of May and it has helped him sleep better along with lifting the depression he has been going through. The only side effects that he has noticed is wierd dreams, and an increase in appetite. I hope it works for you. I cant imagine what it would be like to have insomnia. I think I could sleep 24/7 sometimes.
Shirley
Posted 6/3/2010 3:07 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks to everyone for your input.

My insomnia is very strange. I have taken every sleep medication under the sun, and nothing works. I get the side effects without the benefits. Almost everything makes me very drowsy, but I still can't sleep. I walk around like a zombie. It's worse than the insomnia itself.

I think I'm most disturbed by the emotional side effects like violent acting out and panic attacks. Anything that can effect my mind to that degree sounds scary. I've only been prescribed the smallest dose, but the side effect descriptions don't say whether the bad effects only happen at higher doses.
Posted 6/3/2010 8:47 AM (GMT 0)
hi IHSTICKS, jamie here.

i am a person who suffers severly with insomnia. i take an anti-psychotic for sleep. i too have tried just about everything myself. i have an over-active mind, thus it takes me a long while for me to get to sleep, and i am lucky if i actually do!! this drug is seroquel. here in australia it is a class 8 medication, thus a dx of schizophrenia is required. i have severe borderline personality disorder, thus i am lucky that my doc can prescribe it for me. sadly i am becoming immune-because of continued over-active thoughts. but without it i do not sleep period. i have been on this for a long time now. but in the first few years it was an absolute god-send. this is partly due to not getting any hangover s/e, and because i was able to get some sleep. i wish you well, insomnia sucks!!!!! so i understand, pls now that i am here for you. my sleep hygiene routine is very chaotic, hasn't helped that i am a night-owl, heaps of shift work in the past and endless nights studying, cleaning, paperwork etc. i too will be loking at alternatives, but what i do not know?? i am on a massive dose.

take care, thx 4 sharing, sending healings your way.

with compassion, jamie

Posted 6/3/2010 2:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Jamie,

Thanks for your thoughts and kind words. I'm sorry that you are having problems with sleep as well.

Prior to my infection, I was more like you. I had one of those brains that just wouldn't shut off. It would take me an hour or more to fall asleep. However, once I fell asleep, I could stay asleep for 8 hours or more. After my infection, my sleep became very erratic. Sometimes I can't get to sleep. Other times, I can get to sleep, but I can't stay asleep. It's been years since I had 8 hours of sleep.

Seroquel is one of the many drugs that I have tried, but it did not work for me. As I recall, it just made me drowsy the next day. That frequently happens to me. The drugs don't make me drowsy when I take them. They make me drowsy the next morning.
Posted 6/3/2010 2:33 PM (GMT 0)
BUMMER!!!!  i hope some new medications come out to aide those with insomnia. appreciate your support. gotta keep tryin'!!! hang in there, with compassion, jamie.
Posted 12/14/2010 2:01 PM (GMT 0)
I'm on Lamitcal 25mg and going up to 100mg t some point. I just can't sleep the dr has me taking bezos to sleep, they help a bit but I don't want to be on them for sleep. The dr said she could give me remeron for sleep but I'm so afraid of putting another chemical into my body, even one that causes weight gain. I'm already over weight. Can anyone shed some light on will 7.5 mg help me sleep but not gaina ton of weight?
Posted 12/14/2010 2:47 PM (GMT 0)

Other non-adictive choices are  Trazadone, also the completely new class of drug called Rozerem which targets melatonin sites in the brain (not just a prescription melatonin pill though) which works for some and not others.

You could discuss these options with your Dr.  Remeron comes with mixed reviews but many people love it for sleep.  I wish you luck and I do know how awful it is to not be able to sleep.

Kindly,

Kitt

Posted 12/18/2010 1:30 AM (GMT 0)
So far the 7.5 mg of remeron and I'm still not sleeping like I need to be, I keep waking up all night long and getting up early, next week the remeron will go up to 15 mg, I will look into Rozerem, thanks for the info, as for Trazadone I'm allegic to it.
Posted 12/18/2010 8:23 AM (GMT 0)
I currently take Remeron, and I also take Restoril as needed. I have hard time sleeping as well. For me when I first started taking Remeron I was really sleepy the next day, but once it got in my system I was fine. Restoril works as well. Maybe you can try that. Wish you luck, hope you find something that helps you actually sleep.
Posted 12/18/2010 4:32 PM (GMT 0)
Hi

I have taken mirtazipine and took it about an hour before I went to bed and it did help me to get some sleep as I to have problems with insomnia. I now take seroquel 50mg at night and would say that this is by far the best medication I have tried to help with insomnia.

Ben
Posted 12/19/2010 9:42 AM (GMT 0)
using half myself. helping a tad. jamie. (mirtazipine)
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