Mirtazapine side effects: twitching muscles

KChrispcat wrote about "Restless Leg Syndrome" in her recent post by that title.

Trina replied in that same post that one of her meds gave her this trouble and noted:

"I drink 8 oz. of regular tonic water, NOT diet, each night before bed. Works like a charm.

"It is the quinine in it. You get use to the taste. No mixing."

Andy wrote:

"I got this (restless leg) as a side effect of mirtazapine. Did this just start recently? It could be withdrawal or a side effect from the new medicine.

"Mine went away as soon as I came off mirtazapine 8 months later."

When Andy wrote that just recently, it jogged my memory that the anti-depressant Mirtazapine also gave me muscle twitching fits for over a year, before I figure out what was causing it: the medicine I had just taken before laying down in bed at night.

My routine for over a year was:

1. I would finish supper and 3 snacks, and as soon as I hit the bed, I would be starving, and I would have to get up and eat more, and I wasn't hungry.

2. As soon as I hit the bed, one or two toes would start to twitch.

I could not figure it out for over a year. One day, I just lay down on the bed in the middle of the day, and I thought, "My toes aren't twitching."

I always thought it was laying down on the bed is what made my toes twitch. I now realized, that was not what caused it.

Oh, my other routine was, I took Mirt. 5 or 10 minutes before I lay down on the bed at night when all of this would begin to happen. I never connected the two. I thought it was the laying down that caused this.

I guess I checked with my doctor, but I cut the Mirt in half, and the toe twitching and hunger attacks, which both occurred as soon as I took Mirt and lay down, stopped, and have never returned.

Andy said he had restless leg from Mirt. I had twitching toes and hunger from Mirt. I cut my dosage in half and it went away. Check with your doctor, or call and see.

Triana,

My heart goes out.

Thank you for sharing.

I had an uncaring psychiatrist who told me
the way to quit Ativan was to "quit taking it."

That was on a Friday, she was closed for the weekend, and had no on call doctor at night or on weekends.

From not taking the med on Friday night, the reduction in med. made my ears feel better, less sensitive to noise, and I felt like a million dollars. I thought I was cured of my ear problem (hyperacusis).

So that Saturday night, I decided not to take my lithium and anti-dep., and Sunday morning I thought I was cured again, my ears were in such great shape concerning loud noises.

Sunday afternoon, I had panic attack, for the meds having gone out of my body. I started taking medicine like candy, to save my mind.

I took so much medicine so quick, it made my ears pop, and my hyperacusis was worse than ever.

Well, you know, having a doctor who didn't really give a hoot didn't help.

I know, I messed up, also. But having a doctor who didn't give a hoot didn't help.

Are you saying that med gave you chest pain? And shaking?

You're still on it? Oh, NOW he says stop taking it.

Which brings me to a male psychiatrist who gave me bad advice, and it caused me huge problems.

I only go to female doctors now, for I feel my psychic can't take anymore mess-ups by doctors who are not connected with my emotions.

I had some bad luck recently, and this is how I dealt with it.

I said, it wasn't my fault. It's just something that happened, and it was just bad luck. I've had good luck, and that was just luck, also.

But it's going to happen, the good luck and the bad luck. There's no controlling it.

I use to look at these true crime shows on TV, and just view those horrendous crimes that happened to someone else as, oh, that's a thousand miles away, and not really be connected with it.

Now, I see these horrendous things that have happened to people on these true crime TV shows, and I think, "Gosh, that could have been me!" because I've had some horrendous things happen to me in the last few years.

You said, "Life is such an adventure, don't you think?"

Helen Keller, the woman who was deaf/mute, and learned to talk, said "Life is either an adventure or it is nothing."

How long did you take the medicine? How long were you having these side affects? Did you mention them to your doctor? What did he say?

How long has this condition been going on?

I am trying to get over my next door neighbor, who I just told a month ago that I have an adversion to loud noise, a week ago, have a 45-minute screaming fit in her backyard near my back door, which she could hear me walk out of, for the first time since I've known her in 30 years.

I couldn't get into my house without walking too near her screaming, and she knew it. My ears are still affected by that.

I saw her today. I didn't wave.

I've had 3 other neighbors do that in the last year.

Life is such an adventure, don't you think?

Your post started out with "Thanks" and it ended with "Peace." You have a lot going for you in between.

Thanks for all the help you've given to so many. Now it may be time to help yourself.