Remeron

[kris]

Does anyone have any experiences with this drug, good or bad?

 

[catjudo]

I was prescribed Remeron many years ago. I don't recall all of the details but do recall that I found it to be to sedating and it didn't really help with my depression.

 

[suzie q]

I was given Remeron when my eating disorder had me at a size 0. I never purged I just could not eat anything because of my nerves. I went to a treatment center for 60 days and was given this drug at night. I would get really groggy and would raid the center's refrigerator. I wouldn't stop eating until the sedation would put me out. It broke me of not eating anything, or very little of it.

It did the trick for helping me get back to a healthy eating pattern. I was a size 11/12 when I left treatment. I've since lost all the excessive fat and am holding steady at a 7/8. If you are hyper or manic and find it difficult to eat good food, I highly recommend it's use. It also helped me sleep deep and wake without a hang-over.

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I was on it for years before being officially Dx'ed with PTSD. It was one of the best antidepressants that I have ever been on. However, it did cause mood cycling for me (although I didn't know that was happening at the time, I just thought I was really "happy") I tried taking it again last fall, and I started mood cycling almost immediately.

 

[Coast]

In this country it's called Zispin (branded) or Mirtazepine (generic). It might also be called Avanza in other places... but I got that last name from Wikipedia so don't rely on it!

I've been on it three times over 4 years at doses varying from 15mg to 60mg for over a year the first time, a few months the secnd time and I've just gone on it now which would be the third time.

My personal experience of it was it is/was a lifesaver.

I was deeply unwell and neither eating nor sleeping anything like normally when I eventually came to the attentions of the authorities. I think this influenced the decision to put me on Zispin, which is known for its side effects of making patients sleep and eat. Also I would speculate the choice was influenced by serious suicide attempts I had recently made and so they weren't going to give me anything too easy to kill yourself with (Zispin being relatively safe compared to some other psychiatric medications).

As I say I have since been back on this medication twice further since then too, it works well for me in that I lose all trace of my sleep pattern rather easily and stop bothering with food when unwell so it restores this. I find it helpful as an anti-depressant/ anti-anxiety but not that it totally removes either because it doesn't. Whether it's the new found sleep pattern that does it or the drug itself I don't know but life can certainly be a lot less troubled on it than off it if I'm getting ill. I find that I am able to live more, and so able to excercise more, which again is good for the mind.

For the first couple of weeks though I find there is a stark adjustment to it, I might as well write the fortnight off frankly... If not asleep during the first two weeks I'm to be found in the fridge looking for the least healthy comfort foods to be found! My world is basically in four parts... sleeping, eating, using the toilet and drinking water for the headache. Get past that fortnight and it's a whole other story, but that first adjustment phase can be pretty serious. Thankfully I was warned about it when I first went on it and besides I was in hospital at the time so it was less shocking than it could have been. I'm actually in the readjustment phase again now, having gone back on it three days ago, which is how come I have the time to be lolling about in bed all day typing stuff on the internet between naps!

I hope that helps you somewhat.

 

[reallynow]

I was on it for 4 days only because I quit as it made me drowsy throughout the next day still, or not even drowsy but, cloudy in my head. The sleep effect however was incredible, it was wonderful I could actually sleep through the night with very few interruptions. Just too icky the next day for my liking.

IS it something you are trying for prolonging sleep, and possibly dealing with nightmares? Because I'm not taking Trazodone at night which helps slightly to sustain sleep, even though I still wake up loads, but I can go back to sleep faster than without the drugs. I don't know what your reason your taking it for, if its for its antidepressant effects, or to help with sleep. Also Zopiclone is AMAZING for sleep initiation but doesn't do much for prolonging sleep. But this is my miracle pill to get me asleep in the first place and not 3 hours with out it. I love zopiclone if you have trouble falling asleep its fantastic.

Also if nightmares are a big concern, and sleep, there is a new drug tested specifically on PTSD sufferers, called Prazosin which is actually a high blood pressure pill, but it is supposed to greatly help sleep concerns for PTSD particularly nightmares.

Just throwing this out there because I know remeron (aka mirtazapine) is often used to aid in sleep as well as anxiety/depression in the longer term

 

[Chloe]

I've been taking Remeron for years and to be honest I would like to go off of it, or just have it for nights that I absolutely cannot fall asleep. I'm not happy with the weight gain factor as I've lost my small figure, and I do believe this makes me groggy when I awake the next day. I'm going to try to resort to natural herbs and supplements for sleep.