Anyone have long term experience with Mirtazapine?

Ray96

Registered User
Sep 29, 2018
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Mum has been on 15mg for over 3 weeks now and is certainly calmer, it took almost 3 weeks to start taking effect though for her depression and anxiety, but the side effect is that she is sleeping too much, always wants to sleep. I hear that 30mg is more for depression and anxiety and her GP mentioned that she might increase mums dose. Mum only takes medication for Thyroid and is pretty heathy although now in the later stages of Alzheimer's.

Does anyone have any experience with this drug?
 

Hellyg

Registered User
Nov 18, 2014
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Midlands
My husband has been in 45 mg for 2 years now. No adverse side effects, other than weight gain although that could be due to other medication. It seems to help him sleep and he is certiainly less anxious (also on riseridone for repetitive thoughts)
 

Ray96

Registered User
Sep 29, 2018
87
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My husband has been in 45 mg for 2 years now. No adverse side effects, other than weight gain although that could be due to other medication. It seems to help him sleep and he is certiainly less anxious (also on riseridone for repetitive thoughts)
So the combination is working for your husband then Hellyg, I was worried about increasing mums dose but I think that she needs it, 15mg is just making her sleepy now, and I want her to put more weight on too. Will have to ask her GP about Resperidone, I hear there are risks but probably worth it at this late stage.

I hear a lot about mamantine too but some users have had terrible experiences with that one, also Lyrica was mentioned by someone that it works well with Mirtazapine and induces appetite too but I don't know much else about that one.
 
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Hellyg

Registered User
Nov 18, 2014
89
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Midlands
So the combination is working for your husband then Hellyg, I was worried about increasing mums dose but I think that she needs it, 15mg is just making her sleepy now, and I want her to put more weight on too. Will have to ask her GP about Resperidone, I hear there are risks but probably worth it at this late stage.

I hear a lot about mamantine too but some users have had terrible experiences with that one, also Lyrica was mentioned by someone that it works well with Mirtazapine and induces appetite too but I don't know much else about that one.


Yes it is working well for my husband, his main issues were anxiety and obsessive thoughts/behaviours, it has certainly resolved a lot of that. I know that Mirtazapine is supposed to increase appetite as a side effect, but I guess it depends if someone gets that side effect. The riseridone is more anti psychotic and slows everything down, which I think is why it causes weight gain
 

Ray96

Registered User
Sep 29, 2018
87
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Thats
Yes it is working well for my husband, his main issues were anxiety and obsessive thoughts/behaviours, it has certainly resolved a lot of that. I know that Mirtazapine is supposed to increase appetite as a side effect, but I guess it depends if someone gets that side effect. The riseridone is more anti psychotic and slows everything down, which I think is why it causes weight gain

Thats good to hear.

My mum though simply defies me continually now, 4 hours to give her two medications in liquid form this morning, should have taken her antibiotics at 7am!
She closes her mouth tightly, holds some in her mouth, spits some out, there no way of knowing how much she has actually taken. Thankfully she is fine with the carers that come twice a day, I may ask for an extra afternoon call to help feed her because she is negative all of the time with me now whatever I do.

Sorry to say that part of me is now starting to hate her, I try so hard, do everything for her and yet she is making me ill! Its done deliberately too, she understands enough still to know that she wants to control me in any way she can to the bitter end. In fact a lady friend of mine has started to call her the black widow.

All very sad indeed.
 

LouBear

Registered User
Oct 3, 2016
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I’m sorry it is so difficult, try as you might not to it take it personally, it’s so hard. Maybe an additional call would be a good idea to reduce the stress of that part of the day on you, it’s so important to protect your own wellbeing.

My grandad has been on 30mg for about 18 months. He is much calmer (for the most part) but he does also sleep a lot. I think this also possibly a progression in his dementia over the last few months but he sleeps for quite a lot of the day (although he’d swear blind he wasn’t asleep!) as well as through the night apart from going to the toilet.

He was also on respiridone very early on but the doctors decided that the risks outweighed the benefits due to the vascular nature of his condition. Thankfully removing this has not had too much impact on his behaviour.

Take good care of yourself

C
 

Ray96

Registered User
Sep 29, 2018
87
0
I’m sorry it is so difficult, try as you might not to it take it personally, it’s so hard. Maybe an additional call would be a good idea to reduce the stress of that part of the day on you, it’s so important to protect your own wellbeing.

My grandad has been on 30mg for about 18 months. He is much calmer (for the most part) but he does also sleep a lot. I think this also possibly a progression in his dementia over the last few months but he sleeps for quite a lot of the day (although he’d swear blind he wasn’t asleep!) as well as through the night apart from going to the toilet.

He was also on respiridone very early on but the doctors decided that the risks outweighed the benefits due to the vascular nature of his condition. Thankfully removing this has not had too much impact on his behaviour.

Take good care of yourself

C
Yes I might increase the done to 30mg with her GP's approval of course. I had thought that I was dealing ok with the latter stages of mums dementia but it has got me down a lot recently, I have been offered counselling a couple of times in the last 6 months but there must be a long waiting list because they have never given me a start date.

The worse part of this is dealing with everything on my own, Yes there is help from the carers that come in, but I have no close family left, just me and mum.
 

spynage

New member
Apr 12, 2018
6
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Mum has been on 15mg for over 3 weeks now and is certainly calmer, it took almost 3 weeks to start taking effect though for her depression and anxiety, but the side effect is that she is sleeping too much, always wants to sleep. I hear that 30mg is more for depression and anxiety and her GP mentioned that she might increase mums dose. Mum only takes medication for Thyroid and is pretty heathy although now in the later stages of Alzheimer's.

Does anyone have any experience with this drug?

Hi

How is your mother getting along? My mother also has to take a thyroid replacement but we think it makes her more agitated than she would normally be. But of course she has to take it. Have you had any problems like that?

Cheers

Sinclair
 

Shedrech

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
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UK
hi @spynage
just to say that this is an old thread and the member hasn't visited DTP since early this year, so is unlikely to reply
 

Rosserk

Registered User
Jul 9, 2019
396
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Hi

How is your mother getting along? My mother also has to take a thyroid replacement but we think it makes her more agitated than she would normally be. But of course she has to take it. Have you had any problems like that?

Cheers

Sinclair


I have hashimoto’s and have had every symptom it’s possible to have. I spent years trying to get my medication just right. If someone is under medicated they can be really sick. I have never experienced agitation, but I have had extreme anxiety, admittedly I don’t have dementia. Are you sure the thyroid medication is causing the agitation? It’s extremely difficult to get the exact dose, are you confident she’s not under medicated? Are they checking her TSH, T3&T4? Typically doctors don’t run all the tests and rely solely on TSH. Have you tried looking on thyroid UK they have a brilliant forum and some really clever people who will be able to advise you. X
 

spynage

New member
Apr 12, 2018
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Hi. Thx for your reply. As we are not her it's really hard to judge the correct dose. Plus she needs covert meds as she won't take voluntarily. Basically if we go by the blood tests then the dose anything over (25mcg) a day seems to increase agitation and agreission. Her dose for optimal behaviour seems to be between 20 and 25mcg a day. It seems like a low dose. She was on 80mcg before her dementia. However this kind of dose seems to send her completely beserk. We are lost with it now after 4 years. Her shouting is becoming worse. It is probably just the progession of the dementia. We need something to control her anxiety.

Would really like to hear from some people that have had to deal with this complication when caring for someone with challenging behaviour and dementia.

Thanks.
 

Amber17

Registered User
Sep 20, 2019
11
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Mum has been on 15mg for over 3 weeks now and is certainly calmer, it took almost 3 weeks to start taking effect though for her depression and anxiety, but the side effect is that she is sleeping too much, always wants to sleep. I hear that 30mg is more for depression and anxiety and her GP mentioned that she might increase mums dose. Mum only takes medication for Thyroid and is pretty heathy although now in the later stages of Alzheimer's.

Does anyone have any experience with this drug?

Hi
My mums been taking Mirtazipine 15mg for a year now. She was prescribed for mood lift and appetite and for good sleep . Mums mood has lifted and not sad and crying like before. Plus her appetite had increased putting on healthy weight and coming off all the fortisip and cologen shots.
The mirtazipine 15mg Does not make My mums sleepy I give her zopiclone 3.75mg to help her sleep on the nights she is very restless.
For my mum it was the best drug as her mood and appetite improved and she was less restless and sleeping better.

I heard the 30mg mirtazapine would not help with sleep as 15mg is better sedative.
If your mum is sleeping too much worth trying 30mg.