Advice on mirtazapine

[Katej48]

I’ve been taking mirtazapine for over a month now,,I’ve been getting really bad headaches has anyone else had this problem? Saw a out of hours gp this morning who doesn’t think it’s the medication said it sounds like tension headaches and has given me naproxen , he’s confused me by saying I should be taking the mirtazapine 3 hours before I go to bed , my own gp said an hour before , what do other people do? He thinks that’s why I’m feeling groggy in the mornings, any advice would be appreciated and also how long before it makes you feel better.

[Ragdoll15]

I have been on mirtizapine twice over the last few years. The first time. I was on it I started to get ocular migraines but doctors said it was not due to the med however, the migraines ceased once I stopped taking it. I am now taking it again but have not experienced the migraines this time. So I think it's possible your headaches could be due to the mirt maybe you need a different dosage, best to drscuss this with your Dr

I usually take mine about an hour before I go to bed and they really help me sleep but don't seem to help much with my depression this time so am thinking of changing again.

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

Hi thanks for the reply, I’m on 15mg what dose are you on? I’ve been on them 4 weeks last Thursday and I’m not sure if there working , I still feel anxious, I tried citalopram and that made me feel really sick and so did sertraline , im on the waiting list for one to one counselling but it’s a 3 to 6 month wait, also my partner is getting annoyed with and can’t understand what the problem is, he’s not interested in looking into the issue of anxiety etc either.

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

I am on 30mg increased from 15mg but am not feeling much different. I have also tried citalopram and sertraline but could not cope with the side effects, I seem to be very sensitive to medication. 4 weeks is probably not long enough to tell if they are effective, but if you are still getting headaches I would request a medication review with your GP however, they don't always seem to have much knowledge about side effects. The last time I saw my GP he said I was more 'clued up' about them then he was lol. Sorry to hear your partner is not being supportive about your illness. A lot of people are scared of anything to do with mental illness so just dismiss it. My daughter always changes the subject when i try talking to her about how I feel. Although we have come a long way with attitudes towards mental health, there is still a certain amount of stigma attached to it. Hope you get things sorted out soon. I am here if you want to discuss further x

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

You are so kind, I’m nearly 49, I’ve been like this since January/February, all started off with a sore tongue which affected my sleep , I think I have burning mouth syndrome, I’ve finally got a hospital appointment this Tuesday , there isn’t much you can do about it medication wise, then I started getting stomach problems which resulted in me having a urgent ct scan , I’ve lost loads of weight, I think they thought I might have bowel cancer, fortunately it came back normal, I do still get a lot of problems though , I was hoping the mirtazapine would help me gain some weight but only about 2lb I still have little appetite , did you put any weight on, how old are you if you don’t mind me asking? Kate x

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

Hi. It looks like your health worries could have caused your anxiety, coupled with the side effects from the medication it becomes a vicious circle. I know this only too well. I have got to the state of not knowing if all these symptoms are serious or whether I should put it down to side effects of the medication. I have put on weight due to the mirt but my appetite has improved. You probably have not been on it long enough for them to have taken effect. I can do without the weight gain as i am in my sixties so it's harder to lose the weight when your older. I am also in the process of weaning off venaflexine (effexor) and the withdrawal symptoms are awful. I wish I had never been prescribed this awful medication In the first plsceplsceplace.thoftegive it along side mirtizapine for some re

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

I am also taking Zopiclone which the dr agreed for me to take as well as the mirt to help with the sleep, I know shortly I have got to wean off these as well and I am dreading it, she asked me 10 days ago to try and I couldn’t, I was hoping the mirt would kick in and I would feel braver to wean off the Zopiclone but at the moment I know I’m not , I’m seeing her a week on Tuesday , I work 30 hours a week and am struggling, I’ve just had a week off and went away with my partner to Norfolk and should have been back today but with the headaches I couldn’t go in, I’m hoping I’m back tomorrow as I don’t get paid sick pay

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

I also was on zopiclone. I weaned off it when starting mirt. It's awful when you can't sleep, it makes all the other problems so difficult to bear. I never thought I would be able to stop taking it because I could go all night without sleep, but the mirt has helped probably not as well as the zopiclone but I'm ok with it. Fortunately, you haven't got long before you see your doctor who will hopefully help you with the medication. What I do is make a list of all I want to ask in case i forget anything. So many times I have got outside and remembered something I should have asked!

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

I really appreciate you replying back to me, it’s nice to know someone understands, how was you taking the Zopiclone for? Was it easy to come off?

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

I was on zopiclone for about 2 years and never thought I would be able to stop it. I gradually decreased them even breaking them down to a quarter of a tablet. It also helped that my daughter kept nagging me stop them as she was worried about how they affected me the next day. I think gradually decreasing is the key word. Good luck.

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

I am going to try 3/4 of one tonight , when I was just taking the Zopiclone on it’s own I found they didn’t work that well (7.5mg) I would be awake 3 hours later some nights , I find even now I have good and bad nights , I’ve been on and off but more on them for nearly 5 months, are you in the uk? I’m surprised your gp allowed you on them so long , then on saying that my dad who is 82 has been on them 4 and half years since my mum passed away

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

Yes I am in the UK. I did find it difficult getting the doctors to prescribe them. They now only give them for something like a couple of weeks in most practices. It's the same with diazapan because they are so addictive. It's ironic that the doctors put us on the pills originally!. I have been off them for about ten months now.

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

It’s been lovely talking to you , I’ll keep in touch, good luck, have you ever had any counselling?

[Ragdoll15 in reply to Katej48]

No but I am thinking about it. It's been nice talking to you also x

[Katej48 in reply to Ragdoll15]

It’s took me weeks to get an appointment and that was a telephone appointment last Thursday, I now have to wait upto 6 months, so I’d get the ball rolling x