Falling over!

[PhyllisK]

Hi all, we are newbies and would be grateful for any opinions you may have re: Anxiety. My husband is 77 and In October I noticed he had lost a lot of weight and became easily agitated. The night time was an absolute nightmare and we needed the doctors intervention. My question is... that my husband has now had 2 months of Mirtazapine 15mg at night. He is now sleeping better and eating well but has not regained his weight and keeps toppling over. Do we need more time for the medication to work. We have questions the medication with the doctor because of the falls but we are advised that they are the right drugs. We would be so grateful for your thoughts on our plight.

[PhyllisK]

Is toppling over okay?

[Agora1]

Hi PhyllisK, I usually only respond to my own experiences however I am concerned

regarding your husband's falls. It's not good at any age but at 77, the chances of getting

severely hurt are higher. I knew someone who was on Mirtazapine for major depression.

(an excellent drug) however I saw him fall sound asleep while eating. He'd tell me he would find himself on the floor in the morning with his food tray by his side.

I had assumed it was the drug's side effect. By all means, talk with your doctor again about your concerns for your husband. As good a drug as it may be, the consequences of injuring himself need to be reconsidered. My best to you and your husband. xx

[PhyllisK in reply to Agora1]

Thank you.

[Agora1 in reply to PhyllisK]

PhyllisK let us know what the doctor says. It's a sedative drug

which may just need to be adjusted in dosage. xx

[PhyllisK in reply to Agora1]

Hi, hope you are okay. We did question if the drug might be the problem (phone consultation) and it was suggested that a change would be good. We then had a phone call 5 minutes later to say that it was the best drug and to persevere. My husband has gone from being fit! to shuffling and slow of thought. I have arranged to speak to the doctor next Thursday and in the meantime will keep a diary. I feel really sad when I look at my poor husband struggling to get out of his chair/bed 😔

[Agora1 in reply to PhyllisK]

Oh I'm so sorry PhyllisK Keeping a diary of your husband's daily events will help

the doctor figure this out especially if it's not an "in person" visit. The drug also

has a potential to prompt low blood pressure when getting up from a sitting or lying down position.

As frightening as this has been for you and he, hopefully a simply change will resolve

the issue. xx