increase in mirtazapine

[Arlene99]

Can anyone advise how long it takes to feel the benefit of increasing their dose of antidepressant.

I have increased from 30mg to 45mg of Mirtazapine about 2 weeks ago & thought by now I should be feeling an improvement.

Sometimes I think I doing ok & then I’m back to feeling that they are not helping.

Any advice would be appreciated 😥

[Dell12345]

Hi Arlene,

I've taken mirtazapine and have done a bit of reading about it in the past. I know that it is one of the faster acting antidepressants but it can still take 4-6 weeks to feel much effect, though most people feel it sooner than this.

Interestingly it's one of the antidepressants that does not have a linear dose / response relationship, many people find that 30mg is more effective than 45mg (but not all).

Lower doses also tend to be more sedating than high doses.

It is also often combined with other antidepressants such as venlafaxine when one antidepressant has only provided a partial response.

For me mirtazapine has been very effective when combined this way.

I hope you feel better soon X

[Arlene99 in reply to Dell12345]

Thanks for your reply Dell. GP said to leave it for a further few weeks before trying to introduce another drug xx

[Loughborough53]

It never did work for me and I felt worse and felt

A Zombie

[Hidden]

Hi Arlene, I was tapered off Fluoxetine in April 2021 to go on to Mirtazapine and I started off on 7.5mg, the first night of taking it I slept well for the first time in a long while, the day after taking it my appetite returned and I steadily improved. I’ve had to increase the dosage since then and now take 22.5mg. I had a bit of a wobble and was advised by gp to go up to 30mg but found it too much and it affected my quality of sleep and made me more anxious. I have since been back on 22.5 mg and seem stable as far as low mood is concerned though still suffering some anxiety. I mention all of this just to let you know how it worked for me and how it needed time and adjustments along the way. I also take meds for hypertension. Sorry if this seems rambling and drawn out 😁 It might come in useful who knows 😊 Hope you feel better soon 🤞🏻

[Arlene99]

Thank you Hopeful for your informative response……I started off on 15mg several years ago, it was then upped to 30 then 37.5, however in my mind I thought I was getting better & reduced my dose down to 30, but the last few months I have not been doing well & Dr advised putting my up to max dose of 45mg which i reluctantly done. It’s only been 2 weeks since I increased to this dose & from what I’ve heard/read it can take about 4-6 weeks to feel any significant benefit…….I think I’m just too impatient.

I’m also on meds for hypertension + a beta blocker.

[Hidden]

Hi Arlene, have you considered speaking with your gp and suggesting you’d like to go up in smaller increments say 1 - 2mg at a time? It’s your body so you should be allowed to dictate the pace at which you’re moving . I think that makes more sense than big jumps, the drug comes in liquid form so that’s doable. I currently use a pill cutter to divide my pills. Liquid would be much more sensible wouldnt it? I also take atorvastatin for cholesterol. I understand being impatient, I am too, I think anyone going through these things just wants to get better as quickly as possible. Let me know how it goes. 😊

[Arlene99 in reply to Hidden]

Hi.....that's what I have been doing trying to cut the pills in half which was quite difficult as I don't have a pill cutter, but I am now up to the full dose (45mg) & hoping to feel an improvement.....i didnt realise it came in liquid form. I'm also on atorvastatin for cholesterol + a tab for angina & daily aspirin. Thanks for your reply.....its always good to hear from like-minded people.I hope your symptoms are improving too x

[Hidden]

You can buy a pill cutter in quite a few shops. I got my one from my local chemist they’re cheap to buy or you could buy online. Let me know how you get on with the 45 mg. I hope it helps you 😊