I can’t wake up - Mirtazapine 30mg

[PTNewbie]

I was prescribed Mirtazapine a good couple of years ago (I forget how long exactly). Anyway prescribed predominantly for anxiety and sleep issues (delayed onset sleep phase disorder). Later diagnosed with OCD which it’s also used for. I was up to 45mg daily but found it wasn’t effective for sleep. GP lowered to 30mg, as said has a better effect on sleep at lower dose. It absolutely does help me sleep and was working well for me. Been at that dose for many many months.

Since then I was diagnosed with ADHD too. I now take Elvanse 40/50mg a day. Been taking for a few months now. It’s only been the last few months but I CANNOT wake up. Like physically I cannot be roused properly from sleep. I feel anger the moment I’m woken and it takes for my husband to gentle shake me for a good 15 mins to get me up.

I’m a 35 year old woman. This is ridiculous abs causing me so many issues. I luckily work from home a lot but when I do have to get up I have to make sure I set about 50 alarms.

It doesn’t matter what time it is, early or late or how much sleep I’ve had. I wonder if anyone else has experienced this. Maybe not the same diagnoses or taking Elvanse at same time. But does anyone relate to this and share any insights on Mirtazapine?

[Loughborough53]

Mirtazapine turned me into a walking zombie where I never fully felt alert and made me depressed! I had no energy to move and certainly not exercise. I felt very much better the minute I stopped taking them. You are so young to feel like this!

[PTNewbie in reply to Loughborough53]

Thanks for sharing, yes this is how I feel. Though I hadn’t until last few months. I’m likely going to speak to GP and wean off to see how I get on. Currently I’ve halved my dose which seems to have helped improve slightly

[RIDGEBACK]

I’ve found that mirtazapine only works to aid sleep - other antidepressants- low dose - thru the day then mirtazapine at nite has been very beneficial to me ! All I know are different but I wouldn’t recommend mirtazapine all day on its own . I’ve been on antidepressants for 30 yrs so kinda know what suits me ! Aid is all we can hope for : rest comes froms us ! Be as strong as u can be !

[PTNewbie in reply to RIDGEBACK]

Thanks for sharing, I take mirtazapine at night (for sleep). I’ve been halving my dose recently and seems to have made a slight improvement on my waking / day time. Will be speaking to a GP as soon as I can get an appointment but for now I’m taking my own approach!

[Keeplooking in reply to RIDGEBACK]

Snap ! I've been on ADs for 30y too....

[RIDGEBACK]

only meds I’ve known to compliment mirtazapine is venlafaxine ::

[Keeplooking in reply to RIDGEBACK]

I agree 👍

[RIDGEBACK in reply to Keeplooking]

Some think more meds is better but that is soo wrong - cutting back with supervision is major to finding what suits u ! I went fr 45 mg mirtazapine to 15 mg & felt significant improvement in my daily life & sleep

[PTNewbie in reply to RIDGEBACK]

That’s what I went up to at one point 45mg then spoke to GP who said lower dose better for sleep but I was also highly highly anxious so went to 30mg. But my Elvanse meds has pretty much eliminated my anxiety. I’ve not lowered with supervision though which I normally would never do but I know well enough that if I were to come off it altogether they’d said wean down gradually. So far it seems to have an improvement by halving the dose x