# Struggles and Support > Medication >  >  Mirtazapine (Remeron)

## Otherside

Okay, so I saw my PDoc today, and he's suggesting I switch my antidepressants. He thinks it would be able to help me sleep, be less anxious (Which is becoming a problem with the dosage of Propranolol being lowered...and they won't raise it because my OT thinks that with the amount I was on, I'd become somewhat dependent on it. But, I suppose at least I know now that the Propranolol did have some affect on it.

I've been on fluoxetine for a while, trying different dosages, different times to take it. 20 had little effect. 40 helped. 60 was great...except I was asleep all the time, which wasn't very helpful. Tried taking 60 in evening, same problem. I was on 40 in the evening and it got raised last week to 20 in the morning, 40 in the evening...and I can't really say if I'm feeling as exhausted as I was before because I'm tired because I'm not really sleeping anyways. It's not doing anything for my anxiety, or if it is, very little.

So...since there are some nice people on here who won't just give me the horror storys of Remeron, which is about all I seem to get when I google it for some reason (Not very reassuring), I've never really heard about this drug other than seeing it mentioned a couple of places, and it seems to be a type of drug that I've never heard of (Noradrenergic and specific serotonergic antidepressant, or NaSSA)
*
Edit-* When I say horror stories...basically, I know there will be side effects and switching between Prozac and new one, if I decide to do that, probably won't be pleasant. I'm talking more about the forum posts that come up when I search it...and yeah, reading lots of horror stories isn't that pleasant.

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## Lost Control Again

I'm on the highest dosage of Mirtazapine, 45mg.

When i first started taking it, i slept for days! It was great!  ::): 

I know that it is a relatively new drug and expensive, (if you have to pay for it)

It still really helps me sleep, i take at night just before i go to bed.

A psychiatrist that I seen, reckons that a lower dosage helps you sleep better, i don't know if that's true or not!
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I've never read any horror stories about Mirtazapine*, when I was on prozac/fluoxetine, that was like hell!!

I've never had any side effects from Mirtazapine, other than sedation and sleeping, which suits me fine!

Anyway, that's only how i feel about it.
*
I really hope it works well for you Otherside*  ::):

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## Equinox

I was originally put on mirtazapine for about a 6 month period, doses were throughout the regular dose range (15-45mg), this was a few years ago in an attempt to help my depression and anxiety issues, and whilst it didn't help me with those it did prove to be one potent sleep aid for me and so thereafter I kept it on hand to periodically use for my sleep disorder (but at the lower doses of 7.5-15mg). I can't use it too often because it can give me some prominent side effects, such as very noticeable next day somnolence, brain fog and irritability, but for some people this set of side effects apparently abates within the first few days of taking it, so I'm probably an outlier. I guess all I can really suggest is try it, give it at-least a week for the prominent side effects like daytime sedation to hopefully pass, it can also stimulate appetite quite strongly so I would suggest avoiding heavy carbs and saturated fats, sticking to foods such as lean proteins, vegetables, legumes, seeds and drinking nothing but water or sugar free drinks helps. And as a final note if you suffer from bipolar depression then be aware that like all antidepressants it can induce mania, I don't think I'm bipolar but it did make me feel quite irritable and edgy at times. Oh and also it gave me vivid dreams, some people would like this side effect, but just something to be aware of.

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## Equinox

> I'm on the highest dosage of Pregabalin/Lyrica, 45mg.



Pregabalin is a different drug to Mirtazapine (Remeron).

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## Lost Control Again

> Pregabalin is a different drug to Mirtazapine (Remeron).



Oops! Sorry, my mistake. I better go back and edit that.  :Oops:

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## Antidote

I was prescribed it. It was not bad for sleep, and the fog symptoms that equinox mentioned disappeared after a couple of days for me. It did make me crave carbs and junk food more and I gained a few kilos but not a scary amount of weight. I also had sleep hallucinations on it but they weren't a big deal.

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## metamorphosis

> I'm on the highest dosage of Mirtazapine, 45mg.
> 
> When i first started taking it, i slept for days! It was great! 
> 
> I know that it is a relatively new drug and expensive, (if you have to pay for it)
> 
> It still really helps me sleep, i take at night just before i go to bed.
> 
> A psychiatrist that I seen, reckons that a lower dosage helps you sleep better, i don't know if that's true or not!
> ...



Remeron has a paradoxical effect concerning sleep. the higher the dose, the less sedated you become.

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## Sagan

I have found Remeron to be the most effective at treating depression. Anything else, no. But My depression has greatly decreased since taking it. on 30mg

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