mirtazapine/remeron for insomnia??

[[...]]

HI,

 

i hear a lot of good things about remeron helping people with insomnia during their withdrawal and am thinking if trying a lose dose - not to take everyday but more as a rescue.. has it helped people for quite severe insomnia which mine is at present? even if it gets me 4 hours sleep i would be ok with that..

 

XOX

[[Fe...]]

It definitely helps me sleep. Although I do tend to be more irritated and hangover the next day. Also some mind fog. But I'm quite sensitive for medicine. But I get my sleep and that certainly helps!

[[al...]]

Just be warned, many report severe nasal congestion while on Trazadone. I had it bad and had to sit upright in a chair for several hours until it wore off. I also tried Mirtazapine and it made my mouth extremely dry and left me in a drugged funk all the next day. I always wondered what these drugs really do to your brain. They are not supposed to impact GABA receptors, but maybe they do in an indirect way.

 

I do resort to 25 mg. of generic Benadryl along with some melatonin from time to time. This combo seems to work on a hit or miss basis provided I don't use it too often.

 

Don't try Belsomra. As anyone who has used it can tell you, it does absolutely nothing and is very expensive.

[[te...]]

I know I told you about my mirtazapine experience so this isn't anything new I like mirt., it does help, but as someone else said, it can make you foggy/hung over the next day.. and HUNGRY. be careful of this - it doesn't just make me hungry, but it makes eating so much more fun and reinforcing. I can see how people gain weight on it! fortunately, I didn't take it every day and I tried to only eat a lot in the first half of the day and not at night, and I kept my running up as much as possible.

 

Like aloha said, traz can cause those sinus headache things.. I got those awful headaches on it so I didn't want to take it anymore!

 

Aloha, I actually filled a prescription for belsomra, believe it or not. we got my insurance to cover it. but I never took it. because I was too afraid of the sleep paralysis side effect! LOL.

[[lo...]]

it is effective. 7.5mg was more then enough. i just absolutely hated the next day sedation. worst drug of all in that regard. angry, hungry, anxious, depressed maniac. and it caused me insane muscle tension/twitches (amplified benzo 300%). went back to 50mg seroquel temporary.

[Guest [ch...]]

Everyone is different. I tried Remeron and for me it had the paradoxical effect of keeping me awake. Whereas Trazadone helped me sleep. You'll have to figure out what works for you.

[[dr...]]

I think I had a severe discontinuation from remeron that led into my benzo experience. Be careful. It makes you sleepy and hungry. When you stop it can make you nauseous and insomniac very easily. Not to mention dysphoria and depersonalization. It can be addictive in other words, and you can intend to use it as needed but it has other ideas...

 

I am on 3.75. You should really keep it low until you know how much you need. You have to get off of it someday and the lower the better.

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well folks - i did do mirtizapine last night and slept about 7 hours total (a little broken). this morning i do feel groggy but this might not be all mirt related.. hopefully i will pick up during the day.. took 7.5 dose as our smallest does in Australia is 15mg and i could not see any way of cutting that into quarters easily so cut into a half and took that, tho i could probs try to cut into thirds??.. 7.5 could have been too much so i will try less next.. don't wanna take regular - more as emergency.. we will see..

 

will keep you posted XOX

 

[[Lo...]]

I'm taking 15MG now, but going too cut down to 7.5 next month.  My biggest concern is cutting down my valium from 15 to 10MG. Hopefully that's not to much of a cut. I guess we taper when we're mentally ready. It took me years to finally do a crossover to valium from Ambien.  I definitely suffered in the beginning of quiting Ambien.  I was on such a high dose of that stuff that I was making my funeral arrangements.   

[[Tr...]]

Mirtazapine basically ruined my life. It made me fat, lazy, totally disinterested in everything and severely sexually dysfunctional. I basically did nothing but watch TV for 4+ years while on it.  My wife divorced me, I lost my business, home, car and custody of my children thanks to Mirtazapine. After 4+ years of daily use, withdrawal was horrible, causing me to go back on Xanax. IMHO, this is one of the worst drugs on the planet. But hey, it'll make you sleep.

 

I personally found that Trazodone was just as effective for sleep with less side effects and almost no discontinuation syndrome. Yes, I did get headaches for the first few days, but they were not a permanent side effect.

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wow - sounds awful.. tho i only expect to stay on a lose dose and minimise use to rescue sleep dose only.. it's hard to know in the end what to believe - i mean others complain about trazodone..? and have said that mirt was better.. in any case i have no intention of starting a another drug daily, that's how i got into this mess i the first place...

 

Mirtazapine basically ruined my life. It made me fat, lazy, totally disinterested in everything and severely sexually dysfunctional. I basically did nothing but watch TV for 4+ years while on it.  My wife divorced me, I lost my business, home, car and custody of my children thanks to Mirtazapine. After 4+ years of daily use, withdrawal was horrible, causing me to go back on Xanax. IMHO, this is one of the worst drugs on the planet. But hey, it'll make you sleep.

 

I personally found that Trazodone was just as effective for sleep with less side effects and almost no discontinuation syndrome. Yes, I did get headaches for the first few days, but they were not a permanent side effect.

[[Tr...]]

wow - sounds awful.. tho i only expect to stay on a lose dose and minimise use to rescue sleep dose only.. it's hard to know in the end what to believe - i mean others complain about trazodone..? and have said that mirt was better.. in any case i have no intention of starting a another drug daily, that's how i got into this mess i the first place...

 

Meds work differently for different people. Some people say they had no withdrawal from Mirtazapine. Mine was terrible, second only to Benzo withdrawal. If you go over to depressionforums.org you'll find lots of user experiences with Mirtazapine and most other psych meds.

 

I will say that when I first started Mirtazapine I thought it was a godsend. It alleviated my anxiety and let me sleep. I'm not a Dr., so I can't say, but maybe it'll be ok for short term use. All I can do is relate my own personal experience with it. I won't ever touch the stuff again.

[[Ch...]]

I am glad you tried it and that it helped...it is an interesting drug in that it is said to be helpful for sleep in doses less than 15mg...it is def one that more is not better...which was a difficult concept for me, lol!!  I, too, tried it because of BB and sometimes it seems to help and sometimes not so much...last night it did help...I only woke up twice and my up time was much reduced...I had no hangover but was prepared just in case it happened so that I didn't get anxious that a wave was starting.

I was on Trazodone back in the 80's when it was new and got lost on a street I knew like the back of my hand...just saying...take in others' experiences to increase your awareness then continue to make your own decision..All of the posters have written about well documented possible side effects so stay alert (joke!).

I agree with your stance that once or twice a week for sleep rescue will be OK..

Best wishes..

[[te...]]

well folks - i did do mirtizapine last night and slept about 7 hours total (a little broken). this morning i do feel groggy but this might not be all mirt related.. hopefully i will pick up during the day.. took 7.5 dose as our smallest does in Australia is 15mg and i could not see any way of cutting that into quarters easily so cut into a half and took that, tho i could probs try to cut into thirds??.. 7.5 could have been too much so i will try less next.. don't wanna take regular - more as emergency.. we will see..

 

will keep you posted XOX

 

Yay!!! I'm so glad it helped! I take it the way you plan to as well, just when you really need it. Keep us posted. Lots of coffee helps me get through the cog fog from it. 

[[...]]

hey teal - thanks XOX

[[Tr...]]

I was on Trazodone back in the 80's when it was new and got lost on a street I knew like the back of my hand...just saying...take in others' experiences to increase your awareness then continue to make your own decision..All of the posters have written about well documented possible side effects so stay alert (joke!).

I agree with your stance that once or twice a week for sleep rescue will be OK..

Best wishes..

 

Choco, I had the same thing happen to me with Zoloft. My p-doc put me on it several years ago and about 2 weeks in I was on a street just around the corner from my house and suddenly had no idea where I was, how I got there or how to get home. Needless to say I discontinued Zoloft immediately after.

[[pf...]]

Meds work differently for different people. Some people say they had no withdrawal from Mirtazapine. Mine was terrible, second only to Benzo withdrawal. If you go over to depressionforums.org you'll find lots of user experiences with Mirtazapine and most other psych meds.

I will say that when I first started Mirtazapine I thought it was a godsend. It alleviated my anxiety and let me sleep. I'm not a Dr., so I can't say, but maybe it'll be ok for short term use. All I can do is relate my own personal experience with it. I won't ever touch the stuff again.

 

My experience exactly, Triumph Guy.

[[Ve...]]

I urge anyone and everyone to try hydroxizine (atarax) for anxiety and sleep. It is an antihistamine but chemically different from Benadryl. Nothing worked for me except this gem of a medicine which I researched myself and asked my doc for. Non habit forming , no withdrawal, no taper, I hear it can quit working eventually though.

Works great for me most of the time

Good luck on your journey!

[[me...]]

Hydroxyzine is great if it works for you. Be aware that it may "poop out" before too long, as this is what others have experienced. So perhaps you could try it as a once in a while thing.

 

It didn't work for me. Worked great for mild anxiety--I didn't care I wasn't sleeping! But actually seemed to make it a bit harder to get sleep.

[[Tr...]]

I used to take Promethazine years ago as needed for insomnia. It worked great for me. However, I think they either discontinued it where I live or made it prescription only. I haven't heard anything about it in years, since z-drugs became popular.

 

 

[[cs...]]

I think I had a severe discontinuation from remeron that led into my benzo experience. Be careful. It makes you sleepy and hungry. When you stop it can make you nauseous and insomniac very easily. Not to mention dysphoria and depersonalization. It can be addictive in other words, and you can intend to use it as needed but it has other ideas...

 

I am on 3.75. You should really keep it low until you know how much you need. You have to get off of it someday and the lower the better.

 

Hi dead dog,  How did you titrate librium to such small mg amounts.  Did you get a compound pharmacy to liquefy it for you?

[Guest [su...]]

It made me fat and a zombie with horrible w/d.Never ever again 

[[dr...]]

I think I had a severe discontinuation from remeron that led into my benzo experience. Be careful. It makes you sleepy and hungry. When you stop it can make you nauseous and insomniac very easily. Not to mention dysphoria and depersonalization. It can be addictive in other words, and you can intend to use it as needed but it has other ideas...

 

I am on 3.75. You should really keep it low until you know how much you need. You have to get off of it someday and the lower the better.

 

Hi dead dog,  How did you titrate librium to such small mg amounts.  Did you get a compound pharmacy to liquefy it for you?

 

Ahem...Reports of my demise are premature. (;0)

 

I had pills compounded, at about a dollar a pill. I couldn't stand the taste of the liquid and couldn't deal with scales.

[[Tr...]]

It made me fat and a zombie with horrible w/d.Never ever again 

 

Same experience here. My wife left me after 4 years on Mirtazapine, taking my children with her. Domino effect, I lost my home, business, life savings, car, and literally everything else. The withdrawal was second only to bezo withdrawal. Mirtazapine ruined my life. As far as I'm concerned, it should not be legal.

[[He...]]

I have been taking mirtazapine about once every 8 days, when my insomnia gets really bad. I have not become addicted. I've been taking 3.75 mg (cut 15 mg pill into quarters , not exact, of course.

It puts me to sleep for 8-10 hours. I dont have any fog in the am because I take it at about 8:30 pm and don't go to sleep until about 1 1/2 hours after I take the pill. I just keep myself busy. And try to stay awake as long as possible. Also if I wake up in the morning, I keep trying to go back to sleep until I know I can't sleep anymore. Maybe that is what gets me through what would have been a foggy feeling had I just got out of bed the first time I woke up.

I know I have the advantage of not having to get up and go to work. But maybe if some of you try taking the pill earlier in the evening, it might work better for you? Just giving you some ideas.

 

Good look everyone, heath