Depression Forums
General => Medication => Topic started by: mat on November 11, 2012, 03:14:32 AM
-
So it's 3:10am and now another night after taking mirtazapine I'm still quite wide awake , at first mirtazapine did help me sleep but now I'm struggling and I'm noticing for the first time in around a month now my mood is dipping again and I'm starting to get easily angry at stupid little things.
I know I have only been on the new med for a few weeks, my mood has been great, sleep has been great but now I can feel it starting to slip away.
I'm very anxious about asking my GP for more meds to help me sleep, I guess I'm stuck !!
-
Matt I urge you to go back and talk to your Dr. There are many different meds to try and you should not have to feel like this. You have given this med a good time and its not working for you. We are all different and sometimes have to try a few different meds to find the one most suitable to help. S x x x x
Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk
-
I'd be careful to switch meds if you can try increasing the dose. I was on Mirtazapine 15mg and it offered temporary relief from my depression before it stopped working. And then I switched meds, for several years, and nothing worked. Then, over 3 years later they switched me back to mirtazapine and tried 45mg and my depression disappeared for a LONG time. It's a shame no one thought of that and spared me all the trouble I went through. If the med has shown promise and you can try an increased dose, do.
-
Mat.... sorry to hear you're feeling so bad. Insomnia is the worst and quickly contributes to many more complicated MH issues. You do need to chat it over with the GP. Maybe the dose of Mirtazapine can be increased and there is nothing wrong with asking for sleeping tabs to use when things are difficult. If you don't, in the long run, things could start to feel worse.
I'm only on a low dose of Mirtazapine, 20mg, and have been considering an increase.
I hope things turn out okay for you
-
well i have my cbt session later today so ill bring it up then, does seem to be affecting my mood for the better, its just my sleeping and anxiety which is still holding me back.
I guess i just have it in the back of my head that the GP will think i am being to pushy in asking for more medication, i never usually ask for help with things so its pretty hard , basically I am good at hiding things.
-
I feel the same, Mat, whenever I ask for sleeping tabs. I was addicted to Diazepam about 13-15yrs ago. Despie my GP knowing this, he has been prescribing me a sleeping tab, confident I'm not abusing it. Try not to do the GP thinking for him. If I were in your position (which I have been) I'd put the ball in the Doc's court. Tell him your problem, show you're aware of dependence (which my GP likes) and see where it goes.
When I started Mirtazapine, I was also just new on Quetiapine (a mood stabiliser). Some nights I felt like I was on speed. My mind racing and sleep the last thing on my mind. Almost over night, I went from 12 hrs plus of sleep per day to 4 or 5 if lucky. Insomnia is one of the worst.... as if the long nights are not difficult enough, the lack of sleep does catch up and usually has a detrimental effect on our MH.
How did your CBT session go today?
-
Actually went ok was in and out in like 15 minutes due to my progress which I have been making in my life in the past month or so , such an amazing improvement compared to the two months ago when I tried to end it all compared to now.
We agreed that I would go back in December and agreed to try and improve on the things I'm trying to do the now, eg getting in contact with old friends, staying in contact with them, my oly reservation is that in trying to get back in contact with them they think I'm desperate.
The loneliness does kill me. I would love to spend time with others doing what other 21 years olds are doing rather than constantly being in my room 7 days a week.
Got the doctor tomorrow at 330 to get a script and will try and ask for help with my sleeping (again)
-
Back from doctors and I'm really pissed off and that's putting it nicely never met a dr that comes across as if she is unwilling to help as much as her. It was a struggle for her to even give me a new prescription for my mirtazapine .
As soon as I went in I told her I needed a new script for them and something to help me sleep if possible, she started to go on that my meds don't run out until next week and that I should come back next week for a script, it was the way she was saying it really annoyed me , I told her that I'm back at work next week and could not come , TWICE she then reluctantly gave me one with a little smile, I already told her that the MIT has lifted my mood and that the past month has been great apart from my sleeping that the MIT helped for the first two days and that was it.
As she gave me the script for my MIT I asked her will they help me sleep she said yes, and off I went .
Basically she ignores me wanting help to sleep after already telling her that the MIT does not help me .
I left saying a polite thank you and headed straight outside I was so annoyed I was going to go back in and ask for another appointment but I decided against it because how angry I was , I would of said something that I would regret so ill phone tomorrow.
Now sitting down trying to calm down !
-
Now your task it to be proactive and to start to do your own research on learning how to combat your sleep problems. You will not find a solution by relying on a GP unless you are very lucky.
Mirtazapine is a good sedative, if you are still having problems sleeping then you quite possibly have a sleep disorder. Drugs aren't helping you sleep it seems, and any hypnotics or benzodiazapines will stop working after a while and you run a real risk of addiction.
Seroquel (quetiapine) is one possible solution, but you are then using antipsychotics and they are not without risk. You could also ask to be switched from Mirtazepine to trazadone to see if that makes a difference.
I have had a sleep disorder for over ten years, and the best advice I can give you is to learn as much as you can for yourself. There as many non-drug solutions that you can pursue and you should pursue those first before you try to knock yourself out with chemicals.
I hope this advice helps, sleep problems are awful.
All the best,
Steve
-
Hi,
I started taking Mirtazapine just over a week go now, i am sleeping much better at night now which is good, as i no longer have to lay there thinking instead of sleeping, but i have been getting a LOT of "head shocks" and its so annoying, i used to get them as withdrawal symptoms when i came of sertraline. I have also noticed i have been very angry since taking mirtazapine, anyone else feel like that? And will it get better with time?
xxx
-
I can totally appreciate why you feel annoyed.
-
Becks, it's normal to feel snappy and angry, at the beginning of new treatment all sorts of symptoms can give us trouble. But it will pass for sure xx
-
I totally agree with Book.
Hope everything is going okay for you
-
Thank you, and i hope so i don't know how long my partner will put up with me lol xxx
-
Hey don't be too tough on yourself Beck, you're ill, it's not your fault girl :) xx
-
Hope everything's going ok with you, Mat
-
I guess lol, things are the toughest they have ever been right now xx
-
It's tough Becks but it gets better xxx
-
I've been on this drug 4 weeks at 15mg and 3 weeks at 30mg, Still can't decide if its working. At first I slept great, waking once or twice but then getting back to sleep (this was after nearly 3 nights of zero sleep) over the last week I have felt my anxiety creaping back and have had early waking too, about 5am normally. So I still get 6 hours sleep which is better then non!
I've had a heavy cold too which I'm still getting over, which will no doubt not help my mood.
Weirdly last night I took my pill and I got achy joints again (i first got that when I went to 30mg but it went away) and then I also got a heavy sedation feeling again, which had worn off. I had been taking cold/flu tablets so not sure if this effected the Mitz though. So it seems like its kicking in again.
How long was it for you for the drugs to start working? I've managed to eat a decent meal without feeling too sick so I am making slow progress.
Regards :)
-
Hi Calm one, im on 45 mg mirtazapine, and the achy joints was the same for me, so as im on cocodamol as well, i just take them at the same time.
still dont help much with a good sleep though
-
Hi Stewart,
How long have you been on them? I think they are starting to work. Hope so anyway!
Went back to work today after Xmas break, was quite good but found it hard to focus in the morning.
I just wish I could sleep all night! I have always been a bad sleeper though.
-
to be honest the medication wont just make everything happy and ok in life you have to work on other aspects of your life as well , from what i have learned.
im currently on 30mg which was increased before xmas to try and help me sleep, which it rarely does, my mood has been low for the past week or so now but thats down to other things going on.
i never had any side effects while taking it other than my appetite going back up and me putting on weight.
supposedly it says it takes 3-4 weeks for meds to even have an impact and changing dose mid way through probs wont help, my advice would be to try and stick with the medication for a month or two to see if it has any effect.
-
Hi Mat,
I wish it could make all my problems go away! I just wish I was how I was 2 months ago, where I knew I had a lot of stress in my life but I was coping with it, still eating and sleeping fine. Able to enjoy myself and get on with life.
It was litrally one day I woke up feeling awful and felt that way ever since.
I will stick with it for anothe rmonth or 2, I'm sure its whats making me get the 6 hours sleep I'm getting. I might try going to bed later so I don't wake up as early.
I'm glad you've got your appetite back, it can make all the difference!
Take care!
-
its the only downside that i have put weight back on, i do need to loose some extra pounds but I was in a bad way before switching to mirtaz i lost 2 stone in around 3 weeks because the way i was, but i guess its a catch 22 situation that im better off now than what i was before.
Obv if you are still having problems with your sleep, your gp can poss prescribe sleeping tablets !!! or have you tried any over the counter measures for your sleeping problems.
-
I normally take nytol one a night to help me sleep that does help but its not getting asleep that's the problem, its staying asleep :-(
I wish I had a normal appetite, sure it will come back soon. I should probably start exercising but don't feel like it while I have this cold.
I start counselling on Monday too!
Have you thought of running to help you manage your weight?
-
only running I do is on the treadmill when I am at the gym.
I had the same problem as yourself when I was taking meds to help me sleep I kept on waking up at 3 am in the morning, my sleep pattern is terrible, i can go for sleeping for 12 or so hours to being awake for days.
I guess someday someone will invent a magic pill that solves everything in one go !.. well hopefully in my lifetime
-
Haha I wish there was a pill that would calm out minds!
I've also got my dates mixed up I've only been on 30mg for just over 2 weeks so its too early to be effective I guess.
I am going to start exercising once I'm over this lingering cold/cough.
Glad you're getting CBT too! I'd love to give that a go, although I use CBT on myself all the time. But sometimes the physical feelings just get too much to cope with.
-
calm_one, been on the combination now for a few years
-
Not sure about this drug now. This is my 4th week now at 30mg and I'm feeling really agitated and restless, palps and chest pains, sleeping is getting worse and I have no apatite at all! I'm actually feeling a lot worse than when I started.
I'm anxious about stuff that I'm not normally anxious about and having thoughts of just ending it all, I wont do anything as I know I will get better but I just feel I'm getting so much worse.
My obsessive thoughts are getting worse too, but that could just be the downward spiral I'm on.
Think I'll go back to the docs and see what he says about continuing, upping or coming off them.
-
Calm-one.... I have 20 years experience of different anti-depressants and can confidently say this anti-depressant isn't working for you. I have also felt exactly like you on Prozac and one other (can't remember which). The anxiety, insomnia and even my temper, were all problems that aren't worth going through.
What I'd advice is returning to the prescriber asap and insist on a change. The GP might suggest waiting a little longer until the drug settles. For me, that didn't work. At the end of the day, the health professionals can advise all they like, but it is us who are experiencing the pain.
I'm reading a book at the moment called "Shoot the damn Dog". The Author rightly points out how devastating it can feel if our hopes for an anti-depressant come to nothing. I'm also facing the probable reality that I am treatment resistant because medications are doing very little. The only reason I persevere is because health professionals are always trying to convince me that I'd be a lot worse off without the meds. We can really only be certain through trial and error. Unfortunately, that can take a long time to figure.
Only one thing I might add is about the current meds I'm on. Initially they caused a couple of weeks insomnia and agitation but that quickly subsided. So, really, the decision needs to lie with yourself.
How are you feeling now?
-
Hi Catb,
I went back to my GP, he seems to think all my symptoms are due to my high levels of anxiety, He gave me some Tamazepam and Diazepam to calm me down and help me sleep. I've only had one Diaz but I have taken Tamaz the last 2 nights.
I have to say having a couple of good night sleep has made a massive difference to my mood, I actually feel quite happy today and more in control of my emotions. Only thing is I can only have them for 1 week.
With Mirtazapine it really did help me sleep initially (as that was my main problem, I couldn't get to, or stay asleep) but then that wore off, I just hope its not the Mirt that's actually keeping me awake! I am starting to come round to the idea that my agitation and insomnia is my anxiety, made much much worse by the fact I can't sleep. Also I would have thought if it is the meds making me agitated I'd have had them from day 1, not a couple of weeks after.
He wants me to go back on Friday to see how I'm getting on, he has also referred me for CBT.
I really hope its not the meds as I go on hol on 27th so don't want to have to either change, or withdraw while I'm away! :(
-
I would say if things are starting to settle down then hopefully they are working. The GP probably wont want to prescribe Temazepam for too long, but hopefully he'll be happy to continue for a while because a good nights sleep does make all the difference. I was addicted to Diazepam 14/15yrs ago and the GP wont prescribe them. However, for some reason he is happy to prescribe Zolpidem for sleeping and also to relax back muscles (I have back prob). I always find it helps to be more pushy with the Doc, they will listen and accept your wishes as long as they are not abusing or going over the dosage they prescribe.
-
Hi Catb,
I am amazed in the difference in my mood/anxiety levels because I can sleep, I don't feel i can take on the world just yet but I do feel much more content with myself. Obviously my worry is that once I run out of sleeping tablets I'll be back where I started.
Today at work today I got loads done, was really cheery and felt good. I still know I have issues I need to sort out but right now I feel I can sort them.
I've only taken 2 diazepam since I got them on Friday (1.f of them was on Friday). I have been given them for 3 per day.
Do you take Zolpidem long term? I'm guessing its not in the same "addictive" class as diazepam.
-
I take Zolpidem long term for the moment. I haven't taken any for a few nights.
It's good you haven't been using the Diazepam as often as they prescribed. Take them to the GP with you, proves you're not about to abuse whatever he prescribes; speak honestly about the sleeping and your concerns of going back to hardly sleeping at all. You might find, like me, the more things calm down naturally, the less need you will feel to take a tablet.
It's good to hear you sounding a lot better
-
If no improvement in a couple of weeks or things become unbearable, change type of medication
-
Does anyone have any experences of going from 30mg to 45mg? I've actually been doing quite well since the middle of January but the last couple of weeks have been tough, but I have external forces to blame for that. My doc agreed to up me to 45mg. I do genuinly believe they are helping as my bad days are no where near as bad as they were!
The doc seems to think as I've tolerated 15 and 30 so well then 45 will be just as good for me and I have seen people say 45mg made such a difference to them.
I guess I'm just after some reassurances and if people did get extra side effecs, how long did they last and what were they?
Thanks
-
along with citalopram i use 45 mg of mertazapine, take them at night.... they used to help with sleep, but not so now in the past 6 months
-
Sorry but I cannot help as I have never been on this anti-depressant medication.
S x x x x
Sent from my BlackBerry 9300 using Tapatalk