# Remeron/Mirtazapine



## Inside (Jan 31, 2010)

Hey fellow mates,

Wanted to see how many have had good results with Remeron. I took this for years and only stopped while trying to carry a baby. This medicine worked pretty well to keep the deeper depression out but naturally had to have other medicines with it. Gabatril and xanax. My question is, have you taken it with success and what if anything was it paired with?
Thanks for takin the time to read and reply...
Inside.


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## Heuer (Sep 7, 2009)

Inside said:


> Hey fellow mates,
> 
> Wanted to see how many have had good results with Remeron. I took this for years and only stopped while trying to carry a baby. This medicine worked pretty well to keep the deeper depression out but naturally had to have other medicines with it. Gabatril and xanax. My question is, have you taken it with success and what if anything was it paired with?
> Thanks for takin the time to read and reply...
> Inside.


Hi,

I've tried Remeron on and off, 
but the sedation was killing me.

Now I'm on a Remeron/Wellbutrin combo.
I'm not tired anymore.

Best regards,
Heuer


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## Inside (Jan 31, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I've taken Wellbutrin too and didn't work out too well but glad its helping for the grogginess for you. I think they tried Wellbutrin when they were substituting lithium. Can't remember much about those days though, been a long time ago.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

Remeron is the only antidepressant that works for me. I'm anything but the typical case though, because I was born with something wrong in my head. Until six months ago I basically had no emotion, none. I also had major insomnia problems, major anxiety problems (social and generalized, but mainly social), and a lack of energy and motivation. 

Remeron fixed the lack of emotions, the insomnia, and the generalized anxiety, and has helped slighty for social anxiety. Remeron on its own is too sedation for me. At 15mg I'd sleep like 12+ hours/day. At 45mg I'm on a regular 8ish hours sleep schedule, but I did still have a lack of energy and motivation.

For the lack of motivation and energy I'm on 300mg (2x150) of Wellbutrin. Between the two drugs, for the first time ever I feel "normal". The combination of the two has completely changed my life.

There is still some social anxiety, but the Remeron has helped slighty, as has just putting myself into the situations that caused anxiety and getting through it. Every once in a while I do get my doctor to prescribe Ativan or Valium (I prefer Valium, he prefers Ativan), and this kills my social anxiety. Unlike most people, I don't get any kind of drunk or high feeling, and both seem to energize me rather than sedate me. Also unlike most people, I still drink alcohol on these benzos, and neither affects my tolerance. If anything, it seems like I can handle more alcohol. 

If my doctor would allow it, I would be on Valium all the time, but he worries about the addiction potential. Me, I'm way more open minded, if it works I should take it. I've already dealt with Zoloft and Effexor withdrawl with minimal problems, as well as alcohol withdrawl in my earlier days. I doubt the benzo withdrawl would be worse than the Effexor withdrawl, which was the worst of the three. Also, time will tell if I ever build tolerance to any of these drugs. I've been on Wellbutrin since July, and Remeron for the most part since late August, and things are still the same as they always were. The longest supply on benzos that my doctor gave was 25 days, and even at day 25 I didn't have any tolerance to them, nor was there withdrawl when I didn't get any more pills until a month later.


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## Inside (Jan 31, 2010)

Very very helpful post. Thanks for taking the time. I can't believe the longest you've ever been on a benzo is 20 some days - that is crazy. I've been on xanax for 4 years without a tolerance. Just different chemicals and reactions in our brains I guess but I'm in agreement with Remeron. The side effects are low, real low for me and it cut a huge part of my problems so, the emotional part yep, did the same for me so nice to know there is at least one more similar dynamic out there! Thanks again for your reply, it was extremely helpful.


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## rustybob (Nov 19, 2009)

The reason I haven't been on benzos for very long is because it was only about a year ago that I finally realized what was wrong with me. I've known for as long as I can remember that "something" was wrong, yet as intelligent as I am, I had no way of describing what was wrong. 

Insonmia is a problem that's run through our family for (at least) four generations, and nobody has ever been able to figure out why. In hindsight, you could tell there was anxiety and other issues as well, but we were normal enough and productive enough that nobody really seemed to notice. Now, with the insomnia, other people in my family have tried sleeping pills and other antidepressants before and they failed miserably. I even had a sleep study done, and they concluded that it was due to my weight (barely considered overweight by BMI, even though lots of that weight was muscle). I knew that was crap, because in my early teens I was about 150lbs, couldn't sleep. At my absolute biggest, about 250lbs, couldn't sleep. At my current weight range, usually between 205 and 215lbs, couldn't sleep. That's when some super crazy OCD kicked in and I found out what was wrong, "Seratonin deficiency". On the list of 14 symptoms, our family had 13 of them.

But getting back to the benzos thing, nobody ever knew I had anxiety problems, not even me (mainly because I had no way of describing what was wrong, or so I thought). When you lack any real emotion, anxiety really doesn't show at all. It was only after I started taking antidepressants that the anxiety really showed, and that benzos killed that anxiety. I realized this when Ativan was prescribed to me to try help me get to sleep while I was on Zoloft, since I had trouble getting to sleep, but was fine once I got to sleep. Ativan was useless for that, but at this music festival I was at I was as socialable as I've ever been because of the lack of anxiety. 

That was in the summer last year. Only twice have I been able to get benzos out of my doctor. I got Valium in the fall last year (not prescribed), and it was better than Ativan at killing my anxiety, and didn't have amnesic effects. Both times I've gotten prescibed a benzo it's been Ativan, even after asking for Valium. 

Just recently I moved, and my anxiety started going up again. Getting the doctor here to prescibe me a benzo took like 30 minutes of convincing, and even then he only gave me 20 pills of Ativan, when I would've preferred Valium. So yeah, when it's a ***** even getting prescribed benzos its hard to be on them for a long time


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## bowlingpins (Oct 18, 2008)

I took it for 3 months early last year. I liked it because it worked well for anxiety and also helped with weight gain which is important for me. The side effect I didn't like was excess sleepiness, so I d/c it and went on xanax for a while up until late last year. Since the beginning of this year I have quit all medications but I am considering trying a different, less sedating dose of remeron again.


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## persistent1 (Dec 18, 2004)

bowlingpins said:


> I took it for 3 months early last year. I liked it because it worked well for anxiety and also helped with weight gain which is important for me. The side effect I didn't like was excess sleepiness, so I d/c it and went on xanax for a while up until late last year. Since the beginning of this year I have quit all medications but I am considering trying a different, less sedating dose of remeron again.


In my experience there isnt a less sadating dose at least up to 45 mg. I think adding wellbutrin or a stim might be the only thing to offset the sedation. I quit remeron because of rapid weight gain (15 1bs in less than 2 months). I also slept too much and was groggy for much of the morning.


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## Inside (Jan 31, 2010)

Thanks for the reply. I'm considering adding a seroquell in the morning to see if that might counter some of the effects of the others. I'll bring it up and see. On the sero, I had zero appetite, on the Mirtazapine, I have a great appetite, I'm choosing healthy foods but still a bit dull in the mind area. I'm hoping its just an adjustment period but I'll still ask about adding a small amt of sero. Has anyone tried that?


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## persistent1 (Dec 18, 2004)

Inside said:


> Thanks for the reply. I'm considering adding a seroquell in the morning to see if that might counter some of the effects of the others. I'll bring it up and see. On the sero, I had zero appetite, on the Mirtazapine, I have a great appetite, I'm choosing healthy foods but still a bit dull in the mind area. I'm hoping its just an adjustment period but I'll still ask about adding a small amt of sero. Has anyone tried that?


I would think the two together would be a weight gain nightmare but thats just my opinion.


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## Inside (Jan 31, 2010)

I lost a ton of weight on sero - I kind of had the reverse of the typical side effects most people experience.


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## euphoria (Jan 21, 2009)

Remeron is an alright antidepressant, but for me it doesn't intensify emotion. I think it actually does the opposite. Everything seems dull. Maybe that will change at some point.


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## ElliotScott (Apr 24, 2010)

*Remeron worked for me*

I was taking 30mg of Remeron for about 6 months for anxiety and panic attacks. It worked very good.

I'm 40 and had never had a problem prior to this. I want to give you my background because I'm a normal person who never thought this could happen to. I hope to encourage someone out there hoping my experience will help you.

I pushed myself to hard. Too much work. Sacrificing sleep and living on coffee and sugar. For about 2 years I had been self prescribing Xanax. Only .25mg per night to calm me. Oneday I could not get out of bed and started to feel that I was going to die all the time. I cried all the time and would have panic attacks that physically felt like my body was being electcrocuted. I lost 35 pounds and could not eat or sleep anymore.

There was a perfect storm of things that made me hit bottom. The physical ones listed about combined with the long term use of Xanax. Now I am so anti-Xanax... this drug is horrible. It will calm you but it's the devil. You will be addicted and it's a combination of either how much you take or how long you take it. In the end you will be in rehab or on the bottom like me. My doctor swore I could not be addicted to xanax but I had all the symptoms. Shakes, cold sweats at night, anxienty, sleeplessness, panic attacks. My doctor even gave me more xanax to take... Don't do it! However, with Remeron, it was much easier for me. I beleive it took me 3 or 4 months off xanax to complete my withdrawl. If you are addicted... hang in there. I thought I would never be normal. I kept saying I'm crazy now and I don't know what happened to me. But, it will get better for you.

I tapped out my adrenal system, was hooked on xanax, ate junk foods and coffee, and pushed myself too hard.

I found out the hard way that I am allergic to SSRIs... they made me shake like an old man and I thought I was dying. Remeron is not an SSRI.

Day One on Remeron I slept well. Some will tell you they wake up hung-over but I never experience that a lot.. some... but not a lot.

Every week got better and affter a couple months on Remeron I was feeling like my old self. If you are afraid of psychotropic drugs (antidepressants) because you have never taken them before, I understand. I was the same way.

Upsides: Slept good right away, anxiety subsided and I felt myself, no changes in personality or energy, very inexpensive.

Slight downsides: Appetite, gained weight (20 pounds in 1 month - but I was trying to gain weight because I had lost so much), a little groggy in the morning for a couple hours (not bad), lots of dreams at night sometimes (not bad dreams and not too bad)

Recommendations to heal from anxiety: Exercise more that usuall, eat vegetables and fruit more, dont eat any sugar, eat honey, take more vitamin D and magnesium, drink little to no coffee and stay way from cold drinks.

I say this because this has helped me and I want to give back. 9 months ago I thought i was dying and my life was over. You can get back on your feet. If you try Remeron, embrace the drug and let it work. It's not going to freak you out. I was afraid of this before I started too.

If it doesn't work for you, you stop taking it. It's that simple.

I was on 30 MG of Remeron and have stepped down to 15 MG. I felt better at 15MG (less desire to eat all the time), and better rest. Now I am going down to 7MG to try to come off.

Good luck to you and I promise you will get better! I hope this helps you.


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## Foh_Teej (May 5, 2004)

i taken 60mg for several months now and although i dont want off of it incase it truly is working, i cant tell it does anything for me at this point besides the 40 pounds gained and 12 hour sleep. I had hoped for better control of anxiety with it as side effects are tolerable but it just doesnt cut it.


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## Ronnie34 (Feb 26, 2012)

*Remron30mg*

I have been on re Ron for 6 months it really works. It def took a good 8 weeks to work and yea the first 2 months you are on cloud 9 but it def passes to being a manageable tiredness in the a.m. So don't make a big deal out of it drink coffee to counteract it I promise it worked well for me. Helped my appetite too in a good way. All these people sang I gained 40lbs it's there own fault. Yes it helps your appetite but if you gained 40lbs?!! That is your own fault just cause your hungry doesn't mean you gotta eat like crap. I jus hate people scathing people away from this drug that literally changed my life. The pill itself does not make you gain weight! Your supposed to take 15mg for first 4 weeks then 30 that way you get used to the groggyness this is what I did if I started with 30 idk woulda been hard. I had depression my whole life and s.a and now panic attacks have not had one after the first 8 weeks on. My mood is enhanced feel like I prob should feel normal.I will say ithasnt helped s.a people say take benzos yeeeeaaa they work I get it but they are addictive with horrible withdrawals stop telling people to take this! Hope this helps. Anxiety is a really hard thing to have but people r diabeticts they take insulin four times. Day we gotta take a pill at night jus do it you'll have a better life


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## wxolue (Nov 26, 2008)

took it for about a month. gained 15-20 lbs in that time, which wasn't such a big deal for me personally, as I'm usually skinny. I think it started to work a little bit near the end, but the sedation was so bad it was unbelievable.


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