Remeron (Mirtazapine) Experience

[Diya]

I'll update this post when I feel the need to for you out there curious about Mirtazapine.

Started on: June 6th, 2009
Mirtazapine: 30mg
Centrum: 1 tablet (Multivitamine-Multimineral)
Caffeine: A cup of tea or coffee.

First dose:
Mirtazapine is a very strong antihistaminergic drug. I was wide-awake when I took it but it knocked me out just an hour after taking it.

As for effects, the most noticeable ones currently are side effects such as derealization/depersonalization 30mins after administration. Right before falling asleep, I noticed weird visual effects similar to lightning and white flashes. (Mild hallucinations probably)

I definitely notice a mood lift and I don't feel any depression at all. As for anxiety I'm not really sure yet. I'm feeling more energetic and willing to do stuff. My blood pressure is also higher than usual.

[Diya]

I started getting angry for the smallest reasons.

I would yell at my friends and family members and feel a strong urge to hit them. I would feel extremely angry simply by hearing random people talking to each other or someone walking slowly in front of me to the point of almost picking a fight with them.

However, I will continue taking Remeron until I get in a fight with random people then I'm forced to quit.

SA is two times worse than being on no meds at all, but depression has completely vanished!

[Diya]

Side effects occurring rarely:

• Excessive urinating when taken with alcohol
• Mania
• Seizures
• Tremor
• Muscle twitching and Restless Legs Syndrome
• Pins and needles
• Rash and skin eruptions
• Pain in the joints or muscles
• Low blood pressure
• Higher blood pressure
• Obesity
• Mild visual hallucinations (when taken during the day or when awake)
• Depersonalization / Derealization (i.e. feeling unreal, in a dream-like state)
• Oedema (swollen ankles or feet)

Apparently, I'm just experiencing some of the rarer side effects. I think they will just go away on their own later on, so nothing to worry about I guess.

[rocknroll714]

Originally Posted by Diya

Apparently, I'm just experiencing some of the rarer side effects. I think they will just go away on their own later on, so nothing to worry about I guess.

I really doubt the visual hallucinations and derealization / depersonalization are all that rare. I think they just say that so people won't be scared away. Anyway, for me they were pretty much completely gone by the 4th or 5th dose. As for mania, you should be happy about that :P

[Diya]

Originally Posted by rocknroll714

As for mania, you should be happy about that :P

It's really nasty having that urge to just kick the **** out of random people's asses and walk over their bleeding bodies until they bleed to death just because they were talking to each other or walking slowly.

You'd think the elevated mood and energy are doing me any good? I'm getting furious at inanimate objects and even at myself!

[carambola]

My experience, when I tried remeron for sleep, was that my vision was blurry the next day, my head felt like it had been stuffed with something, and I just felt generally not right. And I still couldn't sleep.

[stealyourface722]

yea mania is terrible, makes me wanna die. One time when i was taking trazodone with some other AD, i got manic/hypomanic, and i seriously had so many postive thoughts flowing so hard it was extremley uncomfortable and I really wanted to die. It was like fake, I was depressed yet so much postive thought just going and going and I couldnt sleep and was making me tense. it was interesting. there are so many faces of hypomania/mania though.

[rocknroll714]

Originally Posted by stealyourface722

yea mania is terrible, makes me wanna die. One time when i was taking trazodone with some other AD, i got manic/hypomanic, and i seriously had so many postive thoughts flowing so hard it was extremley uncomfortable and I really wanted to die. It was like fake, I was depressed yet so much postive thought just going and going and I couldnt sleep and was making me tense. it was interesting. there are so many faces of hypomania/mania though.

That's the most contradictory thing I think I've ever heard.

[Medline]

I saw some people on full-blown mania, I even talked with one woman for a long time - the hardest conversation I ever had, talking so f***ing fast, changing thoughts every seconds... WOW. These people always seemed happy though, never suicidal at that point.

[Diya]

I find myself taking benzo's more often than being on no meds at all because anxiety is actually worse and I need to take something to calm me down or someone will get hurt for sure.

Remeron increases noradrenaline and serotonin. I will ask the pharmacist if he carries amisulpride (low dose) or wellbutrin for dopamine.

Maybe things will become better when remeron is not working solo anymore. I might as well add prozac to the mix but I hate SSRIs so that's a last resort.

What do you think? Any drug interactions?

[Medline]

If you live in the US your pharmacist won't carry Amisulpride (Solian).

[rocknroll714]

Originally Posted by Medline

I saw some people on full-blown mania, I even talked with one woman for a long time - the hardest conversation I ever had, talking so f***ing fast, changing thoughts every seconds... WOW. These people always seemed happy though, never suicidal at that point.

Oh man, I met this insane manic-like guy at Denny's at like 3 AM once. Holy ****ing ****. That guy was unbelievable. I'll bet anything he was on a crapload of meth. He was just so ridiculously confident and efficient at everything he did and said. Really crazy..

[Diya]

Good news!

My pharmacist carries Wellbutrin XR (Bupropion), and Dogmatil (Sulpiride). He said he will search through the database for Amisulpride and get to me later.

Finally! something to boost my dopamine!!

I'm quite worried about Mirtazapine + Wellbutrin XR since they both boost noradrenaline, and that would make my anxiety much worse, right?

So it's either:
Wellbutrin XR + Prozac = serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline
Or
Remeron + Dogmatil = serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline

What do you think I should do?

[Lokzen]

I have tried a variety of psychotropic drugs. In the case of this type of medicine it seems possible that it is highly individual, and not with somatic medicine.

For me resulted Remeron that I dreamed strange (which few seem to have experienced). I went up in weight. Few things were better.

It may not be remembered, Remeron's tablet which melted in the mouth, tasted good. So, it is plus the Protocol

[rocknroll714]

Originally Posted by Diya

Good news!

My pharmacist carries Wellbutrin XR (Bupropion), and Dogmatil (Sulpiride). He said he will search through the database for Amisulpride and get to me later.

Finally! something to boost my dopamine!!

I'm quite worried about Mirtazapine + Wellbutrin XR since they both boost noradrenaline, and that would make my anxiety much worse, right?

So it's either:
Wellbutrin XR + Prozac = serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline
Or
Remeron + Dogmatil = serotonin, dopamine, and noradrenaline

What do you think I should do?

Mirtazapine from my experience didn't have any noticeable norepinephrine stimulation whatsoever even as high as 180 mg. I found it very odd. So I wouldn't worry about it too much. Besides, user reports it isn't anxiogenic in the slightest.

Personally I think mirtazapine + bupropion + amisulpride would be an excellent combination. I'd recommend amisulpride over sulpiride as well. It has a nice little addition to its pharmacology that sulpiride as of yet hasn't been demonstrated to share, and that extra little bit may make a considerable amount of difference.

[Diya]

Ended on: June 9th, 2009 after the administration of only 4 doses of 30mg.

Reasons
1) Mania: I almost hit my little sister today for an insignificant reason, but I punched her desk several times instead at the last moment. Give me a couple of days and I'm sure I'll hurt someone badly.

2) Exacerbated SA: It's two times worse than being on no meds at all.

3) Horrific vivid nightmares: Yesterday I had 8 nightmares, today I had 2.

Pros:
- It destroyed my depression completely.
- It gave me energy to do stuff.

Cons:
- Mania and depersonalization / derealization
- Exacerbated anxiety.
- Very expensive.
- Extremely sedating. Can only be taken before bed at this dose IMO.
- Horrific nightmares.

I would have given it more time if it wasn't for the mania. I don't want to hurt people around me or myself.

[rocknroll714]

Originally Posted by Diya

Ended on: June 9th, 2009 after the administration of only 4 doses of 30mg.

Reasons
1) Mania: I almost hit my little sister today for an insignificant reason, but I punched her desk several times instead at the last moment. Give me a couple of days and I'm sure I'll hurt someone badly.

2) Exacerbated SA: It's two times worse than being on no meds at all.

3) Horrific vivid nightmares: Yesterday I had 8 nightmares, today I had 2.

Pros:
- It destroyed my depression completely.
- It gave me energy to do stuff.

Cons:
- Mania and depersonalization / derealization
- Exacerbated anxiety.
- Very expensive.
- Extremely sedating. Can only be taken before bed at this dose IMO.
- Horrific nightmares.

I would have given it more time if it wasn't for the mania. I don't want to hurt people around me or myself.

I remember it made me extremely irritable too but not to the point I'd hurt anyone, not in a physical sense at least. I'm thinking the aggression might dissipate with time and the anxiety might get better as well. Mirtazapine didn't exacerbate my anxiety at all. Also, I had crazy dreams but I wouldn't call them nightmares. Your reaction is interesting Diya, thanks for posting it.

[Medline]

Good that you stopped!

[Diya]

Sorry for reviving this thread, but I keep going back to Mirtazapine despite being the only drug that doubles my SA. Could shed some light on my neurotransmitter imbalance.

My recent findings:

I took 60mg a couple of weeks ago just because I'm still curious about it. If 30mg doubled my anxiety, then 60mg tripled it! I felt so horrible and extremely anxious. Any stimulus is enough to scare the hell out of me. Like, if my little sister threw something at me I'd feel those weird shock sensations going through my body, and my heart would beat so hard.

I also experienced insect phobia which I don't normally have. Do you think that Mirtazapine somehow depletes dopamine through an unknown mechanism? I mean, dopaminergic drugs provide a certain degree of anxiety-relief for me. Not to mention that Mirtazapine exacerbate restless leg syndrome which is linked to dopamine dysfunction.

By the way, I tried a couple of noradrenergic drugs and they didn't exacerbate my SA as much as mirtazapine did. So, my extreme reaction to mirtazapine is not only due to its noradrenergic action.

I'm going to take 15mg in a few minutes.

[jim_morrison]

It sounds as if it's possibly exacerbating your OCD, possibly due to it's interactions with the serotonergic system.

I'm curious have you ever tried SSRI's and if so, which ones, and how did you react to them?