[Daf]

I would be interested in hearing other folks’s experiences of this drug.

If you took it, when you take it in relation to projected sleep time, do you take all the time or on “as need” basis.

Not a fan of taking drugs but this one I think does have its merits for occasional use.

Daf (Him in that there London!)

 

 

[bethreeves]

I used Mirtazapine for a number of months after losing my father to cancer and a couple other loved ones, as well as going into perimenopause.  I was just so glad to, sadly, knock myself out at this point and sleep that it was a relief to sleep in whatever way I could.  I didn’t use as high a dose as some do as it was strong for me.  The first day I had to really push myself to get up at noon haaa!! never stay in that late.  Then I switched to 1/2 a pill.  Because I was also going through grief, as well as anxiety, it helped with those symptoms too.  I found I really needed to know I had a block of time to sleep as if you only had 5 or 6 hours in bed and rushed off, it would be hard to get going.  I also don’t really like to take drugs if you can avoid it and these meds can be terrible hard to get off of.  I found I was feeling lazy and unmotivated in the day so I decided it was time to come off them.  I always try good sleep hygiene but perimenopause really made it hard so I had a combination of things to keep anxiety up, otherwise, it may have been easier to get off them.  I am in a better spot now that I have gotten perimenopause under control, sleep is also better.  I don’t know where you are with your sleep but if there are other ways to avoid taking meds like someone specializing in sleep or digging into your deeper issues/root cause?

[Daf]

Thanks for that – and I am very sorry to hear of your losses.

From all my research on this drug and from own experience, 7.5MG is the right dose for insomnia. Larger doses do not work as well at all. Lots of quality research online on this unusual aspect of it.

15Mg and more is what they give people for ongoing depression, as opposed to feeling depressed the odd day after a “Nil-sleeping” night.

I have found the key is to take it at least one hour before you go to bed. Taking it in middle of night, when you cannot get to sleep does not seem to work regularly. So avoid that.

I have taken it on a very occasional basis to break episodes of insomnia up and restore good sleep. It does have a long life and makes you feel drousy into the next day and even next night too, though, so maybe not great for old people who may have poor balance and indeed maybe people who have to drive / operate machinery next day (unless they are prepared to counter with a heavy dose of caffeine).

But it is that long half life – that is good for me. Because even the next night I still feel in a “cool-drousy place” and can sleep well.

It has regularly broken up long episodes of insomnia for me, (where I’m getting nil sleep say two to three times a week for 3 weeks)….. I have then used it for one night. And it has broken up the pattern.

I only take it on an occasional basis to do this.

But seems to work and gives a much longer sleep than Zopiclone.

Would avoid on a regular basis (for non-permanently depressed people) as much research says it is hard to withdraw from if you take it regularly.

Generally, I avoid drugs, but this has worked ad hoc for me to break episodes of insomnia.

Of course, its use as anti-insomnia is a side effect of it, this drug is used on regular basis for people with moderate to severe depression. And in those circs it it usually prescribed for every day use.

Hope this helps.

Daf (Him in that there, London)

Of course, I’m not a doctor!

 

 

[Daf]

Anyone else with experience of this?

[Davy]

for me, me emergency drug i call it that because i only take it in need when i am awake again for 2 to 3 days is zyprexa also not a drug for insomnia but it makes you drowsy like hell you need to thake it 2 to 3 hours before you go to sleep and it works 24 hours so even the next day you feel num and if that fails there is the last resort not recommended but alcohol and a lot of it the say you don’t sleep good on alcohol but any kind of sleep is better than no sleep

[Daf]

Yes I see.

I too try to take Mirtazapine only to break episodes of nil sleep nights.

[Oz]

I was recently given a prescription of Remeron as an alternative to Zopiclone but have not found it very effective  beyond first night or two then has little effect, though maybe helps with anxiety. Taking half 7.5 dose. So seems good way to break Z dependency anyway.

[Daf]

I thought I’d just give an update on my Mirtazapine experience.

After another run of insomnia – 8 nil-sleep nights in a month I Jan 2019, I decided to go on 7.5mg Mirtazapine  – basically taking every night… and the key for success is to take around one hour before you want to ideally sleep.

Well, it’s been OK and I have slept well. After three weeks success, I moved to taking it every second night three weeks ago. That has been OK too. Regularly getting 5 to 6.5hrs sleep a night.

My recent attempts to go one further – to taking it one night in three have been less successful. And I have found I could not sleep – so had to take Zopiclone, which works ….but I hate as it only gives me about 3hrs sleep.

(Interestingly, some of you might like to google the article in the New York Times and other places…. “How to Quit Antidepressants. Very Slowly, Doctors Say”. This quotes new research which suggest coming off any antidepressant drug like this should be done much more slowly than previous advice suggests – and that you should taper down to a fortieth of the original prescription! Of course, how one does that, with a drug that is tiny anyway and comes in a min size of 15mg in UK is anyone’s guess – get your microscopes and pestles and powders out and micro-weight measures, I guess  )

But I’m sleeping and am happy. Sure, mirt does make you a bit groggy and put on a bit of weight, but though I put on extra 6% weight in a month, it has stayed there, not increased. It’s also important to keep restricting sleep. I do. Mirt can mean its a struggle to get up. Some nights I could go for 7 even 8 hours net sleep, but I force myself up after 5 to 6 hrs, so I have high sleep drive the next night.

I hope this helps

Daf

[Daf]

Martin,

Why does my last post (see above) not show  up under current discussion topics?

[Daf]

Oh, it does now….. I guess the technology was “catching up” with the cache. or something!

[Martin Reed]

Some posts get held for moderation quite randomly! My apologies for the delay 🙂

—

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[Daf]

Update – The Mirtazapine is really working. I now take just 3.75mg two nights out of three  (a quarter of the standard min size pill here in UK of 15mg) and it still works really well. I’m sure I can come off totally in the next 6 weeks.

In the last 3 months I’ve only had three nil- sleep nights – caused by other stressors.

Do read my previous posts on here about WHEN to take it… as this really makes a difference.

Also, I do stimulus control and SRT (I keep sleep down to no more than 5.5hrs or maybe 6.5 hrs at absolute max a night, so that my sleep drive next night is strong) and have developed a very Acceptance based / Mindful approach to life as per Guy Meadow’s sleep book and the Acceptance Commitment based approach to sleep).

I’m generally anti-drugs but really do recommend low doses of Mirtazapine for people like me who have really struggled in the past.

(No other drugs worked for me other than Zopiclone but it’s addictive, too powerful and knocks you out for only up to say 3 hrs. And the docs here is UK will not keep giving it to you either)

 

[Sydonia044]

Didn’t do anything for me in terms of sleep perhaps just made me feel even groggier in the morning.

[GaryH]

I take 15mg every night about an hour before bedtime. Most nights it works well – keeps me asleep 6-7 hours before waking. Can sleep a few more hours if I don’t have to be out the house. The odd rare night it doesn’t work as well for some reason. Maybe too much caffeine throughout the day. Who knows. But more often than not it’s a good sleep aid. Works well for anxiety too. I rarely panic when in public places now.

[Daf]

I drove it down to an eighth of a 15mg tab an hour before bed. Still worked. But does make you put on weight.
Gradually reduced to taking every second night, then every third night. Then pretty much never take it now.

[Author]

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