Mirtazapine V Fluoxetine

[JE55LEW]

So this morning iv put my foot down and told my doctor I knew fluoxetine was doing nothing for me like it had done 3 years ago and needed a change after persuading him and listing all the side effects I was getting he changed me to mirtazapine 30mg to be taken a night with a good drink of liquid my post really is to anyone out there have they had this change and was it better for them?I feel better straight away today knowing I'm having a change from what was working for me in 2011 and now it's doing nothing and I know but really it's all down to the sleep now that's my anxiety issue with falling asleep and having a adrenaline rush just as I am about to go off and then have to resort to my zopiclone to help me sleep at night or I'm bad the next day off no sleep, so really to anyone out there that's gone from the change of fluoxetine to mirtazapine any good stories to come from it x

[JE55LEW]

iv eaten 3 proper meals today where as normally I wouldn't but my breakfast was a healthy one dinner and tea weren't but never mind it's now 6pm here and just about feeling ok but ready for a bath and take my mirtazapine ready for emmer dale, coronation street and eastenders and bed x

[is_something_wrong]

Good :-)

The hangover effect will pass, probably after a week or so. Not sure if it will help to reduce dose, it can be just as sedating at 15 mg.

Are you feeling hungry?

[JE55LEW]

i slept great last night a full 12 hours or so but today feel so dopey today I'm wondering wether it's the 30mg coz they do 15mg might be on to much straight away but going to carry on and see how it goes coz I feel better than what I did feel on fluoxetine x

[is_something_wrong]

You will probably sleep better already tonight. You may have some hangover tomorrow but it will pass. I didn't, but I've heard people say they do.

The effect on anxiety and depression is faster than with SSRI. Usually a week or two.

[JE55LEW]

You are so helpful thank you when do you think the mirtazapine will kick in  starting off with 30mg tonight and have the zopiclone just in case I need it x

[is_something_wrong]

Anytime :-)

Fluoxetine can take some time to get out of the system. It has an active metabolite, norfluoxetine, which has a very long half-life (4-14 days) - so it can take about five weeks to fully get rid of it. This may be an advantage, as the chance of getting the "SSRI withdrawal syndrome" is far less.

I took Mirtazapine together with Zoloft. I didn't suffer any depression, but quite a lot of anxiety. I remember feeling more happy on Mirtazapine, I slept well, and felt like I had more energy the next day. I don't know if the energy were caused by the increased noradrenaline or the fact that I didn't wake up seven times during the night.

Best of luck, and please let us know how you are doing :-)

[JE55LEW]

Thank you so much for the information it has really helped a lot I'm not really to bothered about the weight gain as long as I am happy in myself and  getting natural sleep my husband has said he would rather seee back to my old self over weight of its got to be than in the state I have been in just want this fluoxetine out if my system it hasn't worked at all 2nd round time for me x

[is_something_wrong]

Mirtazapine is a good antidepressant and anxiolytic, with few side effects. It doesn't have the SSRI side effects like nausea, headache, initially increased anxiety and GI problems. In fact, due to the pharmacological profile it actually counteracts these side effects from SSRIs, which is why the combination is fairly common.

It's a strong sedative (from the antihistaminergic effects) and can give you an energy boost the next day (from the noradrenergic effects). However, it has one horrible and very common side effect, which is intense hunger and weight gain. I gained 50 pounds on Mirtazapine and even after quitting, I really have a hard time getting rid of them.