Mirtazapine :: Weight Gain And Loss - My Experience
Jul 22, 2015
this is my personal experience of weight gain and loss with mirtazapine.
i was taking mirtazapine for a total of 8 months, in the first 2 months i didn't gain any weight at all and thought i had got away with that particular side effect, but no, in the last 6 months of taking it i put on a total of 21lb. as it turned out the symptoms i had weren't down to my anxiety so decided to taper off the mirtazapine. i have been off it now for 2 months.i had slight withdrawal symptoms but nothing major and i'm now completely clear of the drug. so far in the last 2 months i have lost 7lb of the 21lb i put on. this has been done through diet though, people have said that the weight just drops off when you stop taking mirtazapine but i haven't found that, i have had to work at it. but i don't mind that. 7lb loss is still half a stone of the weight i gained gone, i will keep going till the other 14lb (1 stone) has gone too no matter how it takes. and if i ever need medication again for my anxiety it will NOT be mirtazapine.
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I started Mirtazapine (Remeron) a couple months ago. I was on Zyprexa before that. I read about weight gain people had on Zyprexa and asked my psychiatrist to look for an alternative. He prescribed me Remeron, and after I asked if there would be any weight gain he said no. I took his word for it, since we have had a really good connection for the past 10 years.
However, I noticed my appetite increased, and kept increasing with each increased dose. I've been trying to lose weight for the past 5/6 months since getting out of treatment. I didn't feel like I needed to look research much of Remeron since my I put my trust in my psychiatrist as I always do. Since feeling like my life was spinning out of control and I wasn't losing weight, I decided to put the matters into my own hands. After seeing a dietician for the past 5/6 months, we had tested and ruled out all possibilities for why I wasn't losing weight. We have been working tirelessly trying to figure out the problem.
So as I did research on my own on the medication, I stumbled upon a LOT of frightening news. People gaining 20-90 pounds on Remeron. This scared me to death. Not only that, put I read about TONS of people having increased, incurable hunger from Remeron. I had to get myself off this stuff!
I hadn't been sleeping that well after the last increase to 45mg at night. What I did notice is that my hunger was out of control and I was eating in the middle of the night and in the morning (which I never did before). I felt like I was gaining weight, and felt out of control from the frequent eating. This was the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I had wanted.
So, my question to you is, did you have crazy hunger while on Remeron, and for those of you who have discounted Remeron, were you able to lose the weight? Also, how long did it take, and when did you hunger begin to decrease after you stopped Remeron?
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I have just started on the 30m Mirtazapine and it's my 3rd night taking them ans i have read up on a lot of different forums that there are patients gaining weight off these? well i would like to know what the odds are of gaining weight because i have always had problems with weight gain, i can never put on any weight, no matter how much i eat, i have a fast metabolism and i am wondering, will the mirtazapine surpass my high metabolism. also in some cases i've heard it slows your metabolism down too.. but it would actually be a benefit for me to gain some extra weight.
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I am a 25 year old female and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Disease probably around 2012 or so. I take 75MCG every morning and I do blood tests about once or twice a year to make sure my levels are stable. What I need help with are symptoms. My boyfriend has been very supportive, he was the reason I went to get the initial blood test because he said my symptoms reminded him of Graves Disease and it worried him. Well, I went to the doctor and got the tests done and he told me I had Hashimotos. Since then, my boyfriend has told me that he hasn't seen any improvement in my symptoms, in fact he thinks they've gotten worse. I have looked at a lot of different lists of symptoms that people with Hashimoto's Disease can experience and I experience a lot of them. I'll list the ones I experience the most and a little bit of a description to each so maybe someone can help me with what I need to do to feel better because honestly it makes me miserable.
-Hair Loss - Every time I brush or wash my hair there is always tons of hair in the brush or tub. It's everywhere all the time, I shed like the cats.
- Depression - I don't know if it is actually depression, but a lot of the time I feel like I'm just not good enough to be around anyone. I'll find myself crying at ridiculous moments with absolutely no reason for it. I also find myself thinking that people I know (and can acknowledge even when I'm feeling this way) love and care for me, and yet I still think they don't care about me and will abandon me at the drop of the hat, which breaks me down mentally.
- Stress - This is probably one of my worst symptoms. I am always stressed out about something, even ridiculous things that shouldn't be stressing me out. One of the biggest things I stress about is what I mentioned with the depression. I feel like my friends and loved ones are going to abandon me at any minute, which scares me and results in me lashing out at them in ways that if I can't control it soon enough may result in them actually leaving, which terrifies me and just puts me into a never ending loop of stress and depression.
- Anger - I can't seem to rationalize other people's behaviors. Completely normal behaviors that don't normally bother me result in me lashing out and screaming at people and saying things that I don't mean to say.
- Memory Loss - This is a really bad symptom. I forget things very quickly. If I don't actively keep it in my mind, I won't remember it. A perfect example, when I was still in college I was walking through town with some people and when we were going back to the dorms I made a comment about a truck I saw. I used to see it all the time and hadn't seen it in a while so I made the comment. The people I was with looked at me really confused and just flatly stated "You said the exact same thing when we walked by it on the way out" and I honestly don't remember seeing it at any point that day. In fact I didn't remember seeing it for around 5 months, and yet they claimed that I made the exact same comment I just had, earlier that day. It really messes with my head when people tell me that I did or said something and I can't remember doing it to save my life.
- Weight - Before I started taking synthroid I weighed 110 lbs, after I started taking it I gained like 30 lbs and I can't lose it. I'm stuck between 135 and 140 (I'm about 5'6" tall)
- Headaches - I get headaches on a daily basis. Sometimes they're really bad but generally they're just a slight discomfort in my frontal lobe area.
- Sleep - It takes me forever to fall asleep and even when I do I can't stay asleep and then I feel exhausted all day when I wake up, as if I never slept at all.
Another thing I've noticed and that is that sometimes I feel like I can't swallow properly, I always feel like I have to yawn to get a lung full of oxygen, and my nails curl downward along the curve of the tip of my fingers on like 3/5 fingers.
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I have been prescribed 15mg for 2 weeks for depression which has lead to severe weight loss Iam 5'5 and weigh just under 7 stone which makes me look horrible, so horrible I can hear people talk about me in the street, I look terrible. Before taking the medication I was aware of my weight and have always made special efforts to eat regular but still could not maintain a good weight. I have only been on mirtazapine for a few days, and have a follow up appointment in 2 weeks to see how I'm getting on and maybe to up my dosage. I haven't had any hunger cravings like I have heard people talk about and I'm really worried that I'm going to be the only person ever not to gain weight from these meds. My weight really adds to my depression and stops me going out the house, I want to gain 2-3 stone. But don't think this would be possible as I already eat a good amount of food every day.
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I'm an 18 year old girl who has been taking this medication otherwise known as Avanza or Remeron for 9 months now. I have gained 10kgs or around 22lbs in this time and therefore am going to begin the process of coming off it in about 3 weeks as I have found that my mood has gotten worse because I feel self conscious all the time now about the weight gain.
I haven't changed my eating habits much at all, in the first few weeks I ate more but once I noticed the weight gain I started eating only healthy foods and small quantities but it hasn't shifted the weight just slowed the gain down.
I am seeking help as to how people have come off the medication, and what effect it has had on their weight. Did it come off easily? How long did it take to lose the weight etc...?
Oh and I am on a 30mg dose.
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I was wondering I started these tablets in August when I weighed 9st.6 I now weigh over 12 and i can't shift it no matter what I do, has anyone who has been on this and experienced the same problem shed some light into how I shift this and how long it takes to actually come off.
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Could anyone tell me please if 7.5mg Mirt will cause weight gain.
Recently tapered off of 30mg over a good few months and the wight is shifting, however, new med Trazodone is useless, I feel I am going to go mad if I don't get a nights sleep. On 7.5mg Mirt I could achieve this.
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I have just started using Remeron (Mirtazapine) but i am really worried about this weight gain thing. Often when I read side effects for medications I can conclude that side effects do not appear that often as it seems and that only the affected people are active on the forums. But in this case I can only find people saying that this will cause you to gain weight, and none that says it does not. Have not felt the extreme craving yet I think.
Does anyone have any experience on the subject?
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Today I have been given 15mg Mirtazapine for the first time. From reading reviews I'm very concerned about taking them mainly due to the weight gain many people experienced.
I'm a 31 year old female and other than the past 2 years I have always been overweight (18 stone). I'm now 11 stone which I'm comfortable with.
I have been given Mirtazapine as following operations and maybe more to come I have been suffering with very low self esteem mentally & physically.
I know the medication has been given to help but I'm worried if I am to gain weight I will feel even lower about myself. I have told this to my GP who has advised he will weigh me in 2 months to see if weight has been gained.
By reading your reviews the weight gain seems to happen very rapidly.
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I was told about the risk of weight gain but told it was more to do with increased appetite than fat binding, etc and that as long as I watched what I consumed I'd be fine. Roll on six weeks and I have surgery and after a further six weeks I feel enormous but put it down to swelling and post-op "taking it easy". Decide to take control and join weight watchers to find I'd put on over two stone and am the heaviest I've ever been. One week in with little effort I lose 9lb but three weeks in I've regained 2lb and feel huge again. Only difference, other than increasing my exercise, was that I'd ran out of mirtazapine 30mg five days before the 9lb loss as my repeat prescription failed to materialise and I started again the day after. Can weight loss and gain be that rapid be purely down to the mirtazapine? Having a history of bulimia I am tempted instead to ditch the pills, lose the weight and take the chance that withdrawals are not too catastrophic. Certainly won't miss the twitchy left eyebrow either!
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I'm already taking Pristiq however was having episodes of anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia and so my doctor also prescribed me mirtazapine. In some ways it has been a miracle, as somebody suffering from severe social phobia it has helped me to open up a little to the outside world and even attending social outings which is not like me. I feel far less stressed as well. I WISH I could stay on it!
The problem I am having is I've put one a huge amount of weight in the month or so I've been taking it. I've put on at least 7kg but probably more by now, I am visibly much fatter, and being a bit overweight in the first place (and wanting to lose weight) means this far outweighs the benefits. I suddenly have a huge appetite and I cannot control my eating, it is becoming a real problem. I've read people say to get over it and simply control your eating but it isn't that easy, before I even try a strictly healthy diet, I need to get off these pills and give my body a chance to get over these cravings.
My first question is, if I were to stop taking mirtazapine, or even start taking one every 2nd day to eventually taper off, can I expect any awful side effects? I have big exams in a week and I don't want to risk nasty side effects, however I'm really worried I will just keep stacking on the weight even in that short week, I want to get off them ASAP. I haven't been on them all that long so am wondering if I will experience anything bad if I cut back on them. My other antidepressants cause me vertigo if I miss a pill.
Second question, has anyone had any luck with other anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication that helps with general/social anxiety, that does not cause weight gain? I know everyone reacts to medications differently but I'm just interested to see if there is an alternative to mirtazapine without this one (seemingly very common) side effect.
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I've been on Mirtazapine (30mg) for roughly 10-11 months now after suffering with my second bout of severe depression in 2 years and although this drug has helped me overcome my depression, I cannot seem to get rid of the excess weight that I have gained whilst taking it.
I am a very active guy, I play football twice a week and do lots of cardio but it seems whatever I eat, it goes straight to my belly. This has pretty much always been the case with me throughout my life.
I think I was roughly 15.5 stone when I started on Mirtazapine in July 2014 but I now weigh roughly 17.5 stone. I am 6ft7 in height so I guess I needed to put on a few pounds (as I was quite slim previously) but 2 stone is a rather big weight gain.
For an unknown reason I always feel hungriest late at night, does anyone else get this symptom? I take the tablet every night before I go to sleep (around 10:30pm).
How long are you supposed to take this drug for before reducing the dosage? Obviously the last thing I want is to become depressed again so I don't mind taking it but I would be interested to see if my weight decreases if I was to lower the dosage to say 15mg.
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Could anyone tell me if there is a dose of Mirt (no matter how small) which does not cause weight gain please?
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I've been on this for about 3 months and have gained 2 stone!!! After the doctor told me I wouldn't! Has anyone come off this and dropped their weight or has it been difficult ....I'm at a loss and feel I'm getting more depressed now because of it.
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I am starting Mirtazapine and am scared I might gain weight, could anyone advice me how they got on?
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I have a question for you all about Mirt, and more specifically, the weight gain that is said to come with Mirt. A lot of you, in your posts, have said that you have experienced the weight gain, and this worries me because I am already quite a big dude. In fact, I am about to start dieting and exercising more to shed weight, so the thought of Mirt causing me to gain, well, it's not a very nice thought.
When you guys say it caused you to gain weight, is that because it made you hungry and therefore you ate more? Does the weight gain happen to everyone? Is there anyone that has been on Mirt that did not gain weight? I am only on 15mg, which I think is the lowest dose. I mean, if it does start to make me extremely hungry, I'll certainly try my best to snack on stuff like fruit or something like that. Of course I have literally on taken one tablet, which started yesterday, so I am curious to hear from the people who have taken the drug for months, even years. If Mirt is going to make me gain weight, after I told the doctor of my plans to lose weight, I am gonna march down there and offer to fight her after her shift finishes.
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I was diagnosed with depression just before christmas, I had quite a traumatic year with a series of bad events occurring, I was also getting married which I think was the only thing keeping me going, looking back now I realise I was slipping into a depressive state for about 2 months before I finally broke. I fell into quite a catatonic state being unable to function at even a basic level, it was as if my brain had just shut down.
The doc started me on sertraline but this made my anxiety so bad that I couldn't even go into my back garden, unable to leave the house or speak to anyone for a month, he then gave me citalopram, this reduced my anxiety but gave me insomnia, so I spent another month sleeping (or rather not sleeping) on my sofa and only getting a few hours of sleep here and there.
So my doc decided to try mirtazapine, my depression has reduced dramatically but I've have gained a lot of weight, which at first I thought was a welcome side effect compared to anxiety and insomnia but now this is really starting to lower my mood again,
When I was at the beginning of my illness and was unable to function, eating didn't even enter my head and I lost around a stone and a half (my usual weight sticks around 10 - 10 1/2 stone) to 9 stone, I looked really unwell at this weight, but since being on mirtazapine I have gained 2 1/2 stone in the first month (I'm into my second month now) and it's just staying there. I have tried changing my diet and exercising but I'm stuck at nearly 12 stone.
I look overweight, none of my clothes fit me and the worse part is that I look 6 months pregnant and because I am only just venturing out again after months of solitude, a lot of people think that I am pregnant and that's why they haven't seen me, I'm struggling to keep my smile and tell people I'm not as I am infertile and this has been one of the issues that led to my depression in the first place.
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I'm worried about the common side effect of Weight gain with this med, I've been on it 4 days, wondered how quick the increase in appetite and weight gain started?
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I suffer from Anxiety, Depression & Insomnia. I have tried a variety of medications & am now on a combination of Mirtazapine 30mg & Lamotrigine 50mg. I only went on Mirtazapine as other medications were not helping me sleep. Well big mistake I have put on 6kg in just under 4 weeks. On a positive note it has helped with my sleep which is great but the weight gain, daily headaches (already a migraine sufferer but this is just constant) & dizziness are my worst nightmare. I am now so miserable & anxious because of the weight gain in particular as I managed to lose 24kg just over 5 years ago & have maintained the loss up until just on 4 weeks ago. None of my other tablets have ever done this before. I am off to see my GP on Monday to find out how I come off this tablet & start losing the weight I put on. Will I lose the weight I put on ?? How soon will I start to see the weight come off ? Is there an alternative to the Mirtazapine I can have that will help my sleep ? I have had Temazepam & Clonazepam before they were good for sleep but just not as good as the Mirtazapine. I hate feeling fat again & my clothes being to tight. I have tried Valdoxan but was not a success with the sleep & side effects too.
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I have recently been prescribed Mirtazapine as the Dr says it won't affect my libido or make me gain weight. I have gained even more weight, (recently fought to lose a stone from rapid weight gain from antipsychotics) and feeling very cross. I feel more depressed and my state is becoming angry every day. Has anyone else experienced similar effects. I used to take Fluoxetine which worked wonders but he won't allow me to take it anymore as he says it makes me too hyper.
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