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Antidepressants and side effects

(8 Posts)
Hairspray100 Wed 13-Dec-23 16:54:18

Hi everyone,
Back in September I posted as I was suffering from depression and had such great support from everyone on here.
I had a bad reaction to Sertraline at the time so stopped and have not had any improvement.
I am now on Mirtazapine for the past 2 weeks and wondered if anyone else has had these tablets and how long it took for things to improve.
I was very fearful to start and worry a lot about medication. I would appreciate any views from other users.Many thanks

Coolgran65 Wed 13-Dec-23 20:14:06

I hope the Mirtazapine works for you. I think they usually start to work at about 3-4 weeks.

May I ask a question? You say you had a bad reaction to Sertraline. I nervously started on Sertraline this week.. Would you mind telling me what was your bad reaction.

Hairspray100 Wed 13-Dec-23 20:28:31

Thank you Coolgran.
The reaction I had was after 6 days. I had a reaction in the night with jerking of arms and legs.
I went to GP who told me to stop them and said that it was nothing that she had ever heard of before.
To be honest, I don’t know if it was just a worsening of the anxiety and depression that caused it as I had no other side effects.
I was in a pretty bad place to be honest and anxiety was off the scale so it may have been that.
I was therefore really dubious of starting the Mirtazapine.
I do hope that you get on ok with them. We are all so fearful of antidepressants. At the moment I would give anything to lessen the depression and anxiety that I feel.
Thank you for replying.

HelterSkelter1 Sat 16-Dec-23 05:49:35

My husband is considering Mirtazapine which his GP has suggested so I am interested to hear how you get on and from anyone else who takes it. He has never been on an AD before and is reluctant.

Hairspray100 can GNHQ put Mirtazapine in the subject line to encourage more replies?

Elless Sat 16-Dec-23 09:31:59

Mirtazapine is the only one I couldn't take, it made me feel like a zombie, in fact I still have a packet of them and use just a half a tablet as a sleeping tablet if ever I need to (I know I shouldn't). I have just started on Ecitalopram and they are really good, I was speaking to an anaesthetist about them whilst recently in hospital and he said his wife was taking them and they are very good.

GrannySomerset Sat 16-Dec-23 09:37:32

I have been on a low dose of Mirtazapine for nine years and it has made all the difference to my ability to cope - first with moving house, then with DH’s progressive ill health and death and now with widowhood. I have tried slow withdrawal but lose my sense of proportion so am resigned to being dependent. There are worse things.

Hairspray100 Sat 16-Dec-23 18:23:04

Granny Somerset.
May I ask what dose you take and if you remember having any side effects.

MayBee70 Sun 17-Dec-23 01:06:46

I was on mirtazapine when my marriage ended. I did feel like a zombie for a while: slept for England when I first took it , but I soon got used to it. I weaned myself off it very slowly. I was very loathe to take an anti depressant at the time but it worked for me. No one warned me how it would knock me out when I first took it, though.