Mirtazapine
Mirtazapine is an antidepressant which was introduced 1990. Primaly used for the treatment of depression.
It is also used as appetite stimulant.
It is also found useful for the treatment of e.g. social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, low appetite or underweight, insomnia and migraine.
In clinical studies, mirtazapine has been found to be an effective antidepressant with generally tolerable side effects relative to other antidepressants.
Brand names are: Remeron, Sandoz, Mylan and Soltab.
Common side effects of Mirtazapine: e.g. sedation, malaise, increased appetite, weight gain and muscle pain.
Less common side effects: e.g. restlessness, agression, hair loss and the restless legs syndrome.
Mirtazapine may improve certain side effects when taken in conjunction with other antdepressants: e.g. decreased appetite, weight loss and insomnia.
Mirtazapine and other antidepressants may cause withdrawal syndromes upon discontinuation. A gradual and slow reduction in dose is recommended in order to minimize withdrawal symptoms.
Mirtazapine is considered to be relatively safe in the event of an overdose.
It is typically prescribed in a dosage ranging from 15 mg to 45 mg. (e.g. 7.5 mg, 15 mg, 30mg, 45 mg, 50mg, 60mg) Orodisperisble tablets.
Mirtazapine and Cats/Dogs:
Mirtazapine is also used as an appetite stimulant for cats.
In the article Tanya's comprehensive guide to feline chronic kidney disease she describes why it's so important for cats and dogs to eat. Some topics of her great article: Reasons for loss of appetite, Feline calorie needs, Additional nourishment, Tempting your cat to eat, Assisted feeding and Appetite stimulants. Also some links to other useful resources.
Mirtazapine and Alcohol:
Overview of the effects of using Mirtazapine and drinking alkohol: general emedtv article.
nih.gov article: Mirtazapine improves alcohol detoxification. (2004)
Remeron is often prescribed for sleep disorders.
Drugs-forum discusses the recreational use of Mirtazapine. Join the discussion here. (Which effects has Mirtazapine on normal people with no big problems...?)
Mirtazapine's half life is about 37 hours for females and 26 hours for males. Completely after ~ 72 hours.
Mirtazapine cost: 15mg = $30-$60, 30mg = $30-$120, 45mg = $30-$130. Orodisperisble tablets.
Some experiences of coming off Mirtazapine, withdrawal schedule and symptoms:
depressionforums: Thinking about coming off Mirtazapine (Advice / Experience)
drugs-forum: Has anyone come off Mirtazapine?
crazymeds: Coming off Remeron and dealing with the withdrawals.
Mirtazapine and pregnancy:
drugs: general article about pregnancy and breastfeeding warnings.
dsru: A study of birth outcomes.
netmums forum: no informational link about a mom and her questions.
Mirtazapine and venlafaxine:
patient forum: Has anyone tried Mirtazapine with venlafaxine.
Mirtazapine and Tinnitus:
ehealthme: post marketing study about mirtazapine and tinnitus.
Mirtazapine and Citalopram:
nomorepanic: Citalopram to Mirtazapine forum post. (Questions and experiences)
Some news articles:
Tony Scott (Top gun director) had anti-depression drugs. Used Remeron/ high dose and died.
Anti-depressant in Scotts system and Tony Scott's death confirmed suicide.
Youtube Remeron Mirtazapine Review video:
(Some of the text in the article is based on the wikipedia article "Mirtazapine" used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License or the Creatice Commons CC-BY-SA license.)
Perhaps this article will help someone searching for information about Mirtazapine.
