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[Gilla999]

Just to chime in, as I've been taking Mirtazapine for over 2 years now (in addition to Sertraline)... the initial side effects and grogginess do wear off... for me it took a good 4 weeks but it does happen, so don't be discouraged by that.

As others have said, the big draw back is the huge weight gain. I read somewhere the average is 2 stone which is what it made me gain despite no changes to appetite or what I eat. It changes chemicals in your brain that make you gain weight.

But as Gnatty said, when it is THAT bad you will do/take anything for it to stop and you know yourself when it has reached that stage.
Good luck with it all xx

[Gnatty]

I just looked up average weight gain on mirtazapine and it was about 3kg. I guess it depends which studies you look at..... There are plenty who don't gain weight too. X

[CLKD]

One gains weight because of what we put into our daily diets.  Steroids can cause people to eat more, often craving food 24/7. 

Anxiety makes me stop eating    . 

As for sugars in fruit, that is natural.  Nothing wrong with as much fruit as you can take on board, the body uses it differently to that in cakes etc...  Bananas cured my restless leg syndrome completely.  2/3 small ones a day initially, now two a week 'cos I hate them mealy  .

It's hidden sugars that cause weight gain etc., i.e. in processed foods.  As well as the 'alternative' sugars that some companies now add ....... so that they can boast "less sugar"  it's all in the small print. Apparently.


Tnx : As I said in my other post there is now too much pressure I feel the other way. Pressure to only take HRT and a guilt trip if you need ADs. Maybe at some point I will come off the AD and manage on HRT but not now, no way. The memory of how awful the anxiety was is too raw and I never ever want to feel like that again.. I never want to feel as frightened as I did without ADs etc..  . 

[CLKD]

By the way  what's 3kg in real terms ? 

[Gilla999]

What we eat and exercise is definitely a huge part of it, but it's not the only part. Hormones like leptin play a massive part in it too (and Mirtazapine changes your leptin levels...)

That aside, I've had a lot of success with Mirtazapine and know lots of people that also have. It's just a shame it has that common side effect, but mental health is a million times more important!

[Michelle7474]

Hi Nas
This is exactly what I was suffering constant fight or flight mode & I was advised it was too much oestrogen.
I had one aniexty episode before I started HRT but since I started it as you know from previous messages that I suffered with this daily .. and it’s a killer .. infact it was horrendous , worst thing ever

I was given anti anxiety medication & I tried it & it calmed me enough to shop the shaking etc .. but then I had problems sleeping from the tab & didn’t take again .. I was so close to trying antidepressants but then my blood became to thin ( think adding in extra medication didn’t help ) & stomach problems became more that I didn’t take them as my blood is more important and I know that antidepressants can increase the risk of bleeding when on warfrain .. we are all different & what don’t work for someone , works for someone else

I stopped HRT just under 6 weeks ago
And this week as been best week so far for me .. ( I don’t wanna tempt fate lol )
But my stomach don’t seem so bad .. I have my appitite back or at least I’m eating more ..
sleep is still pretty much the same
But aniexty don’t seem as harsh and horrendous as it’s been for past months .. I’m hoping that means my HRT is finally out system and my own hormones have starting settling .. which I think they are as on HRT I would have been due a period this weekend and I’ve not had one but noticed 3 days ago like clear ovulation discharge ( too much info ) so hopefully this is me back to my own hormones starting settling ( I hope ) as before all this aniexty wasn’t an issue for me in a bad way … where it controlled my life

 

My pharmist & Also Email from Dr Heather
Suggested that I could have indeed added too much hormone to my own fluctuating hormones & I believe this caused my aniexty and cortisol surges which was daily and all day on and off .. be fine one min then boom .. my whole body felt like it was shaking & the palpitations and fast heart race was constant ( aniexty I presume )
Maybe my body wasn’t ready for the added hormones, even tho my brain was telling me I needed it because of symptoms before HRT

I hope you get something to help you as I’m brutally honest I struggled n struggled waiting for the day I felt ok and I hope I’m on that road now
But I won’t tempt fate

I also wondered if it was my covid vaccines also that caused it ..

I take each day as it comes now ..
but I hope you find somthing for you that helps with all this

Us women deal with enough xx

[appey]

No problem at all
I have replied xx (I hope! - still not quite used to how this forum works message wise!)

[appey]

The above message is for Sazzle 😊

[Nas]

Oh god I don’t want to gain weight. That’s the one thing that I haven’t gained during this hellish journey and that would make me miserable.

Michelle, my fight flight mode definitely kicks in during the early hours and is brutal. Sick to death of it!

I wish I wasn’t working, I wish I was rich enough not to have to work. I don’t want to get up and da Eva other bloody week tomorrow. The new term has barely started and  I want out already.

Life seems too much these days, too much to cope with.

What to do?

I hope you are on the right road Michelle xx

[Hopeful]

Nas
I know how awful it all is and I have cut down to 2 days a week ( school admin) but on the days I’m off I find the anxiety can be worse with nothing to distract me!!
Perhaps we need a job that takes less concentration. Work every day but only for few hours. If only we could find one!
Really don’t know which way to turn but am feeling a little better, it been almost exactly a year since it all started and I do feel it has made me more aware of other people’s problems and my own ability to survive.
As they say “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” but I’m strong enough now so please STOP.

[Michelle7474]

I hope you find somthing that suits .. mine became too much that I stopped working & I think that also maybe made things worse as I was indoors just constantly feeling like this
Although to be honest the job I wouldn’t have been able to do with all this.
I miss work and my work mates.

It’s horrendous and until I experienced it I’ve never understood it .. to be fair I still don’t

I wish you and everyone including my self nothing but better days ..
I just know I’m at the beginning of this bumpy ride .. and I’m not looking forward to it at all

Good luck Nas
Your stronger than you think , you can do this
Hbhigg
You sound like me .. want to get off that train..
I hope you start feeling yourself soon & if you find that job .. get me one

Us women are made of strong stuff , and we are definitely being tested.

Better days /months / years .. I hope we get them soon

Xx

[Suzysheep]

Just to add that I’m going through the exact same thing.
My anxiety kicked off big time when I stopped HRT cold turkey. The shaking, the tears, the exhausting fight or flight feeling. I never would have thought hormones could do this to anyone…. But reading on here it seems it’s commonplace.
I was put on citalopram 20 then 40mg and for the first couple of weeks diazepam 2mg if I needed it.  I only used the diazepam on the mornings I felt there was no point going on ( yes, I was that bad I thought it would be easier to die) I truly felt like a different person. A shell.
Today I have woken up and for the first day in around 3 weeks I haven’t vomited and feel like the anxiety has gone down a notch.

Naz, please think about getting signed off for a couple of weeks while you try to calm your frazzled nerves, and please think about taking some anti anxiety meds, they are a great tool for us to have just to be able to get on top of things whilst our hormones get sorted. Xx

[Michelle7474]

Suzy sheep

I’m glad you woke up today and feel that this awful aniexty as lessoned

How long was you on HRT for ?
I was on it almost 4 months and found aniexty became every day .. constant fight or flight
It’s been 6 weeks tomorrow that I haven’t been on HRT & I stopped cold Turkey , but was told because I hadn’t been on it longer than 6 months it was ok to do this.

One hell of a ride with HRT & One hell of a ride since I’ve been off it .. but as previously wrote last week was best week for me since I started all this.
Im hoping it continues, but I expect the unexpected

I tried anti aniexty but wasn’t for me , and my GP refused to prescribe diazepam.
I have struggled with it not gonna lie .. it became too much constantly
Im looking forward now as I don’t wanna go back there ..
I’m so glad today you feel slightly better and I hope you get back to your normal self soon

[Gilla999]

Nas just to add - as others have said not everyone gains weight with all sorts of medications. I hope it didn't sound like I was doom-mongering and mental health is a million times more important than weight! I suppose having been on Mirtazapine for a few years and spoken to lots of other people in the same position on it I've just got a bit of experience I wanted to share, but as CKLD and Gnatty both rightly said, everyone is different and will have their own experience 

[Gnatty]

The other thing that comes to my mind that most women do find they put on weight anyway around peri and menopause so sometimes it may be difficult to be sure what causes what. Also if s lot of weight has been lost because of anxiety then it's only natural that the lost weight is regained when we feel well again. When I think of my friends I can't think of a single one that hasn't put weight on in their 40s and 50s. Those that manage to keep it under control do a lot of exercise. X