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[CherrySG]

Cherry, do you think venlaflaxine and mirtazapine are a lethal combination? I haven’t taken anything yet, still too scared!

Suzy, hows it going? X

Hey Nas, I have not taken either of them, to me,, it sounds like a lot! It's intended when single-drug options fail.

I've had citalopram (only one I could really tolerate), sertraline (made me bizarrely angry and sweaty, hair started falling out), escitalopram (wiped out a month with brain fog, exhaustion and chills) and last but not least, fluoxetine, mostly to get me off the citalopram as the half-life is a month, so it's kind of self-tapering. Fluoxetine was exhausting, I don't know how my mother-in law takes it every day, and stays awake.

For me I can no longer function on ssris as would be unable to work due to exhaustion and brain fog. The citalopram was my go-to, but it simply stopped working.

I've known lots of people say they are taking venlafaxine, my son does well on it. It's an SNRI, so slightly different. I'm too scared to take any more psych meds based on the above but one size does not fit all, and some people do really well on them.

I did meet someone very overweight who had been a size 12 before mirtazapine. But again, lots of people put on weight on citalopram and I never did, nor do the many happy mirtazapine users. It's meant to be brilliant for sleep.

If I had my time over again I would simply leave the job that overwhelmed me rather than taking the citalopram, but you may feel great on them. Whatever you decide I hope it goes well💐

Suzy, I'm glad it's started to work. 🎉

[Gnatty]

I think Nas yes it could well be low oestrogen but the mirtazapine should give you some respite from those awful feelings. As you may know I take oestrogel and testosterone too, but I feel it was the mirtazapine that very quickly started to work on the anxiety which was off the scale. Hopefully a few months down the line I shall only need the HRT but at the moment I am just enjoying life again and don't want to rock the boat. I can't tell you what a sheer relief it is to feel well again. At the time I didn't believe I was going to get better.

[Suzysheep]

Cherry, do you think venlaflaxine and mirtazapine are a lethal combination? I haven’t taken anything yet, still too scared!

Suzy, hows it going? X

I’m doing so much better thanks Nas. The difference is huge. My anxiety before was through the roof… I honestly felt like I was having a nervous breakdown. I feel more or less like me again. I still get a bit tired from the venlafaxine, but hopefully as the days go on I will get used to it more.
With out a doubt, it was the best thing I did to get myself out of the hole.

How are you feeling? X

[Nas]

Well Gnatty, I took 15mg of mirtazapine last night, around 10pm.
Totally zonked out! Feeling a bit drowsy this am though, which won’t be good for when I’m back at work. Should I take it earlier do you think? Or does it knock you out from the point of taking it?

 Gnatty,is mirtazapine primarily anti anxiety medication then? What dose of oestrogel do you take? Seriously, how does low Oestrogen make us feel so anxious ? Yesterday, I had to take a different route home  because I can’t cope with the fast bendy road with no white lines to keep me straight. It sends me into a complete sweaty mess!  What’s that about??

Cherry, you are right in that sometimes we have to remove ourselves from the situations which overwhelm us. For me, working 5 days is essentially too much when I’m not sleeping well. I’m permanently tired and this in turn exacerbates the anxiety, but trying  to optimize this blooming HRT seems high on impossible right now.
If I end up putting on weight, the mirtazapine will have to stop.

 Do you take anything at all now Cherry? How do you feel in yourself?

Suzy, it’s great to hear you are feeling more upbeat, goes to show that taking the venalflaxine was the right decision for you.
It must be a relief to feel less anxious.. well  done for your perseverance  and riding the nasty side effects storm
I hope you continue to go from strength to strength  🌸🌸🌸🌸

[Gnatty]

Hi Nas, certainly you could try taking it an hour earlier. I would also hope that by next Monday the morning drowsiness will have started to ease up. I found after a coffee or two I was good to go. I think Mirtazapine is used for depression as well as anxiety. You should notice your anxiety gradually improve. I think my panic type attacks resolved quickly and then the general anxiety slowly got better and better. Noticed a big difference end of week two, then again between week four and six and then again about week ten to the point where I feel in a really good place. Had forgotten what enthusiasm feels like!

Well done for taking your first dose last night. See it as you now being on the first step towards recovery.

[Gnatty]

Just another thought, well advice really I suppose. There's a saying I think along the lines of If you go looking for trouble you'll surely find it. I think this is very helpful when starting new medication. If you read all the side effects and read all the scary stuff online I reckon anyone can just about talk themselves into getting them! I think there was a big study on people taking statins where they were told they might get muscle aches and it was then just as reported if not more in the placebo group. Think it's called the nonebo effect. Or something like it. So yes, try and keep busy so you are not doing too much over thinking. This may help. X

[Nas]

Okay Gnatty, will try to continue. I do feel that if my oestrogen was at an okay level, I may not feel so panicky and anxious. But, I’m struggling to get it right and I can’t continue feeling panic stricken before driving these roads. I do feel tired now, but hey ho.

Gnatty, what Hrt dose do you take?

[CherrySG]

Cherry, you are right in that sometimes we have to remove ourselves from the situations which overwhelm us. For me, working 5 days is essentially too much when I’m not sleeping well. I’m permanently tired and this in turn exacerbates the anxiety, but trying  to optimize this blooming HRT seems high on impossible right now.
If I end up putting on weight, the mirtazapine will have to stop.

 

Nas, it must have been wonderful to sleep properly when you haven't been - I remember this being amazing to me when I first went on them, as I hadn't slept properly in years - it was the waking at 4/5am thing we all love so much  But after 10 years, citalopram causes me to waken every sleep cycle, and be more anxious than undrugged.  My longtime drug has betrayed me (although I was always drugged-feeling on even a tiny dose!)

I took 20 mg fluoxetine for 3 days in Sept, then every 4 or 5 days took 1 or 2mg Fluoxetine from a capsule, to reflect the half-life. At the moment I'm having my own version of Stoptober, i.e. taking nothing. It's been difficult, to put it mildly. But then being clear-headed is bliss. I am not working at the moment, which makes it tolerable. What I'll do when I get a job is another question. But then if I took them I'd be too tired to work. I've absolutely no idea what I'd try next - perhaps Venlafaxine, but if I couldn't manage on the others I don't rate my chances on that! St John's Wort perhaps, or Ashwaghanda?

Fingers crossed that the drowsiness goes for you, and the weight thing doesn't happen. Lots of people are fine on it. The flight-or-fight thing is indeed horrible, especially when it keeps happening. One thing I did find, about these drugs, that was great, is that life suddenly seems far less serious, somehow. In a good way. 

[CLKD]

I would start it earlier, if necessary going to bed B4 .  The effects of doziness does go eventually.  If it doesn't, take the medication on alternate nights for a week?

I much prefer the wooziness most mornings than the deep depression  .  It does go by mid-morning, more difficult if 1 is having to go to work. 

[Gnatty]

Hi Nas I take 5 pumps of oestrogel and also testim, I make the tube last ten days. But I have no ovaries so don't need progesterone.

[Gnatty]

Maybe it will be easier to get the oestrogen right once everything has calmed down.

[Nas]

Thanks Gnatty
5 pumps of gel? You would have thought the anxiety would gave shifted on that? It’s brutal this anxiety isn’t it?

I cannot believe I’m having trouble driving still, even on HRT. Some days I can barely remember what to do!

How long have you been on the mirtazapine for?

[Nas]

Cherry, I sincerely hope my outlook on life mellow somewhat over time. At present I feel my nerves have been shot to pieces!!

Ashwangandha. Now I’ve heard good things about that. It’s meant to curb anxiety and high cortisol levels, so could be worth a shot? You have to buy decent quality as with all these products I guess!

If I didn’t work, I’d have a good old experiment with these drugs and products. But having to be functioning by 8am every day, it’s just not practical to be feeling woozy/sick etc etc

[VictoryV]

Hi Nas,

Do you get anxious about driving only or are you anxious at different times of day?
I’m asking because I’ve got rid of anxiety apart from when I have to deal with two clients who are hard work. When they call the office I can feel the anxiety at a lower level but it’s still there.

Well done on getting a good night’s sleep!

Victoria.x

[Nas]

Hi Victoria,
I guess its  low level anxiety bubbling through the day. However, driving makes it worse. Fast bendy roads that go on for miles with no white lines. Just awful!

Are you on Hrt? X