[espritlibre]

I've been on Mirtazapine (Remeron) since Wednesday night and I am taking in sugar like there's no tomorrow. I know it's supposed to increase appetite but this seems to be very specific. I'm craving sugar, my body is literally reacting in that way that if your blood glucose levels are low you get very shaky? A few days ago I made brownies... except I didn't. I made the mixture, and then ate it over the next two days. I have just been out and bought a tub of Ben and Jerry's and a New York cheesecake and am fairly certain I will eat both tonight. I don't want to, but I can't stand the dizzy/shaky feeling that keeps coming over me and this seems to be the only way to keep it at bay for a short while.

Has this happened to anyone else?

[Detach]

My seroquel has been increased and oh boy here comes the old sugar cravings again... it's been 2 months since the increase and I think I've gained 10 lbs. Originally I gained 20-25 lbs on Seroquel, then 2 yrs later was able to lose 25 lbs, but like I said I've now gained back 10.

It seemed like the longer I was stable on the same dose, then after awhile I could control the sugar intake, however I'm not to that point yet this time and it sucks! Night time food cravings also...I can't resist!

[Sheba976]

I'm on Lamictal and I always want sugar and pasta. Candy, Dunkin Donuts collatta's, and CHOCOLATE!!! It's horrible. I'm trying to avoid it, but here comes Halloween!

Yep, When I was on Mirtazapine I had cravings for sugary things too, Chocolate was my weakness I could not resist it and I also gained weight too.

[~Christina]

Heres my 2 cents ....

I was on Remeron before and it caused me to eat carbs and sugar stuff More than I had ever done in the past ...but it did nothing for my bipolar symptoms

So on to Seroqeul.... and ill eat anything thats doesnt runaway fast enough
so far i have gained 27 lbs ... and Im very upset ... and I will be talking to my T tomorrow about it ..since he reports everything to my Pdoc .

I so get the low blood sugar feeling ,, Thats a huge problem for me... Part of the reason I eat things ,, But I also have dealt with Anorexia for years so this weight gain and cravings are really pushing my buttons.

Most all Pysch meds can cause Diabetes ( like we all need MORE problems)

I wish you luck as you try to deal with the side effects of meds ..Its tough

Wishing you peace and love ~

[mgran]

I've drunk a litre bottle of lucozade today, and had two cups of coffee with sugar in them... not eaten anything though. Just sugary drinks... I'm on seroquel. I'm trying to cut down the sugary drinks... I drink lots of pop every day.

Oh... and sometimes I get so hungry (particularly late at night) that I could cry.

[Confusedinomicon]

I stopped taking an anti-psychotic because of this. I gained and haven't been able to lose 10 lbs.

I don't need it, anyways. It was just helping me sleep. (Lol denial?)

I actually feel full now, though, which is a blessing. The few months on zyprexa I ate until I wasn't physically able to eat.

[BNLsMOM]

I wish I could go of my antipsychotic. I have gained about 70lbs. I am no longer gaining, so it does stabilize for me. However, I haven't taken the weight of and I still have cravings. Depakote could be partly to blame too.

[Secretum]

Thankfully, I've never been on any drug that had weight gain as a side effect. One pdoc wanted me on depakote...I practically screamed no! I'm only 20, so maintaining a trim figure is very important to me.

Espirit, I read an article for pdocs on antidepressants awhile back. One of the focuses was matching side effects with patient needs so that they would actually be beneficial. Remeron was suggested only for patients with severe melancholic depression who had completely lost their appetite (and consequently a lot of weight). One woman on remeron went to the grocery store in the middle of the night, bought a giant chocolate cake, and ate the entire thing before sunrise! So you are not alone in having an increased appetite with that drug. If you don't need to gain weight, you should call your pdoc and see if anything else will work. A lot of ADs cause weight gain, but few cause as much as remeron.

[espritlibre]

Thanks all. You'd think, when it comes to treating mental health issues, they'd try to avoid the side-effects likely to cause further issues, eg weight gain!!

That said, I can kind of see things from the gp's point of view. He first met me in the summer after a major depressive episode where I stopped eating/drinking for nearly 3 days. With that in mind I can see why mirtazapine was the drug of choice. But that isn't my normal state - it's not a regular problem at all. I don't have issues with my weight - I've been incredibly lucky in that I don't put it on easily, but am not underweight.

I'm staying off it for now. I'm just too unsure about it at the moment. I don't think I've been on it long enough to suffer withdrawal so fingers crossed...