NASSA's such as Remeron (Mirtazapine) and weight gain !

I have only taken mirtazapine for a week and already my weight has shot up ! I am constantly hungry particularly for sweet things. Does anyone know if there is anything which can counteract this ? It is helping me to sleep and improving my mood so i don't want to stop, however putting on loads of weight isn't going to help my mood !

I just wanted you to know that I was on Remeron at 60 mg/daily for almost two years. It was the only med that worked for me, and I'd tried most of them! It didn't necessarily make me sleepy, but it took away my ruminations, most of my depression, and my suicidal ideation. In fact, I called it my "anti-suicide" drug! I functioned very well on it....no grogginess whatsoever.

HOWEVER......after two years, I had gained 70 pounds on it and was still gaining. I had to quit just simply because I was the heaviest I've EVER been in my life (even during my two pregnancies), and I had to keep going to thrift stores to get clothes that would fit until I grew even larger! Ugh! And it wasn't even so much that I was hungry......I just really needed the sensation of food in my mouth. It tasted so good!

Anyways, I've been off Remeron since about September....and I'm happy to say that I've dropped down to 130 pounds. So the weight CAN be lost. I am now giving Effexor XR a trial since it is basically in the same class as Remeron. I don't do well with SSRIs because serotonin is not the culprit for me. It appears to be norepinephrine.

Good luck with whatever you decide. Oh, and Topamax actually helps tremendously in losing weight when you are on Remeron. Unfortunately, my health plan didn't cover it and I couldn't afford it. But you may want to try that combo. I was so excited to see that I was losing weight with it, and then terribly disappointed when I discovered that the cost would be coming out of my own pocket. I just don't have that type of money. Maybe your insurance will cover it for you. You can use it as a mood stabilizer with the Remeron.

God bless,
Sandy

Thanks so much for your reply Sandy ! I am feeling an improvement in my mood already, I had just got down to my goal weight 3 years after my second child was born. I really don't want to be struggling with weight again. However I'm hoping that a sensible eating plan and extra exercise can keep my weight steady. I am in the UK so insurance doesn't apply.
I'm still only on 15mg per day, I'm worried that upping the dose will also up my appetite. I am eating sweet things I've been able to ignore for years ! I suppose I can only see how it goes. Thanks for taking the time to reply. I hope the effexor works out for you, I personally can't take SSRI's either.
Regards, Svetlana.

Weight gain and increased appetite are more pronounced at lower doses. However at higher doses (over 30mg) you often lose the good sedation quality that helps with sleep. When I use this med just for sleep I keep them on 7.5 mg at night and add something similar like Effexor in the AM.

I have been on Topamax now since about Sept. and yes it does help you to lose weight. Not a huge substantial amount. I will be adding in Remeron very shortly and I know the side effect for that is weight gain but the only reason that I agree to try the Remeron in the first place was because I could stay on the Topamax which really does help to lose the weight gain caused by other medications.

Maybe if you went to your doctor and asked about trying Topamax along with the Remeron to combat the weight gain would be a good idea. I will warn though that Topamax is expensive however I know here in Canada there is a generic version so that is cheaper.

Good luck

Thanks for the info ! I am in the UK so my doctor would probably be reluctant to prescribe something to help me control weight as I am not technically overweight (though I will be if I continue eating the way I am !).
I had assumed higher doses would mean even stronger food cravings. I will have to be very wary !