I finally found a psychiatrist -- I live In a very small ARea and it takes forever to find a specialist for anything. I had tried 5 different antidepressants And 3 anti-anxiety medications. My psychiatric doctor was very thorough in explaining to me his reasoning for everything. I have tried Zoloft, celexa , Paxil (all SSRIs), and Wellbutrin (atypical), and Effexor (SNRI). All which caused its own problems. Effexor helped the depressed but left me numb with no real feelings. Paxil helped greatly with anxiety but lot depression. Garbapentin did nothing and buspar made me feel trapped to feel my anxiety always.


He decided to put me on Remeron 15mg (on a month it's a definite up to 30mg) and Klonopin .5mg for now. I've not had to have to use the Klonopin yet, but I've been on Remeron for about 4 days now. It seems by effective for my depression and anxiety. I've not noticed a big increase in appetite but I'm afraid of weight gain. I am normal weight and my sister was on depakote and gained 70 lbs. she finally lost it all, but I can't put myself through that. (P.S. She is all ok now!) I do go though psychotherapy and CBT. The medicine seems to help and I've been waking a lot and eating healthier (I normally eat out). I'm just afraid that exercise and diet won't be enough to counter act it-- because it effects more the just increased appetite but also decreased metabolism and targets specific parts of the body for weight gain.

In these few days I've slept better, felt better, been happier and healthier.... Any positive stories you can share?

[Dont_Follow]

It's all a cruel balancing act. That said, diet and exercise always work. The problem is you will require more of it than you may have the energy for.

I say stick with it for at least two months, and pay careful attention to what and how much you are eating each day along with your weight. If you monitor it closely you can deal with it before it becomes a real problem.

[qwerty68]

I did okay on 15mg of Remeron. It was only a sleep aid since it did nothing for my depression. My pdoc increased it to 30 mg and I put on 20 pounds quickly due to being hungry way more often. He increased it to 45 mg and the extra 20 came off fast, my appetite went back to normal but it caused restless legs for a very long time. It still does nothing for my depression or anxiety and is still just a sleep aid. That might not sound positive but for me it is, being able to sleep is a great help to my MH issues.

My pdoc said that weight gain is more common on the lower and mid dosage than the 45. Keep in mind that it is also used on people that need to gain weight by increasing their appetite. At least it is not a drug that seems to force weight gain, even when dieting and exercising, unlike some psych meds.

I am on Klonopin as well, it is nice that it is longer acting so it causes no rebound effect, but since it takes longer to work it is less useful as an as needed benzo. I found that dissolving it on my tongue speeds up the time it takes to start working but maybe that is my imagination.

Of course and as always, your mileage may vary.