Mirtazapine/Avanza and weight gain

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abs288
abs288 Posts: 1
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone,

I just started on this site and I was wondering if anyone has tried the above anti depressant and noticed any changes to their weight? I feel sluggish and have definitely put on weight. I am on it for anxiety, but one of my major anxieties is not being in shape.. So I am thinking it's quite counterproductive. Anyone else have experience with this particular anti?

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  • xDinMammax
    xDinMammax Posts: 11
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    I was on Mirtazapine for less than 8 weeks and gained over 20 kilos. Other people I know had no weight gain. Try it, but if you start gaining, ask your doctor for a change. It isn't worth it; there other medications out there. Now I take Edronax/Reboxetine.
  • thelazydandelion
    thelazydandelion Posts: 58 Member
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    I was put onto that for depression and anxiety a month or so ago, I don't know whether or not it caused any weight gain as I wasn't monitoring my weight at the time. I was on it for a few weeks and it made me so tired, I slept most of the day away and still felt tired. Motivation was nil, I didn't even do chores that I would always do without fail.

    I have a strong dislike to that medication and think I would have gained weight had I stayed on it any longer because it was sapping me of everything.
  • GertrudeHorse
    GertrudeHorse Posts: 646 Member
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    I just read this on the Wiki page: "Mirtazapine is sometimes prescribed as an appetite stimulant for cats..."

    ETA: I'm sleepy and for some reason that quote is making me giggle. Sorry! In all seriousness, though, if you are finding the side effects intolerable then ask your doctor if you can try other options. Although if you have only just started taking it, then maybe wait and see if the side effects abate over a couple of weeks. Good luck. Hope you feel an improvement soon. Depression sucks! <3
  • sisterphonetica
    sisterphonetica Posts: 59 Member
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    I'm on mirtazapine for migraine prevention and it's a total life saver. I've gained weight but I'd rather be well and overweight than in excruciating pain, vomiting and not sleeping. I've tried lots of other preventatives but none of them worked for me so here I am.

    Anyway, I tried to come off it and got slammed with migraine after migraine so I'm back to my usual dose and feeling better.

    Going to try and lose weight again, but it's hard.
  • tinychuck
    tinychuck Posts: 19 Member
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    I've been on it for 3-4 months and have not experienced any weight gain or even appetite increase. But it has helped my mood a lot. So I would say give it a go and see how it works for you personally and then reassess :)
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
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    I've been on it a few times and always gain a lot of weight on it, so I only take it short term. But I also take other medication that makes that side effect worse. It is quite well known for causing weight gain due to its mechanism of action in the brain in terms of which receptors it stimulates, basically it is an appetite stimulator, but some people are more susceptible to that than others (in the same way some meds work more/different for some people than others).

    On the other hand it is the only antidepressant that works for me so it has literally been a life saver and I would 100% take it again in the future. I would rather be fat than dead! Anything is worth the difference it has made to my life.

    I just accept that I will probably gain about 2-3 stone by the time I come off it. Be aware that if you have a history of bulimia or binge eating it can trigger a relapse (it did for me). Its sedating effects are dose dependent (as can be the appetite effects) so if you are feeling tired you might ask your doc (higher dose less sedating), and that also tends to lessen after a while, and again, some people are more susceptible. I'm chronically insomniac so I love the fact it helps me sleep, and it doesn't demotivate me, but then I have bipolar and all ad's tend to make me feel a bit manic.

    Eta: I've always been so messed up mentally when I have started it that I haven't watched what I ate - so it's possible that if I had I would have been able to control it, so I'm not saying weight gain is inevitable.

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