Has anyone been on the med Mirtazapine (Remeron/Avanza)

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I have been struggling all year with very bad anxiety, so was prescribed Avanza by my psychiatrist two weeks ago. I have read that the main side effect is increased appetite. That's great because I was pretty underweight and due to the anxiety my appetite has been non-existant. But I have already put on 5 kilos (11lbs) in only 13 days! And I am seriously starving all the time, even when I'm eating!

Does anyone have any experience with this medication? Does this side effect fade away?

Sometimes medications can make people gain a lot of weight. One friend of mine went from being under weight to obese in a year. He got that with Olanzapine and he's got Permanent stretch marks now worse than my moms. He told me he was so hungry all the time and just kept eating. I'd talk to your doctor about it if it bothers you because gaining alot of weight can also be depressing and feeling like your hungry all the time isn't nice either.

I was only on it for about 2 weeks, so I can't say if it improves. That ravenous hunger would wake me up and have me eating canned tomatoes over the sink at 3am. Weird side-effect.

As I understand it, that effect is caused by the drug blocking the histamine-1 receptor. I could be wrong (not a doctor) but most receptors seem to adjust their sensitivity or population in the continued presence of a drug. So, theoretically, your body should adjust to it.

However, I'm on doxepin, which also blocks H-1 pretty strongly, and while the weight gain has slowed over a year it hasn't completely stopped. I'm transitioning onto another med now.

thanks for the info. my mom is on remeron and has diabetes. she certainly doesn't need the increased appetite and weight gain.

I'm on it at the moment. I agree with people who said it can make you hungry/gain weight - I'll often find that I just can't stop eating, or I'll go nearly a day without eating anything, then when I finally remember to eat I can't stuff it in my face fast enough.
I also find it very sedating, which is why I take it at nighttime.

Hmm. I had something similar happen to me for awhile but it wasn't medication. Some kind of hormonal imbalance in my case. I was up in the middle of the night eating too because I was always hungry. It was miserable. It finally went away on its own, but I went from underweight to overweight in a few months. I'm so glad not to worry about that any more.

As others have said, you'll want to talk to your doctor about it. It isn't really normal. Maybe he or she can prescribe you a lower dosage or a different type of medication. I hope that your anxiety improves soon!

Yes, I was on it for almost three weeks earlier this year. First non-SSRI medication I have tried for my anxiety. I gained close to 20lbs during that time, my blood pressure went up and I also had some other uncomfortable side effects such as extremely dry mouth, dizziness and vivid nightmares. I had to stop it due to the weight and blood pressure increase and the dizziness. I can't afford to gain weight due my issues with hypertension. I worked hard for years to lose weight and lower my blood pressure.

If the anxiety is only temporary I'd try low doses of Klonopin. It lowers anxiety instantly. It doesn't cure anything, it's like painkiller, it just helps relieve symptoms.