Remeron anyone? - Anxiety Message Board

bmcm · 09-28-2006, 12:46 AM

From my post below, "I'm finally going to the dr today", I did go yesterday and she has given me remeron. She acknowledges the anxiety and says this is an anti-depressant that also works on anxiety, also since I tend to lose weight, this one she says opens appetite.
I guess what worries me is the possibile (rare) sight effect of agranulocytosis.
I'm scared of this happening and me getting sick and then having to stop suddenly taking it?
I would love to hear from everyone on it, what your experiences have been both good and bad.
thanks

anxiousagain · 09-29-2006, 11:25 AM

I took this for about 2 months in July/August. I was prescribed it specifically because I suffered from insomnia and a complete loss of appetite thanks to my anxiety. I will say it helped in the sleep department, but a little too much. At 15mg, I could sleep for 10 hours and still wake up exhausted. As for increasing appetite, it didn't do a darn thing for me in that department. It's been almost 4 months since my anxiety started and I still don't feel like eating. I'm forcing myself though and have miraculously managed not to lose any weight...probably because I was sleeping so much and not burning as many calories. Given that I was on it for such a short time, I can't really say whether it's a good or bad drug. Having been off it for only a week, there are moments every day when I think I should be back on it. I'm hoping I don't have to resort to that, but it is a possibility. What dosage have you been prescribed? I've read that the sedative effects are actually less the higher you go.

whoevea · 09-29-2006, 12:52 PM

i was on it and it did help me sleep and it took away my Anxiety.
but my appetite was off the wall. i could eat 24/7. i gained about 15 pounds from it and i didnt need to gain any weight. that was the only reason why i stopped taking it.
i lost all the weight i gained from it and would never take it again because of the weight gain.

anxiousinnj · 09-29-2006, 01:28 PM

Hi bmcm,

I've been on Remeron since the end of May. My major problem was severe anxiety/panic, although they say depression goes with it & I've had a lot of health problems which for sure are making me depressed.

It increased my apetite immediately. In fact I woke up during the night after I took my first dose & was looking for a midnight snack. Previous to that I had no apetite at all for a couple of months & had lost a lot of weight.
Since May I have gained about 7 lbs & really don't want to gain any more. I like my size 4 jeans..

I was very worried about the white blood count issue also as I have Lupus, but I just had lab work done & all was ok. If you really are worried ask to have labs done periodically if you decide to stay on the Remeron.

As far as how it has worked-- I'm not sure.... I frequently think of asking my doc to let me try something else but I'm afraid I may be worse. I am not in the severe state of "terror" as I call it, but I do get that feeling of anxiety creeping over me several times throughout the day. I've also been feeling a little depressed but I know it is because I have had a lot of personal stress lately. I've have never taken meds before this so I'm not sure what to expect, but I was hoping it would be better than this. I am on 22.5 mgm taken every night-- it will help you sleep like a log. The groggy feeling in the morning will go away after a while & gets better with increased dose ( weird I know). I am also taking Buspar 7.5 mgm 2 x day for the anxiety but I'm not sure about this drug either.

I'm not being of much help.
But- I would say go for it- I don't think you have to be afraid of it. If you suffer from anxiety you should have something to take on as needed basis for first few weeks as anxiety can increase when first taking Remeron or any anti depressant. My doc told me to take up to three .25mgm Xanax a day during the first few weeks. In fact she told me not to wait for the anxiety to kick in but to take a dose in the AM & then see how the day went. I did use the Xanax a few times in the beginning. I still get the urge to take a Xanax frequently, but I am avoiding it because of the Buspar. This whole thing is becoming too complicated for me with all the other meds I take, but I am trying to hang in there.

Good luck & let me know how you do-- maybe I am expecting too much...

anxiousinnj

anxiousagain · 09-29-2006, 01:43 PM

I swear I must be the only user of this drug on the face of the planet who still did not want to eat while on it. I find that a bit amusing given that that's one of the major reasons I agreed to take it in the first place. Sooo, take my experience with a grain of salt. If you're like MOST people, it will probably make you hungry.

Kate (anxiousinnj), good to see you're still hanging in there, but not so good to see you're still struggling with the anxiety. The two losses I mentioned a while back made me stay on the Remeron for another month, so I can definitely relate to your depression. My *major* anxiety passed quite a while ago (I haven't touched the clonazepam) but the depression is still lingering. Will I ever feel normal again? I'm starting to doubt it.

I'm going to see how I adjust to being off the Remeron for the next week. I've been experiencing bouts of all-night insomnia again without it (usually fueled by me worrying about something), but it was just becoming WAY too sedating for me. I felt like I was sleeping my life away. I don't know what's worse: no sleep or too much of it. In any event, have you found the 22.5mg dose to be less sedating than 15mg? My doctor had suggested that I try the 30mg before I came off it, but I was really reluctant. Then I knew I'd really "be on it" and would have to take a much longer time tapering off it. I'm anti-med to begin with, so I'm not exactly a doctor's dream. I do, however, worry that I came off it too soon. I'm not feeling 100% better yet, and I've read articles that say if you come off an anti-depressant before you're ready to (they recommend at least 6 months after you're feeling normal again) that you have a high chance of experiencing depression again. It's kind of a no-win situation, eh?