Mirtazapine - Pain Management Message Board

Arthr Itis · 06-23-2008, 11:44 PM

Hello Everyone. Last month my PM started me on Mirtazapine[Remeron] to help me sleep. Well it's been a month, almost. It really helps me sleep during the day. Sunday morning it was all I could do to stay awake during a sermon on sex. To top it off, since I've been on this stuff, my temper is real short. It's surprising my dog is still in one piece! Friends seem to be staying away. Anything people say, I take the wrong way. I just about jump out of my skin when the phone rings or any sudden noise. So tonight I decided not to take the little half of a 15mg tablet. It is now 1:40 am and here I am! I just took the tablet so pretty soon I'll be snoozing. I guess it's time for a call to the PM to see what else is out there. Actually I'll wait until 9:00am. to call.
Any ideas will be certainly appreciated.
Fred[i think]

Aver00 · 06-23-2008, 11:53 PM

I tried everything to get to sleep and the one thing that finally helped me was to get a schedule - I read it in THE LADIES HOME JOURNAL (hehehe)-
it said you first want to figure out how many hours of sleep your body required and then figure out bedtime and waketime - start a regiman of sticking to those times - at first I thought this is silly and will not work but a year later I am sleeping so much better - my night schedule is drink some milk with a couple of cookies - read a daily devotion - in bed lights out at 11:00pm
and force my self to think about the devotional and nothing else - at first I would lie there for 2-3 hours but finally that time got shorter and shorter - the problem with this is when you get off schedule you are really wacked out -but by golly the old ladies did it for me
when I used medication sleep aids there was always some annoying side effect - try and make a schedule if you can and see if it helps
I will be messed up all week. I have a 4 year old with an earache that keeps waking her up - my poor baby hugs Aver

Arthr Itis · 06-23-2008, 11:59 PM

Thanks Aver. I am/was on a schedule. Like you it's 11pm to bed, read for 15 minutes or until the words get blurry, then lights out. It's just that I was starting to wake up too early. Like 5 am. That's why I'm on this new stuff. I really don't like it. I looked up the side effects yesterday and yep I'm experiencing a bunch of them.
I think the pill is kicking in. It's getting real hard to keep my eyes open.
Good night
Fred

Fabrashamx · 06-24-2008, 12:07 AM

Its funny how there are so many meds out there, hubby and I both have been on so many, What we try to do is give it a fair shake, ask the doctor if side effects are liable to subside with time or worsen, they can usually tell you that on a drug by drug basis.

And when enough is enough, tell them thats it, Find me something new, I cant take it. there are so many different meds out there, they can always find something else to try.

PS~ I also think the pharmacist is an under used resource, they arent just clerks, they are part of our health care team and if you have a 24 hour pharm, you can call at any time and they are happy to answer questions. sometimes they know more about a med than doctors will.

forginon · 06-24-2008, 08:59 AM

Fred,

When my mom passed away my dad had a heck of a time with sleep. They'd been married over 50 years and this was the fist time he'd slept alone in all that time.

The hospice nurse we had for my mom talked him into seeing a counselor for grief counseling, and he brought up the sleep issue. The counselor had experience with sleep issues and made a few recommendations that have brought him outstanding sleep for most nights since that time.

The counselor said that the bed is for one thing, and one thing only - sleep. (keep in mind he was single now and not looking for anyone new - so sex was just not part of the discussion. In someone else's life the bed would also be for sex, but you get the idea). She told him that the bed was not for reading, not for tv watching, certainly not for snacking - just sleep. Over time, this reinforces that when your head hits the pillow, it's time to sleep. She also told him to do his reading and tv watching somewhere else, right up to the time he began to get sleepy. No dozing allowed where the reading or tv watching took place. As soon as that started happening it was time for bed. She told him to keep track of when this "bedtime" occurred and eventually make it a scheduled item. She told him that IF he couldn't get to sleep to get out of bed and go in another room to read or whatever. Remember, the bed is for sleep. When the dozing started again, back to bed. repeat until successful. Other suggestions were to eat no later than 2-3 hours before bedtime, no stimulants, like coffee, after 2 in the afternoon, etc.

So here are the rules:

• the bed is for sleep, period.
• read, watch, tv, snack, whatever - do these things somewhere else
• go to bed at the first sign of sleepiness
• when getting in bed, hit the pillow immediately, no other activities
• if sleep doesn't come after 20 minutes, get out of bed and read or whatever
• return to be when sleepy
• repeat this cycle until sleep comes.
• if you awake during the night and can't get back to sleep repeat the steps above.

Within a few days my dad had it licked. But he told me that he had to follow these rules to the "t." No exceptions. He did have a med to help him at first, right after my mom passed, but after awhile he was able to do it w/o any meds.

Give it a try - what do you have to lose?

steve