Remeron dose change- anyone else out there still on Remeron?

Luvmydog

Just a word of caution about Remeron. It can cause significant weight gain. Just be careful and aware of this side effect!

anxiousinnj

Yes I am well aware of the weight gain with Remeron-- they initially put me on it because I coud not eat & was down to almost 100 lbs-- am now up to 120 & not happy about it -- I was liking my size 4 jeans & I really did not want to go over 110 lbs as I am small to begin with.
Remeron truly increases your appetite & I'm not sure if it slows your metabolism, but it seems to me it has.
I really want off this stuff but an so afraid of the panic returning-- it was very bad....

peace1910

hi anxious,

i take remeron 45 at bedtime and i am convinced that it helps alot with sleep.
i noticed that when i started to take it, my mind quieted down quite a bit and all the crazy i can't take this anymore feelings went away at least for the night. i've never taken it during the day so can't comment on what happens if you take it other than at night. i also take cymbalta and seroquel and the combination seems to be working pretty well. good luck to you...peace

anxiousinnj

Hi Peace,

I've always taken the 30 mgm @ night & I agree--I sleep VERY well.
I took just an additional 7.5 mgm yesterday around noon, & I was a little tired for a bit but it passed pretty quickly. I think I will stick to just adding the additional 7.5mgm until the Buspar is weaned off in about 2 weeks & then add the other 7 .5 mgm later in the afternoon.

I asked my p-doc about Cymbalta because I have some serious pain issues....in fact if it weren't for all these other health problems I know I wouldn't be needing any of these darned meds. She steered me away from the Cymbalta & said it is not helping with pain as they had thought. She just seems dead set on the Remeron working for me.
I think she secretly wants me to get fat....lol.

anxiousinnj

anxiousagain

Hi Kate,

How have you been? I'm still hanging in there at the 30mg dose and to be quite honest, it's not done much for me. I've been there for about 68 days now, plenty of time for it to kick in if it were going to. I do not know how you are going to handle taking 15mg during the day. Even after all this time, I'm still dragging for 4 hours after I get up in the morning and I take all mine late at night. That part I hate, but I'm scared of what might happen if I go off too! I have gained a few pounds, despite the Remeron doing absolutely nothing to help my appetite. I could still go most days without eating (I know; I'm a medical mystery in that regard!). I suspect it slows the metabolism; otherwise, I should have been down a few pounds by now. I've made a connection with my anxiety/depression. It is at its worst in the 10-12 days leading up to my menstrual cycle and the first day or two of it. The Remeron doesn't touch that. The other half of the month I feel halfway (though not fully) normal. But just when I feel like I might be beating it, the whole process starts all over again. There HAS to be some kind of hormonal connection, and if I can get over my doctor-phobia long enough to get back in with my PCP, I'm going to explore that route. I'd like to try getting on birth control to regulate my hormones, but I'm terrified they'll make the depression worse, since that's a potential side effect of all of them. I'm just about at the end of my rope dealing with all of this...and I'm still convinced I might have something else deadly wrong with me. It's a horrible way to live. I just want to be me again, but I'm seriously doubting I ever will be. I hope you are doing much better than I am.

anxiousinnj

Hey Kathy- I missed you !
Gee, I thought you must be all better & had left me in the dust here.
I'm not happy that you aren't better, but good to talk to you.

Well-- this is my 6th day of additional Remeron 7.5 mgm- taking that around 12-1 in the afternoon. Still taking the 30 mgm at night. Buspar is down to 7.5 mgm 2 c day as of today & in 5 days 1 x day for 5 days the off.
Last night around 7-8Pm I suddenly had a feeling of being normal- I felt like me again- brain was not going to places of dread like it does, started thinking about things I want to do-- this was a big break through I thought.
This morning I was the same way, although this afternoon I felt the anxiety taking hold again-- that fear feeling.
Now I don't know if that little bit of heaven was from less Buspar or more Remron. I told the P-doc that I didn't think it was wise to make 2 changes at once & she insisted it would be fine. I guess time will tell. I have been too hicken to add the other 7.5 mgm of Remeron-- I do everything in baby steps. I have already noticed an increase in constipation despite my fibercon so I am really worried about adding even more Remeron.....BUT, if it helps to feel like those ittle bursts f normalcy I've had the past 2 day-- I'll do anything.

I'm gonna tell you I think you should stick with the Remeron for now-give it more time yet. Remember I went on this stuff in May !! Hoestly I have been disappointed as I thought once I agreed to meds I would get totally better. It's been a long haul & I have to constantly remind myself how bad I was the day I stepped into the p-docs office for the first time. I was a trembling mess, could not eat, could not drive. So when I remember these things, I am better-- just not as comfortable in my own skin as I'd like to be. But she says-- patience-- it will get better. And she says she has more ideas but first wanted to increase the Remeron & stop the Buspar.

Hormones-- most definately wreaks havoc with the brain. All my mental issues began when I first started with the menopause stuff.
Definately talk to your doc about hormones testing-- if things are out of whack in that department, if you are prone to anxiety/depression I believe it gets worse. It may be hard to find a doc who will work with hormones or believes in testing, but find one ! They are out there. You may not need BC pills, you might need progesterone. A good women's doc will know what to look for.

Keep me posted & I really do hope you begin to feel better !!!

anxiousagain

Hi Kate, so good to chat with you again. The fact that it's been 10 weeks and I still really feel no better on the Remeron is unacceptable to me. If an AD is going to work for you, you're supposed to know within 8 weeks. I'm beyond disappointed. The only thing this drug has done for me is to make me sleep through the night, at the cost of feeling tired most of the day, and to stop the gagging/dry heaving I was doing every morning. Any other positives I'm experiencing, like slightly less anxiety, stems from knowing that if something deadly were wrong with me, I'd probably be dead by now (or at least experiencing major symptoms). I cannot give credit to Remeron for that.

As for the hormone connection, I do think it's going to be difficult to get anyone to take me seriously. I'm only 36. I should not be dealing with this type of thing for at least 10 years. Either I'm in for VERY early menopause, or I'm in for a VERY LONG perimenopause. Either way, I don't like to even think about it. Since I live in a very rural region of the country, I don't even know where to begin to look for help. At this point, I'm suffering from more depression (who would be depressed after feeling like this for over 8 months?) than anxiety and I know that synthetic hormones, especially progesterone, can cause depression, so I'm scared to even experiment. It's so bad that if it gets any worse I fear for my well-being!

It has been helpful having someone else who is going through a similar experience to talk to. I am glad that your Remeron experimentation is going well so far. I'll pray for you that things keep getting better day by day.

Heuer

Hello Anxious,

I have had a problem sleeping all my life.
Since 1972 I have been on Elavil.

Now I have a new doctor which recommended Remeron.
I take this medicine (30 mg) at bedtime since eight weeks.

I am very pleased with the switch from Elavil to Remeron.
Maybe I can hope for happier days to come.

For anxiety I am on Buspar in the daytime (20 mg + 20 mg).
I think that this a mild drug with little side-effects.

Perhaps you need a more potent drug to relieve your anxiety.
I have Valium stored away at my sister’s house.

However, I take this medicine very infrequently.
The benzos are difficult to handle.

Keep on smiling,
Heuer

EAR

I was put on Cymbalta. My psych. raved about it and said it would help with anxiety and the pain. I have RSD in both arms and the pain is real bad at times. The Cymbalta did not help at all with the pain, made me feel really weird and I gained 20 lbs. in a month and a half. I insisted I be taken off it. I now am on 10 mg. of Lexapro and 1 mg. of Klonopin. The Klonopin is a miracle drug for me for the panic and releaxes the muscles in my arms so it lessens the pain somewhat. I also seem to be having weight issues with the Lexapro which is very discouraging. I hate being over weight, but don't know what the answers are.

anxiousinnj

Hey Kathy,

It is possible to go through early perimeno-- not saying that IS the problem, but doesn't hurt having base line levels done. It is exhausting trying to find a doc who will do this though & when you're in a bad mental state there is just no energy for it...I know. Just keep it in mind as a possibility.
Have you had thyroid testing? That's another female area which tends to be neglected.

As for the Remeron- you know I'm still on the fence with all of this & some days I say'that's it I'm getting off all of it & see how I will be...then I get scared it will be worse. And the p-doc has most assuredly told me in her opinion I would be much worse...sigh...
I am almost off the Buspar- down to 7.5 mgm/day for another 2 days then off . She wanted me to up the Remeron to 45 mgm/day, how ever I would like to space it out,. Have left it at 30 mgm at night & have only aded 7.5 mgm around noon time-- so far nothing too bad from adding more. I don't get sedated or anything from that additional 7.5 mgm, but have been too chicken to add the other 7.5 mgm because I need to be aler throughout the day & really wanted to get the Buspar weaned down first before I make yet another change.
Had you thought of maybe trying a different AD?
I wish I could give you some of my appetite-- I have tried a vegan diet, & then the South Beach diet-- coudl not get thru 2 weeks without any carbs. Carb cravings are what I get. I have cut back, but not completely like I should.

Heur,

How do you feel on 40 mgm of Buspar/day?
I was taking 30 mgm spread out over the day & sometimes it made me get pangs of more anxiety- thus I am weaning off now...hoping I don't get even worse now.
I have also been on Remeron 30 mgm/day but now increasing to 45 mgm.
It's always helpful to hear how others feel with the shuffeling of these meds that I didn't want to start in the first place but just had no choice.

Hope everyoone is having an anxiety free weekend !

anxiousinnj

anxiousagain

Oh, I'm pretty sure I'm in periomenopause. In fact, I think I've been there for five years. It's either that or a really weird case of PCOS (I have a lot of the symptoms of the syndrome.) But who's going to take that seriously at my age (36)? Even if I have my hormones tested, I know the results are not reliable. Hormones fluctuate day to day and hour to hour. So that's kind of like finding a needle in a haystack. And yes, in the past five years I've had my thyroid checked three times. It's always been normal.

It's time to have my Remeron refilled. I just left a message with my doctor to discuss the matter. I am going to request that I be tapered off it (I'll also broach the hormonal topic with her then). I don't believe it's doing much of anything for me except exhausting me. (BTW, I never did experience any constipation problems with it.) I have considered trying another AD, but with the Remeron being a complete flop, I don't think I want to go there. I'll just be wasting another six months of my life with something that is entirely useless and might only add to my problems with side effects.

I'm just going to suck it up and come clean of this stupid drug. (I went into this whole thing thinking ADs were a farce and I'm coming out feeling no differently.) Then I'm going to try therapy again. I have a lot of issues that need to be dealt with and the lack of appetite/constant nausea is just one of them.

I'm so glad the Remeron helped you to eat normally again, even if it was at the expense of a few extra pounds. I have resigned myself to the fact that I'll have to force myself to eat for the rest of my life. I know...there are millions of people out there who wish they had my problem, but if they could just experience it for several months like I have, they'd never wish for it again.

Aileen7

I was on remeron up until this past July when I tapered off after going through a cbt group. I have been med free the last six months and I am feeling more and more empowered. Learning the cbt exercises was the best thing that has ever happened to me anxiety and depression wise.