Remeron/mirtazipine: forgot about my smoking!!!

koolstof

Very strange story... Starting taking Remeron took away my nicotine craving (yes, I do mean Remeron and not Zyban/Wellbutrin).

My shrink put me on Remeron 10 days ago. I switched from 20 mgs Lexapro and 200 mgs of amisulpiride a day to 30 mgs of Remeron and 200mgs of amisulpiride a day. I specifically asked to quit the Lexapro because it lacked effect and ruined my sex-life. Plus a already took almost all SSRI's in varrying dosages with few relief. So I wanted a radical break and was ready for a entirely new class of antidepressants. Remeron was what I would try.

Being a smoker for about 8 years, I smoke(d) about 15 cigarettes a day. I had no plans whatsoever to smoke less or to quit, first I wanted to feel like myself again. In the past I already mangaged to stop a full year then relapsed and a bit later I managed to stop for 3 months and also relapsed (so I stopped completely for two different periods of time, purely on willpower: no Zyban, no nicotine-replacement.). So I know what stopping cold turkey means: it's very stressfull and thinking about (not?) smoking becomes an obsession, that's exactly the reason why I had no plans whatsoever in changing my smoking habits before my depression was getting better. Now you have an idea of the background of my story.

During two-week vacation from work, me and my shrink decided to start with Remeron/mirtazapine. I gave up the Lexapro cold turkey as science states that Remeron is an adequate follow-up drug. All I did, the first few days, with 30mgs of Remeron in my system was sleeping and dreaming vividly. I was too damn lazy to eat, to clean myself up, to do anything else then sleep. Slept about 22 hours a day for 3 days. Then I upped my Remeron-dosage and that seemed to relief the sedation. In this period I did not even think about lighting a cigarette and awkwardly, no that most the sedation has gone I still don't. During my start-up with Remeron I actually felt like **** and more the ounce thought that it was bacause I hadn't smoked.

It's been 10 days now without a smoke and I don't have any serious cravings which I did used to get upon giving up smoking. I'm opstimistic that this might be the ultimate try :-)

Oh, I also take 2 times 100 mgs of amisulpiride a day (amisulpiride is the generic name of what over here is called "Solian", a new anti-psychotic that has antidepressant properties in lower doses).

Another thing: untill up to a few months a was quite the binge-drinker. One/two times a week I drank about 20 beers in one evening, sometimes an entire bottle of wodka (70 centiliters of Finlandia clear...no fruity, low-alcohol wodka). That's gone too... These pills are making me an altar boy (?!). In stead of 15 wodka-RedBulls and a packet of cigarettes, I know have just a couple of beers.

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-the somewhat boring guy from the country in between France and Germany-