I have been prescribed mirtazapine 15mg. I am really worried about huge weight gain. Help!?

Hi I’m on 15mg of mirtazapine it does the help with sleep very well but so far no appetite as usual which I was hoping this would sort out and no better in helping my mood which is linked to the poor appetite (vicious circle)so don’t think it’s a gimme putting on weight

Hi, MIRTAZAPINE will potentially give you the munchies right off the bat. I am on 15 mg staring dose and it made me eat every few hrs for the first few days.

I did gain a bit of weight after a few weeks.but I also noticed it gave me pheripheral edema too. That’s just water weight gain . And can be controlled with lasix(water pills) if you take them carefully, so as not go end up with muscle cramping if your not careful . From becoming too dried out from the water pills. Talk to your doctor about the weight gain as it’s a common side effect . The MIRTAZAPINE does work well for anxiety though and it works fast . A fair trade off fir a little weight gain I suppose…. And it keeps your personality in line too as appose to an SSRI that typically give you bouts of hypomania/mania . If your not careful .

Hope this helps you out?:)

Hi,
I can’t add anything more than the excellent responses already given to you.
I was using it for insomnia and I did gain weight.
I was so sleep deprived nothing else mattered. Obviously, it didn’t work for me.
However...
It wouldn’t have happened if I weighed myself daily! Be aware of everything you put in your mouth!
You will do well!
Best wishes,
:-)

Hi, rstoltzm!
Only about 10% of users will experience any weight gain and it's dose dependent. But everyone responds to these medications differently so it's impossible to determine what dosage might cause you to gain weight... if you gain any at all. Even if you do the average weight gain is 2kg or 4.5 pounds. In comparison to other classes of antidepressant/anxiolytics the atypical mirtazapine is relatively weight neutral.
I wouldn't be overly concerned.

15 mg and below induce more sleep, etc. Higher doses 30 and up are more energizing. All this said,
I've been on 15 mg mirtazapine for years and never gained more than maybe 3-4 lbs. It does increase appetite, but it does not alter your metabolism in ways that make weight gain difficult if not impossible to control (like the antipsychotics do). So, don't fret over mirtazapine and take the dose your Dr. recommends.