Doing The Drugs – Part “Who Knows, I’ve lost track”

Mirtazapine, generic for Remeron, was added to my anti-depressant regime recently.

A Google search reveals:

Mirtazapine is an antidepressant used to treat major depressive disorders in adults. It is not known if mirtazapine is safe and effective for use to treat MDD in children¹. It is often used in cases of depression complicated by anxiety or insomnia².

It improves mood and feelings of well-being by restoring the balance of natural chemicals (neurotransmitters) in the brain

 Web MD

At Drugs.com I found:

What is mirtazapine?

Mirtazapine is an antidepressant. The way this medication works is still not fully understood. It is thought to positively affect communication between nerve cells in the central nervous system and/or restore chemical balance in the brain.

Mirtazapine is used to treat major depressive disorder in adults.

Additionally, Chewy, the pet supplier, was also advertising mirtazapine in liquid form.

While I know that pets often take the same medications as their humans, it was nonetheless a surprise to see the pet supplier Chewy pop up. I discovered years ago that having our beagles’ prescriptions filled at a human pharmacy was only ½ the cost of having our veterinarian’s office fill the prescriptions. This resulted in $75 per month savings.

But back to my drug issues, my goal is to lead a more balanced life.

I was saying to my psychiatrist that taking the 450 mg. of Wellbutrin, I am OK but just ok. With it, I can experience fear, sadness, and occasionally disgust. But joy and excitement are altogether missing from my current set of emotions. At best, I am slightly better than neutral.

My Peer Advocate from On Our Own had suggested an enhancing medication for my Wellbutrin.

Another Google search showed that examples of antidepressant augmentation medicines include aripiprazole (Abilify), quetiapine (Seroquel), and lithium (Lithobid).  Abilify was the option suggested. Not only has she seen it to be effective for others, but it is also available in generic form, decreasing the cost.

However, my psychiatrist felt the addition of 15 mg of Mirtazapine would be a better fit.

She prescribed the mirtazapine to be taken at bedtime. One of the side effects is that it can help with sleeplessness. I was hopeful that I would experience this much-desired side effect. However, I am still waking up every 1 ½ hours throughout the night. It is possible that this nighttime waking up has nothing to do with mirtazapine. I am having some prostate issues and have begun taking a Saw Palmetto over-the-counter supplement. Potentially, my nighttime wakefulness is related to that.

The jury is still out on that, but I will ask my GP next time I see him.

My psychiatrist stated that some people see the effects of the new medication in less than a week. Google search showed that it may take upwards of a month before the desired results are achieved. I am going to see when I begin taking the 15 mg. of mirtazapine. I believe that I am in week 3.

So, I am still waiting to experience joy and excitement.

It has been many years since I have consistently felt joy or excitement. Now it occurs to me that I may not know what it feels like. And I may be experiencing something along those lines and not even recognize what it is.

While I hope that is the case, depression is still making sure that leading a balanced life is exceedingly difficult.