Dangers Of Mirtazapine (Page 14)

It seems to me that Mirtazapine is a potentially dangerous drug with little information known about it. My veterinarian prescribed this drug in small quantities for my cat as an appetite stimulant, so I began reading articles on the drug and its effects. Although it is supposed to be used as an antidepressant for humans, it has a wide reputation for causing suicidal tendencies in children and young adults. It causes weight gain (the side effect my vet was looking for in my cat's case). It also can cause feelings of depression, and wooziness. I spoke with a nurse who took it and she said the effects of sluggishness and dizziness lasted 2 to 3 days. It can also cause nausea and headaches. It seems to me that these side effects are anything but what a person who is already depressed should be feeling. (suicidal tendencies that they didn't originally have, feeling tired and unwell physically, and weight gain that could cause feelings of insecurity or increased depression) Giving this drug to my cat was the worst thing I ever did. About an hour after administering it to her, she began crying, looking confused, and she could not walk straight. We figured the effects would wear off, but they seemed to worsen. The next day she was holding her head down, walking in circles (trying to walk straight) and she could not focus her eyes. We brought her to the emergency animal hospital, and they called a poison center. Even the poison center had so little information on this drug (especially being prescribed to cats) that they did not know how to counteract the effects. We believe that the drug actually caused a mild stroke in our cat, and the vet said this looked like it might be the case. On top of that, it has a 72 hour half life, so we just had to wait the drug out for her to even feel better. If this drug could cause a mild stroke in my cat, I could only imagine what it could also do to a human. With so little knowledge of the effects, and such long-lasting effects, it seems to me that it is a dangerous and harmful drug for doctors to be prescribing. A few years from now, when it actually is studied more, I bet that it will be taken off the market as another one of those trial drugs that did not work out. Until then, how many people (and animals) will it harm?

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Can anything possible to be done at a government level about mirtazapine? I believe this is a very dangerous drug for animals. I can not forget the horrible effect it caused to my cat. They have to come up a better drug for anemia. If there is no other choice, then this medication should be prescribed at the lowest level for cats or any other animals. 1/4th of the 15 mg mirtazapine is too much. 1/4th should be broken with another 1/4th.

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I have never heard using this drug for Amemia .. It is usually prescribed to cats to stimulate their appetite . There are vitamins including vitamin b shots to help with anemia .

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I'm afraid that my cat is possibly another casualty of this drug. She had been recently diagnosed with Pancreatitis and Inflammatory Bowel Disease after an ultrasound. The vet prescribed Mirtazapine to get her eating again but did not warn me about any potential side effects. She neglected to be concerned about the "galloping" heart rate the specialists who did the ultrasound had discovered until after my cat had what the vets at the emergency center thought was a stroke. My cat could not get up without falling over and everyone thought by coincidence and from the stress of the ordeal of the ultrasound that she'd "thrown a clot". Her blood pressure was normal which seemed a surprise. No one mentioned the possibility of Serratonin Syndrome, in fact the vet at the emergency room said I should continue the Mirtazapine. The day after her "stroke" she was able to get up and move around pretty well for a number of days. It seemed like a miracle that she could recover from a stroke so quickly. On the advice of the vet I gave her another dose 3 days later despite my apprehension. (The worst mistake I ever made was trusting this vet's advice) The next day my cat could not get up at all. Her blood pressure was 195-200 when we checked it after she was really relaxed following an acupuncture treatment. Her regular vet put her on amlodipine for blood pressure. It has been two weeks now and my cat is still not able to move much, although she is getting some ability to move bit by bit. She is alert, eats well and does not seem to be in distress. It is hard to know whether this is permanent neurological damage but it seems to look this way. This experience has made me unable to trust what a vet says to me again. The sad part is that I thought she was a good vet and seemed better than most.

If it is true that there have never been ANY safety studies on this drug with cats, then how can these vets be saying it is safe? They are overextended with their patient load during the day and it is hard to get them to spend 5 minutes talking with you about an issue. I can only imagine they are depleted by the time they get home. It makes me wonder whether any effort is spent reading up on the most recent news on medications. (or PR reports from the drug companies?) I think not, otherwise how could there be such consistent ignorance about the serious potential dangers of this drug? And why are they failing to alert the pet owners who have to make care decisions? My vet wanted to prescribe a medication for my cat that has been banned for use on people in the US but supposedly is safe to use with cats. (cisapride) I now wonder if that statement is made because there aren't any studies or laws that protect animals in the same way as people? I said no. It felt uncomfortable to challenge the vet in this way, but I guess that is the new era we are in, and if you are going to be a pet owner it is the new responsibility to be a medical research expert if you want to have peace of mind that you are making the right decisions for your pet. I hope this post will help others who may be faced with the same dilemma I had. In retrospect I would not use Mirtazapine unless it was already clear that my cat was going to die any day if something drastic was not done to get her to start eating, and then I would only use it as a last resort. I also think that a responsible vet would take the cat's heart health and blood pressure into account before prescribing this drug. Because vets charge $50-60 to take a cat's blood pressure unfortunately most pet owners will probably not opt to do a blood pressure check as a part of a routine check of vital signs and it was never suggested to me. So you will probably have to request this.

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I had to put my sweet almost 15 yr old Himalyan boy Leo this morning. I wish I had read this board yesterday. We were told by the vet that he had 4th stage kidney failure and may have a month or two but that was being optimistic. After she gave him some fluids and another med to increase his appetite, he perked right up and was doing great. The vet also suggested some medicines and Ivs to make the cat more comfortable. I was all for it, if it would make him better NOT worse. When we picked up the meds, I only gave him Metocopramide and Mirtazapine. Shortly after he started yowling and couldn't sit still or be comfortable. He was walking sideways. I thought once the med wore off, he would be better and I'd pitch the rest of the meds. However, when I woke up this morning, he was barely breathing , drooling at the mouth, growled when touched and listless. I immediately took him to vet and asked them to put him out of his pain. Now that I've had time to think this thru a bit more, I wonder if it was an adverse reaction and could've been reversed. My guilt overwhelms me now and the vet won't be in until Monday. Any thoughts from you all who have been thru this?

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Don't feel guilty. I just read your post and cried. Don't feel guilty. You know when your baby is suffering and you knoew. I had to do the same with my Gracie. Mirtazapine was just one suggestion in a long line of secrets from the vet. I haven't had a pet for a year and half since all of that happened. It's too hard.

My heart is with you to heal and come to peace that you did nothing wrong. Vets are human, too. But an admission and apology would be nice...

Sincerely,
Patricia

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Dear krzmary,
I had to put my 6 year old Ragdoll 'Buttons' to sleep on 9 December because of Stage 3 CRF, he also had a bad reaction to mirtazapine 2 weeks before this. It was the kidney disease symptoms that made you take the very brave decision to prevent your boy from suffering any more. You did the best for him and have no reason to feel guilty at all. I am 100% sure that if you DIDN'T give this drug the situation would have been the same. Yes it's a bad evil drug but CRF is worse and can have devastating effects really quickly. Please don't torture yourself any further as you are tortured enough with the loss of Leo. I am sure that my lovely Buttons was up there holding the gate open for Leo to run through and they went off to play together - free from pain and suffering. keep this image in your mind and look after yourself and allow yourself to grieve also. {hugs} claire x

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Hi Alida, It's been 5 years since you posted but I'm taking a chance that you may check here someday as I am.
I originally stated that I gave my cat a full 15mg dose of Mirtazapine when, in fact, it was 1/2 a tab - double the dose he should have been given. RiteAid had printed the incorrect dosage on the pill bottle. The vet had prescribed 1/4 tab but RiteAid printed 1/2 tab. I pursued the issue with RiteAid and they eventually reimbursed me for the $1600 vet bill but refused to admit liability. (If that's not admitting liability, I don't know what is!)
Reading your post and seeing that my post helped you with your kitty does make me feel that something good came from my experience.

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Thank you so much! Your words were the reassurance and comfort I needed to hear. I hope Leo and Buttons are having a great time together.

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I'm Becky T. In 2010 I was the first person to post on this site that their cat died after being given Mirtazapine - See # 11 & 12. It has now been five years and since that time, according to my count from these posts, 18 MORE CATS HAVE DIED, and 3 dogs. I have to wonder how many more have died that had owners who didn't find this site?? Hundreds??? Thousands???

In my case RiteAid incorrectly filled the prescription for 1/2 of a 15 mg tab every 72 hours rather than the 1/4 that the vet prescribed. (I originally stated that I gave my cat a full tab, but I was distraught when I wrote that and now am pretty sure I followed the directions on the bottle and gave him the 1/2 tab). He passed away 12 hours later from what appeared to be a stroke of some kind. It was one of the worst nights of my life, he was suffering so much. Now I see that what happened to my sweet Abby was all too common.

My heart breaks for all of you who experienced the same horror of watching their cat come unglued after being given this drug. Reading your posts takes me back to that terrible night. It's unbelievable that it is still being given regularly with no serious warning to pet owners.

What can we do about it? Initially, I contacted Merck, the makers of Mirtazapine, and requested they formulate the pills in 1/4 of a tab doses to make it impossible to overdose on 1/2 of a pill. After reading these posts, it looks like the tabs should be made in 1/8 doses.

I contacted RiteAid's headquarters and reported the error and requested they instruct their employees to be more careful when filling veterinary prescriptions, treat them as they would a human baby. RiteAid did not accept liability for filling the prescription incorrectly, but they still paid me over $1600 to cover the emergency vet bill for the night my cat died. What does that tell you?

But what can we do now? Any ideas? I think this needs to be brought to the attention of all vets somehow. We can also contact animal rights groups. What else?

I know Mirtazapine has worked wonders for many people's pets and that's wonderful. I'm all for anything that saves the lives of our babies or makes them more comfortable. I can't say that I wouldn't give it to one of my pets in the future as a last resort, because I would do pretty much anything to keep my little loves healthy and alive. But I would be so much more cautious next time, starting with a minimal dose and close observation and know where I could get to the antidote ASAP if necessary. I would be extremely cautious about using it on an older cat with health issues. I would grill my vet about the side effects and ask if there was ANYTHING else we could try instead.

Using the information all of you have posted on this site, I plan to hand deliver a letter to all of the veterinary offices in my area to make them aware of the side effects and deaths reported here. I will give them the link and ask them just to look at it. And I also plan to post something on Facebook and ask friends to share it. This isn't much, but it's a start.

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Sorry about ur cat . From what I've read on here even 1/4 seems to be too much .If forced to use I'd give only 1/8 . My cat has stones , she is on daily sub q fluids etc .. I've refused to use this drug Inspite of being told by several vets it is Safe !! Glad I researched before trying this drug and it is dangerous for CRF cats too . I've been thru a lot with her appetite - up and down etc . Now her renal levels are slowing climbing so I've ordered rendayl . Adozyl - must be given as whole cap., so no way would that work , so recently I've discovered rendayl . We just take it one day at a time and I've been constantly researching since her diagnosis 18 months ago .

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Cheryl -- I currently have a cat that is in kidney failure. We tried a few different KD diets (Purina NF, Hills KD, etc.) but she continued to puke, have diarrhea, and lose weight. She seemed to like the food at first and then would just stop eating it so I'd move on to the next type. It was a full time job just getting some food down her everyday. She got very thin with her backbone sticking out. Then I tried Royal Canin HP (hydrolyzed protein) and she loves it! She quit throwing up, her poop became normal, and she gained all of her weight back. It's been six months or so and she still gobbles the food down and will eat as much as I give her. Although she is still in kidney failure, she looks and acts like a normal 7 yr old cat again. Maybe you can try this food?

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Awesome , I will check it out because I refuse to put her on those low protein diets . Most of the research /reading I've done on these KD diets has been very negative . It is a struggle and I go thru a lot to try to keep her weight at 7 or above , I'd like to c her with more weight but it just hasn't happened .yet . Did u order this food or get they your vet . I don't recall seeing anything but LP and KD food .

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Thnx Becky for what I've tried to do in regard to this drug !!! I'm sure my sweet Keefe would be dead now had I put her on this med !!!!! I started researching Everything after my vet put Keefe on epogen n she was at deaths door after 6 weeks of taking these injections , I was Never warned about the possibility of antibody reactions . Her blood count had dropped to 7, and I opted for a tranfusion - vet seemed ticked off I didn't have her put to sleep . I had to give her 3 more transfusions and finally these antibodies disappeared . And her body began producing red blood cells again. A TRUE miracle . I did what I felt was best , after researching hour after hour and I work FT too .. This vet made many mistakes n I would have never known had I Not done such extensive research !! So I'm overly cautious now about all meds / treatments .. So I've enjoyed reading your posts ! Stay in touch !!

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Cheryl - I'm glad my posts have helped. I hope they continue to help people and save cat lives. There is still a lot of work to be done.

The Royal Canin HP food is a prescription food. So ask your vet. Please let me know if it works for you. Good luck with your kitty!! He is lucky to have such a conscientious mom.

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I gave this to me cat because she was not eating and dry heaving, and a vet prescribed it to Her. Administration of it is a bit of a hassle for my cat, but after about 15 minutes, she is eating her food again. I'm not sure about all these other people posting about their problems, but I have no complaints about giving this to my cat. It works great as an appetite stimulant.

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Dominque -- It does work well for many animals. However, its obvious from these posts that it is dangerous for some pets. I'm glad you kitty is better!

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Thank you. I only give it to her when she needs it. I feel bad that it seems most kitties have bad reactions to it.

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you can get 2 mg capsules of martazapiine (thats what I have) or the vet gave me...so there is o cutting it into small pieces
i give one capsule once every 3 days to my cat with CRF
Its imporoved his apetite greatly and was a life saver since he had stopped eating almost
I havent noticed any other side effects

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My 17 year old cat was prescribed this drug after a continual weight loss. He is 17 and has been offered baby food, different dry foods and many canned foods including the prescription ones. He just refused to eat and basically was starving to death slowly. My vet prescribed 1/4 tablet every three days. After a matter of hours after the first dose he began eating. He now eats 2 small cans of food a day, dry food and a ton of treats every day. He has had 2 doses now over 5 days and is still eating very well with no apparent side effects. I am taking him to an internist, but I believe that this drug has saved his life. Please consult with your vet about this issue. Unfortunately, in a lot of instances, people who have problems with a drug are quick to respond and the ones for which the drug works don't respond!!!

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I have been giving my 17 year old cat Mirtazapine for about a year now and have noticed no side effects. I think it is great and has kept up the quality of her life. The dosage prescribed for others who have posted must have been too high. The dosage prescribed for my cat was only 1/8 th of a 15 mg tablet. It is such a small amount, I was only giving it twice a week. She had a pancreatitis/kidney disease incident and lost too much weight. It was doing so well for her that the Dr. told me to only give it to her now as needed (but no more than twice a week) if she seems to not be eating enough. A lot of drugs make cats drool, that is normal. I put her meds in a small empty gelatin capsule, no more drooling!

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