Dangers Of Mirtazapine (Page 15)

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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I am giving my 14yr old Ragdoll Mirtazapine....as he has lost weight over the last year, and gradually lost his appetite...he has been on it for a few months now, I dont give it to him unless he starts vomiting several times a day and cant eat at all...which usually amounts to giving him 15mg 1X a week. he has had ZERO negative side effects. It greatly helps him feel better..his appetite improves within 30 minutes and he stops vomiting. I am sorry so many of your pets are having reactions, but, I can say my cat has not....so in some instances, this drug is a miracle :)

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Why do cats "talk" so much on Mirtazapine? Spartacus received 1/4 of a 15mg tablet 9 hours ago, and he won't stop talking.

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Cats can become very vocal on this drug and some don't respond well to it. If you read some of the replies here you will understand. You should contact your vet just in case.

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While waiting for more tests results, our vet is almost sure that our cat has some form of lymphoma. He lost his appetite, stopped drinking and lost weight very quickly. We've been give mirtazapine to dose at 1/4 pill every three days in addition to prednisone. He got his first dose of mirtazapine 2 days ago and his appetite has returned in amazing strength. He's not eating large meals once or twice a day as he used to but rather many small meals throughout the day and night. His energy has increased, his eyes are brighter and his usual affectionate behavior that had stopped is also returning. We will have decisions to make about treatment if the test for cancer is positive but we were told that this combination of drugs will keep him going comfortably for some time even if cancer treatment isn't pursued. I am truly sorry for the people posting here whose beloved cats didn't fare well on this drug. Here's wishing all of you solutions that work for you and your cat!

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Thats what i say this is about humans taking the meds not cats and dogs.. ive never heard of a cat or dog taking remeron!!!

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I was wondering about dosage,too as we were told 1/8 tab!

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Mirtazapine can make cats more vocal, restless, and can cause drooling. Cats can also seem a bit dizzy and purr a lot. Shallow, rapid breathing and fast heart rate too. Lots of meowing. It's nickname is "meowzapine". Don't worry - it passes.

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This drug really needs to be given at first in smaller then recommended doses and never to cats on heart meds. My 21 1/2 year old had a grand maul seizure last night after being given 1/4 of a tablet on Sat., hoping she's going to pull through once it's out of her system. Didn't mix well with her high blood pressure meds, vet should have considered that. Right now she is finally sleeping.... Will never give her that drug again.

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Oh no! I'm so sorry you and your kitty had to go through that. I'm glad to hear she is resting and pray she is better today. Thank you for finding this site and posting here. People need to know about this drug and how it affects some kitties. I just wish the veterinarians were more informed about the hazards of this drug and how it is so toxic for some cats.

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i've 'd many of my meows on remeron before...all towards the end of their lives when they're quitting eating...either coz of crf or cancer or bad teeth, etc. yes, most of the time besides the hungry effect we're aiming for, it caused a lot of meowing & restless wandering ard. this time the vet prescribed cyproheptadine which supposed to be an appetite stimulant with a milder reaction...but i saw my lil buddy curled up cozy next to me in a sleeping position but his eyes 're always wide open. To me, i didn't feel he gets well rested...anytime. What to do? Anybody any idea? He's not eating w/o the med. That's also the truth. How to balance it?!

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This was very helpful. My cat had her first dosage and she is more vocal.. and I suspect gas is the result as I can smell it. I believe she is more vocal due to the gas cramps. Thank you.

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our 3 yr old cat was lethagic, not eating or drinking, and not playing with our other
cats, as she normally did. We went to the vet with her, blood tests did not show
anything unusual. The vet gave us mirtazapine. 1/4 tab of 15mg tablet. within 8 hrs
of taking it, she went into convulsions that would not stop until she died. I blame the
drug.

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OMG! NO! I am so so sorry for your lose. That must have been so horrible for you and your cat. I agree with you that it was probably the drug. We have to do something! Too many cats are dying from this. I once read through all of the comments here, and counted 18 cats who have died right after taking this drug. If my count is right, now your sweet cat makes the number 19. This must be happening all of the time all over the country -- most people are not going to find this site to post the results, so we can only imagine the number of families affected. My heart goes out to you and your family. Thank you for posting.

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Thank you to all who have posted just gave my big and daft 1/4 of 15mg tablet Mirtazapine. It is obvious his heart rate has increased still waiting 20 hours later for appetite to resume/increase.

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Perhaps drop it to 1/8 next time. I pray your kitty eats and gets better.

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That seems a lot. The vet where I work prescribed a one - time (fingers crossed) dose of 1/8 of a 7.5 mg tablet.

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Hi folks. I wish I had found your experiences with this drug sooner. I also have an older cat, 19 y/o actually, and she had the same bad experience with this mirtazapine. I shouldn't have given her this last dose. It was a 15mg tab cut in quarters. Thankfully this last was a bit short of that, being a smaller cut. We were so happy that after a day of fluids and O2 at the vet that she was doing better. We give her sub-Q fluids every day. It was just her appetite that wasn't real good. Well this stuff works on that but not worth the horrible side effects... everything that everyone mentioned... problems with her eyes, dilation, suspected some hallucinations, chills, shivering, lethargic, pain. She's only 5 little lbs for goodness sake! This is the last time I go to that vet. I have my issues since they sold it to a corporation and I don't trust them and I'm going to pray very hard that the Lord bring her through this last dosage of mirtazapine, which I gave her almost 2 hours ago, quickly! Please think twice or three times before using this med.

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I refused to give this to my cat also she has , renal issues due to kidney stone . Her appetite is up and down , I go thru a lot , waste a lot of food , switching brands , giving her several choices of food , at times I cook chicken or turkey with carrots n mash up carrots . I even have 2 small bowls of food on the other side of the bed , easy access and she tends to eat more at night time too . Never thought I'd be doing all of this time but I do what I have to do for her . She also gets daily sub q fluids , BP meds , vitamins and pepsid ac .

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Our 12 year old tabby Virtue was refusing to eat at all and it turned out that he has some intestinal issues and mild pancreatitis, so our vet prescribed Mitrazapine as well as some special duck food that is hypoallergenic and also a B12 shot once per month and he has been hanging in there for the last 8 months with few side effects. At first we were giving him 1/4 of a tablet but we noticed his eyes were dilating so we dropped the dose to 1/8 and that works well. He rarely vomits as well. I understand this is not for all cats but it can improve (and extend) lives as well!

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thx jennifer for starting this chat. responding to my post (#290), remeron = mirtazapine. to sum up, never take more than 1/8 of a 15mg tab every 72hrs. take only if no other choice. last resort if kitty is not eating. Not eating is the worst. Force feeding is second. Recently, for my "quit eat meow", i gave a milder effect appetite stimulant, cyproheptadine (1/2 tab) every morning before meals. vet suggested twice a day. i'm fine with once a day. pls try if there's need. i've been giving this since august. the result's very acceptable. my meow is back to eating & attitude is calm, very relaxed & sometimes rather mushy. I got back an upgraded version of my meow. (he's been uptight, hence rather skinny all his life).

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