Dangers Of Mirtazapine (Page 8)

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?

REPLY

REPORT

has your baby been tested for hyperthyroid? that was our problem. cali is now on y/d prescription cat food and her thyroid levels have come down without the usual thyroid pills. however, we are working on getting her to eat more to gain weight. she is now taking 1/8 of 15 mg of Mirtazapine

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Hi,
I have taken this drug for five days prescribed for sleep and a little depression. It’s a nightmare. this drug basically caused me to have a mild stroke its DANGEROUS and any one that says any different has absolutely no idea what they are talking about ! The fact that it CAN have these side effects is reason enough for it to be banned; one of the side effects is coma!!!!you simply can’t have a drug with such hit am miss consequences!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Hi, I just read Becky's posts of 2/7/10 thru 2/21/10 and was so sorry to hear about your kitty. One thing that jumped out at me was your 2/21 post in which you said the vet prescribed the whole 15 mg pill. I've been reading a lot on this drug and have never heard of that being done; they always only give 1/8 or 1/4 pill. My vet prescribed it for my cat yesterday and when she gave me the pill bottle, the pills had already been broken up into pieces. So it seems to me that the whole 15 mg pill is way too much for a cat.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

Becky, if you gave your cat a 15mg tab all at once, you gave your it the human dose. Please, please recheck with your veterinarian. I give my cat 1/4 of a 7.5 mg dose so 1/8 tab of the 15 mg dose is what your cat should get. AND, mine can only have that dose every THREE days not daily and only as needed. Next, if your cat has hyperthyroidism, there is a wonderful treatment called I-131, which is ionized radiation that targets the thyroid (95% cure rate). My 7 year old cat has been cured of her hyperthyroidism. You have to find a hospital authorized to do that treatment but you might ask your vet about it. My cat is only 7 so it may not be worthwhile on a more elderly cat because ramifications of hyperthyroidism may be too much at that point.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

lotsacats: I just had to put my beloved Midnight of 13+years put down yesterday. It hurt, however I knew it was the right thing to do. Mirtazapine 7.5 mg tablet 1/4 tablet only worked really good the first time administered. She had great bloodwork Sep 11. Nov 11 she was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. She wouldn't eat the YD so put on (tapazol). Jan 12 took Midnight to vet because she wouldn't eat. She was jaundiced yet very little vomitting. Bloodwork indicated she now had liver disease in addition to her asthma & chronic kidney disease. Her biliruben levels were very high. Liver values progressively increased. Her appetite somestime was on then not on. Gave her Cyprohedadine 1/2 tablet twice daily along with reglan .8 later up to 1.2. This worked a while just to maintain weight. She also was taking prednisolone from 1 --5mg tablet to 1.5 tablets per day. Blood results continued to come back higher yet now showing she wasn't hyperthyroid. After my vet of 12+yrs & I did all we were aware of I took Midnight to Vet teaching hosp. Hosp did 2nd ultrasound & xrays. Unable to get needle biopsy without putting her under due to her excessive movement. I wouldn't authorize putting her under. They did a freeT4 which showed Midnight still had hyperthyroidism just her illnesses made her results come back n the normal range. Diagnosis from Vet teaching hosp was Cholangitis. Changed her from Cyproheptadine to Mirtazapine 7.5mg every 48hrs. Added Ursodiol 30mg once daily. Maropitant 16mg give 1/2 tablet once every 24hrs as needed for nausea. Adminster 5-6 days in a row then stop. Go back to reglan for 2-3 days before going back to maropitant. Added clavamox 62.5 mg give 1 table every 12 hrs. Vitamin K injection every 2wks; Denamarin once daily 150 IV fluids daily. Didnt get to go back for 2nd recheck of liver values due to her passing.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I am so sorry lotsacats. You can take heart in knowing that you did everything you could humanly do for Midnight. Bless you for being among those who do all they can for the beloved animals.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

I last posted in August, 2011. My cat had dropped from 16 pounds down to 9 pounds due to his inability to eat due to end stage kidney failure. We had tried everything to make him eat over a period of 8 months. Mirtazapine (1/4 of a 15 mg. tablet every six days or so) saved his life. We were within days of putting him to sleep. The Mirtazpine helped him reverse course and he ate and gained weight, albeit too much. Once he was stronger and had gained most of his weight back, we took him off the Mirtazapine to see how he would do. It is now March of 2012 and he is going strong on just a fluid regimen and occasional antibiotics for infections. My vet is a bit dumbfounded that he is doing so well b/c his lab work is terrible - - he should have died long ago. At the same time, my vet says there is research from UC Davis that says that an animal/human with kidney disease can benefit more from eating than even from a fluid regimen - - keeping the weight on is imperative for a kidney patient. I know we won't have our great guy with us forever and I every day I look at him I wonder when that day will be, but he is happy and feels great so I know he has a quality life. Please don't count mirtazapine out if you have exhausted all other options. Antihistamines as an appetite stimulant will make your animal feel tired (just like people) and doped up - - we tried that for eight months. Also, as the other posts have mentioned, dosing is really important. My cat was at 9 or so pounds and was on a 1/4 tablet and it definitely revved him up a bit for the first day or so of the dose - - start small and titrate up as needed. Also, please go easy on your vets as I think most of them are doing the best they can - - medicine is not an exact science.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

Our 12 yr old female domestic short haired cat (furbaby) was diagnosed with small cell GI lymphoma about 1 1/2 months ago (only sign was weight loss from 9.5 lbs - 10.0 lbs range down to 8.5 lbs - 9.0 lbs range) and was quickly started on Chlorambucil (3.6mg tablet every day for 4 days, every 3 weeks) and Prednisolone (1 1/2 5mg tablet every day) protocol. She started great without any side effects and quickly started to gain weight.

We had the second round of chemo this past weekend (started Friday), and it started great too. However by Monday, she started to decline a bit - loss of appetite, very down, but not to the point of lethargic. By Wednesday, she was down from 9.6 lbs which was her weight on Saturday, down to 9.3 lbs. We called the vet and she said to give it until Friday since it could simply be the effects of the chemo and they usually pass in a few days. However, by Friday, she still was not eating much and was now down to 9.1 lbs.

*It might be good to note that during the entire week we tried several different types, consistencies, and flavors of canned food to grab her interest it did not help much.

Since the vet believed that the cause for her loss of appetite was due to nausea from the chemo which in turn caused her not to want to eat, she prescribed her Mirtazapine. The tech did advise us that the main observed side effect on cats with this medication is that they get very vocal because they get very hungry.

We started her on the Mirtazapine (1/4 15mg tablet every 3 days) on Friday - have only done one dose - and so far so good. We gave it to her around 5:00 pm and about 1 - 2 hrs later she started to want more food, although still not as adamantly as usual.

As of today (2 days later) she has gained back .1 oz. She has not really become vocal - only maybe meowed differently twice about 2 hrs after giving her the pill and does not seem to have any other side effects. However, I must mention that she is still looking somewhat down (again, not to the point of lethargic), but since she has been like this all this week, I cannot attribute it to the Mertazapine.

Right now, as long as she does not have any side effect, I will very likely give her the second dose of Mertazapine on Monday, since due to her condition (lymphoma) it is crucial that she does not loose weight.

Will try to post updated info if anything changes... hopefully not.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

My cat was given Mirtazapine after not eating post having her teeth cleaned. She is a skittish and timid cat at times and after having the procedure she was becoming a little lethargic and not acting herself at all.
After the 1st dose of Mirtazepine it was like a light bulb went off in her and she once again became affectionate and started to eat on her own. It was a total miracle drug for her. Absolutely no side effects and the 1/4 pill we were giving here lasted about 3 days and I only had to give it twice. I would not hesitate to give this to my cat again.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My cat uses mirtazipine to aid in appetite and it works quite well for him. He has cancer, and without it he would probably have died by now due to all his innappetience and weight loss. Just because your cat had a bad reaction to it, doesn't mean it will be that way with others.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 2

UPDATE: After only one dose (1/4 tablet) of the Mirtazapine! it worked like a charm and my furbaby started to eat normal again. Therefore, we did not feel it was necessary to continue to give it to her. By the end of of the week she had already gained a few ounces.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Same thing...

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

This drug is apparently the cause of strokes and seizures in my dog. An MRI shows the strokes. Yes, Mirtazapine aids appetite but if it causes strokes then the good does not outweigh the bad. So beware!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

You DID! Probably the only real way to show our companion animals how much we love them is to do all we can to care for them..............and when we can do no more, give them a pain free end. Oh heavens....been there. Bless you.......weren't you lucky to have such a wonderful reationship!

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

ALL drugs have side effects...it is not an exact science with people or animals. It is impossible to determine prior to giving a drug how a person or animal will react. That is why we need to proceed with caution with any drug. We must be our animal's best and strongest advocate. A bad reaction to any drug does not necessessarily mean it is a bad drug. Not every drug works well for everyone. People are different... animals are different. That's why there are so many drugs on the market. We do our research and then make the best decision possible. There are NO guarantees.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

Corrections:
*We must do our research
*necessarily

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My cat has renal failure but I was hydrating him every three days and he was doing fine. Took him to the vet for a wellness checkup and she suggested mirtazapine to stimulate appetite. After the first and ONLY dose he kept falling down couldn't keep his balance and started to howl I believe he has had a mild stroke. I am so upset I love my cat more than life and I don't believe he is going to recover he cannot bent over to drink or eat without stumbling. I feed him baby food from a spoon and hold his water bowl up to him so he can drink. I am so upset especially with myself for allowing this. I will make him as comfortable as I can. By the way the Vets solution to this was to suggest to put him down. This drug sucks.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I don't understand this reaction from your cat. Maybe your vet should check for other issues that might be causing your cat to react in this way. I have had my 14 year old dog on it, and I take it as well, and have never had any bad reactions. However, not every one nor every animal reacts the same way. I am so sorry for your problem and hope that your cat recovers. My dog is doing great on this medication, and it has greatly improved her appetite. She is being treated with Lysodren for Cushing's Disease and from time to time loses her appetite. Good luck to you.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 0

My cat had the same issues. When the Vet University changes her medication to Mirtazapine the first time she at like a hog; after that it didn't seem to be effective. After 3 weeks came home one evening to find her not able to stand on her hind legs. Seemed like she had a stroke. Took her to my regular vet following morning. Was asked when did this start. Told them, was informed it was neurological (I say a nice way to say yes, a stroke). Put her down that afternoon because I didn't want her to suffer. Cried my eyes out. This was my best friend for 13.5 years.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

My cat didn't recover he passed from a stroke brought on by the drug. My heart is broken wish I had looked up side effects before he was given drug.

REPLY

Was this helpful? 1

I started on 15mg mirtazapine 7 weeks ago and titrated up after 4 weeks to 30mg for 1 week; then back down to 15mg for t...

3 REPLIES

Hi I took the 30mg on tuesday evening took 3 hours to kick in slept okay but the day after was very unwell so I was to f...

1 REPLY

My partner took a very large overdose of mirtazapine a few days ago, he vomited some of them back but has since been ver...

1 REPLY

started tapering off Mirtazapine 4 weeks ago. Crazy dreams have been less, appetite good, felt nausea first 2 weeks like...

1 REPLY

can anyone advise me how to reduce my dosage from 45mg down ## Hello, Tommie! How are you? You should follow you doctor&...

1 REPLY

How to taper off 15mg of mirtazapine.....take 7.5 mg for awhile???? Slept great. I am 71, healthy but have mild groggine...

2 REPLIES

what affects am I likly to get from going off 3 and a half, 30mg. Mirtazapine. I have been on them for a long time. How ...

1 REPLY

## I started taking 15 mg of Mirtazapine a month ago and for anxiety, feelings of fear and worry and depression. I’...

5 REPLIES

I am a 33 year old male. I've been a low self esteem person from childhood. Due to some family tensions before my ma...

1 REPLY

My doctor (who I don't have much confidence in) prescribed a combination of 40mg Escitalopram (Lexapro), 200mg Clomi...

1 REPLY