Posted by Shawn. T. on July 22, 2002, at 3:11:32
In reply to Re: Arguments in favor of Remeron over all other AD's » Shawn. T., posted by k23d on July 22, 2002, at 1:46:50
I really don't know about switching from Paxil to Remeron. If someone doesn't reply about this issue, I'll search the net for some information tomorrow. My recommendation to you is that you start very low: either 7.5mg/day or 15mg/day. If you start out at 30mg, you will very likely not be feeling well for a couple weeks. Stick with the low dose for at least a month. Then go back and talk to your psychiatrist about increasing the dose. You don't need to increase it if you are feeling better and have an acceptable energy level. I really don't think that the high doses are necessary for most people. On a dose as low as 15mg/day, you should feel more alert and not so drowsy after a couple weeks. 60mg/day is much more likely to cause adverse effects than 15mg/day. I really need to explain why I believe this in a more in depth manner. I also need to type up some advice on fighting the potential weight gain that some people see in the first month. I'll try to do both of those things tomorrow. I got off of Paxil by taking Wellbutrin. The Wellbutrin agitated me a bit, so I added on 7.5mg/day of Remeron. The combination has worked extremely well for me; I've heard a lot of good things about it. You will definitely feel much better on Remeron than you did on Paxil. If you work during the week, you may want to switch over to the Remeron on a Friday night. The first couple days will be drowsy ones; I didn't have much of a problem though because of the low dose that I began on. The Wellbutrin helped as well. You're welcome... I usually don't mind answering questions at all, because they help me to learn more about myself and others.
Shawn
> Thanks for that wealth of info Shawn. I've got a full copy of some of the extracts you mentioned and I'll have a read through these over the next few days.
>
> You also mentioned you previously took paxil. Not sure if you moved straight from one to the other but if so or if you know, what's the changover like. I'm expecting just to start mirtazapine and slowly withdraw from paxil once I'm clearly getting an effect.
>
> Also, any thoughts on dosage. I see mentioned on the boards that mirtazapine becomes more activating at doses around 60mg. Does more activating mean a potential increase in anxiety / avoidance as well or just "more activating"?
>
> I would so love an activating med after paxil and if it helped with anxiety as well... Baby! Yeah!
> Anyway, here's hoping...
>
> KD
poster:Shawn. T.
thread:113196
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020718/msgs/113230.html