Dangers Of Mirtazapine (Page 16)

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 gave it to my cat Sadie a little while ago. She probably has a bladder infection (waiting for test results) and is eating very little. I have to administer antibiotic with food, so I was hoping this would encourage her to eat. About two minutes after I gave it to her, she began drooling. After the drooling stopped she got a little antsy and started looking to chase another cat in my household. She does this occasionally when she's feeling good, so I took it as a good sign. The next I knew, she was downstairs chowing down on tuna I'd put out a couple of hours before but had had no interest in. I gave her 1/8 pill (more or less, hard to break it up into such small pieces) and she weighs about 12.5 pounds. It took effect quickly.

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She's talking a lot now. Meow meow meow. Also, correction to the above: we think she has a kidney infection, not bladder infection.

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I've unfortunately just discovered this page after my cat had some earlier. I'm slightly concerned the vet prescribed a full 15mg however I now discovered this is way too much after reading. My cats ill and been told it's best to put him to sleep so in a weeks time we will do what's right. We was told to give him this so he'd eat to keep him strong for his last week. Within 20 minutes he was acting strangely, was up and crying constantly then have 1 bite to eat then back to his bed crying and moving constantly as if he can't get comfy. Seems very agitated however is constantly purring whilst being stroked. Although quite distressing I'm glad ive saw other peoples cats with similar effects. I'd warn anyone to be very careful with the dose, not sure why i was prescribed a full 15mg. He seems to be calming down a bit after 4 hours so I hope he'll be able to rest and have a gentle last week

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Oh no, I am so sorry the vet perscribed such a high dose for your kitty. There is an antidote for a Mirtazapine overdose listed in one or two of the comments here. Maybe get that tonight if you can. If I were you, I would also save all documentation showing this incorrect dosage from the vet. I found this link too late, as well, and also gave my cat too high of a dose (1/2 a tab. My cat didn't survive. I pray for you and your kitty tonight and that everything gets better.

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Cyproheptadiine is the name of the drug that is sometimes used for an antidote when a cat reacts with "Seratonin Syndrome" after taking Mirtazapine. Google it for more info.

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Thanks becky. He got really bad during the night here. For an hour he was walking really funny with his head down and completely disorientated making a strange noise with his mouth. He then urinated whilst on the sofa which is completely out of character. I thought he was having a seizure at first but he then calmed down however he was up every half hour an hour or so crying for food, then he'd eat a little bit then either lie back down or continue to cry. There was no vets open due to the time of year and it was nighttime here so only the emergency so couldn't just go in for the anti dote. Hes fought through the night and is alot more aware of what's going on now. The only noticeable side effect left is he's constantly crying as if he is really hungry but only eating tiny amounts. (which I presume is stimulant making him feel hungry as he's probably ate 2 pouches over the spaces of the night so can't be that hungry). Its been 14 hours since having it now and he's just slept for 1 hour 30 mins however looked slightly tense in his position rather than completely relaxed. I will be having serious words with the vets, just wanted a relaxing last week for him and what they've prescribed have made him worse than he actually was before he went in. I'm 99% he's not in any discomfort or pain as he's still active and purring. I hope when it completely wears off he'll just have a nice long sleep as he must be exhausted. I'm hoping that last night was the worst of it and soldiers through to next week otherwise they'll be a costly trip to the emergency.

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Sounds like your cat responded like mine did. I'm glad he's doing better today. I'm sure last night was extremely stressful for both of you. Hang in there and let us know how it goes.

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*Becky T.. Regarding Mirtazapine... What a fanciful story let alone a load of bollocks! I have been taking Mirtazapine for 3 years now & the ONLY side effect that is a bit bothersome is a dry mouth.. Otherwise, it does its job in treating my depression & anxiety quite adequately! It most definitely DID NOT KILL YOUR CAT... It's meant for humans anyway NOT cats!.. Get a new vet & stop exaggerating!!

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He now seems to be back to the way he was before I took him to the vets. All in all the first around 16 hours, he was completely out of it and couldn't even sit for longer than 15 minutes. Around 1 hour of that where it must of "peaked" he completely lost it to the point he looked like he was goin to have a seizure. The later effects of him constantly crying for food as if he was hungry then not eating and seeming agitated and uncomfortable not sleeping relaxed didn't wear off completely until about 48-60 hours after initial dose.

Needless to say I won't be giving him anymore, I'll be logging a complaint at the vets, I wouldn't say they've prescribed him the wrong thing but just made a serious error in the dose. I'm glad he now seems relaxed and can have a peaceful week until we get him put to sleep next week. Take care and happy holidays all

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We've experienced the same with our 17 year old cat. She's suffering from a kidney infection that she's being treated for. We're hoping this is what's upsetting her kidneys and that it's not kidney failure starting to occur. With that said, she's been on this drug for the past 20ish days, along with antibiotics and sub-q fluids. The only side effect she seems to have is being a bit more vocal. Like one of the other users said, she only gets 1/8th of a tablet every 72 hours. Maybe it's possible that those of you seeing sever side effects are over medicating? Even with our 95 lab, she was only getting 1/2 of a pill every 72 hours prior to passing from cancer.

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Gnite367 -- so glad to hear your kitty made it through the night, and also hope his last week with you is peaceful and full of love. I can tell you are a great cat parent.

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Nigel, you clearly do not know what you're talking about. Mirtazapine has been prescribed for both cats and dogs for a very long time. The side effects of this drug present as entirely different for humans to cats and dogs. What is very important is that when prescribed for animals, it has to be in the correct dosage, i.e., 2mg tablets every 72 hours. American vets don't seem to get this message and dole out 15mg tablets which DO cause severe side effects. 2mg tablets are available world-wide and it's just laziness and cost-cutting by the US veternarians to continue to prescribe tablets of a higher dosage. I hope Becky ignores your posting.

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Lyon -- Thank you! I did ignore the post. There was another hateful one awhile back accusing me of murdering my cat--that one was hard because I already have such guilt for giving him the pill in the first place. But now that I've seen so many posts here where people have experienced the same thing and where we've actually helped other pet owners by posting our experiences, it's easy to ignore the ignorant. I truly appreciate your post. Thank you again.

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Wow, i decided to look up mirtazapine as i was given it for long term depression. my concern is my behaviour, which others had noticed to have become more challenging and aggressive, also i ended up taking the last 20 in one sitting. That was the last time i took them, as i went from never being in trouble with the police to now having a record within the last 2 years. If i could have seen these effects in others i would never of have accepted mirtazapine, i am also over sensitive to sertraline which gave me shakes and tremors. I also get absence seizures but dont know if this is connected to my brain or the medication, i have had some recent head traumas but i am at the mercy of a failing health service, so i am none the wiser what is causing my symptoms. Going by my experiences i would not give this to any animal, as a dog might flip and attack if it feels out of sorts.

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Is your husband taking 15mg? if so it is most probable that the sedative present in the 15's combined with the alcohol are causing his effects. Hope this helps.

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First of all, the recommended dosage according to the most recent copy of Plumb's Veterinary Drug Handbook, which is pretty much the bible formulary for most veterinary doctors, is 1/4 of a 7.5 mg tablet every 2 days. A lot of people insist on getting the 15 mg tab because it is so much cheaper ( only the drug company can explain why) and then try to cut it into equal eighths (impossible). In my hands the drug has yet to show any side effects and has proven to be a good appetite stimulant. Also, Plumb's is known to be a conservative formulary. A long listing of all the side effects in humans and wild, unsubstantiated speculation (by laymen and practitioners with little experience with the drug) about the drug causing a "stroke" (almost ludicrous, certainly highly unlikely) are not only not helpful to the discussion of the drug's real potential downside but is only going to start harmful rumors which will be bloviated out of proportion in the mind of the general public. Most of the side effects listed for humans cannot even be assessed accurately in dogs and cats and are unlikely to occur at any rate due to their metabolic differences from humans. A witch hunt instead of an unbiased, scientific resolution of the complication rate and what those complications might be, is counter-productive. Did your pet receive a full necropsy (autopsy to you) after passing? My bet is no.

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My cat Keísha was prescribed 1/4 tablet every 72 hrs. with a steroid treatment and she still did not eat nor did she ever feel better. She just laid there. This was in south MI. After a week I took her back to the vet and they advised putting her to sleep. I had no Idea the drug depleted her.

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Can you take cyproheptadine and mirtazapine the same day I'm trying to gain some weight I'm very skinny,I weigh 120 and I'm 5"2"

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Help! I OD'd my cat.

He's 15. Gave him four times the amount of Mirtazapine. That was 4 hours ago. He seemed fine at the time but now he's meowing and howling non-stop. Is he in pain? Is there anything I can do to mitigate this.

Any suggestions would be welcome.

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I did the same thing and my cat died because I waited too long to take him to a vet. Get him to an emergency vet ASAP. They should be able to give him something to counteract it or at least calm him down. Don't wait.

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