Dangers Of Mirtazapine (Page 9) (Top voted first)

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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Bless you, Becky, and thank you.

Having an on-line community willing to help one another and offer advice is a great advantage. We may be in different parts of the world but our hearts are in the right place!

Take care, my dear, and I'm sure we'll be in touch again on this site and each contribute to other users' postings.

With all my best wishes.

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Vet Prescribed this for my 2yr old cat who is Not Eating. I will Not give it to her. So glad I found this Post. Do Not like Drugs to begin with. Too many side effects.

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Further to my last message (post 350), I just wanted to mention that the incessant meowing and loopy behaviour didn't occur during any subsequent doses of mirtazapine (I was giving him 1/8th of a pill every 3 days.) And.. I'm happy to say that Taz recovered from the hepatic lipidosis.. was quite the long (and expensive) journey but the feeding tube was finally removed last week!

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That's great news about Taz!!! Thanks for the update.

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NEVER GIVE THIS CRAP TO YOUR CAT! My cat was given Mirtazapine by our vet after surgery, as a appetite stimulant. Within 5 minutes of ingesting the drug, he became lethargic and started to massively drool and foam at the mouth. He was crying out long meows like he was in pain. He spent the night meowing and laying around staring into space. This is a human antidepressant. They don't even know how it works. It's use for cats is not approved by the FDA. It is an "off label" use. I was very scared something was going to happen to my precious boy after taking this awful drug. His appetite the morning after taking this "appetite stimulant" is no better than before. AVOID THIS HORRIBLE DRUG AT ALL COSTS!

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My comment 363 was a reply to dtyw's comment 362, not anyone else.

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Our 14 yr old cat was kept overnight at the Animal Hospital as he was not eating or drinking. He was put on an IV and we were told to pick him up the next day. He was released the next day and we were told he had some stomach bug. He was prescribed antibiotics as well as Mirtazapine. On day three we were told to give him 1/4 of a pill that the vet had cut up prior to us bringing our cat home. Within 1 hour of giving him the pill he vomited and his back legs were extremely wobbly, suddenly he fell over on his side and we could see his stomach heaving. Upon a closer look we saw he lost control of his bowels and defecated on the floor. We picked him up and he was limp and looked scared. He fell over a second time and defecated once again. He barely ate for the next 3 days while the pill worked its way out of his system. We spoke to the Vet that Evening who told us to throw the remaining pills away and they put on his records to never give him that pill again. It is now 6 days after having given him the pill and he is fine and eating and drinking and he looks like he is back to normal.

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Thank you so much for the information and being so detailed. I have a 12.5 yr. old 3 lb Yorkie. She has Diabetes like my husband & I do. It seems like every thing that happens to me or my husband, happens to us both of us close to the same time. It was a few years, but when our baby got hit with it, we could hardly believe it. As we used to breed large-breed dogs for for years, I have had had a lot of experience with how careful you have to be with anything they give you that your dog is going to ingest or even put on your dog topically. Right now I can't remember the thing I was given for one of my large dogs that at first caused seizures & then we found out it was a growth on his brain. I PROMISE THAT I WILL LOOK IT UP & COME BACK HERE & GIVE THE NAME OF IT SO ALL OF YOU CAN BE CAUTIOUS OF IT. IT IS VERY WIDELY USED. MY NAME IS FOXY.

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That drug has strong adverse effects on almost everyone that ingests it.

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No, please see all the comments. Ask your vet about prednisone.

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Kaz, there are many medications that both humans and animals take, in this case for different reasons. In people it's an antidepressant; in animals it's an appetite stimulant. If you're one of the luckier people who has no side effects from this drug, I wouldn't panic, but do talk to your doctor if you're concerned.

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Hi there thanks for your reply,luckily I don't have any side effects from mirtazapine, just was a bit amazed that animals are given it to, but as you say for totally different reasons. Thanks again kaz

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After reviewing a selection of these posts, a few things stand out to me:
1) Mirtazapine in HUMANS is a well-established drug, as safe as any strong medication can be (taken as directed by a practitioner). I have taken it myself.
2) With all respect, It is very dangerous to extrapolate experience from humans to animals (& vice versa) without knowledge. Some foods that are harmless to humans are poisonous to cats & other animals (e.g. chocolate, raisins(!), avocado).
3) That said, the consensus of the veterinary professionals here seems to be that the use of mirtazapine in cats is well-established but NOT a first choice, perhaps even a last resort.
4) There is a good (human) medication discussion site (Psychobabble), whose motto is YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary. Every person may have a unique response, especially to psychoactive medications, and I am sure it is the same for animals. So, especially if the discussion gets hot, remember: YMMV.

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Thank you for your input regarding mirtazapine between humans and animals really appreciated

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This drug is not safe for humans or animals. Look at the suicide warnings.

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All antidepressants carry a suicide warning these days. It's nothing to do with the safety of the drug; it's just that for some people recovering from major depression there is a high-risk period when they are still feeling suicidal but now are feeling just well enough to take action.

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I'm on that medicine as an adult person and it sure has helped me as I've been on it for quite a while now with no side effects thankfully!! Some FNP took me off all my medications and I got really sick along with losing 29 pounds so had to find another doctor to get me back on my meds!!!

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Most doctors receive money from Big Pharma to push their poison, so I wouldn't put much stock into what they say. This drug is very difficult to stop taking and the risks are high. Perhaps they should stop prescribing drugs for depression that take the depression to levels where drug companies have to protect themselves from litigation by issuing a warning that the "miracle cure" for depression can cause you to kill yourself.

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Trumpsuxddck, haha...YOU are the "ddck"!! You have no right to say people are dumb. Obviously there is a problem with this drug in many cats, as so many have discussed here. So get off of your high horse (speaking of horses) and let kind, caring people discuss our experiences in the hopes of helping others going through the same thing. Read my middle finger. #yrusuchana**

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My 16 yr old tiger kitty Tom Tom was recently diagnosed with cancer after the vet found a mass in the right side of his mouth during dental surgery to remove 2 teeth. The vet surgeon removed most of the mass and sent it in for biopsy. Lab result was cancer but not an aggressive cancer and not metastatic. But tumor mass can return and to remove the remaining small portion of tumor would be cruel because they must remove part of his jaw and give him radiation. So I must keep him comfortable for 6-9-12 months maybe longer. He initially went from about 10 pds to 7.9 prior to surgery. We had treated him for 3 years 3 times per year with an antibiotic and prednisone from the vet - for what the vet thought was a respiratory infection. But now we know the congestion was not from a respiratory infection but from a tumor pressing up against his nasal passage and sinuses which makes him sound congested. At surgery he weighed 7.9 and 8 days later he weighs 7.4. He stopped eating completely at 8 days after surgery. After 2 days I took him to the vet and the vet said to force feed with a syringe. Using very soupy fancy feast chicken pate classic - he has been taking about 20-25 mls twice per day. Hard to do with sutures in his mouth on the right side along with swelling and pain. 3 days into this he began to eat a little dry food. Back to the vet after 5 days of this syringe feeding and very little dry food. NOW we are 17 days post surgery and NOW another vet at same office instructs to give him either Iams Max Cal Liquid Protein 1oz 4 times per day OR give us a prescription for Clinicare Liquid Protein at the same dosage for feeding.

I have not been able to locate either one yet except through an online purchase at Chewy for the Clinicare. So it will be another 2 days. I do not understand why vets did not give us followup protocol from the beginning after surgery??? Anyway - they also prescribed Mirtazapine 7.5 mg tab - 1/4th tab every 3 days for his appetite. On my way now to get this and THANK YOU ALL so much for all of the info on Mirtazapine. Tom Tom is also on buprenorphine (0.3mg per ml concoction) to be given in dosages of .1 ml (point 1 ml) every 11-12 hours - and to increase if needed up to .2ml (point 2 ml) or .3 ml (point 3 ml) dose twice per day. AND laxotone tube at Pet Smart or Petco is a paste - vet said 2 little bits on finger into left side of mouth or gums each day to help prevent hair balls. Tom Tom is a 16 yr old tiger colored long hair kitty - long hair kitties get occasional hair balls (even with purina dry food with hairball prevention) and with this oral surgery and tumor debulking the hair balls are even more of a problem for him. Also must extra-groom or brush him and use dry shampoo to get rid of as much loose hair as possible to prevent him from ingesting it during his regular kitty grooming. Hope this info helps someone with a kitty or perhaps even a dog. God Bless.

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