Dangers Of Mirtazapine
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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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My cat was given that poison also part of the treatment where he was staying they have a webcam I thought my cat died not to mention what I saw him go through he's home now but he sure ain't like himself I don't blame it on the treatment I blame it on this pill

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Re: Paul (# 427)

May I suggest you stop focusing on serotonin and start focusing on dopamine if no medication has ever helped your depression? I don’t know why they get so obsessed with only serotonin treatments. I had many medication failures before I was finally diagnosed with ADHD and give him medication for dopamine. I haven’t felt “depressed” in the 20 years I have been on and off ADHD meds. It was never depression, it was always ADHD. It really sucks that the drug companies push those SSRIs so much because not everyone actually has depression.

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Re: Paul (# 427)

Yeah, I seriously can’t believe it either, I am a human being who is given this drug to try to stimulate my appetite years and years ago, I don’t know how I didn’t die in a car accident all I did was sleep and when I was awake I wouldn’t know what was going on. Like I remember getting a Facebook message and I thought it was a private message so I replied to it in a way that was private except I was replying on my public wall and I had been using Facebook for a long long time, I’m not computer illiterate, I just didn’t know what was going on because this medication is so brutal. I can’t believe they give this to people for depression. How does this help depression if all you do is sleep and eat? Your poor cats I’m so sorry, thank you for saying that. I’m going to scold my vet for ever suggesting this for my cat.

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Re: Charliek (# 429)

My cat was anemic but acting perfectly normal other than loss of appetite. Gave the transdermal version of this drug and within 4 hours my cat was dead. I was given this thinking it was just an appetite stimulant, I had no idea how dangerous it was. I gave it today which is a Sunday and the only 2 emergency vets were over capacity and couldn't see him. I had to watch my cat suffer and die.

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This was prescribed for my cat for her appetite, as she wasn't eating. She had an allergic reaction and died within hours! She could not breathe, rushed her to the emergency animal hospital but she died before anything could be done.

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Re: Bob (# 419)

1.88 mg recommended starting dose

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Re: Bagpuss (# 1)

I am sorry to hear about your cat :-(

I find it astonishing a vet would give this to an animal to stimulate appetite. It's a powerful drug and designed for treating humans not animals. And it's not even recommended or licensed for stimulating appetite in humans as far as I know.

I'm currently taking it for depression. It's quite an old drug now, but some doctors still like to prescribe it for patients like myself who haven't responded well to newer classes of anti-depressant drugs like the SSRI's.

There are a lot of side-effects listed, including the suicidal thought tendency (especially in younger people) but I have found the side-effects are relatively few and mild compared to the newer SSRI drugs. The main problem side-effects for me I haven't seen decrease is appetite stimulation/compulsive eating and rapid weight gain, and feeling very drowsy in the mornings for several hours after waking.

I'm currently taking 45mg, started at 15mg. The drug has a kind of hypnotic effect because it acts on histamine receptors in the brain, so you feel sleepy, drowsy, confused, disorientated and unsteady on your feet after taking it. I imagine these effects would be even more pronounced in a small animal like a cat, and that's why your cat may have been acting that way?

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You're exactly right and don't listen to anyone who tells you differently. THIS MEDICINE WILL KILL YOUR ANIMAL. My cat was fine yesterday until this was administered to her. We woke up to her dead.

The vets are horrible for prescribing it AND the pharmaceutical companies for creating it.

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Re: Xenas Mom (# 424)

Remeron should be used with caution in the presence of a seizure disorder, as it is known to lower seizure threshold. Consider Valium (diazepam) as an alternative. It is an anticonvulsant benzodiazepine with orexigenic properties.

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My dog has had a seizure condition that has been controlled with medication. He has not has a seizure in 3 years. He wasn’t eating and my vet prescribed mertazapine to stimulate his appetite. l gave him a dose as prescribed. That night he had a very bad seizure. I thought perhaps it was a break through seizure and didn’t think about it further. The next day after giving him the mirtazapine he had a seizure, worse and much longer in duration. I stopped the mirtazapine and no more seizures. Not worth the risk.

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Re: pamelap (# 368)

Add panting and my 11 year old had the exact same reaction to the same dose 3.75 mg the first time I gave it to him. He was eating before the mirtazapine just not as much. After giving him the dose and his horrible reaction to this appetite stimulant he has lost all interest in food and I am now syringe feeding. Thanks Mirtazapine.

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For those who tolerate it well, mirtazapine works wonders as a non-addictive sleep aid. You may hear it referred to by its original trade name, Remeron. The nomenclature is actually an allusion to the “REM” sleep stage. Little useless trivia fact for ya ;-

—Dr. R

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Re: Jeff Howard (# 416)

Works great for me as I wasn't sleeping hardly at all so doctor put me on this a few years ago and works!!!

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Re: Bob (# 419)

Not to worry, your cat hasn't lost his eyesight; akathisia, or psychomotor restlessness, is a side effect of mirtazapine. Characterized by the constant need to move, or inability to remain still, it's a distressing and unpleasant one at that. The good news: it's temporary, although the discomfort may persist up to a couple of weeks. Dizziness is also common, as is CNS depression, making Remeron a popular, nonbenzodiazepine remedy for insomnia.

As with any drug, mirtazapine should be given at about the same time every day to ensure that your cat isn't taking more than a single dose in any 24-hour span. After 7-10 days, if your cat remains visibly stressed, and his psychomotor function hasn't begun to normalize, you should follow up with your veterinarian, especially if appetite has not increased, as intended.

I disagree with the notion that a psychotropic drug, such as mirtazapine, should be prescribed, off-label, for such a purpose as to stimulate appetite in a feline; it is immensely stressful to the animal. As an alternative, I might prescribe a low dosage of a corticosteroid, like prednisolone, which is a reduced, synthetic derivative of prednisone. The side effect profile is far more subtle, and it's generally well-tolerated.

I hope the side effects subside here in the next couple of days. Definitely feel free to reach out if you have any other questions/concerns.

All the best,
--Dr. R

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Similar experience with our cat. Prescribed Mirtazapine 15mg ( a quarter pill) to help increase appetite. The first dose totally disoriented him for a day and a half. The second dose was given last evening... 24 hours later and he seems totally blind. Constant pacing and walking into everything, almost fell down the basement stairs.
Hoping that the drug will wear off, and his eyesight might return.

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Re: the wife (# 22)

He might want to try AA if he wants to get sober. If he doesn't want to get sober, you might want to try Al-Anon. It works if you work it!

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Re: Nathalie (# 413)

THANK YOU!! I was furious over Trumpsuxddck's arrogant, insulting comment too and replied to him quite a while back. Most of us here have only tried to help our cats not knowing the horrors of this drug. I watched one of my own cats have extremely disturbing side effects from it as well as a kitty I used to cat sit for who has since passed away at the age of 20. I am glad for the people who had good results, but I will NEVER, EVER give it to one of my cats again!!

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Re: Bagpuss (# 1)

Woo, this does not sound good. I was put on Mirtaz years ago. I was told to take at night. I only sleep about 3 to 4 hours total. I wake up around 4/5 times every night. I am on 45 mgs. Now I wonder what the heck is going on??????

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Please do not use this drug. I gave my 7 Lb cat a minute dose that caused convulsions from overheating while lying in the sun. I had to dowse her seizing panting body under cold water and it is a miracle she is alive. The vet also missed the cause and predicted a brain cancer metastasis since she has chronic nasal issues and putting her to sleep. I was the one who identified the link to mirtazapine. Thank goodness I chose to not put her down. PLEASE do not use this drug. I gave her between 1.8 and 2 mg so it was less than usually prescribed.

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Mertazapine was also prescribed for my cat. He became extremely agitated crying, biting and inconsolable for about a day and a half. I would never advise anyone to give this to their pet. It was a terrible, frightening experience for me to see my fur baby like this. There must be a better way. I put a skull and cross bones on the bottle and kept it as a reminder.

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