Remeron?

[Charisse]

Has anyone taken Remeron before? I am unable to take any antidepressants that effect serotonin. Remeron is the only antidepressant in its class that doesn't effect serotonin. I have heard it causes a lot of weight gain but that it's good on nausea, gastroparesis (which I have) and for morning sickness which I am hoping not to get again. I am going to be TTC and I am having a lot of problems with anxiety and would love to try something to help with all these issues.

[karen10]

I haven't tried it, but have worked with psychiatrists who prescribed it, plus I have a friend who is also taking it. Most anti-depressants have a potential for weight gain. My friend has not gained a pound! Hope it's something that can work for you! :)

[verdicries]

charisse,
i tried remeron (while pregnant, ironically)...it KNOCKED ME OUT (which was good cause i was so wired from the steriods and exhausted from the vomiting i needed it) AND made me VERY hungry!! lol. it worked fairly well for about a month (caused some constipation so be careful) BUT i had to stop it cause it was causing urinary burning, irritation, and infection (it is one of those "rare" side effects listed in the doc literature...gee, no one told me...wish they had!) so i had to stop. wish i could still take it cause it DID help my mood quite a bit.

if you try it, what i noticed was the higher the dosage the less sleepy i got (i don't think i went past 30 mgs). i started @7.5mg, went to 15, then to 30...

good luck hon.

[Charisse]

Thanks Tracy. Did you have Hyperemesis? It figures it would effect the bladder! Of course! Do you think it's worth a try? I am guessing if you were on steroids that you were probably hospitalized and needing to gain weight right?

Karen that's good that your friend didn't gain weight from it. Did it make her hungry? I just want something to help me with this anxiety and not affect my stomach or bladder. I take Ativan now but if I am to get pregnant then I cannot take Ativan. :(

[tigger_gal]

my husband takes it and it knocks him ot too, thats why he takes it at night. He has not gained any weight, but he is very active at his job, so please don't go by that.

[verdicries]

charisse, i had hyperemesis to the enth degree, i lost over 25 lbs (i am very small to begin with!)...i was hospitalized at least 5 times in 9 months :( :(. i was on steroids from may thru august of 2006. uuuuugh. i was also on a subcutaneous zofran pump (you stick a small catheter in your leg/belly/thigh and the med gets pumped in 24/7) all 9 months.

i think it's DEFINITELY worth a try. i have weird reactions to meds now. never did before, but pregnancy kicked up some sort of autoimmune response in my body...so i can't take most drugs (i am so mad i can't take lyrica. it was starting to work but i had the almost unheard of reaction of chest pain, joint pain (more than usual), and FEVER). but i think you will do okay on remeron. please remember the urinary thing happened in less than ONE PERCENT of trials...i am just "lucky".

please try it, it may be your magic bullet!! good luck.

[Charisse]

Tracy my OB has warned me I am high risk for Hyperemesis. So I've done a bit of research on it already. I was pregnant in '06 but I lost the baby early on. Before the miscarriage I was really sick. I lost 7 lbs the first week and couldn't drink water. I was already on Zofran and Phenergan but it wasn't working well enough to allow me to eat/drink. If you were to get pregnant again would you suggest starting the Remeron ahead of time? I have a lot of similar issues with allergies, fibro, Gastroparesis which puts me at higher risk of Hyperemesis.

[verdicries]

char, i'm not sure who gave you the script for remeron...but it is preg. category c--normally fine to take in pregnancy when needed but i'm not sure if it is safe to take in the beginning of pregnancy (there are many drugs you shouldn't take @the beginning and/or end)...of course, ask your doc please! if it were me...yes i would take the remeron prior to getting pregnant. it will give your body a chance to get used to it before all those extra hormones are thrown in ;). plus it may just calm your nerves enough to trick your body into keeping down food/water (been there...done that...i had home nurses come in to give me iv's 3x/week...a picc line...UUUUUUUUUGH).

my doc wants me to get tested for gastroparesis...what does this entail? my insurance is not paying for ANYTHING right now (i have NO TREATMENT other than diet and pyridium, heating pad and physical therapy which is now being contested...help...). everything i need done is not being allowed so i am afraid to go for another test i know they won't pay for. please email me with your testing experiences if you can @verdicries@comcast.net.

thanks so much and good luck to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Charisse]

Tracy thanks so much for your input. I am terrified of Hyperemesis after my last very short pregnancy experience. It was just getting worse everyday I was pregnant. My OB has warned me about home IVs etc. That didn't make me any less terrified! I am seeing a therapist because I actually have nightmares about pregnancy crumbling my body into dust and images of me with an IV pole . . you are one strong woman. I don't have an RX for Remeron yet. I was going to talk to my OB about it because he knows I can't tolerate all the other antidepressants and he was trying to come up with some solution for me. My guess is he won't be experienced with Remeron so I may ask a psych about it first before bringing it up to him.

As for the Gastroparesis test -it is one of the easiest tests ever. You fast overnight and then eat eggs or oatmeal the next day at the lab. They add some kind of radioactive material to it (that sounds scary but you can't taste it or see it) and then they have you lay down on this giant x-ray like table and it scans your tummy for at least an hour, sometimes longer depending on the length of the test your dr orders. You can call and ask how much it will be ahead of time. I think mine was around $200 and well worth it for a diagnosis since I'd been struggling so much with nausea. It showed my stomach just starting to empty at 1 hour and normal people starting emptying at 20 mins. In severe cases your stomach may still be half full up to several hours after you eat. The test is called a "gastric emptying study" so call your local radiology lab and ask them for a quote on the cost. Unfortuantely there are not a lot of drugs to treat the issue. The main therapy is proton pump inhibitor or PPI drugs which address acid and then Reglan to help the stomach empty properly. Most people do not react to Reglan well and you've probably already tried it if you had Hyperemesis. It makes me terribly anxious which is not good considering I'm already an anxious person. If the case is severe enough then your dr may prescribe a drug called Domperidone or Motilium which is available through Canada. They are allowed to prescribe it for people with Gastroparesis so it's not illegal if your dr prescribes it. It's just a pain getting it mailed to you and dealing with a Canadian pharmacy etc. It works like Reglan but without the anxiety side effects.

Please keep me updated!!!