Mirtazapine?

kylalakitty

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Has anyone here ever given their cat Mirtazapine aka Remeron to help with appetite? My kitty, Mya,  has renal failure and is not eatting much. The vet give her a B 12 shot which did nothing so we are to start Mirtazapine tomorrow (Sunday). Does the Mirtazapine really work? How fast did you see results? Poor Mya only been eatting a half a can a day and been losing weight. Any feedback is appreciated. I have never been through something like this before :( I don't know what to do.  Thanks in advance
 

vball91

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Mirtazapine and Cyproheptadine are bot good appetite stimulants for cats. One usually works better than the other for individual cats. Your cat may also be nauseous which must be addressed before using an appetite stimulant otherwise you risk developing a food aversion.

This is a good site for info on cats with kidney disease. www.felinecrf.org
 

mucho

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My bengal mucho turned 14 yesterday,he has liver problems,if he doesn't throw up,3 r 4 times a week ,then it's off to the litter box.i feed him hills ad and high protein science diet,,if I didnt feed him off my finger,he would be bones.i asked vet and they said nothing would help.let me know how it works
 

vball91

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mucho, please consider Cerenia for vomiting and appetite stimulants mentioned above. Also syringe feeding has saved the lives of many cats with liver issues, especially hepatic lipidosis (fatty liver disease).
 

dan32

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I tried Mirtazine on two former cats and thought it made them crazy.  I could hardly wait for it to wear off.  I told the vet I would never use it again.  Mirtazine is a mood alterer.

I just tried Cyproheptadine with better results.  Cypro is an old line antihistamine used for allergies and asthma.  Totally different.

Just my two cents.
 

vball91

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Yes, Mirtazapine was originally an anti-depressant while Cypro is an anti-histamine. As I said some cats will react better to one than the other. One benefit to Mirtazapine I believe is that it can be given every 3 days whereas Cypro needs to be given daily.

All drugs and supplements have the risk of side effects. Benefit vs. Risk should always be weighed and the patient monitored.
 
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franksmom

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I tried both Mirtazapine and Cyproheptadine with my cat when he was not eating and I found the Cypro to be much more effective. Mirtazapine or Remeron is actually used as an antipsychotic sometimes in humans so I could understand why some cats like Dan32's cats could go a bit "crazy" on it. As Vball mentioned Mirtazapine lasts for three days so cats who are hard to pill may do better on it, but for myself I choose Cypro for my cats.  If there is any nausea I second the advice to get cerenia as well, it is really amazing.

As for how fast the results are- the Cyproheptadine is at full effectiveness after 24 hours and the Mirtazapine didn't really do much for my cat. 
 
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kylalakitty

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So Mya has been on Mirtazapine for a while now but I still can't really tell if its helping or not. Mirtazapine is all the vet has to give us. We live in a small town. She does throw up everyone once in a blue moon so maybe it is. sigh. I don't want to chance anything by not giving it to her anymore.
 
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peaches08

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For my renal kitty Grey (RIP), I used original strength Pepcid AC (over the counter) and my vet wrote a prescription for the cypro that I got filled at CVS or Walgreens. Might be worth a shot!
 

blueyedgirl5946

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My Muffin is currently taking this drug. He had cancer a year ago and surgery. He had a good year up until about April when his vet said the tumor is back. I had to stop his prescription food he has eaten most of his life because of crystals. Now we are feeding him whatever he will eat. He has done well up until last week when it is very apparent his appetite was going away to nothing. He takes one fourth of a tablet every three days. He tolerates it well, no mood changes. It does make him hungry. Sometimes so much that he begs all day for something to eat, but then he won't always eat it.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I don't think the  mirtazapine has anything to do with her throwing up every once in awhile.  That probably has to do with the acidity in her stomach.  When she does throw up, is it mostly just froth?  If so, that's a sign of over acidity.  For renal failure cats, lost of appetite usually comes and goes, depending on what else is going on with them.  Like Peaches, we gave our
 Sven
 1/4 Pepcid A/C twice a day, every day just to keep the acid down, and that usually did the trick.  Our Vet explained that usually they don't want to eat because they are nauseated because of too much stomach acid, and that doing sub-q fluids also helps flush out the toxins from their systems, which also attributes to nausea.  So...we also did those sub-q fluids.  Are you doing those once in awhile.  Have you tried feeding her right before you go to bed (even if it's just some treats), and immediately when you get up (again, even if it's just some treats)?  That's something else I did with my guy, just to make sure he always had some food in his stomach to cut down on those acids.

Have you looked at this thread?  http://www.thecatsite.com/t/119727/crf-chronic-renal-failure-links-and-experiences-with    It's long, but full of helpful information and links on renal failure
 

paizley

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I started my 19 yr old CRF, with dental issues and an inoperable tumor in her lower jaw on mirtazapine this morning.  Within an hour she was munching up kibble treats, other kibble, and even went to the community bowl and grabbed multiple kibbles at a time. She ate about 1/2 cup. She only ways 6 lbs and I have been assist-feeding her lately. What a difference!  30 minutes later, she comes into the kitchen demanding more food. So I gave her raw, minced up sushi tuna. She ate about a 1/3 cup of that.  Less than an hour later, she's back in the kitchen eating more tuna! I've never seen her eat like this. Hope she doesn't turn into a tub! Lol! She even drank water on her own which she hasn't been doing. I've been dropper feeding her water too since her mouth and jaw hurts. Will be starting on sub-q fluids in a couple of days if necessary. She was purring like crazy while she was eating.
 
 

mrsgreenjeens

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I started my 19 yr old CRF, with dental issues and an inoperable tumor in her lower jaw on mirtazapine this morning.  Within an hour she was munching up kibble treats, other kibble, and even went to the community bowl and grabbed multiple kibbles at a time. She ate about 1/2 cup. She only ways 6 lbs and I have been assist-feeding her lately. What a difference!  30 minutes later, she comes into the kitchen demanding more food. So I gave her raw, minced up sushi tuna. She ate about a 1/3 cup of that.  Less than an hour later, she's back in the kitchen eating more tuna! I've never seen her eat like this. Hope she doesn't turn into a tub! Lol! She even drank water on her own which she hasn't been doing. I've been dropper feeding her water too since her mouth and jaw hurts. Will be starting on sub-q fluids in a couple of days if necessary. She was purring like crazy while she was eating.
 
Wow...I just hope she doesn't eat so much she throws up from overeating.  But that's great that it's working so well for her. 


for your old girl with all of her health issues
 

paizley

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I was worried about that but she just went and took a nap. If she can maintain her caloric intake and I can get fluids into her, then I hope we to get to enjoy each others company for awhile. I've had her since she was 7 weeks old! So of course QOL. She still lets me chase her down the hallway. Her body is fine. She can jump, trot, etc but her mouth and jaw are uncomfortable. I tried Buprenex for pain and she ended up with constipation that had to be treated with an enema. (Been there, done that myself. Not pleasant.) So opted to not  use the narcotic except for extreme situations. It wasn't really helping anyway. So what's happening now is all palliative. She sleeps with me. Comes and visits me while I'm working on the computer. Seems a bit daft at times so I'm not sure how the the mirtazapine will affect that. She was my little baby kitten once and now she's my great grandmother.
 

re loop

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I know we are all trying to help here but please get the facts straight. Remeron, as used in humans is NOT an antipsychotic. It is an antidepressant which is completely different. The reference to it making cats go crazy is rather insulting to those folks who use it. Sorry but as a health care professional it bothers me to see people throwing information around that is NOT ACCURATE
 

mspurr

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I have a 16 yearold flamept Himalayan Romeo, with CRF he is on subq fluids 100ml daily,mirtazapine every 72 hrs and lactulose 1ml  2x a day. wow what a difference the mirtazapine has made in his appetite and mood. at first it made him too jumpy,restless so I halved the dose and it alleviated the restlessness and his apetite and mood is better.
 

sweetpea24

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Has anyone here ever given their cat Mirtazapine aka Remeron to help with appetite? My kitty, Mya,  has renal failure and is not eatting much. The vet give her a B 12 shot which did nothing so we are to start Mirtazapine tomorrow (Sunday). Does the Mirtazapine really work? How fast did you see results? Poor Mya only been eatting a half a can a day and been losing weight. Any feedback is appreciated. I have never been through something like this before :( I don't know what to do.  Thanks in advance
Mirtazipine should work. It is actually an anti-depressant so your cat may start howling or acting funny. Hopefully yoir cat will start eating!
 
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joe kleon

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NEVER GIVE THIS DRUG TO YOUR CATS! This drug is given by vets for use in cats as an appetite stimulant. Mine had a horrible experience after taking this drug. He was sedated so much from Mirtazapine I thought he was going to die. He was foaming at the mouth for hours and crying out every 10 seconds or so. He would stare into space for long periods of time. This went on all night and he is still crying this morning. His appetite is no better. I REPEAT, NEVER GIVE THIS DRUG TO CATS! It is not approved by the FDA for use in cats and is used as an "off label" medication. I was stupid for not looking this up before I gave it to my beloved kitty.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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NEVER GIVE THIS DRUG TO YOUR CATS! This drug is given by vets for use in cats as an appetite stimulant. Mine had a horrible experience after taking this drug. He was sedated so much from Mirtazapine I thought he was going to die. He was foaming at the mouth for hours and crying out every 10 seconds or so. He would stare into space for long periods of time. This went on all night and he is still crying this morning. His appetite is no better. I REPEAT, NEVER GIVE THIS DRUG TO CATS! It is not approved by the FDA for use in cats and is used as an "off label" medication. I was stupid for not looking this up before I gave it to my beloved kitty.
Joe, this thread is over two years old, so you may not see much response to your post, however, just in case anyone DOES read it, I would like to say that Mirtazapine does work well for many cats, however, it does NOT work well for other cats, and it seems, Joe, that unfortunately, yours is one of them
.  It's like most (every) drugs out there for all species, there can be side effects, and sometimes they are bad.  But when they work, they can be very beneficial.  My own cat, Callie, was on Mirt for over a year, and I'm sure it prolonged her life as she had zero appetite from advanced kidney disease.  I wouldn't hesitate to try it again with another of my furry kids, and if they had any ill side effects, then we would try something else.  

I'm sorry it didn't agree with your little one, and hope he is better now that it's working it's way out of his system
 

joselle515

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My nearly 18 yo kitty, Azzi, just got home from the hospital after having a very bad kidney infection. It's a rough road for her. She does have renal insufficiency (Cr at baseline 2.8 with infection up to 8.9 and down to 4.8 after 2 days IV fluids) and the infection made things worse. Since being home she hasn't been eating. Today, day #4, she has had 4 drinks from the fountain, jumped up on the couch, peed in her box with a little help but still shows no interest in food. She is on Cerenia for nausea, Pepcid AC, Zeniquin an antibiotic, SQ fluids and Buprenex for pain.  Today we started Mitazapine, 1/8th of a tablet which is very difficult to cut. I diluted it with water but am not sure how much actually got into her. I see no change in her appetite. How long does it take to work?? Anyone have any PEARLS on administration?  I wonder if the Zeniquin is affecting her nausea? I might ask her vet to change her antibiotic.
 
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