What is the Difference Between Mirtazapine Dependency Versus Mirtazapine Addiction?

Executive Summary

• Mirtazapine is an addictive drug.
• Mirtazapine addiction is greatly minimized by pharmaceutical companies and the overall medical establishment.

Introduction

A primary method used by pharmaceutical companies, MDs, and the overall medical establishment is to minimize addiction. This article covers the gaslighting of patients and the public on Mirtazapine addiction. A popular brand of Mirtazapine is called Remeron.

What the Medical Establishment Says About Mirtazapine Addiction

Let us review the following quotation from the Recovery Village recovery center on Mirtazapine or Remeron addiction.

In general, antidepressants are not considered addictive by nature, but you can develop a dependency on the drug over time. In fact, many people who are addicted to antidepressants feel as though they cannot function without them. To complicate things, mirtazapine is sometimes used to treat other addictions, like meth, alcohol and cocaine dependencies. Fortunately, with the right treatment plan, it is possible to quit mirtazapine and get your life back in order.

The medical establishment does not consider antidepressants addictive, but my conclusion is they are addictive. And just this paragraph from Recovery Village should make one question the idea that antidepressants are not addictive. Furthermore, if Remeron/Mirtazapine – why is it used to treat other addictions?

Mirtazapine (Mirtazapine) Addiction
Approximately 16 million people, including teens and young adults, in the United States misuse prescribed medications. Mirtazapine is one prescribed product that, regardless of the brand, is commonly used excessively and can become psychologically addictive.

Wait a minute. I thought it was not addictive. So can they become psychologically addictive by not physically addictive? Also, what is meant by excessive use. Large number of people have been put on Mirtazapine without any long-term studies. Couldn’t that be considered excessively?

About a fifth of individuals prescribed SSRIs like sertraline have had severe withdrawal symptoms when attempting to wean themselves off other medication. This may lead people to want to continue taking the medication, developing a psychological need for it. Symptoms of addiction with Mirtazapine (sertraline) typically include aggression, anxiety, depression, insomnia and paranoia.

This sounds an awful lot like a highly addictive drug — but which again — say it — it is not addictive. Recovery Village seems to be battling mightily to point out the addictive issues with Mirtazapine while also holding to the party line that Mirtazapine is not addictive. Hence the following quote from them.

If you think you are addicted to Remeron, you should seek out a professional rehabilitation program for help.

So if you think you might be addicted to a drug that is not addictive and therefore impossible to become addicted to, you can reach out to Recovery Village. Recovery Village specializes in treating people with addiction. The following quotes are from an article titled Mirtazapine Addiction at the Recovery Village website, which, as Recovery Village has covered, is impossible. But this, for some reason, did not stop them from creating a web page on this topic.

It is highly recommended that a patient prescribed Remeron takes it precisely as their doctor has directed. This will help ensure their condition is improved as quickly as possible.

There is no evidence that Remeron can defeat a placebo. Even trials rigged by pharma companies showed very little improvement over the placebo groups.

Unfortunately, an addiction to mirtazapine is typically more complex than other types of addictions, such as one to heroin, and much harder to detect.

First of all — it’s not possible (according to Recovery Village) to be addicted to Mirtazapine, so I don’t know why Recovery Village is talking about this.

Even if the medication works properly, the side effects can cause a person to switch medication types. This is when withdrawal symptoms may begin.

Why are patients experiencing withdrawal symptoms if the medication is used properly?

Unfortunately, the risk of recurrence of use after a Remeron addiction is high, mainly because of the strong withdrawal symptoms that occur.

Given what Recovery Village has written, that should not be possible.

Recovery Village and the medical establishments’ assertion about Mirtazapine not be addictive is false. Mirtazapine, like other depressants, is addictive, even when used as prescribed. This is explained in detail in the article How Antidepressants Produce Addiction Through Altering the Neurotransmition Process. (Subscription required)

Antidepressants and Addiction

It is amusing to see false information about antidepressant addiction published online.

The following from Genesight is a good example of this.

This is listed under myths of antidepressants.

Myth: Antidepressant medication is addictive.

Bradley Gaynes, a psychiatrist at the University of North Carolina, says that he’s often asked by patients whether they can become dependent on an antidepressant drug. He says the concern is understandable: many anxiety, sleep, and pain medications can be habit forming.

But he says patients shouldn’t worry. Antidepressants are not addictive.

“It’s not the case. Antidepressants just aren’t a medication you can physiologically become dependent on,” Gaynes says. “It’s not how they work.”

That is quite interesting. And quite false — but it is also the standard type of thing said by MDs that prescribe antidepressants to patients.