Mianserin

• The usual dose to start with is 30 mg or 40 mg Mianserin per day for the first few days.
• Your doctor may then increase the dose prescribed up to a maximum of 90 mg Mianserin per day.
• The dose may be taken as a single dose at bedtime or split into 2 or 3 doses taken throughout the day.

Elderly

• Elderly patients will normally need a smaller daily dose of Mianserin, usually less than 30mg taken as a single dose at night.

Could it interact with other tablets?

You must tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are already taking any of the following medicines:

• medicine to help lower blood pressure as your doctor may want to monitor your blood pressure
• medicine to "thin the blood" - anticoagulants - such as Warfarin as your doctor will want to monitor you
• Phenytoin for the treatment of epilepsy

Your doctor should check your blood count regularly every 4 weeks for the first 3 months of treatment.
If you are going to have an operation where you will have a general anaesthetic, tell the doctor that you are taking Mianserin.
Please tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking or have recently taken any other medicines, including medicines obtained without a prescription. Herbal products should also only be taken after talking with your doctor.

What are the possible risks or side-effects?

Like all medicines, Mianserin can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them:

The most common side effect is:

• drowsiness
• Dry mouth
• constipation
• blurred vision can also occur

Other less frequent side effects include:

• Swelling or tenderness of the breasts and secretion of milk, in both men and women
• Aching or painful joints
• Dizziness, especially on getting up
• Swelling and fluid retention
• Skin rashes
• Sweating
• Tremor or shaking
• Unnecessary anxiety or over-excitability
• Thoughts of suicide and worsening of your depression or anxiety disorder

If you are depressed and/or have anxiety disorders you can sometimes have thoughts of harming or killing yourself. These may be increased when first starting antidepressants, since these medicines all take time to work, usually about two weeks but sometimes longer.

Can I drink alcohol while taking it?

Do not drink alcohol whilst taking Mianserin.

What if I’m pregnant/breastfeeding?

Do not take Mianserin if you are pregnant, intend to become pregnant or are breast feeding.

If you have any more questions please ask your Pharmacist.

Remember to keep all medicines out of reach of children
Please Note: We have made every effort to ensure that the content of this information sheet is correct at time of publish, but remember that information about drugs may change. This sheet does not list all the uses and side-effects associated with this drug. For full details please see the drug information leaflet which comes with your medicine. Your doctor will assess your medical circumstances and draw your attention to any information or side-effects which may be relevant in your particular case.

References:

http://www.drugs.com/uk/mianserin-10mg-tablets-leaflet.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mianserin

http://patient.info/medicine/mianserin-for-depression

http://www.nps.org.au/medicines/brain-and-nervous-system/antidepressant-medicines/mianserin