? Mirtazapine toxicity

[chuckstables]

Hey folks,

So I'm on mirtazapine, 7.5 mg twice per day. Today I was counting the pills and realized that I was short half a pill (15 mg pills I have to split in half). I doubt sam would eat it, it's possible I accidentally took another dose this morning when I woke up, I just don't remember as I was super groggy.

Would 7.5 mg of mirtazapine be potentially fatal to a 13 lb cat? I know in humans it's incredibly safe and almost impossible to overdose on (you would have to eat like several grams of mirtazapine to die at least, a study I read said that out of like 89 cases of mirtazapine overdose, range of doses being 150 mg to 1350 mg, average 420 mg, nobody who ONLY took mirtazapine and no other drugs died, so even at 1350 mg it isn't enough to kill a person https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894718/).

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

Would 7.5 mg of mirtazapine be potentially fatal to a 13 lb cat?

No, but it's possible you'll have more vocalization than usual, restlessness, agitation or tremors. If you see any of those, it's possible Sam could have serotonin syndrome and you should consult your vet.

I doubt if Sam would eat it though. Anything is possible but cats usually won't eat something that doesn't taste good to them.

 

[Chrispooky12]

Hey folks,

So I'm on mirtazapine, 7.5 mg twice per day. Today I was counting the pills and realized that I was short half a pill (15 mg pills I have to split in half). I doubt sam would eat it, it's possible I accidentally took another dose this morning when I woke up, I just don't remember as I was super groggy.

Would 7.5 mg of mirtazapine be potentially fatal to a 13 lb cat? I know in humans it's incredibly safe and almost impossible to overdose on (you would have to eat like several grams of mirtazapine to die at least, a study I read said that out of like 89 cases of mirtazapine overdose, range of doses being 150 mg to 1350 mg, average 420 mg, nobody who ONLY took mirtazapine and no other drugs died, so even at 1350 mg it isn't enough to kill a person https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3894718/).

Oh geez...I think Panzer & Sam are brothers from another mother I hope Sam didn't eat it but I would definitely keep a close eye on him

 

[chuckstables]

No, but it's possible you'll have more vocalization than usual, restlessness, agitation or tremors. If you see any of those, it's possible Sam could have serotonin syndrome and you should consult your vet.

I doubt if Sam would eat it though. Anything is possible but cats usually won't eat something that doesn't taste good to them.

Great, thanks. I'm pretty sure I took an extra one when I had woken up as I'm super groggy right now. Ugh. Anyways; pretty sure it should be fine. Thanks for the info.

 

[Larry and Kitties]

So I'm on mirtazapine, 7.5 mg twice per day.

That is way too high of a dose.

"The dose for the tablet form of mirtazapine may range from about 2 milligrams up to 3.75 milligrams, depending on goals and tolerance of side effects. The generic tablets only come in two sizes of 7.5 milligrams and 15 milligrams.

Dosing frequency for the oral tablets may only be required once every 48 to 72 hours, but a cat’s appetite should be carefully monitored to determine the best dosing interval."
above from: https://allaboutcats.com/mirtazapine-for-cats

"Mirtazapine is an effective appetite stimulant in cats. The weight gain it causes is likely due to increased caloric intake. A starting dose of 1.88 mg orally q24h is recommended in nongeriatric, physiologically normal cats, and administration of 1.88 mg orally q48h is recommended in elderly cats, cats with CKD, and cats with liver disease. Side effects are dose related and are less likely to occur at this low dose."
above from: https://todaysveterinarypractice.com/pharmacology/mirtazapine-addressing-appetite-in-cats/

 

[Chris & China (GA)]

That is way too high of a dose.

It's the caretaker that's taking the Mirtazapine, not the cat.