Mirtazapine
Shares rank 8 of 11 antidepressants by recommenders
People recommend it for depression relief with side effects they find tolerable, and some call the improvement life-changing. Common caveats are weight gain and morning tiredness.
People recommend it for depression relief with side effects they find tolerable, and some call the improvement life-changing. Common caveats are weight gain and morning tiredness.
9 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 4
- approval share
- 56%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: not recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: recommended
- July 2026: not recommended
- August 2026: recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 1.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Relieves depression with tolerable side effects
“the only one where the depression mostly goes away and the side-effects aren't life-threatening/-debilitating for me”
Comment from 28 Aug 2026 in “Doctors are finally learning to manage antidepressant withdrawal” “the good absolutely outweighs the bad and it's literally life changing”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults” Noticeable, life-changing improvement
“the good absolutely outweighs the bad and it's literally life changing”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults” “the difference is unbelievable”
Comment from 9 Aug 2026 in “Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Weight gain
“Stuck with mirtazapene-induced obesity that doesn't qualify for GLP-1 coverage”
Comment from 22 Nov 2025 in “Prozac 'no better than placebo' for treating children with depression, experts” “Mirtazapine causes weight gain.”
Comment from 10 Aug 2026 in “Melatonin impairs morning cognition in healthy young adults”
Other antidepressants people recommend
The four most recommended other antidepressants, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
See all 11 antidepressants, rankedWhat people said
9 of the 12 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the only one where the depression mostly goes away and the side-effects aren't life-threatening/-debilitating for me”
“Mirtazapine causes weight gain.”
“the difference is unbelievable”
“the good absolutely outweighs the bad and it's literally life changing”
“What worked for me is mirtazapine at 7.5 mg (higher will make it a stimulant anyway).”
“it often (not always) made me still feel tired and unfocused in the morning”
“I experience some habituation actually.”
“it shouldn't cause habituation the way actual "sleeping pills" or benzodiazepines do”
“Stuck with mirtazapene-induced obesity that doesn't qualify for GLP-1 coverage”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.