What worked for me is mirtazapine at 7.5 mg (higher will make it a stimulant anyway). The irony is my doctor is really sceptical. A friend prescribed it to me, who is also a doctor. And he was a bit pissed at my doctor. Quite literally: "your doctor can fucking call me if she questions my methods and I will overflow her with research on this" type of vibe. He did quite some research into it. And I trust him.
Of course, do your own research, consult your own doctor, not a doctor. And as you say: it's not for everyone. But not enough people mention it.
Let me it at least kick it off by looking for a study myself [1, 2, 3] (I just used Google Scholar).
Four things I've noticed:
1. For the studies saying it only works for 6 weeks, not if you only take it three to four times per week (three is better). You can literally feel the habituation go up and down when you play with the dose. I become really sensitive to it within days.
2. First time I took it, it gave me a sedated feel for like 14 hours. So the first few times, you need to desensitize a bit to it actually (don't drive a car the first few times).
3. For me, when paired with 0.3 mg melatonin 2 hours before bed, it stacks.
4. When I'm super stressed, it doesn't work. I need to be and feel normal.
Again: not a doctor, not medical advice. My advice is to discuss this with your doctor and see if they know anything about it. If they don't, well then, I guess my doctor friend knows something that other doctors don't.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahsan-Aziz-Sarkar/publi...
[2] https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/54/3/afaf050/8093583
[3] https://bjgp.org/content/bjgp/early/2025/01/15/BJGP.2024.017...
Of course, do your own research, consult your own doctor, not a doctor. And as you say: it's not for everyone. But not enough people mention it.
Let me it at least kick it off by looking for a study myself [1, 2, 3] (I just used Google Scholar).
Four things I've noticed:
1. For the studies saying it only works for 6 weeks, not if you only take it three to four times per week (three is better). You can literally feel the habituation go up and down when you play with the dose. I become really sensitive to it within days.
2. First time I took it, it gave me a sedated feel for like 14 hours. So the first few times, you need to desensitize a bit to it actually (don't drive a car the first few times).
3. For me, when paired with 0.3 mg melatonin 2 hours before bed, it stacks.
4. When I'm super stressed, it doesn't work. I need to be and feel normal.
Again: not a doctor, not medical advice. My advice is to discuss this with your doctor and see if they know anything about it. If they don't, well then, I guess my doctor friend knows something that other doctors don't.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ahsan-Aziz-Sarkar/publi...
[2] https://academic.oup.com/ageing/article/54/3/afaf050/8093583
[3] https://bjgp.org/content/bjgp/early/2025/01/15/BJGP.2024.017...