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i was on anti dept.s for 20 years +after i stopped .just took the odd one to give me a boost when lo

Posted , 5 users are following.

BLUESY
BLUESY

i now have realy bad chronic insomnia/depr/anxciety/chlosterphobia.no sleep for weeks.and i mean NONE.I WENT TO G/P.he put me on mirtazapine 30mg but i was scared to take that amount so took 7.5mg the first tnight i slepted for 3 hours good ??? but could not move all day i was a zombie.i reduced the dose to 4mg.zero sleep that was 10 days ago still no sleep dep/anx.ect a lot better if i could get some sleep i think i will get over the dep/anx/ect..i have a lot of worry for last 8 months.started to drink a lot more  and slepted for 3/4 hours but that only lasted a few weeks then no sleep again so stopped drinking ..i am on other meds for high blood pressure/copd/hiatus hernia/pain killers for arthritus....any suggestions with the MIRTAZAPINE...........DESPERATE.BLUESY

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • cheryl06744
    cheryl06744 BLUESY

    Posted

    Everything you described for your initial symptoms is classic withdrawal symptoms. How you tapered could have alot to do with it.

    Mmirtazapine is not for everyone. It's an antidepressant as well. But you mentioned that if you could only sleep then maybe other symptoms would be better so why not have the doctor prescribe all z class drug instead (iemail. Ambien, sonata etc.)

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY cheryl06744

      Posted

      HI CHERL   THANK U FOR YOUR REPLY.. I CAME OFF OF A/D QUITE SLOW 3/4 MONTHS .I WILL SLOWLY INCREASE THE MIRT UP TO 7.5MG OVEF THE NEXT WEEK TO SEE IF IT WORKS WITH SLEEP IF NOT I WILL TRY OTHER MEDS  I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE MIRT TAKES TIME TO WORK I NEED TO FIND A ANSER FOR MY PROBLEM SOON ..BUT I WILL NOT GIVE UP???? BLUESY 
  • Calmer
    Calmer BLUESY

    Posted

    Sorry for your suffering, nothing on earth worse than insomnia, that is what probably drives all the other symptoms included the Claustrophobia which is awful also.

    So you say you took 7.5mg - how long for before dropping to 4mg - and how do you get to the dose of 4mg ??  Are you saying you have been on 4mg for 10days??   

    Mirt' does knock you out initially, made me like a zombie to begin with, but really helped with my insomnia.  If you could just let me know how long at 7.5 before the 10days at 4mg that would be a help.

    I think you're so right, the anxiety brought on by insomnia then prevents us from sleeping, its like we're "wired" and even the slightest noise prevents sleep.

    Wishing you well Bluesy.

    • Calmer
      Calmer

      Posted

      Also Bluesy, when you say you stopped AD after 20 years, how did you do that?  Did you taper slow or just stop abruptly?
    • BLUESY
      BLUESY Calmer

      Posted

      HI CALMER..THANK U FOR REPLY..I TOOK THE 7.5MG FOR 1 NIGHT ONLY THE NEXT ONE 4MG THE SECOND NIGHT AND HAVE TAKEN THAT FOR 11 DAYS ;;I CUT THE 30MG IN 8 PARTS EASY TO DO THIS..7.5 MG 1 NIGHT ONLY I DID NOT LIKE THE ZOMBIE STATE  AS I HAVE TO RUN HOUSE/COOK/CLEAN/ECT.I LIKE TO BE CLEAN .I LIVE ALONE NOW THAT DO NOT HELP.BUT GOT USED TO IT.NOT SO WOUND UP OR DEPRESSED AFTER 5/6 DAYS ON 4MG BUT LAY IN BED TILL 1PM TO RECOVER FROM NO SLEEP THEN OK AS THINGS GO..JUST NEED SOME SLEEP AND THEN WILL BE ABLE TO COPE....

      WHAT DO YOU SUGGEST.???????????????   BLUESY.

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY Calmer

      Posted

      I CAME OFF A/D QUITE SLOW 3 TO 4 MONTHS..ON MY OWN ACCOUNT ..I ALSO WENT FOR  COUNSELLING.. HELPED A LOT.THEY TOLD ME I COULD GET REACURRENCIES.BUT LIVED WITH IT TILL NOW.................BLUESY  
    • Calmer
      Calmer BLUESY

      Posted

      I think it sounds like WD from the previous AD/AD's, unfortunately another AD cannot cover this, only the med itself can relieve WD.  It's not what you want to hear, sorry, but 3-4 months taper isn't really long enough.  The golden rule now is 10% drop every 3-4 weeks, to enable your nervous system to adapt carefully without rocking the boat.  You're not the first to be told by a doc or even p.doc to quit within a few months, they just don't seem to know about doing a very slow taper, especially after 20 years.

      Maybe think about reinstating, check with your doctor to see if you can take Mirt at the same time, with some AD's you can - and if you do decide to do this - DON'T increase the Mirt.

      It's a bit risky to break the 30mg tablet into 8, far better to ask for Mirtazapine Sol tabs and make a liquid - anyway its all explained... click on my name and read the links under my status - there is far too much to copy & paste here.

       

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY Calmer

      Posted

      HI CALMER..sorry to bother you but just wonderd what you think about the following..you have read my prev posts.1st night 7.5 mg made me so ill..2nd 3.5mg no sleep after 6 days but a lot better reguarding dep/anx/ect now on day16 of 3.5mg and feel 90% like my old self .but still no sleep but the odd cat nap but that is llike 3-4 hrs sleep to me ..saw dr today he said to increase to 7.5 mg end of week and to bear the side efects and sure that sleep will follow..i am a bit unsure about this what do you think...i have to lay in bed untill 10am to recover from lack of sleep .i do not mind this as the rest of the day is fine
    • Calmer
      Calmer BLUESY

      Posted

      Which AD did you taper from ??  Which ever one it was, that is the reason for no sleep, Mirt can't cover that - just time will heal any insomnia caused by withdrawal from it ... not sure how long as everyone is different.

      Bear in mind that on start up of Mirt' 99% of people feel like a zombie the next day but it does get better once you have taken 7.5 for 5 days or so.  

      I'm not suprised you don't know what to do - you are recovering from withdrawal of the last AD (with insomnia) and your doctor has given you another AD (they like to do this !!) and eventually you will then have to come off this AD which in turn will have its own WD symptoms - Mirt isn't easy to come off as we all know now.

      7.5 mg may not help you sleep better than the 3.5 mg that you are taking and then again it might help, no one can tell you, however in mho I slept just as well at 3.5 as I did at 7.5, so maybe that helps a little.  But of course I wasn't having the wd from another AD.

      Sleep does return but I understand it may be slow, getting better gradually, it's an awful thing insomnia, can feel like torture.  

      Alcohol plays havoc with sleep pattern, whilst you're unwell if you can't just enjoy one glass, and lets face it, its hard sometimes not to have another glass, then try to do without, get your mental health in tune first maybe?  

      But one thing for sure, cutting a 30mg pill into 8 will in turn give you different doses, sometimes 3, 4, or even 2.5mg ... and even that tiny difference can play havoc - see if you can get the 15mg & cut into 4, 'fess uup to your doc and say its hard to do - or get Mirt Sol Tablets and dissolve and use a small syringe.

      Hope this helps, bless you and I hope your sleep returns soon.

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY Calmer

      Posted

      hi calmer.. thank u for reply.. very helpful ..i am due to go back on 7.5mg on friday on drs advice he said now my dep/anx.has improved a great deal in the last 3 weeks i may not get the side effects so bad if idid to persist with it and sleep would slowly return i will try this and see what happens..i also resisted the temptation to have a drink i have not had one since before i started the mirt and will not untill i feel well again thank u again,,,just hope this works but i do feel a lot better thank god    bluesy
    • Calmer
      Calmer BLUESY

      Posted

      My pleasure, happy to help.  Hope it goes well for you, let us know.
  • amanda69978
    amanda69978 BLUESY

    Posted

    Hi Bluesy,

    Really sorry you are having such a difficult time.

    Calmer's advice is always very good: she knows far more about WD than the likes of me. You can't go far wrong if you follow her advice.

    I had two months of severe anxiety and depression, provoked by bad insomnia, at the end of last year. I would sleep for about two to two-and-a-half hours, and then wake up in the very early hours. My Mirt dose was increased to 30 mgs. I still woke up after 2 - 2 1/2 hours.

    I now think that the severe insomnia was caused by anxiety.

    i was prescribed Pregabalin for anxiety at the beginning of this year. It made no appreciable difference, and I am now weaning myself off it. So far, I have dropped from 150 mgs daily to 50 mgs daily. I hope to come off it altogether by next Spring. I am keeping at 50 mgs until after the Christmas period.

    I was put on Venlafaxine by the Psychiatrist this summer, and it has made a great deal of difference. I am on a high dose - 220 mgs - but I had to go to this dose for it to have any effect on my chronic, life-long, severe anxiety. Like most people, I would rather not be on medication, but I prefer taking meds to being suicidal, which is where the severe anxiety led me.

    Once I have finally managed to come off the Pregabalin, I will look to reducing the Mirt, but not before.

    I, too, have had problems with alcohol. I have a lot of stress in my life, and I felt - no doubt wrongly - that it helped me to cope.

    I would prioritise dealing with the insomnia. I know from painful experience how difficult it is.

    Please message me if I can be of any further help.

    Like Calmer, I wish you well.

    Amanda

     

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY amanda69978

      Posted

      hi amanda..thank u for reply.i seem to have given the wrong impression i have been off ant/dep .ect for many years .i was put on them in 1963 after a bad accident ie fractured skull ect.i was left on them untill 1988 i dont know why..in 1988 i had a perferated appendix /blood poisening.and nearly died ..i then decided to quit the drugs with help from counselling this took 3-4 mnths i was told i would get relapses i did but nothing i could not cope with ..i just took a booster when low but was drinking a lot untill three weeks ago when  istopped ..went to dr presribed the mirt u know the rest if u read my reviews just hope the mirt starts to work soon...i feel better but not got any energy i am 77 years old so dont expect to be full of beans..will keep on going untill i find a anser..BLUESY
    • amanda69978
      amanda69978 BLUESY

      Posted

      Hi Bluesy,

      I am 53, and have been on anti-depressants, of one sort or another, for 18 years. I also drink far more than is good for me, although I never get drunk. Unfortunately I find that if I don't have at least a couple of drinks a night, I sleep badly, and end up feeling much worse than if I had had the drinks in the first place. This is not what we're told: all the advice out there suggests that you sleep better without alcohol.

      I think the Mirt will work for you soon. I am still on 30 mgs, having been prescribed this dose about October last year. I started on 7.5 mgs, and went up to 15 mgs for a couple of years, before being put up to 30 mgs in October 2015. Most people, I think, find it takes a good three-four weeks before they feel any difference. I think it's very encouraging that you feel better.

      I think we just have to keep plugging away.

      I always feel very concerned when I read people's posts concerning severe insomnia. I had over two months of two hours sleep a night, max, and it wore me down so much that I took two half-hearted overdoses, because I reached a point where I felt I could no longer cope. I am proof that there can be light at the end of dark tunnels.

      Now I am battling the usual Mirt weight gain, but I must say it seems a small price to pay for relative stability and peace of mind.

      I would keep on with the Mirt for a while yet, but check in with your doc again if you feel things aren't progressing.

      All the best,

      Amanda

    • BLUESY
      BLUESY amanda69978

      Posted

      HI AMANDA.thank u for reply.it is good to chat with some one on the same level as my self.i think i may be suffering from withdraw symptoms from the drink and am very tempted to just have two small cans but scared in case it interfers with the mirt..have you done this..also it takes 3 weeks to get appt with my dr..so as i said i will stick with mirt untill then.just need a few hours sleep to keep me going .i have only had 3 hrs sleep when i took the 7.5mg 11 days ago none since.no sleep before that for weeks on end.hence the temptation to have a couple of cans with the MIRT JUST FOR ONCE.????CHEERS HA.HA
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