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Remeron withdrawal hell!!!

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potap75
potap75

I was put on Remeron (mirtazapine) by an Egyptian doctor when I worked in Saudi Arabia a year and a half ago and suffered from GERD. He told me that it would remove the nausea and help me sleep. That it did. What I didn't realize though was how difficult it would be to quit it. I'm at my wits end so please anyone who successfully went off let me know and share your experience, I really need it.

I had a surgery for GERD, but retained some hypersensitivity and pain problems despite that. I was seen by some of the most brilliant surgeons in the US and they did all tests and concluded that my surgery was a success and I'm suffering from a functional problem now.

I already tried to discontinue Remeron 4 or 5 times. I even tried to taper it over a month or two, but when I go off of it completely within 7-8 days I get the same picture: terrible abdominal pains, heartburn, cramps, some diarrhea, hunger pains, excruciating upper back aches that strangely come and go suddenly, exhausting nausea, no sleep for days, tremors, sweating profusely many times a day, general fatigue, fever like condition, shakiness, dizziness,headaches and goosebumps, electric waves over my back and head, feeling of doom, complete desperation. I have never felt all of these symptoms at once before. In fact I have never felt some of them at all ever before.

Back in April the psychiatrist told me to take it every other day for 2 weeks and then just quit it. I tried that, and after 3 weeks of terrible suffering I gave in and went back on it again. I called and talked to the RNs and they just didn't seem to believe that it could be withdrawal.

As soon as I take 7.5 mg for a day or two, all the symptoms are gone, almost completely! It's amazing. It's the only medication I've been taking since I quit all acid meds in April, 2011.

My GI Doctor told me to stop Remeron and start taking Nortriptyline for dyspepsia. I wish I could!!!! I tried again and it's been 3 weeks now and I'm absolutely dying. Nortriptyline is helping a little to take the edge off the pain and nausea and insomnia, but the suffering is still too much. It's mostly physical, mostly abdominal symptoms although I get a fair share of the other symptoms listed as well.

I even have a feeling that I don't have any underlying gastric pathology and this all is related to withdrawals. Otherwise how could it clear with the first dose or two of Remeron? A while ago when I was tapering I felt very well on 7.5 mg every 3 days but when I stopped completely - after a week all the symptoms came back with a vengeance.

Desperately,

Roman

3 likes, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • H_Girlie
    H_Girlie

    Edited

    wow that is horrible...i have been on it for two weeks and came off and it has been three weeks and I am still extremely nauseated. It is awful! I definitely think it is withdrawals.

  • dalsaan
    dalsaan

    Posted

    Hi Roman,

    I have had the same experience. Headaches, nausea/vomiting, anxiety, motion sickness, severe insomnia, aches etc etc. Have been trying to get off it for years.

    I am now on a very slow tapering regime. Basically I have got a chemist to change my tablets into liquid and am now reducing 1 ml a week. I only drop down to the next ml if everything going ok. now on 12ml and everything ok so far.

    I think some of us are more sensitive to withdrawal than others and might need to take months to taper. I think this depends on how long you have been on it and how quickly your body can make the adjustments it needs to when you reduce a dose.

    I wish you all the best

  • London_ridge
    London_ridge potap75

    Edited

    I know this post is old but I wanted to reply to it anyhow. I'm hoping you are off the Remeron safely!

    it is the remeron because I went through the same thing when I tried to get off this medication. I went from 30 to 15 mg without to much problems. I them went to down to 7.5. I decreased and went very slow. The taper itself was not very rough.

    when I was done with the remeron completely. I felt sick, vomiting, dizzy, trembling very anxious. The saddest part about this was it went on and got much worse( vs better, which seems more logical to me). By the 21 day I felt I had to get back on this medication and when I did, I felt fine by the third day. So, yes I knew it was from the remeron. I take no other medications and I was using this for sleep.

    i went to three different doctors and all of them disagreed with me which was worse because here I was caught in an addiction with no where to turn. They pretty much dismissed me. I have been looking on the web for answers and have seen so many people who have posted about mirtazapine withdrawl. No one seems to know how to safely go off this medication. I'm 60 so I could just stay on it till I die but I developed bad cramping in my muscles from it. I told my doc this and he says stay on it anyhow.

    i don't think most of the doctors know what the hell they are doing with these drugs. They would like to blame the patient .....because it lets them off the hook.Hope you are doing well!

    • david28533
      david28533 London_ridge

      Edited

      Rose, my first try (I am 61) was after 10 years on 45 mgs. 45 mg 2 wks, 30 mg 2 wks, 15 mg 2 wks, and stop. Withdrawal started almost immediately. Headaches, diarrhea, severe abdominal pains, no sleep. I called my GI doc who said that the taper had been too fast. I went back on 7.5 for six months, and stopped again 11 days ago. I have just been able to sleep the last couple of days. I still feel rotten. But, I can have times during the day when I feel a little better. I have made up my mind that I am going to try to never touch another one. My pharmacist tells me that 3 weeks is usually hump that most people need to get over, so that is my goal. I am sorry that you are having the trouble that you are. After getting clear of the Mirtazapine, I have 6 years of Lorazepam 4 mgs per day to get off of. I am determined to not have these chemicals in my body for the rest of my life!
    • basten
      basten david28533

      Posted

      my god. I tapered off 2 half years Zopiclone..ears would hiss digesting and pain all in back whilst sugars dropping. still on 7.5 mirtaz (2 half years) and 0.5 clonazepam 5 years ...all for sleep. I'd wake a.m. and feel very weak arms legs .And tapering off zop (equiv to 5mg diaz!) I started to go "high" chatty eating my porridge bread carbs a sweet any sugars fruit and if I ate these I wake weak cant move. would be zonked. and now off mirtaz....my eats hiss digesting everything and waking and if any carbs sugars bread I will wake and then have awful sexual arousal which drives me nuts and then I'd be unable to keep still, head going crazy, legs thrashing around often severe aggression. but off mirtaz has also caused histamine intolerance so suddenly nose bunged up or streams ears even worse...waking too..eyes horrible cough shooting pains head .had a blood test for allergies but immunologist said not allergic to anything...no need to cut out anything. but yes off many drugs can cause histamine release. so on top of this still.on 0m5 Clonazepam I'm in agony. I already had gastritis. my bowels are backed up badly despite laxatives I hardly go, and the pain eating anything...anything is horrendous all in my back all down my back to my bottom even legs arms burn. ears hiss non stop, I'm crying in agony. it can go on hours. it feels like my bowels have no movement, my stomach I have never in my 72 years known such hell and eating bread carbs going high and noone knows why since off Zopiclone..gp just shrugged. I can just have 5 tiny pancakes and pain and wake so randy .daughter says ..sugar..stimulates! the ear hissing drives me insane, the streaming nose the itching waking my writing is a scribble cant think ...and what I eat depends how long I sleep, which can be just 4 hours usually , at first I'd have to go back to bed and even tho I walked , flop into bed weak arms legs exhausted and sleep on off could get up till strength back gone 2 or even 4pm. very depressed .but I now have inflamed stomach .gi says nothing serious but 2 biopsies. thinks it is from bp meds (which I was put on another as off the meds my bp hypertension) and the mirtaz made me crave uncontrollably sweet stuff carbs and what I ate was disgusting until felt satisfied. all bad food so much I find I'm still prediabetic and high cholesterol. i stupidly ate some peanut butter ...some yoghurt cheese cream scones since ...my god i should have learnt with gastritis you dont do this!! but i so miserable and pray not to wake up. i could wake pain free now pain is therr waking and if i domt eat it starts. my lower back pain so bad. saw a neurologist...of course explained about the weakness waking that was all, of course tested reflexes muscles against his hands ....that fine,, your fine...its functional. oh that i said yes that means everything's fine but no cause as to why. oh you know that word...ha yes cos I've been told before .he looks at my records...oh somatisation I knew then what he thought.as a gp labelled me with this years ago after stopping Clonazepam for rls he gave me never knowing what they were, and got pain and going to bed my body would March go into waves of spamming and sooo randy again...having to get up stand in kitchen and wave after wave intermittent ending up walking the street at 12 in dressing gown to walk them off. eventually I'd fall asleep.he said its fibromyalga but i argued and kept going back and crying ..so he shouts hes going to section me ( had depression many years( as its somatisation disorder!!! in other words the issues are real but cos no diagnosis all functional! so I'm chucked in a psych ward 3 months. i had pain before and kept going a gp saying even water burns, salad...he referredme to psychiatrist. I didnt go...he struck me off his books. i had gastritis oesoohagitis and gallstones . so now the psych i was seeing i go yet again from tablet to tablet (20 in 40 years) update swap add take away...all cos i complained sleep bad again and i hated waking at 5 am but I'd wake bright and perky. i was back on Clonazepam what a fool and Zopiclone...still not realising what they were cos i slept. To cut a long story short since off zop and mirtaz I dont want to eat. I often feel sick. noone can tell me why off zop I go high eating carbs often awake till 1 yet burning all through pain and 4 slices bread only at 3pm feel ok by 12.30 am high and pain burning all in back to bottom can barely see bed and shooting pains bladder and pray dear god please Clonazepam work let me sleep. when I was put on mirtaz it started to feel tight eating and weight gain and I switched to diaz 4mg from 0.5 clon to try taper off the benz. I burning even more as now know reducing can cause worse acid....and wham then each night I'd feel randy but thank God fell asleep woke ok. but each diaz cut I'd get hyper sexual again and lay there at night legs thrashing around so randy yet could not get orgasm and fell asleep. each cut the burning was awful. gp switched me back to 0.5 clonaz which is like updosing and I was being kindled. but the urges never went..I didnt have them at all till switched to diaz...I'd say no no not again. so hence my taper off zop although my insomnia years i was scared as i o.d before when in pain no sleep after off clonaz. then I had years of awful symptoms and pain eating was awful but never shakes never panics etc.but severe depression many g.i visits ...I know now it was from off benzo yet no gp no psych knows a damn thing what the drugs do to people. I do now. the damage mirtaz has done and zop is undescribable after 7 months it's worse. yet on 3 drugs despite laxatives I pooped ok..not now gas diarrheoa a bit. I know the benzo last to go is in tolersnce as wake after few hrs before I slept well on it. wake body goes like a fit or wake with a jerk please help me it's been called I've heard an adrenal rush. god knows but these drugs are killing me. and to even taper clonaz I know what lies ahead. each cut back to even more pain more urges more legs teaching more weakness even akathasia panics fewer agroohobic...which reducing did..not washing dressing cos I live alone. and worst of all the pain as GABA etc nerve wake up increaswx acid ...ppis gaviscon do nothing...and going to bed laying in agony unable to sleep for days weeks I will end my life for sure. this is what benzos sleepers all given by gps who shoukd never have given long term and I was naive fool and then the mirtaz histamine issues disgusting mouth and waking tasting yesterdsys food. suffice to say I dont want to eat abd cut a lot then I'm so depressed cos i dont know what's happening to me so i try to eat some chocolate or cake or yoghurt and pay the price. i fiol myself . so now it sll stops but I've cause some but I figur it feels like I'm dying a slow death so I'll eat a biscuit or have a decafe coffee. I'm waiting for biopsy results and g.i will discuss. I wrote explaining everything but of course with my background and stuff he wont ne able to comment and think oh...somatisation but may give me a gastric eating study. he says my bowels are the cause off foid not emotying stomach. or gastroparesis. I also cant pee in day unless I have pooped a bit or in night or waking. yet yes I've had severe const before but perd ok all day. my story I could write a book about how I feel abused by the medical profession who have no idea of withdrawals. I have even thought I'll go back on mirtaz!!!! and coming off benzos also causes histsmine to b released hence nor pain and worsening ear hissing. what the hell have they done to me . and the neurologist ha ha going to send me a link to read...no surprise if it's not about somatisation which my defunct psych dragged up and brought up from years back all from one gps notes!! andwould I be happy to do a Zoom with someone.. ok yes.. my guess it will be s psychotherapist I didnt ask!! once branded your branded for life I've been on my knees in pain and begged not to wake up..I still do..but they say be careful what you ask for. of course I dont I want my life back as I am suffering sooo bad abd still waiting to see g.i who I had to pay private as couldnt stand wait.i had a ct scan and all ok except bowels and gas but had this show before. end result...what the hell is going on and it's got worse off mirtaz!!!!! i dont know if this will be read i dont know how ill check but I hope you got off Lorazepam. only fb groups know .

  • jean87388
    jean87388 potap75

    Edited

    I am now in my sixth week of withdrawal from Mirtazapine and yet again today I feel terrible - anxiety, nausea, feeling of unreality. Can anyone tell me how long these awful feeling last. It is very temptong to go back on this drug but I feel that I have come this far so hopefully will continue to struggle in the hope that it improves
    • david28533
      david28533 jean87388

      Posted

      Jean, I see your post frrom 7 months ago. I am over 4 weeks and still suffering miserably. Did you get off the stuff?
  • david28533
    david28533 potap75

    Edited

    I realize that it has been a while since your post, and I hope that you worked it out eventually. I am in the same predicament, almost a mirror image of the withdrawal hell. GI symptoms, headaches, nightmares, anxiety, and stress through the roof. I am 18 days into my second attempt. I ask that anyone reading this say a prayer for me.
    • n52133
      n52133 david28533

      Posted

      I've been tampering off Mirtazapine for like a week and a half and on Monday I finished taking my last pill of it. The whole time of tampering off I felt horrible, I'm especially feeling it now and this feeling has gone on for weeks. I can't get out of bed or even function currently. This is horrible I wish you the best with your withdrawal as well. I really hope this can stop soon because it is ruining my life. I'm considering going to the hospital for IV tomorrow because I can't eat. I'll pray for you and me.

  • david28533
    david28533 potap75

    Edited

    I am right there with you! Word for word! Mostly abdominal symptoms. I'm almost afraid that I have some serious, life threatening GI pathology because I just can't believe that I am suffering this way from my body craving that awful chemical. I wish you well. Today makes 31 days for me, and I have been to the ER and my PCP and have been given Phenergan for nausea and Tylenol 3 - C for pain. And, I, like you, feel desperate. Today makes 31 days since I went cold turkey from 7.5 mgs.
    • Tess777
      Tess777 david28533

      Posted

      Hey David, I know this was nearly 21 months ago, but I'm hoping you get my question.... how long did it take for the stomach stuff to dye down? I'm 8 weeks into withdrawal and still have horrible stomach cramping/pain. Sometimes it's managed with Ativan (small doses) but other times, I can't seem to manage it. I've limited my diet to very specific things, and still, not seeing much relief here.

  • pamela51740
    pamela51740 potap75

    Edited

    I know this post was a while ago but did you manage to get off mirtazapine? Mine stopped working so I haven't took one for 3 days now and side effects are bad!

    • ann55375
      ann55375 pamela51740

      Edited

      You are ahead of me but i have tapered and now at half of 7.5.  Nausea, diarrhea,anxiety,fear, and the worst vivid dreaming.  Are you having all this too?  I am scared to go to,sleep as dreams so bad.  Anyone else have these on mirt i wonder

       

    • pamela51740
      pamela51740 ann55375

      Edited

      Yes I use to love going to sleep but now it sends me into a panic!!! I wake up in the middle of the night not knowing where I am or who I am! I've been getting abdominal pains today and still horrendous anxiety and panic....we will get through this!!! I started getting silly and laughing last night at my anxiety to my husband because I am so sick of it!!!!

    • ann55375
      ann55375 pamela51740

      Edited

      Hate this sleeping problem, it affects me all day. Nausea too. Thought last night i felt so good in evening i might go to cinema today, no chance now, feel so bad.
    • pamela51740
      pamela51740 ann55375

      Edited

      I spoke to my doctor this morning and he has given me something to help me sleep better, don't know what it is called I haven't picked it up yet from the chemist. I do seem to feel a bit better in the evening but come sleep time panic sets in 😦 I hate this feeling of fear I feel petrified all day. Hopefully we will both see light at the end of the tunnel x

    • sunshine1234987
      sunshine1234987 pamela51740

      Edited

      Did you happen to start feeling any better? I am on day 12 off and lying here in agony at 3am, feel like the walls are melting and I'm screaming and screaming in my mind. I know that sounds crazy. I am not crazy. I've never been crazy! Total feeling of unreality and my thoughts are racing. I feel like I'm going to lose my mind before the end of this. Please tell me it gets better!

    • diana05769
      diana05769 sunshine1234987

      Edited

      Hi. I totally understand what you going through. I'm 2.5 months into it and God I've been suffering. Physical symptoms are worse and nausea and vomiting and sleep troubles. Also lately I am getting very bad stomach pains. My GP said it could take up to 3 months for symptoms to stop. I so had enaugh. I hope you getting through. Be strong. X

    • pauline23944
      pauline23944 diana05769

      Edited

      I agree-it's so hard but this is my third attempt and determined to get off this drug

      The panic attacks severe headaches on a daily basis are almost  to the point that I can't function but I drag myself to exercise classes and I meditate daily which helps

      im now down to 22.5mg from 30mg and now the major sedative effect has kicked in-sleep for 10 hours solid and feel tired most of the day

      i took these following bereavement two years ago but on balance wish I had dealt with my feelings rather than take this drug which has done nothing to relieve anxiety attacks but given me a host of side effects.

      I wish you well Diana.

       

    • ann55375
      ann55375 diana05769

      Edited

      So my nausea and diarrhoea ibs type symptoms are all to do with me lowering the mirtaz, thats really helpful.  I suppose then that when i jump off the 3.75 tthey will still be with me Longside other things.  I am happy the nightmares have stopped now at low level, and the ideation too.  But i do feel more anxiety and depression at the moment.  If the whole CNS is so messed up then what else can i expect?  Hoping for some better days then dropping off them.  I wonder how long the stomach problems will last.  Keep going,youre already ahead of me!
    • pauline23944
      pauline23944 ann55375

      Edited

      Hi Ann

      i'm on my third attempt to get off this drug.

      The most I was ever on was 30mg so I thought it would be easy -big mistake.

      I  have never felt well on them and they made anxiety worse.

      i got down to 15mg over 10 weeks (had been on two years in total)

      when I dropped 10% on 15mg in one week I crashed really badly.

      major panic attack and smashed up my car as result 

      I am not a depressive but suffered a bereavement two years ago

      Ive gone back up to 15mg and have stabilised on this so I guess I'm stuck here for a while.

      Ive had the lot nausea blurred vision shaking and total confusion/ panic

      This drug has tried to ruin my life but I will get off it this year and so look forward to many drug free years ahead.

      Stick with it but go slow is my advice...

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