Stopped taking Mirtazapine Cold Turkey

As pre post says it sounds as though you have come off to quick.

I started by halving the pill, then halve again and now take only about one eighth. Even stopping coffee in one go gives you withdrawal symptons

HI CONNIE,,if i was you i would take evergreens advice given to go4199,,i also came off mirt slowly 7 weeks ago with no side efects,,,just the odd feelings now and then but they stopped shortly after i am now ok,,you need to go back on the mirt to stablelise yourself,[low dose] and then reduce very slowly,,this will make you feel much better,,and then quit when you reach the lowest dose,,hope this helps     good luck             BLUESY

But haven't we came too far to turn back? I can't even think about taking it again and going thru again. Did you reinstate after Quitting? It really sucks. 😞

My goodness Connie its just frightful, last night was so bad too I had night sweats and woke up to a extremely tight chest and had to meditate to try and calm myself down I thought I was having a heart attack but so sore today.  I have had many ecg's so apparantly my heart is fine so I have to take comfort in that.  All the reactions your having I am having the same or similiar. Like you I do not want to reinstate anything I went off mirt in the first place as it was not doing me any favours, I do have valium as a back up but I don't use it as i too have a child and need to be able to drive and maintain a household.  I didn't realise histamine was in this drug that explains a lot. What is significant though is your right doctors don't believe you and neither do pharmacists they say its out of our system and done and its just the anxiety coming back, but I call BS as you say our bodies know what is going on.  The only confort I have is that i have had numerous blood tests since coming off it and have had a couple of goodish days. I will keep you posted, in the meantime take care of yourself.

HI,,CONNIE08861,,yes i did reinstate but after a short time 4 days,,i started on 30mg for dep/anx/chronic imsomnia/panic attacts,,the 30mg was too heavy and made me a zombie,, so then restarted on 7.5mg after two weeks i started to feel a lot better i stayed on 7.5mg for 10 weeks and improved more by75%,,i then reduced too 5mg then slowly,slowly came OFF that was 7 weeks ago i am now ok,,i did have side effects,,mostly the same as you [panic attacks in the night,,sweating,,headache ect]  but i persisted and it worked i am sure it was the low dose of mirt and reducing very slow that did it,,also,,,,, i had no side effects after i quit the mirt,,as you are still unwell you need some s   s                 

sorry p/c playing up,,,,as you are still unwell you need some sort of medication to help you get well again,,,,,,,,,,,all the best   BLUESY

Hi!  I also wore a 24 hour halter heart monitor a couple weeks ago and my heart is fine.  palpitations make me so nervous and crazy.  I have started on some natural supplements and it has been 3 weeks and although I have a good day every now and then I still struggle not knowing how long this will last.  I have xanax as last resort for insomnia as I sleep very very poorly.  I am trying to take care of my self best I can with a positive attitude but sometimes its very hard because I don't feel like the mom I was before and it makes me feel so guilty.  I have so many times thought about re-starting but I have endured too much to turn back now. Let's get to the light of the end of the tunnel.  please let me know how you are doing. xx

Hi Connie, I was booked in for a heart halter too but cause I had a stress test and ecgs I know it's not my heart. It's nearly week 6 and the palpitations have settled down maybe it's because when it happens I just deep breathe and it goes away. Yesterday I had a good day clear minded and able to drive if you get a good day go with it that's all I can say. I had no sleep last night and that has made me go backwards. Also getting test result that has scared me. Good food helps too fish, bananas, almonds help. I can't eat much but when I eat those I feel better. I understand about the mum thing I feel I've let my child down and cry often about it.

On the positive though some of the symptoms have eased. Itchy hands, headaches and slowed down which tells me it will just take time and I'll get there. So give yourself more time x

also Connie, get your self a mate or buddy up with someone that you can talk to about it, just having that one person can help you through, the support is amazing.

I still get itchy but not too bad, taking antihistamines day and night. Now I am shaky inside. It's hard to settle down at bedtime. Do you ever fall asleep but get woke up a minute later like an adrenaline rush and feel your body shaking inside? Then I know there will be no sleep. I still try to be the best mom I can be, when I feel good I just run with it because it doesn't last too long. It's got to end its insane!

Yes the shakes are awful and yes yes yes wake up by the shakes and adrenaline I called them tremors in my back especially and that's it can't get back to sleep. I use 2 mediation apps to try and sleep again sometimes they work sometimes they don't, I just put the headphones in a do the best I can, and get a wheat bag for comfort. I will msg you the apps that I use

You have been off 7 weeks? You are fine now no symptoms? You are inspiration that this will end. I have 3 weeks behind me. What were the 7 weeks since stopping like? Thanks!

You have been very supportive for me! Thank you! Lets keep in touch 😊 are you in US? I am in Florida.

Wow so similar! I get jolted up and my whole body shakes inside and then I get nervous because I think I'm going to die. Then I'm wrecked with anxiety and racing thoughts. I listen to YouTube meditation but will check out whatever you can recommend. When I do deep breathing and try to calm myself I feel my heart skip beats. I used to be an easy going person now I'm a nervous wreck. I have seriously googled mental hospitals in my area. *sigh*

HI CONNIE,,the 7 weeks since quitting was and still is were ok just the odd days when i felt a bit down but that wore off quite quick,,i still have some nights that i dont sleep too well i take trazodone for this sometimes.stick with the way you are and i am sure you will soon be well completley,,,i did find that i was thirsty a lot and drank lots of WATER this may of helped flush my system out quicker,,,persivere and you will be ok   good luck,,,keep in touch,,if i can help you buzz me,,,,,,,BLUESY

Hi Connie, I was exactly the same, I was to far in so I had to go with it, I'm ok now but it took 3 solid months x

I was in your shoes at Xmas, feeling guilty because I had no energy. I couldn't even watch the TV because my mind and thoughts wouldn't stop, palpitations, headaches, my body didn't feel insink with itself. I believe this medication and it's withdrawals will be on Panorama one day it's that frightening, it's not for the faint-hearted but you do become yourself again I promise x

thank you it has been a struggle.  it's just insane that you stop taking the medicine and it is long out of your system but the withdrawals persist - I am on a month now. headache, dizzy, nauseous, brain fog, itchy, palpitations, high blood pressure(top number) anxiety, nightsweats, insomnia.  that is ALOT of symptoms to stop an "antidepressant".  

Sorry to step in on this vikki but I'm so glad you posted this. I was thinking give myself 3 months as a future goal. So you went through it all too? And back to your self again ?

Yes I had the full W/D, I was thrown back when the withdrawals got worse at week 10, I was so tired of it all, 90 day's is a long time to deal with all the different levels of withdrawal. I finally got there properly but it took the whole 3 months, had I known about tapering I wouldn't of put myself through it. Good luck

I know right all this over a tablet, i get why GPs don't really know too much about it because i sound over the top trying to make myself clearly understood and just get a funny look 👀 , my family or friends don't understand my situation because they just don't seem to get it. It was so bloody frustrating, I hope your 3 months pass quickly x

I'm sorry you went through this the docs give me that look too. Did you just stick to taking no ADs or did you have to go on something to help you?

I forgot to mention that I too have high blood pressure as a result of the w/d's (palpitations) and i still have high blood pressure even though the palpitations have been gone for a while, I'm due a follow up app so I'm going to check it out but if I did get any feedback that is useful ill let you know x

Hi, I didn't want to go on any other A/D because of unknown side affects that we don't know about, my low mood and lack of purpose is getting me down though so it's hard for me to know what's best to do, I'm just sat about waiting for nothing it seems, my daughters away at uni and my youngest child lives with my mum. I've never had a great relationship with my mum, when I was 11 my parents split and my mum wanted to live her life kids free so I was left to roam around, I don't think my mum knows how I feel to this day but she has financial gain over me with my youngest and money talks especially to 15 year olds. I've ranted on too much I'm sorry it's just so hard. do I need A/D or do I hope there's going to be some hope, what do I do, I'm desperate to move forward but I don't want it to be because of meds, I lost my husband in 2008 and I thought I'd done ok job but now I'm alone without a purpose and without a family, I've never known when to quit but this is the closest I've been, I've tried taking to my eldest but there loyalty is towards my mum because money always wins. So sorry for the ranting, I wish you a speedy recovery.

I seen doctor yesterday - he looked at me and said 4 weeks off???? it's out of your system you should be fine. yes it's out of my body but my brain is still healing.... how can they understand they have never went thru mirt withdrawal. the only people that understand is everyone that has actually went thru it.  People on forums like this one...

yes, high blood pressure (another worry) and palpitations - so hard to deal with . feels like my heart is skipping beats, going so fast at times... "anxiety" is what I'm told - that I should be on "something". (really?)

I'm scared of ADs now I never want to touch them again, side effects unknown and I'm not going to trial different ones just to see what happens!!! But I feel absaloutely shocking today so much pain and food tastes terrible. I wonder what's going on here am I going through anxiety attacks or the withdrawals or a medical problem???

We all need a purpose it's hard when life is tough, find a little something and do the best you can to reach it.

I lost the stone I'd put on by the end of the 3 month withdrawals, I couldn't eat any processed food as it tasted sickly sweet, im eating for quality rather than quantity now which is the only up side.

The w/d's are mind/body altering so I'd put it down to that. If you don't normally have that level of anxiety then that's the w/d's too.

It makes you question all the things happening and why,😱

I can honestly say I have my mind and body back but I still don't sleep well, they say that it will return with CBT and everything else has so now it's only the sleep it's bearable. Good luck

Hi Bluesy,

Please help. I came off Mirtazapine cold turkey 7 weeks ago. Had to go back on 3.8mg 5 to 6 weeks later cos of the anxiety. Then after 5 days went up to 7.5mg. I have been on this for 7 days. How long will it take to stabilise so fed up with all this? Or should I go back to my original dose of 15mg until I stabilise?

Hi Vikki, hope you are still on the forum, I'm just wondering how long you were on Mirt for before you quit? I've just gone cold turkey from 15mg 5 days ago (doctor never mentioned tapering!) and having terrible muscle tremors/vibrations all day and night since. I was 'only' on it for 3 months so hoping the withdrawal wont be so drawn out for me but wondering whether I'd be better off going back on or if its too late for that?

Hi Linda, how long were you on it for? I'm going through it now myself and don't know what to do, it's a nightmare :-(

Hi Robbie, I can so empathise with you. I was on 15mg Mirtazapine for 9 months. I quite cold turkey big mistake my doctors have said. The first week was ok by second week I had totally nausea couldn't eat lost a stone in weight over 4 weeks. By the 4th week I started to get anxiety which has got progressively worse. Went back on a quarter tablet for 5 days not much use after 5 weeks cold turkey. Then went on 7.5mg for 8 days still no improvement. I went back on lower doses as lots of information told me to do it that way. However my doctor said I should go straight back on to 15mg. And on another website a doctor stated that the only way to get rid of severe withdrawal effects was to go on a therapeutic dose of 15mg. She said anything less would not remove withdrawal symptoms. I was very poor so decided to increase from 7.5mg to 15mg last night. She also said to stay on this and very very slowly taper after being on this dose for a while. This morning I am feeling much better than yesterday so I am hoping it will work. If you have only been off the drug for a short while reinstating at 15mg I am sure would get rid of your withdrawal pretty quickly. Don't think you have failed in your attempt to come off this. It just means that you have learnt never ever to do cold turkey. This is just my opinion and experiences but I have been weighing up a lot of conflicting information and feel this approach might work for me. I will keep you posted of my day to day progress. Good luck I know exactly how you feel. Please keep in touch here and perhaps we can encourage one another. Please prompt me by sending a message each day to remind me to write an update.

Hi Linda, thank you for taking the time to reply. It's reading stories like yours that has really scared me, I'm sorry you have had to go through this. My doctor didn't mention anything about tapering, just said take 15 for a week (i had been on 30 for 2 weeks on her advice), then you can come off it. I started getting a lot of muscle tremors 2 days after going back down to 15 and couldnt sleep through it they were so often so went back to her after 4 nights and she didn't mention anything about it may be withdrawal - she wants me to go for another brain scan and put the fear of god into me! She then said switching to sertraline the next day would be fine and I've had a week from hell since! Phoned this morning and got put through to the same doctor and again she doesn't think it's withdrawal and was surprised when I said maybe I should go back on it and taper. I said I've read a lot of horror stories about coming off it since and they all say you must taper very slowly and she said well I've taken lots of people off it the same way as you did and nobody has had a problem!  So frustrating!! I don't know now whether to go back on 15 or try 7.5 as like you I've read lots of contradictions and there's no point in listening to what the doctor advised!  I just want to get off this drug now but can't go through much more of how I feel at the moment. So sorry I ever gave in to the pressure and went on this horrible drug, I'm so scared right now that these twitches aren't going to go away :-(

 

Robbie please believe me- about 3 doctors in my practice said that cold turkey is not advisable. There are a few lucky people that can do this but not many. Even psychiatrist online know about cold turkey withdrawal and advice reinstatement then a slow gradual taper. But there is one doctor however in my practice of the same opinion as your uninformed doctor. I trust all my other doctors much more as they are more caring and committed to their profession and keep up to date . There will always be doctors who think they know everything and don't

take time to keep themselves up to date with current psychiatric medicine and serious withdrawal problems cold turkey off anti depressants. My advice is to get a doctor that realises cold turkey can result in what they call discontinuation symptoms. There are doctors out there who are well informed and will help you get stabilised before you quit slowly.

Hi Linda, I do believe you, and the many others who have posted about this.  I just can't believe I was prescribed this drug in the first place and why all doctors aren't aware of how difficult it is to get off!  Do you think I should go straight back on 15mg or try 7.5 first?

Robbie i was prescribed this last year for anxiety and depression after breast cancer treatment treatment.I was put on Mirtazapine at 30mg but went back down to 15mg . Generally you would stay on an antidepressant for at least 6months and if you are feeling better you would taper very slowly then. There is a website online called 'Just Answer' which has experts who give advice the psychiatrist I got was extremely helpful. It costs £22 for an answer back fairly soon or £29 for an answer back straight away. You can keep asking more until you are satisfied. He will let you know what is best1) to go slowly up starting at 7.5mg for a week then up to 15mg or 2) go up to 15mg right away as you have only been off it a very short time. Hope you can manage to consult these experts let me know how you get on.

Amazing, thanks so much linda

"The Mirtazapine should be out of your system by now. You do not need to worry about withdrawal. The sertraline dose is quite low and is usually well tolerated. Those that are sensitive to it tend to notice something right away. Mild symptoms often go away after a couple weeks. Moderate to severe symptoms should warrant discontinuation and a trial of another agent."

Trust me to get 'Dr Bob'!! Not sure where he's copy and pasted that from!? I'm not sure he's even read my question properly!!

he says I wouldn't have withdrawal after only 13 weeks taking it

"Not at that dose for that short of a time. I really don't buy that. It's more likely to me that you are not tolerating the sertraline. The twitching may be the result of stress and fatigue...the most common triggers. I agree with you that not knowing what is causing your symptoms is stressful and may be making them worse. Have you seen a mental health professional about this? GPs do a pretty good job, but when things begin to circle out of control a specialist is often needed. The good ones can nail down the diagnosis with greater clarity and work on getting symptoms under control even without medications. The meds should be supplementary, if needed."

See if you can get a referral to a mental health professional, both to confirm the diagnosis and get on a treatment plan that is more targeted to your situation. You might consider asking about a low dose benzodiazepine (e.g. ativan, xanax) to take the edge off your symptoms while you are adjusting off the Mirtazepine and transitioning to sertraline (or another agent). These medications are often used to temper the symptoms of withdrawal.

16/07/2018 07:38ok. So you dont think I should go back on it and then taper off slowly?16/07/2018 07:50[Dr. Bob]Dr. Bob 

No. I think it is too late for that, and will only mess you up more. The sertraline is low dose, so the risks are low, and you can increase slowly if necessary once you are feeling better overall.

Hi noticed this Dr. BOB Robbie and to tell you the truth I was not too keen on his advice he was giving to other patients. So sorry you didn't get one of the 2 doctors I consulted. I will try and send you a link to what one of them told me.

It won't copy Have you got an email address I can forward my link email to you?.

I didn't know what to do last night so ended up not taking it again and twitching/tremors all night again :-( I'm starting to think there's something seriously wrong

Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service.

Or perhaps you could show me how you copied your answer on to this webpage?

Hi Linda, 

I just did a normal copy and paste into the reply window. Right clicked and copy on the other page and then right clicked in the message window on here and paste. Is paste not showing up?

cold turkeyed mirtazapine 6 weeks ago and had totally nausea for 4 weeks. I then experience anxiety at its worse between 5 weeks and now. I started a reinstatement of 3.9mg of Mirtazapine 4 days ago but feel I should maybe up dose more to 7.5mg as still feel the same. My doctor wants me to go ...

This is first part of my question I can only do all this in chunks

.........g.o straight back up to 15mg and stabilise for a while before tapering very slowly. Don't know what to do as trying to make the right decision is making me have more crap anxiety. I have read that to it straight backup to 15mg is too much. But would going up to 7.5mg improve things. Would be so grateful for your advice. I have lost a stone in 5 weeks. JA: How long have yo

I have sent you an email Robbie didn't see yours until late yesterday as it was in a promotions file.

2 things also in my opinion you should consider.

1) Why did you stop the Mirtazapine. You generally have to stay on it for at least 6 months for it to work and then taper off very slowly.

2) Why did your doctor put you on Setraline? I think it would be best in my opinion to be back on Mirtazapine to get rid of cold turkey symptoms and stay on it for another 3 months. I don't know however if you can just stop the Setraline and go back on the Mirtazapine. You would really need advice on this I don't think you should be taking both AD'S.

Morning Linda. No problem, I just read your email and have replied. Thank you for your support. I hope you are doing well now

Hi,

Old post but wondered how your withdrawal went, did things finally settle down? I took 7.5mg for many months and went down to 3.75mg for two weeks then stopped. I should have tapered longer. Anyway lots of horrible nausea/malaise feeling which make me feel hopeless and feelings of despair like bad depression.... Waves of irritability, anxiousness, nervousness, bouts of muscles that feel weak or like trembling, arm pit sweats, and other strange symptoms that

come and go.....

It feels like norepinephrine spikes causing the anxiety, sweats, and muscle shaking.... and serotonin tanking causing the depressed

feelings. Just a guess. Not sure if withdrawal can cause such neurotransmitter influxes or

not.

I've have been able to sleep most nights but some nights are rough and I feel a bit anxious and fall asleep late and wake up really early.

I'm now dealing with fatigue and spacey feeling just wanting to lay down and do nothing...

I'm only two weeks off. I'm hoping the worst is behind me.

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