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Can mirtazapine cause peripheral neuropathy

Posted , 23 users are following.

gina18608
gina18608

Hi. I'm in my late 40s and have been taking Mirtazaine for 3 years. In the last year I've had itches in my legs and burning feet. I came off the Mirt in mid November and have been exeriencing worse symptoms of peripheral neuropathy - itchy burning feet and pins and needles in my hands (mainly at night). I'm otherwise healthy (no diabetes) and wonder if the Mirt caused the neuropathy. Anyone else had similar?

1 like, 28 replies

28 Replies

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  • evergreen
    evergreen gina18608

    Posted

    I doubt it. I do get restless legs for about 10 minutes or so shortly after taking my dose. But then it quickly settles down. Mirtazapine has actually stopped all my itching that I used to have daily before taking the drug.
  • philip14659
    philip14659 gina18608

    Posted

    Gina

    i am not so sure to dismiss this so easily as I have been on mirtazapine for four years and two years ago developed numb feet. Just cannot get to the bottom of this at all after many trips to docs and hospital to find out. Be interesting to see what others say. I put a similar post to this on a few months ago. I am convinced it is the mirtazapine and made significant lifestyle changes and no difference. I am having trouble coming off due to lack of sleep. But am trying to reduce from 30. Was on 45 and feet were worse

    • norma72045
      norma72045 philip14659

      Posted

      Hi Philip, I've was on 45mg of Mirt for 5yrs, I was given it for entirely different reasons to most people ( IBS ). I came off it once about 3yrs ago with no problem,but due to a serious illness I was put back on 45mg.         Over the last 8-9mths I've been trying to tapper off it again. Well I went down to30mg quite easily then I went to 22.5 and then my Tum was really painful. I forgot to mention this is chronic IBS. Then I redused to 15 mg and the pain got worse,so my GP suggested keep it at tht until after Xmas let it settle.  So I sent an email to CITA and they replyed it should not have been given me for IBS.  I'm now at the stage of tapering according to the CITA protocol but even Halveing that. It's a really hard drug to come off, so if your comeing off it take it real slow. Oh and I also have a numb foot.     Sorry it's such a long post but I don't want anybody to underestimate this drug.  Take Care      GO SLOW
    • daniel82425
      daniel82425 philip14659

      Posted

      Philip,I see your post is quite old ,I wonder if there is any change in numb feet. My numbness was after 3 days of taking 15mg of mirt.

  • gina18608
    gina18608

    Posted

    Hi. No it's not vitamin B - I've had all the other checks so it's not clear what the cause is. I have to say the symptoms were mild (slightly itchy and burning feet - worse if I had a drink) whilst I was on the Mirtazapine and got worse 6-8 weeks after I came off it completely (so it was obviously masking some of the symptoms). But did it cause them, I don't know?? I did see a study that showed a handful of people (out of 17,000) had reported neuropathy - all had been on Mirt for 2-5 years, all were over 40.
    • daniel82425
      daniel82425 gina18608

      Posted

      gina where did you find this study of 17000 people.? Icannot find it. I have contacted Merck the drug company that supply the drug and told them the symptoms of neuropathy when using this drug. They do not list it as potential serious side effect and I agree with you that Mirtazapineis is the cause of my neuropathy. I have contacted lawyers to sue Merck and I hope that more people will respond to this post so maybe we can pursue a class action suit.

  • 1980
    1980 gina18608

    Posted

    Hi Gina,

    When I stopped Mirta last June for two months (didn't last longer) I also ended up with tingling hands and feet, feeling of numbness etc. I was even admitted to a neurologist who performed MRI and muscle tests on hands and feet. That excluded peripheral neurpathy and passed completely when Mirta was started again. I'd suggest taking magnesium citrate and few other supplements, like cod liver oil as this kind of medication depletes body of microements. I hope this will help you and that all those akward sentations will pass. But speak to your GP for a refferal if it doesn't go.

    • gina18608
      gina18608 1980

      Posted

      Thanks. That's really helpful. Was it mainly at night? I've also had what feels like pings in my legs and occasional rapid heartbeat - could be anxiety/depression creeping back in (without the Mirt to keep it at bay). As I've been off the Mirt for 2 months, I'm going to carry on and see how it goes - hopefully it will ease (I'll let you know!). The doc has suggested I go back on the Mirt or start amitriptyline (good for nerve pain) but I'm going to try and keep off for now.
  • 1980
    1980 gina18608

    Posted

    Also it's worth noting that blood tests are not very reliable when it comes to muscles. Our teeth will break from the lack of calcium so that our blood had an optimal level of calcium. Intracellular lack of vitamins and elements can be assesed via a hair analysis or more advanced testing but simple blood test will only show major defficiencies.
  • Nessie91
    Nessie91 gina18608

    Posted

    You could ask for a Scat scan if you're worried about your muscles.  Iyou go for an injection in the morning and the. Get the scan in the afternoon.
  • terry67379
    terry67379 gina18608

    Posted

    Gina, I'm having the same problem now and it has been chronic for years as I've tapered off mirtazapine gradually.  Did you make any progress?  Are you free of the neuropathy now?

  • mary80804
    mary80804 gina18608

    Posted

    Hello gina im new to this i am also weaning of mirtazapine which i have only been taking since feb this year 15mg up to 30 then 45mg im having really bad tingling hands
  • Mrs_Cooper
    Mrs_Cooper gina18608

    Posted

    I have been on mirtazapine for only a month and i developed extreme numbness and severe pain in my hands and fingers, but the pain is stronger in my left hand. It only happens during the middle of the night and early morning, so bad it wake's me out of my sleep. I called my doctor and he has me weaning off of it now but he is unsure of why it happening... but the pain is so bad i don't want to take it at all, i just hope it is not permanent.

    • taylor71682
      taylor71682 Mrs_Cooper

      Posted

      Do you still have the numbness and severe pain? I developed the same symptoms after only 3 weeks on mirtazapine. My left arm is the most severe. My last dose was 5 weeks ago and I am still suffering. The withdrawal was a nightmare for me after only 3 weeks!

    • PG-Tips
      PG-Tips taylor71682

      Posted

      i only took 2 doses, and they were half of what the doctor wanted to start me on (7.5mg) that i cut in half from a 15mg tablet. i mostly slept over those few days.

      i decided they were not for me and then i noticed numbness and tingling for the first time in both my hands. it has never gone away, and this was around 5 to 6 years ago.

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