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Coming off mirtazapine

Posted , 11 users are following.

evergreen
evergreen

I thought I would start a new thread to give people tips for coming off this drug. I have gained so much advice and support from people on here and I owe my (so far) painless withdrawal to them. People like Calmer and Betsy, and plenty others too. I have been on 30mg mirtazapine for four years. I tried to come off them a couple of years ago and failed miserably, returning to my full dose after 10 days of awful anxiety and insomnia, as well as migraines and nausea. I had cut my dose to 15mg for a week and then dropped to zero.

This time I read every thread on here about mirtazapine withdrawal and started off really slowly, cutting down by just 3.75mg for two weeks. Then by a further 3.75 mg. At the same time I started taking a lot of inositol. I take a huge heaped teaspoon in my tea every morning. I had only slight nausea when I first started dropping my dose but I think that was me getting used to the inositol. Once I was down to 22.5mg of mirt, with no withdrawal symptoms, I figured I could go a bit faster and dropped my dose down to 15mg. I had no withdrawal symptoms after ten days and so have now dropped my dose to 11.25mg. I use a simple pill cutter from ebay to cut my tablets. So I am now on three quarters of a 15mg tablet. Mirtazapine had pooped out on me and so I already have terrible insomnia. I take temazepam some nights and benadryl on others to help me with that.

I will post my progress here. Who knows, I may fail miserably, but whatever the outcome, I hope it will help others. I was terrified of coming off mirtazapine, but now I am excited by it. I think the key is to take it really slowly and work out the pace your body can cope with. The smaller your dose goes, thee smaller the decrease in your dose should be. Good luck everyone, and please post your own experiences here. I know some people have really suffered despite coming off mirt very slowly. Everyone is different and I think everyone's experience can be a real help to others.

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  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    Just a quick update to say I am now on 0.5mg of mirt for the next two days and feeling great! I had visitors over the past three days and had no social anxiety. I have had very little sleep but that is due to having to stay iup late and get up early rather than being unable to sleep. I am only on the half temazepam. Yay!
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      All sounds very positive, I'm so pleased for you, long may it continue.  

      I've hit a fatigue, it could be a virus as my hubby has just brought one home (!), time will tell.  So I'm sticking until after a hectic weekend ... just in case.

      Best wishes x

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Hi Calmer, sorry you are feeling fatigued. It most probably is a virus, but you are wise to hold yoour dose for the time being. No point in undoing all that good work! I am feeling tired too, but I have had very little sleep so it's understandable. I have to stay awake to fetch my son from work tonight, but after that I have a few nights off the tax  duty, so can hopefully get a few early nights in. I hoppe you start to feel better soon x
  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    This is my first day of 0.4mg of mirtazapine. I am seeing some return to my pre-mirt ways of thinking. The protection bubble that mirt provided is all but gone and I am far more delicate once again. Yesterday, for example, I had to drive my son back to uni as well as also ferrying my other sone to and from work and to his friend's house. I also had to muck out and care for the horses, cut my husband's hair, and do the washing and cooking. I had a near [anic attack whilst driving the hour long journey to Nottingham. My son forgot something so we had to turn back. I desperately needed a pee but couldn't go because it was a new car and partway there the remote control stopped working and so I didn't dare turn the engine off. Then my son wanted to stop off at a Tesco to do a bit of shopping. It was all too much! I somehow held it together but refused to stop off for the shop but then felt crippling guilt for not doing so. Guilt has always been my bug bear. I was brought up to feel guilty abaout virtually everything and this has damaged me so much because I am racked with guilt almost continously about almost everything. I seem to be a guilt catcher surrounded by guilt throwers.

    Anyway, that's just how I am. It is not withdrawal symptoms. I have alwaays been this way and I am realising just how much the mirt was shielding me from this. Whilst I still felt more guilt than the average person whilst on it, it was nowhere near my 'norm'. But I want to be med free and therefore need to accept this is how I am. Maybe I need to explore some CBT. I will ask to go on the waiting list for some when I next see my GP which I plan to do as soon as I am fully off the mirt.

    On the plus side, I am sleeping well still on half a temazepam.

    I was a little disturbed last night when I found myself thinking about how I would kill myself. But I wasn't feeling depressed. It was just a 'what if' thing. I'm not going to do it. But it worried me because I used to think about it in the same way quite a lot before going on the mirt.

    So this is not due to withdrawal. I know this is just the last protection the mirt gave me dwindling away. This is me, and I have to live with that now. As my husband says, 'every up has a down. That's living.'

    How is everyone else today?

    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      I would say you had a hell of a day, all too much, pressure, stress, family's come first but my goodness, poor you!  And all when dipping off the Mirt' ~ it plays a heavy load on your mind too, no wonder you were having the unwanted, abnormal thoughts, mental spam, call them what you like ~ yes through CBT and Mindfulness (there is someone I can recommend privately in Southwell), has a wait list, he was recommended to me by my psychologist if you're interested?  I wanted him but he had a 2 month wait list at the time, you would be good to follow up coming off Mirt to this, extra support?

      Yes I agree, Mirt does offer a protection, a safety net, enables us to be able to cope with more, I think that is why we may be slightly more vulnerable once off it ... catch me if I fall ha!

      That scenario you describe, you called it disturbing ... you could learn and practice a small meditation to bat this away, not giving it any chance at all, diddly squat, nill chance of growing.  CBT/Mindfulness again, and the guilt, we all love to be needed but there is a limit and it sounds like you reached it & the rest yesterday - bet you're wacked today, I know I would be.

      I am still feeling the fatigue, I am ok whilst busy, I don't feel tired at all then, it's when I sit down to paperwork, computer etc ... the eyes seem to burn and seem watery and heavy.  I'm not sure if this is just the low dose being more sedating or actual withdrawal ~ perhaps I should ask the other forum.  I sleep well, and find it very difficult to rise from my bed in the morning, just not like me.

      Hey ho, another drop for you also tonight, me too, getting closer to the end hopefully.  Let's keep being positive and smiling in the meantime, onwards and downwards with the Mirt'

      x

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      The fatigue you are having is very strange, Calmer. Be careful not to blame it all on the withdrawal or different doses of mirtazapine in case it is something else. I found that once I was used to the mirt, I no longer got the drowsiness and fatigue, even at lower doses. Although I AM finding it harder to get up in the mornings, but this soon passes once I'm up, and I think it's due to only ever getting around 7 hours in bed due to all my other commitments. If your fatigue continues much longer then perhaps you need a check up from your GP.

      I have been refused more temazepam. That's a blow and a cause of stress in itself as I don't know what I'll do. It's my last sleeping crutch. I have an appointment with a locum next Thursday, and enough to get me to then. I'm going to have to beg for some more. I hate this situation. I have actually cut down my usage over the last couple of weeks so I'm hardly getting more addicted, but the GPs are so scared of prescribing them due to lawsuits. I just hope the locum is sympathetic.

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi Ladies, I'm back! I will try not to make a nuisance of myself LOL!

      Actually, I know of two people on the mirt FB page who have had severe fatigue as they got down to the low doses.  Nathan is one, and he is in such despair over the fatigue, it is upping his depression.  He has been worked over by his doctors for other explanations.  I think it was decided that he go ahead and begin dropping again.  He had gone from 5.5 to 4.5 mg, had a severe WD response so reinstated 5.5 mg which didn't work, and he has had the severe fatigue 24/7 ever since, over four months.  Everyone was encouraging him to hold and wait for stability, but at this point I think he's as "stable" as he will get.  That drop he did was 20% and too destabilizing.

      I seem to have run afoul with the liquid mirt.  I had been taking 14.3 mg in dry cutting/weighing, then switched to liquid with the Ora-Plus suspension liquid, and went to 14 mg.  After a week I found I was more emotional, having crying spells though not unhappy ones.  Then, the perfect storm came up this weekend.  

      I have ewes lambing, bad timing.  It was my dad's 87th birthday on Saturday so hubby and I were to be out of town Saturday/Sunday.  Friday evening I had a ewe fail to progress so had to pull the lamb.  Jugged her in the horse trailer for bonding.  I began to worry about such birthing difficulties if anyone tried to lamb while I was gone.  Then, Saturday morning a ewe had twins, but she was alternating between letting them nurse and butting them away!  My stress level took off, worrying over her.  My near neighbor was coming to feed and another friend said she would stop by.  She called while we were on the road and reported that the mom was taking good care of them.  Well, I was already in a wave at this point, though her check gave me great relief.  I had old fears cropping up, crying, worry, ruminating.  I'd been just fine the week before!

      It's the thoughts and sensations of anxiety flowing through my body that are so distressing.  I try using meditation, interruption and redirect but it wasn't helping, until finally in the evening I settled.  Ruminating came back when I woke, so I did a "cycle" with a connection buddy and let it fly, felt much better afterwards.

      I'm going to give the liquid another day or two, but if I remain this unsettled, I'll have to go back to weighing, which I hate!

      Evergreen, I am troubled by your temazapam supply being cut off!   Do you have enough to stage a taper off?  Doesn't likely have to be as exacting as the mirt, but still would be good since you are already challenging your nervous system with the mirt taper.  I hope the locum helps you out!

      Meanwhile, I am happy for you that your taper has gone so well!

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen betsy0603

      Posted

      Hi Betsy. Great to have you back. We need you here! So sorry you have been having a rough time of it. Maybe you could try my homemade liquid. I've found it is really accurate and easy with no fiddly weighing.

      I am so peed off about my temazepam because I really do need it and the thought of having to taper off it before I am fully off the mirt is sending my stress levels way high. I am hoping the locum will take pity on me. But to be fair, I envisage always needing a small amount of temazepam for emergency use even if I get my sleep somewhere near normal.

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 evergreen

      Posted

      It seems to me that you greatly improved your sleep over the last several weeks.  You were having pretty bad sleep even with temazapam when we first got to know you on this journey.  I'm holding out for you being able to sleep well on your own, if you could do a proper taper off T, having it for emergencies as you said.

      Was there a time when you took mirt that you did sleep well with it?  These drugs poop out and the very thing that they were supposed to help with, insomnia/anxiety/depression return even on it.

      Anyway, I'm feeling better after a big tantrum-crying spell this morning and checking in with everyone, managed to move out some unsettling energy. Phew!

    • evergreen
      evergreen betsy0603

      Posted

      That's good, Betsy. Glad you feel a bit better.

      Yes, mirtazapine made me sleep like a baby for more than three years. Then it started to make me have frequent nightime urination which kept me awake some nights, and other nights I slept. Then it got so bad I was having to take temazepam again after being completely off it for three years. Then the mirt pooped out completely for sleep and my depression and axiety, so with the weight issues too, I decided to come off it.

    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Hi all,

      Sorry you're having these spells Betsy, we really are all different with our withdrawals, these crying spells are a way of ridding any tension, I wonder if you feel better once they cease? Crying can lift you right?  I suppose there is no way of knowing what actual dose you are getting with the shake method, I may well be doing this if my doc cuts me off liquid, as it is so much more expensive it is possible.

      With regard to the docs saying no moe temazapam, I think that is dreadful, at this cruical time in withdrawal, I would go in on that angel, maybe after begging bargaining might be the next, saying you will only accept this as the last batch maybe?  

      Yes I think Nathan has the fatigue much worse than I do, I have been megga busy over the weekend & yesterday, and the fatigue today was too much, I had a nap and got to sleep ok (hurrah hurrah), which is wonderful as I'm out tonight... so in turn I feel that I can "cope" !!

      I think you are still protected well in that 14 mg dose Betsy, it is just that you are sensitive to the drops, don't ever do a 10% it may knock you, maybe talk to the local herbalist for a support supplement specifically for your symptoms ... homoeopathy also, maybe Bach flower remedies, I think there are one or two for weepyness.  I think the very fact that you are physically busy so much it is hard for you BOTH, at least I can rest up once or twice a week, have a nap!  

      I am ionterested in the discussion on fb re the slow metabolism ... could this be you Betsy?  The things you can test for and relate it to AD's/Mirt' ~ it gets more complicated !!

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Good that you managed a sleep, Calmer. I wouldn't stand a chance. I had a terrible night last night when a gas gun bird scarer started goin off at 4.30 whilst it was still dark and kept me awake going off every 30 minutes, so the anticipation was enough to drive me insane. Now it's just banged again which means I have to track it down through muddy dark fields and with it only going off twice an hour, there's little chance of that. My anxiety levels are sky high!!!! So not a hope in hell of any sleep tonight unless I can find the damn thing and turn it off. Then someone turns it on again. They should be banned!
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      OMG ... so right, should be banned, I hear them in the distance daytime, but at night nooooooooooooo ... poor you, just the last straw, hope it stops, is there no one you can ring, farmers etc?
    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      No sad It's a big counttry estate so office hours only. I will ring them tomorrow, but nothing will be done because in the day time they are all going off anyway and they have in excess of ten of them around us so how to find which one it is? I am expecting another bang any minute now, then I will have to go out and search for it 25 minutes later and hope that it bangs when I am close by. So hard to locate a single sound which is so far spaced apart. I will have to go out into the dark fields alone as husband not back until late.
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Any luck finding the bird scarer victim?  And more importantly did you manage to get any sleep?  And the rest of the household ... ear plugs any good?  I always take some on holiday and when we're away visiting, not that we go away that often, rather be at home smile

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Hi Calmer, thankfully it didn't go off again last night. But I was so wound up that I had three large glasses of wine. We watched 'The Martian' on DVD, which was brilliant and I had a good sleep.

      This morning I would be fine except that my husband has fallen out with me. I always end up doing something to upset him.

    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Sounded like the perfect family scene for a minute than, I was getting quite nostalgic lol ... cook him his favourite that usually works for me ...

      When i drink wine I get the "burning symptoms" that Mirt can bring ... so quite happily I stick to G&T (!)  Not many tho' - Mirt just can't mix with it for me ... shame.

      Glad you slept well anyway, makes a world of difference.

      x

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Yes. Poor hubby is just so work stressed at the minute and I'm the one he snaps at. Trouble is, when that happens all my guilt problems kick in, even though I've done nothing wrong. I wish that hadn't been drummed into me as a child so much by my mother. I was always doing something to upset her too. It was always my fault. Anywho, I am definitely going to ask about some CBT to help me with that, and if I get nowhere with the docs, will look up that recommendation you gave me. It's just a good hour's journey away from me to add to a busy schedule. Speaking of which, I really ought to get going on all the massive list of jobs I have to do today, but can't get myself motivated!

      I hope you are feeling less fatigued today. How are you feeling?

    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 evergreen

      Posted

      I'll send you a self-help CBT site I found online, actually a UK site!  I get the business with childhood patterns repeating, haunting us.  I'm a big-time "merger," people-pleasing and putting others' needs ahead of my own, over-extending myself to others and then regretting it, saying and doing to make the other person comfortable, solve their problems, take them on as my own, etc.. When my hubby gets upset I immediately take it on as my problem.  Awareness is half the battle!  
    • evergreen
      evergreen betsy0603

      Posted

      Thanks, betsy. I definitely need to rewire my brain. I really am my worse enemy and set myself up to be treated badly sometimes. People know how to pull on my strings. I never start the fights and am always the one working the hardest to mend things, then feel resentment which gets buried and comes out as anxiety and depression.
    • betsy0603
      betsy0603 evergreen

      Posted

      Yup, you and I have a lot in common!  We can do this!
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