Coming off mirtazapine
Posted , 11 users are following.
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.
3 likes, 291 replies
evergreen
Posted
I am feeling a lot better than yesterday, probably mainly because hubby and I are harmonious again. I was so fatigued yesterday and thought I was getting a bug as was aching all over and really struggled with my physical chores. I also had to go out a total of five times yesterday. Four times due to my sons two shifts at work, and once to get my vitamin B12 injection from the surgery. Hopefully that will perk me up.
So I am on my second day of just 0.3mg of mirtazapine. I find it hard to think my body could even register this small amount. I have no idea how I will be once off it completely. We shall see!
I feel fine really. Far better than before I went on the mirt and far better than when it started to poop out on me and gave me high anxiety and returning depression. It's so wierd, and something I cannot get my head around, except that I think that after helping me for so long, it became toxic to my body. I am going to get some blood tests done shortly after beiong fully off the mirt because I wonder how much it affected me. I have very low functioning kidneys (stage 3 kidney disease which I didn't have before mirtazapine), low white blood cell count (neutropenia), and I had frequent night time urination which has now disappeared. I would love to know if my blood tests show a return to normal.
betsy0603 evergreen
Posted
So excited for you!
Calmer evergreen
Posted
Return to the child within, make a "flash card" write out that you fell asleep without the Temazapam, say it outloud as many times and you like, our brain gets the message 10 x if we say it outloud. Or break the tablet into quarters !! Afterall you're an expert on chopping tablets. Those drops are pretty powerful I am reading, I think you've done really well, and I wish you all the very best for the last, allbeit slight hurdle.
My drops arrived and are on the "Mirt shelf" ... so much back up in preparation!
Well I'm feeling bad, no mistake, got the cold virus, my OH & son have had it so it was inevitable I guess. Everything put on hold for the weekend, 102 can't be changed with soldiering on/mind over matter and drip drip !!! Now I have to ring friends to cancel them coming for dinner tomorrow - that's the difficult bit
How are you Betsy ?? Where are you at on the Mirt' now?? Are you doing 14 day little drops? Are you feeling better after your bout of cold/virus? Takes it out of you moreso whilst on the Mirt' I think.
Love to all x
ps I couldn't get on to this thread yesterday ... that's weird, maybe it was megga busy, not sure.
betsy0603 Calmer
Posted
My cold is much better, still a cough which always plagues me for months after one of these, my lungs being my weak spot...Switching to the liquid is what did me in! I went into a wave that started mildly a week after switching to 14 mg homemade liquid. Began with crying spells now and again, though over happy things, and mutated to pangs of anxiety that I think was triggered by stressors of going out of town for Dad's birthday coupled with difficult lambings that made me WORRY. Felt raw, vulnerable, "nervy" feeling, plus low energy by afternoon. I've also had nightmares during this period that my husband actually had to wake me up from, something new for me! I'd had much more active dreaming, especially toward the morning hours, but not nightmares!
Yesterday was better, felt quite good in the AM. My hubby and I attended the world Ag Expo, did a tour, and walked around the fair grounds which are huge, and I was done. Couldn't do anything when we got home. Feeling slightly anxious this morning. This has been the worst wave I've had in a long time. So, it's day 17 after the switch to liquid. I was tempted to go back to dry cutting but dread doing that and figure it's best to just ride this out and get stable.
Note: I did what you aren't supposed to do when I switched to the liquid. I went from 14.2 to 14.0 mg (not supposed to cut) and I switched directly to the liquid without cross tapering. They recommend taking part of the dose dry and part liquid and gradually switching over. Evergreen can get away with these things, but apparently not me!
evergreen Calmer
Posted
Unfortunately I did try without the temazepam last night, and even though I felt hugely tired after the melatonin, my chest vibration started up and I had to take a temazepam in the end. Then that meant I was very delayed getting to sleep. So I know I do need them right now. Bummer.
Anyway, I hope you feel better soon and can get back to your taper. You are being very sensible putting things on hold.
evergreen betsy0603
Posted
evergreen
Posted
I only have three more days on mirt counting today. Or at least that is the plan. As always, if things don't go right I will sit back, tack stock and recalculate. But I am feeling very confident as I am not noticing the drops at all now. But I do wonder what I will be like in three days time on no mirt at all. I am on quite a high right now because I have been very good today and done loads of exercise. Mucked out the horses as well as 45 minutes on the cross trainer.
I plan to keep this thread going until I know I am free from mirt and then I am going to start one summerising the main events of this withdrawal so that people won't have to trawl through such a long thread. I really hope that it will help people. Some have to go much more slowly, others can go faster. I think my experience of WD has been a medium speed one.
Calmer evergreen
Posted
I am a tad better thank you, but still wouldn't want to party just yet
Had a total duvet/sofa day, and that doesn't happen very often (at all). I watched the last 6 episodes of Series 1 Happy Valley DVD's that my son bought for me ... talk about gruesome, but the day flew by and I feel rested and warm !! Freezing out there today.
Just a thought, if you add up all the drops over the last 2 weeks what does it come to? That's the thing here, not just the tiny bits every few days, its the overall to be wary of maybe. But you'll know if you're not right and like before, can always take a little step back.
Keep up the positive work, sounds like you're going to be a.o.k. very very soon.
evergreen Calmer
Posted
In the last two weeks i have dropped 0.6mg.
betsy0603 evergreen
Posted
Yesterday I was so busy that it was early afternoon and I couldn't remember if I took my Effexor! Really didn't want to take it again, but didn't want to suffer withdrawal if I forgot. I usually take fish oil and magnesium along with, and decided I hadn't taken any of them because I didn't have fish burps. I guess I need to use a pill box. That's how fogged my brain is on these drugs!
My friend cold turkeyed off of two psych drugs about eight years ago, and we were reflecting back on that time. She said she slept all day for a couple of months, but when she came to the mental clarity and enthusiasm she had made it all worth it. She had lost her job and couldn't afford the $1000 it would take to get her scripts filled without insurance, so had to CT.
So, it is that vibrancy that I hold out for, getting off this crud that has chemically handicapped me for all these years. I think these drugs can help people for the short term but the negatives way out weigh the positives in the longer term.
evergreen
Posted
Tonight, I take my last dose of mirtazapine. Just 0.1mg. I hope it's the last, and that I don't have to reinstate. We shall see.
Last night I got to sleep okay, although it took me around an hour and a half. But then I woke up around 3.30 am and could not fall asleep again. After about two hours of tossing and turning, I took some melatonin drops and fell asleep after around half an hour or so. So probably around 6 am. Sadly, my alarm then woke me at 7 am and I had to get up, so feeling rather tired this morning. If I knew whether the doctor was going to give me more temazepam, then I would probablly up my dose to a whole tablet for a few days to get me over the completel withdrawal of mirt, but sadly, I don't know what he's going to say. It really annoys me, because this is causing me more stress and anxiety than anything else. I would be absolutely fine if I knew my supply of temazepam was secure until I was ready to withdraw from it.
Calmer evergreen
Posted
I'm with you on that one, I used to be in that position, the number of times I have suffered more with the anticipation than the real thing amazes me how the mind can play havoc on us, hence CBT. What day is your appointment withh the GP? We'll do the voodoo doll thingy so he/she gets the message for you !!
I would suggest another angel - telling you doctor that is would be doubly hard to WD from Temazepam at the same time as coming off the Mirt' - that is sheer punishment for the doctors to stop them both at once ???
I'm ok, been messing about in the garden/greenhouse and just come in for breakfast ! Bitterley cold but beautiful, the dog walk was a treat to do and just couldn't stay indoors.
So the virus is much better now, I am feeling pretty good, lost a couple of pounds but a long way to go really, am not going to follow any diet, just healthy/sensible path
Just a thought, would you consider a sleep aid like nightol to replace the Temaz? I know its likely that you could get addicted to it but then again, it contains the anti-histamine that Mirt' contains (not sure as to how much Mirt contains mind you), and it might help with any symptoms from stopping mirt totally too. Just another thought, feel free to dismiss
Hope you get chance to have a rest after your awful night, bless you x
evergreen Calmer
Posted
I do have some nightol but it unfortunately doesn't work for me at all. It makes me very drowsy, but still too tense to sleep. When I can't sleep I get this funny vibration thing in my chest and neck and only benzos help with it. I have tried every herbal and antihistamine sleep aid going, all to no avail. I would personally be happy to stay on temazepam for life because it gives me zero side effects and I never increase the dose. I don't get withdrawal when I don't take it (apart from not sleeping, of course). But the docs just have this thing about benzos being bad. If they suit you, and you don't abuse them, then they are a very good drug. I am sensitive to so many drugs but not benzos. Many drugs give me respiritory depression (opiates, tramadol and phenagan, for example) and I get anaphalaptic shock from NSAIDs,weight gain and frequent urination from mirtazapine, unbearable side effects from SSRIs, but benzos really suit me. I just hope I can convince the doctors of that. Of course my mission woulld be to be drug free, but I know in reality, I would always need som benzo for emergency.
evergreen
Posted
This is hopefully my first day without mirt having been tapering off the last little bit with the homemade liquid. I was really tense last night but after I took my last 0.1mg I felt fine again. Could that tiny amount really be registered and have that effect on my body, or is it just in the mind? I am thinking probably the latter.
The main thing I have noticed over the last few days, is that despite eating normally for the first time in over a year, and not watching my calories or exercise at all, I am ever so slowly dropping weight. But this has only happened since the 27th January when I dropped to below 1mg. Before then I was eating normally but actually gaining weight. Yes, I am that sad; I have a graph plotting my weight and dosage every day! So even though the cravings for carbs greatly reduce as you get below 7.5mg, the effect on your metabolism is still there, at least for me in any case.
I feel very good today.
Calmer evergreen
Posted
I'm fine, have a little burning sensation with the lips today and yesterday, thought I'd said goodbye to that !
You sounds extremely organised with your eating plans/charting ... perhaps thats where I'm going wrong. Think i'll keep a food diary for a little while, see if it helps me keep on track! Pity we can't see our metabolic rate, although maybe one of those "Fit Bands" would do it for you ... hmmm, got me thinking now ~ my daughter has one, i'll ask her.
My food cravings seem to have stopped, just the metabolism running slower now, although I have noticed a few pounds lost.
Minus 5 when I went out this morning ... bbrrrr ... keep moving
Great work, hope now you will feel more confident, clear headed, and able to get the damn Temaz , fingers crossed.
evergreen Calmer
Posted
There are several websites that work out how many calories your body needs from your age, current weight, height, sex and activity level. I think mine worked out at 2100 calories a day. But with all my charting, I realised that if I ate that many callories I actually put on weight. I managed to work out exactly how many callories I actually needed to stay the same weight on mirt and it was just short of 1800, so 300 less than a person of my age and size who is not on mirt. So somehow the mirt was making me need 300 fewer calories a day to maintain my weight. Which is why, coupled with the cravings, it is so hard to lose weight on the stuff. I can't believe I did it when I look back. Now, I'm eating so much more and actually losing weight. I have also been able to drop the workouts to twice a week down from every day. I will step those back up in the summer when I'm doing less work with the horses.
Back to your liquid mirt. I think you might find the step down from 0.75mg a bit much. I really couldn't cope with even one day when I was down to 1.8mg which is why I had to do the liquid. But you have gone more slowly than I did so perhaps it might not feel so bad. We are all so different.
Calmer evergreen
Posted
evergreen Calmer
Posted