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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

    Feel like death warmed up this morning. Having had hardly any sleep Wed night, I planned to take a whole temazepam after fetching my son and sleep until 7 am. No chance. One of the horses colicked and I have had to check on him throughout the night as well as be with the vet. I feel sick with tiredness now as after the first wake up alarm at 2 a m (didn't get to bed until midnight) I couldn't get back to sleep and had to check him every two hours. Soooo tired!
    • evergreen
      evergreen

      Posted

      PS horse is fine this morning but I'm on tentre hooks as lost two to colic in the past.
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      So sorry you're having a rough time Evergreen, just when you need things to go right; glad to hear the horse is alright now.  The sickness you speak of, is this the "morning sickness" you nicknamed or a new sickness since stopping Mirt?  Blimey, no wonder you can't eat in the mornings!

      Betsy I'm worried to hear of your mood swings, and crying spells, I have read of these but I am suprised you have got these with doing such a slow wd, you must be super sensitive.  Many have spoken of the crying spells but it always seemed to be the folk who were doing fast wd's.  Maybe once youu get steadied back on to your old system of crushing the tablets you may be more settled?  Just a thought.  I noticed the liquid Mirt is a different manufacturer to that of the tablets, apparently even this can cause upset.

      Something that might interest you ... I have given up sugar (well as much as I can) and the restlessness and odd anger that used to wash over me had totally gone.  I have read that Mirt' & sugar is a no no for some reason, some folk say it caused RLS, which I have had after sugar, hmmm never ending lists of Mirt side effects.  

      Hope you have a good weekend ladies, and hope youu can catch a good nights sleep Evergreen.

       

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      I used to be this way before going on the mirt. Eating was such a chore and something I just had to do to be able to function. I think it's worse today because the severe lack of sleep as tiredness makes me nauseous too. I asked the question on another website and it appears to be quite common in many women that they can't eat much until the afternoon. So yes, it's since finishing mirt, but it's not a new thing for me. I'd just firgotten how frustrating it is. I have dropped 3lbs in weight in two days. Good news, but I don't want to lose more than another five max. I am neary five foot ten and now weigh 9st 12 (138lbs) so will start looking too skinny if I get below 9st 7. I wish I could find a happy medium between the food cravings of mirt and the total lack of the enjoyment of food which is my natural state.  
  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    Morning everyone hope you're all doing okay?

    I'm going to start a new thread later because this one has become too long.

    I had a whole seven hours sleep last night. I woke up twice but got back to sleep both times within ten minutes and feel so much better for it. Still tired, but not half so nauseous.

    Our downstairs underfloor heating stopped working yesterday. I think it's the pump, so I reckon I can change that myself. No plumbing experience but so long as it isn't seized up so much as I can't physically get it out, I feel fairly confident. I hate being cold and waiting for plumbers. Hubby isn't so sure, especially as I poured the kettleful of water into the full sugar tin this morning, lol. Oh well, I'm off to B&Q for a new pump and all the tools I will need. Wish me luck!

    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Brilliant Evergreen, I am so pleased for you, another one or two like that and you will be on a roll (!)  I think good sleep promotes good sleep, some people can be too tired to be able to sleep, do you know what I mean?  That's why we need meds like Temaz' to be available, without the threat of taking them away from the GP's.  

      Oh you are so brave tackling the pump ... must say I think we'd be getting a plumber in.  So how come you poured the kettle into the sugar tin ... it's a bit like when you're exhausted when the kids were tiny and you put the washing out even though its raining scenario lol ... or put the coffee in the fridge and the milk in the cupboard !!!

      Yep I'm with you, start up a new thread, pity we can't have a stand alone one somewhere.

      I did a further drop last night, 7% ~ that's my bravery for the time being, I've only done 5%'s so far ~ watch this space lol.

      Have a great day, and i'll see you soon on another thread x

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