Coming off mirtazapine

Glad that worked for you LOL!  I once had a bad bout of insomnia during a hot spell where I ended up going outside and hiking up and down our driveway in anger, so I know how very frustrating it can be in the night to find yourself bolt upright awake!

Yes, the summer heat is not conducive to sleep. I really wish I could get back to my lovely mirtazapine induced sleep. I had nearly four years of sleeping like a normal person. Such a shame it pooped out.

I'm going to stay on the 7.5mg dose now until after Christmas and New Year because I am always more stressed when I don't get plenty of alone time. I can't seem to cope very well with people around me all the time, even family. So I don't want to be dropping my dose at the same time.

Very smart of you, E.  You are doing a fine job of nurturing yourself, so important.  Yes, the sleep of mirt is lovely, but too bad it is doing such things to our nervous system in the meantime!  It's a sledgehammer where a hammer would have done the job!

Yes, the doctor I last saw told me it was an extremely powerful drug. And I agree with him. I remember when I first took it and it knocked me for six. I thought, this is going to be a ******* to come off if it makes such a change to me. The fact that it worked so fast on my depression reinforced that feeling.

I also experienced an almost euphoric feeling when I started the inositol last week, not that I minded - I felt great!!

I'm glad you are doing well so far, Evergreen! I was on mirt so short a time before tapering, about to go to 15 mg, and I wish I could go fast but am so afraid of horrible fallout, especially losing sleep.  Ugh. It seems insane to have to do a 10% taper on a drug that I was only on 6 weeks before starting to cut!

Didn't you say day 4 or 5 was when the effects from a taper hit?  How long did those last before coming back to baseline?  I was worried that this drop would be more difficult.  Hopefully you will settle again, but I strongly urge you to cut smaller from here on out!  The folks at Surviving Antidepressants recommend 10% per 3-4 weeks, as does the Ashton Manual (which is for benzos, I believe, but still applies to all psych meds).

Yes, I was expecting worse this time as I had cut my dose by a third. However, I thought I already had insomnia but that at least it responded to temazepam. Last night I went to bed at ten, and had a whole temazepam but was still awake until 3 am. At least I slept after that but I feel rough this morning. It is the driving I need to do every night which worries me the most, especially Saturday, if I don't sleep any better. My withdrawals so far have been fatigue, headache and nausea, but these have only lasted day four until six. Today is day four. I don't feel nauseous yet. The sleeping thing has so far not been a withdrawal as I had it before. But I remember not being able to sleep even with temazepam when I tried to come off it last time (far too fast), but at that time I still had lovely sleep with mirt and so reinstated it. I am hoping this will just last a few days. My next cut will not be until after New Year when I plan to cut to 3.75 mg every 3 days with 7.5mg on the other two, so much slower. can't get the liquid from the GP as he has not agreed to me going any lower than 15mg.

Evergreen, you are a star, being on call to do the driving repeatedly is every Insomniac's worst nightmare (no pun intended); I cannot think of anything worse. I remember you saying before you have to collect your son from work late at night and I understand there isn't an alternative.

I like my house to be settled in an evening, quiet and calm so that I can relax well before bedtime - in an ideal world.  All the comings and goings that you have coming up is enough to drive anyone to fear.  

Where did those days go when we were carefree and didn't worry about such things ... getting older can suck at times, we naturally worry more which in turn disables certain enjoyment.

What I'd say, which is far easier said than done, is to try to project your thinking to beyond the 4 nights you have to drive your son, and beyond the evening of 35 miles to collect your husband when your peace may return and so too, more thank likely, the better undisturbed sleep that you so desperately are prevented from getting.  Push your focus to Sunday, make it special for yourself, and set your scene for some quiet time in the evening before sleep.  

I've just phoned my doc' for more liquid Mirt', seems like I have to go there in person and request over the counter, wish me luck !!  My doc isn't back until next Wednesday ... nice timing !!

Best wishes Evergreen, thinking of you.

They really do make you jump through hoops sometimes at the doctors. I hate having to go and make my case for more temazepam. I know I need it right now, and yes, I'm aware it can be habit forming, but I have been on it on and off for over ten years and I know I tolerate it well and I am very careful not to over-do it. I hope they give you some more liquid mirt. You know best what you need to get off this med, not them. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

I was feeling on top of the world yesterday, but today, after so little sleep, I feel quite depressed. It's hard to know what is withdrawal and what is just a normal human reaction to lack of sleep. I think sometimes we depressives lose track of what being normal feels like and so every low mood gets put down to the illness returning, when really, every normal person has times when they feel down. It's NORMAL.

I have to collect my 'script this Friday, and as my GP is not there I will either get a phone call saying I can't have the liquid, or the doctors standing in for her will be so stressed and not know what to do & therefore will just write a script.  Worst case scenario is I will reduce down to 7.5 mg with the liquid I have left then halve a 15 mg tablet - then I'm back to not knowing !!  

Yes I know about that "hyper alert" state, I used to get that when my children were babies if I got over tired - take the vodka again if it gets real bad, skip the Temazepam, or maybe even have the Vodka before bed (and therefore you may lose the anxiety of the hyperness), and the Temazepam if you wake middle of the night?  

Sunday won't be long, although I do feel your pain, but you can do it, just think one day at a time.  And eat porridge before bed - it is so calming !

 

Yes, carbs at bedtime help me get groggy!

Doctors!!  I saw mine for a med check last week, asked for Remeron Soltabs so that I could make my own liquid.  I watched him typing on his computer....when I went to pick up my scripts yesterday, the pharmacy said nothing for Rem Soltabs came through!  

I still have plenty of regular mirt 15 mg to work with, measuring with my scale, but once I get lower I definitely want some way to do a liquid. I don't think we can even get the liquid here in the states so the next best is making it from the Soltabs ourselves.