Down to This "Mirtazapine"

I am left with diazepamand mirtazapine but having difficulty dropping down since 155 went to 7.5 i seem to need more diazepam, anyone else found that?

Hello just thought I'd put my two pence worth in lol

I was on 30mg for 6 months, I am too weaning off I dropped to 15, it will be two months next Sunday, so I will be seeing my doctor again to see what my next step/drop is, I can't wait to have this all behind me, I too cringe when I see someone already with weight issues prescribed it!

For me mirtazapine has done nothing but wonders apart from the weight gain

Cutting down symptoms have been Insomnia for a couple of days in the first week, apart from that I've been having achy/crampy legs which has calmed down and abit of anxiety here and there

😊

Hi all.

I got off mirtazapine Nov 2015. I tapered way too quick unaware of the issues you get. Especially the insomnia. I still have some problems with sleeping but nothing like the first 6 months. Try phenergan this helped me alot. But you need to persevere with it. I took one tablet about 10 pm every night. Also ended up on sleeping tablets at different times. Also have read about there is something in cherries that helps with your natural sleep hormone. So drink lots of cherry juice. It's really hard guys but it is possible to come out the other side. Stay strong and stay determined to get off it. Keep your taper as slow as possible. It takes as long as it takes. Try not to be hard on yourself for not achieving it quickly enough. The slower the better. Don't rush like I did. I had no idea about the withdrawals of this horrible drug. Wishing you all well. Sarah. X

How fast is rushing ?

I am hating the side effects of this drug. I've been on 45mg for 9 months and before that 15 and 30. About year and a half in total.

How fast did you go ? How long before withdrawals kicked in ?

Did you go straight from 30 to 15 ? Was that ok.....any withdrawals ?

I was on 45 mg for a year n a half. I tapered down over 3 weeks to 15 mg and then stopped. The side effects started pretty much straight away. Mainly insomnia. Was lucky if I got two hours. And it would go on night after night. I would do the taper over months really slowly. As much as you want to get off it dnt rush it. The withdrawals are much worse. Get a pill cutter and just cut down and stay at that for a few weeks and then taper again, staying at that dose for a few weeks n so on. Let your body adapt to the drop inbetween. X

Yes went from 45 to 30 to 15 over 3 weeks and then stopped. Bad mistake!!!! I started getting sleep issues just dropping down the dosage. But not as servere untill I actually stopped it. X

I started Mirtazipine about 14 yrs ago, in combination with Venlafaxine. I eventually got up to 45mg on the Mirtazipine and 225mg Venlafaxine.  I weighed about 11 stone (154lb) when I was started on these drugs,  I'm frightened to go on the scales but I estimate I'm about 15 1/2 stones. I have gone from UK size 14-16 to size 20-22. My girth is enormous and I feel ugly. I reduced the Mirt for a combination of reasons. I was moody, extrememly anxious all the time, and I learned how Mirt is given to people who are depressed and not eating as it stimulates the appetite. My counsellor informed me that some people find it stops working so I decided to give it a go. I felt better a week after the first reduction of 7.5mg and had little issue until I got below 7.5mg. There is a place for it, I needed it at the start for insomnia, but it was never reviewed nor was I warned I may suffer if I try to come off it. I feel let down by my GP who has poor knowledge of the processes involved, and little interest in helping me to come off it. This drug affects so many processes of metabolism. All my GP ever says is that I need to lose weight, 'no sh*t sherlock!' my BMI is about 35! Its not just about what we put in our mouths its about how our metabolism changes. Our bodies are stopped from using fat stores so we feel extreme hunger and eat more to satisfy the endless appetite, and keep putting more and more weight on. I was going to the gym, exercising 40 mins x3/week, getting my heart rate up to 120BPM and putting weight on! 

Psychologically I feel much better since I reduced the dose. For the first time in years I have hope for a life without antidepressants!

I'm glad you benefitted from it and you are weening off it before it gets too late. 

Yes I went straight to 15, withdrawals were:

first few days; insomnia, anxiety and bad stomach cramps which lasted 2 days

and achey crampy legs which started around 3/4 week mark but have calmed down

That's all really it will be 2 months almost

That doesn't sound too bad and hopefully you'll have an easy time of it going forward, keep me updated would like to now how you do on lower doses.

Thanks Rob, I am really nervous but will keep you updated

Hi Catherine

I was really interested to read your thread.

I am on 150mg of venlaflaxine and have been for 6 weeks 2 days. Also was on 45mg of mirt.....have been for 9 months and 15 or 30 for 9 months before that. Rather bizarely I have lost 2 stone on the last year. I needed to I am 5 3 and weighed 14 stone. So now 12. My question relates to your mirt reduction.

2 nights ago I reduced from 45mg to 37.5 mg. I do feel a bit sick but I can handle that. My main problem is I feel even more exhausted if that is possible. You say you felt better a week after your first drop. How did you feel in that week. Before dropping I felt exhausted low generally sluggish. I know my cpn will want me to go back ip to 45 but I don t want to.

Also what are you views on ven ? I'm really not sure. I feel less anxious but low and exhausted. Thought it was meant to be stimulating !!!

I have had it with meds. As someone who has been on the same combo I d love to hear how the mirt reduction went for you. I'm really confused and scared and feel psych s are just not listening.

Hi Sarah, 

You don't say why your CPN is so keen for you to increase, or are you assuming this without seeing them. If you feel they are not listening then you must say so. Your illness must be quite severe to be under a CPN, and without wishing to cause offence, are you realistic about your illness? Are you trying to come off meds too soon?

I was put on Mirtazipine to help with insomnia, as time went on and my depression appeared to get worse it was gradually increased to 45mg. The anxiety I felt was extreme. I didn't know that the Mirtazipine was causing these feelings. It was only when I reduced that the feelings subsided, then I realised where the anxiety was coming from. Incidently, the reason why I reduced was because of the enormous weight gain and enormous appetite.  

In answer to your question, I felt no withdrawel symptoms apart from some itching, but as I'm perimenopausal the itching could also be down to that. The first time I had any real issue was after reducing to 3.75mg then stopping.

With 3.75mg I had broken sleep.

When I stopped altogether I had about 4 hours sleep at best. I realise that to some here this is 'luxury', but as a nurse working 12hour shifts and at the same time completing a degree it was totally impossible to sustain and the road to ruin for me mentally. 

I went back up to 7.5mg and tried smaller reductions. In the end I decided to wait for a while, so I'm on 7.5mg at night at the moment. 

As for the Venlafaxine, I have never experienced any fatigue with it. In fact one of the reasons I'd like to reduce is because I'm a bit too outspoken on higher doses. I noticed a reduction in inhibition when I was on it for the first time, but then I was only on 75mg. There's a fine line between reducing crippling shyness and being too 'gobby'! I'm not sure which is worse. I have a social phobia, but this hasn't changed by taking Venlafaxine, I still avoid social gatherings and panic if I have to go to any.  I'm just more outspoken with work colleagues and family. Not Good!!

Good luck. 

I too have been feeling so much better on the lower dose of 15 and feel I should never have been put on the 30 mg, I'm very petite so maybe 30 was too much, although my gp will always argue how anything below 30 is not a therapeutic dose!

I'm so sorry you're finding the weight gain so hard too, interesting what you say about it slowing down metabolism, I feel this is true my stomach feels like a pitless well, I get so hungry I will start to shake, yet my gp argues "it's what you put pass your mouth", no salad in the world is going to curb this hunger

It's a good decision to keep at the 7.5 for now, but don't delay it too much and keep us updated with your journey