Down to This "Mirtazapine"
Posted , 6 users are following.
I've gotten everything else and I'm down to Mirtazapine at last. I've been weening down off of 30 mg and I'm now down to 15 mg. I did fine going down to 22.5 and hopefully 15 mg will be ok also.
Besides insomnia what are some issues that people have dealt with while weening down off of this crap, I'd appreciate any info as I'm really determined to get off this all together and Mirtazapine is my final hurdle and I definitely won't go back to anything else anymore as they've all made things worse for me with the exception of sleep.
0 likes, 33 replies
rob03933
Posted
I got off of Clonazepam 1.0 mg 2 months ago and I'm still dealing with dry eyes and twitching nerves around my eyes from it, I came off way too quickly but what's done is done. If your thinking about taking a benzodiazepine drug please don't unless you have no other options!!
I came off Seroquel a month ago after being on it a month after I mistakenly accepted taking it when I came off the Clonazepam but I was desperate at that point and so I took it but got off it pretty easily.
Since last April my therapist also had me try many different ssri medications which I reacted horribly to so none of them lasted long.
The one constant since April has been the Mirtazapine at 30 mg which I decided that I'm also tired of dealing with so I started coming off it about 3 weeks ago and went down to 22.5 mg and I just jumped down to 15 mg after I did fine at 22.5. I'm hoping all goes well at 15 mg and I'll reevaluate in a few weeks and see if I can drop again.
My current issues are still my eyes and I've had difficulties with swallowing since coming off Clonazepam also but I've gone to a wheat free diet and limited sugars to help with inflammation. I know it might sound crazy to give up wheat and it is hard and takes a lot of work but it definitely helps a lot and they're some very good books out there describing how bad the grains and sugars are for a variety of ailments including depression, anxiety and insomnia.
rob03933
Posted
Going from 45 to 15 mg in a few weeks is definitely way too quickly and take it from me don't ween off anything too fast!
That being said I also think going down 10% monthly seems a bit slow and it would take a really long time to get off whatever your taking so I'm going a little quicker than that but I guess everyone is different on how they approach it. I'm hoping my schedule works but if it's too fast I can always adjust and slow it up.
Calmer rob03933
Posted
Sounds like quite a lot of suffering on this thread for everyone, so sorry you have to go through this to get off Mirt.
Usually it is better to taper no more than 10% every month to avoid nasty WD symptoms, or for the sensitive 5% every 2 weeks, I did the latter, off Mirt now. Sometimes it is necessary to make a liquid, for a full informed choice click on my name & read the links written under my status.
Phenergen will make you sleep, but it is not wise to use whilst tapering or whilst suffering withdrawal symptoms; it has dependancy issues of its own and works on the same receptors as AD's, the same receptors which need to recover from the changes caused by antidepressants.
Wishing you all well.
rob03933 Calmer
Posted
Calmer,
So glad to hear you were able to get off of Mirtazapine as it really is a tough drug to kick and as you see is the last hurdle for me as I'm done with the medication merry go round.
I've just went to 15 mg down from 22.5 mg and my sleep has already decreased and not feeling to great today but trying to stick it through and keep moving forward. I did really well on 22.5 so I'm hoping that going to 15 mg gets easier soon also.
Did you have any withdrawal symptoms at all to deal with while going down 10% monthly or do you feel it really made things a lot easier for you? I've only ever seen Mirtazapine in 30 or 15 mg pills and didn't know it came in liquid form so I'm wondering if you did that on your own or can you purchase it in liquid form?
Thanks in advance as you seem to be the person with the most knowledge of Mirtazapine and any info you put out or advice is something i pay attention to.
Calmer rob03933
Posted
Rob I think you are tapering a little too fast, I couldn't do it that way, most folk get wd at that pace. Youu just did a 33% drop ... megga. Also doing small tapers allows the CNS to restructure gently without any sudden jolting. Anyway you can read all about this, and the liquid method if you read the links I just mentioned, see the advice by clicking on my name and following the links, or copy & paste the links into your browser.
Now I may be wrong, but here in UK I think only 15 & 30 mg tablets are available. But I read somewhere that 7.5 mg might be available soon, so therefore it may be easier to taper. But making a liquid isn't so difficult, if I can do it anyone can.
Also here in UK, liquid Mirtazapine is available, but it is expensive and your doc may therefore be reluctant to prescribe it.
I didn't really suffer very much with WD Rob, I went so slowly that it was a gentle slide off, it did take a long time, but it meant I didn't have major issues once at zero. Safe landing.
rob03933 Calmer
Posted
Calmer,
Thanks for the info and I'm sure your right and I should probably put the brakes on a little bit and slow down my tapering schedule. I guess I just had such bad experiences with all the medications, especially Clonazepam that I really just want to be rid of all of it and all the damn side effects that come with them.
If I continue to have issues with going to 15 mg I'll probably go back to the 18 to 20 range and work down slowly from that point. I'm happy with how I got off of everything else even though it was difficult to say the least and at times I didn't think I'd make it through but I know that getting off of Mirtazapine is going to be another challenge that I hope I can overcome.
sarah24378 rob03933
Posted
I dropped from 45mg to 37.5 last night and now I have a horrific headache. Could this be the mirt on a one sixth drop ?
rob03933 sarah24378
Posted
Sarah,
I don't think you would get a headache on the first day of a drop when your on that high a dose but I would say keep monitoring yourself for any issues.
That being said It's probably best not to over analyze any problems you think that you might be having because of the dropping down or you'll obsess about it and make things worse. Take it from someone who knows because I've done it a lot and I only make things worse on myself when I do. I know it's easier said then done but try to keep yourself busy doing things you enjoy or at least use to and try to take your mind off of it all together. These damn medications keep us in this vicious cycle that is so hard to get out of because they've changed us and usually not in a good way..
Best of luck to you Sarah and I'll pray that all goes well for you!!
sarah24378 rob03933
Posted
Thanks Rob
I did not think it could be the drop either bit I feel do I'll. Only dropped a sixth.
Hard not to over think I have av1 yr old and need to get better.
Good luck to us both.
rob03933 sarah24378
Posted
Sarah,
I totally understand how you feel as I have a family that counts on me also even though my kids are in there teens. It's hard to focus on yourself when your so worried about the ones you love and you want to be there for them without having to deal with depression or anxiety, it really is the worst..
I know you'll be there for that baby of yours but please take care of yourself also when you can!
ann55375 rob03933
Posted
rob03933 ann55375
Posted
Ann,
I would give it a try and see how you do and if you can't you can just stick with the 7.5 if it helps you sleep and you don't have bad side effects from it.
I can't seem to get below 22.5 mg which has been frustrating for me as I think is mostly a sleeping aid for me also. Every time I try to go below 22.5 it seems like my sleep decreases a good bit so it seems like getting off Mirtazapine is going to take me a while..
ann55375 rob03933
Posted
I wish you luck in getting lower. I did it very slowly. You will be able to get off this i think given time. I really dont want to stay on it if possible but as you say if it helps sleep then that's a positive. I hate it as it gives me horrible morning waking nightmares, but i dont want insomnia.
sarah24378 rob03933
Posted
I'm on 45mg. Tried to drop to 37.5 this weekend. It was hell. Nausea and dizziness and migranes with anxiety and depression. Others seem to drop with no problems particularly at the higher doses. Back on 45mg now. Wish I d never taken this. Feel crap on them now it will take years to get off it.
rob03933
Posted
I wake up out of dreams almost every night also which does suck. It's amazing how differently this drug affects people at all different doses and how hard it is to get off of for a lot of us.
I know it feels like we'll never be able to get off of this a lot of times but I guess we just have to keep pushing forward and hope that someday we'll get over the hump and put this all behind us.