Feeling very weird with a reduction in dose
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hi
I'm in the process of coming off Mirtazapine and will then be starting on Venlafaxine.
I was taking 45mg Mirtazapine each night. So I've been prescribed 15mg tablets of mirtazapine and the venlafaxine. I am to take 2x 15mg for one week. Then on the second week I am to take one of the 15mg mirtazapine and one of the venlafaxine. Then on the third week I am to take two of the venlafaxine and no mirtazapine.
This first week started last Wednesday, so I'm just at the first stage where I am taking less mirtazapine to begin with. The next day, I had physical symptoms of anxiety although I didn't really have any anxious thoughts. Just shaking hands and a shaking/panicked feeling inside my chest. I've also been prescribed propanolol for anxiety so I decided to take some and it seemed to help.
Since then though I have been more and more tired, and feeling very weird. I can't really explain it, everything just seems very strange. I've got no energy to do anything. I can just lay in bed and time seems to vanish in no time. I don't think I've been falling asleep in the day time, I think I just lay there with my eyes closed. I feel like I don't know what's going on.
Ele
0 likes, 32 replies
comebacklife Ele123
Posted
That is a drastic reduction of mirtazerpin. Only you know your body and I would say if you begin to get any severe side effects and it's prolonged then you have reduced too much and so go to a higher dose. I'm no expert, as I keep saying, but do believe that we should also have some control ourselves in how we withdraw from a drug. I keep hearing conflicting advice from doctors on how to reduce the mirt for the best but we are all very different and so should go at our own pace. Bottom line is that it will take longer for some than others, with periods of challenging side effects, but we will all eventually be off the mirt and hopefully, after letting our bodies and minds recover from the withdrawal, we will finally be ourselves again. I miss me and want my life back or at least have the control of it that I had a year ago before my life was turned upside down
Ele123 comebacklife
Posted
I have been feeling awful, the worst I've ever felt. My doctor just said I have to stick to it though. I don't know what else I could do .
comebacklife Ele123
Posted
I know you don't think now but in a few months you will look back at this time and see it as the worst possible experience, but it will be past. I'm not afraid of much in life but not having complete control off my own mind has been pretty scary, but I have always been sure I will get me back again. don't know your story Ele, but I hope you know that whatever you're feeling now won't be forever. And again, listen to your doc but also listen to your own body. From what I'm reading, coming off the mirtazerpin can be a back and forth game. A bit like two steps forward and one step back, but you will get to the finishing line eventually.
Ele123 comebacklife
Posted
I am quite up and down at the moment. I've had times where I think I just can't take it any more.
comebacklife Ele123
Posted
I know, but whatever you feel is temporary and you will get through it. There will come a time when you look back and you will think phew! I'm so glad I'm out of that and enjoying life again. Like I said before I don't know your story, like if you're suffering from depression, anxiety etc (naturally and not brought on by the drugs) but if the doc wants you on another antidepressant then I guess he feels you need it. What support do you have around you? To help you through this bad period it helped me, and I know it might sound a bit cheesey, but it helped me to be kinder to my own mind. Listen to my favourite music, do things that I enjoy doing and just try to distract yourself with anything that might get your mind off how your feeling for a while. I'm going to go down to 40mg from 45 starting tonight. Bigger drop than I had planned so fingers crossed. Had terrible headaches before and may be went back to 45mg too quick. Wl give it another chance. Fingers crossed!
Ele123 comebacklife
Posted
Yeah I'm suffering from depression and anxiety. I have taken mirtazapine for nearly 6 years, and until recently I had thought I was quite well. I had thought that I didn't need the mirtazapine but was worried about coming off them and becoming bad again.
A few weeks ago though depression and anxiety came back anyway, quite rapidly and quite severely, due to an event in my life. I think this has made it even more difficult for me that it could happen so fast and I've been shoved so far backwards, after believing I was quite well. It has made me worry about what the future will be like, will my whole life be this way. I think I understand that these worries are probably caused by the depression and anxiety though.
So yeah, my doctor decided that perhaps I should try another antidepressant. So that's the plan, and I have propanolol for anxiety.
Ele123 comebacklife
Posted
I don't have a lot of support around me. Yes I have friends but I think it's difficult for them to understand what's really going on for me. I believe they are all quite worried about me, as one of my friends had said this. I feel they don't really know what they can do to help though. I'm not close to my family.
I have felt a little better since yesterday so have been trying to do a few more things to keep me occupied.
smithyswife Ele123
Edited
I've been coming down from Mirt now since February. From 15mg tablets I first cut in half then into quarters but be prepared, the withdrawal is immense but so worth the journey. I have had serious shaking episodes where I thought my brain was going to physically shake out of my head, also the paranoia and totally encompassing tiredness and sweats. I think I'm now over the worse but would definitely advise to come off with the support of your GP (I thought I could do it my way - silly me). Part of the problem was that with the side effects of the drug I thought visiting my GP was just causing them a problem and as I also thought that I was going totally mad (paranoia) I thought the doc would just send me to the funny farm. All these thoughts are just the drug and NOT reality so if you're coming off Mirt please reassure yourself every time you have bad thoughts, including the self harm one, that this is THE DRUG talking and NOT reality.
Love and hugs to you all.
anders292 Ele123
Edited
Think I know how you feel, at varying times on mirt I’ve felt super weird, like your surroundings seem unfamiliar or different, it’s really disturbing and scary. I can also relate to lying in bed with eyes closed and time passing by.
I’ve not been taking my mirtazapine irresponsibly and been taking different doses at different times of the day, I’m now trying to take it more methodically, I was doing ok on 15 a day and stupidly decided to up it and start taking it haphazardly which is probably dangerous.
anders292
Posted
that should read "i have been taking it irrisponsibly "
smithyswife anders292
Posted
get yourself on an even keel and talk everything through with your doc, even if youre there every day of every week. im mirt free now for 6 weeks and my head is sooo clear, i can actually read a sentence and understand what it means! AGAIN keep checking in with your gp and telling yourself its going to be alright when youre off it. one step at a time and you'll get there
love and hugs to all
anders292 smithyswife
Posted
thanks for the reply, i plan on taking a consistent dose at the same time everyday for the next week and see what happens. the worst thing about this is im getting no comfort from being in bed, i used to feel so relaxed and safe in bed but now i don't even get relief from being in it, i feel weird most of the time, sometimes mixed with a feeling of dread and gloom, i try to distract myself from it but its always there in the background. ive been here before and come out of it though so i just have to remember that it will pass with time.
smithyswife anders292
Edited
it will pass fir sure . make sure you stay well hydrated with just water and when you notice the feelings of dread and gloom and all the other negative emotions including feeling unsafe remind yourself that this is just the drug and not real. Make sure to check in with your doc, they need to know where you're up to and will support you on this journey. You'll arrive at your destination sooner than you think and regain your real self. Be kind and gentle with yourself as you travel, it will all be worth it.
hugs to all x