Posted , 4 users are following.
I have decided with my doctor to reduce and taper off from Mirtzatipine. I was on 45mg for a couple of years.After so many side effects I have reduced to 30mg for about 4 months .Now decided with my G.P to go down to 15mg.How long should it take to come off them safely completely?
0 likes, 15 replies
caroline_1957 paul1555
Posted
I tapered from 30 to nothing faster than I should but I just wanted to be off them
I did it over 5 months 5mg a month it’s long but even doing it I’m 5mg will give you withdrawals
I’m now 12 weeks off and unfortunately still suffering horrific symptoms but I hope your luckier than me good luck
paul1555 caroline_1957
Posted
Thanks for your reply. About 8 months ago because of the terrible side effects my G.P advised me and i agreed to come off them .I was advised to go from 45mg down to 15 mg then off them completely in a window of two weeks.I had withdrawal symptoms. So I went back up to 30mg.I will try this again now down from 30mg to 15mg if I'm having problems I'll go back up to 20mg and see if it eases off again .I'll see my GP and take it from there.
Morning_Rain paul1555
Posted
The harm reduction approach strongly recommend no more than 20% of your current dose every 30-45d.
Once you traumatize your CNS, ENS and limbic system with too high of dose reductions you are causing yourself great harm and very likely to experience protracted withdrawal or kindling. Both will cause you years of acute suffering.
You only get one chance at this. Do yourself and your body a favor and research what I’m telling you before you take any steps in tapering.
I wish you only the best.
Morning_Rain
Posted
Harm reduction approach recommendation is no more than “10%” your current dose.
Morning_Rain
Posted
It profoundly messes with your blood sugar to the degree your body thinks you’re diabetic, that’s why people crave sugar and carbs. It significantly slows your metabolism; it has two very powerful antihistamines that saturate your body and organs.
Ask and chemist or pharmacist and most will admit that it has one of the worst withdrawal profiles of any other AD, that only rivals heroin in the withdrawal symptoms and duration (years).
Do your homework. This is anything but a benign little pill. It’s a highly addictive mistake disguised as an AD. It is not fit for human consumption and should be banned.
john94307 Morning_Rain
Posted
I have heard many others suggest the 10% reduction. Did I follow this recommendation? No! I was on the drug for a month at 7.5 -15 mg and tapered off over 2.5 weeks. I wanted this drug out of my body ASAP. I experienced some withdrawal symptoms and there were a couple bad days, but after a week things started to normalize. When you're going through withdrawal, you begin to realize that Mirtazapine ain't no joke. It is a super potent drug and literally a small sliver can have a profound effect on you.
Morning_Rain paul1555
Posted
Hi Paul
Unfortunately, the medical community (docs & psychs) are clueless about AD withdrawal and mirtazapine has one of the worst withdrawal profiles there is.
Thousands upon thousands of people find themselves in the throes of very acute debilitating withdrawal when they listen to their provider’s advice on how to taper off this very unstable and unpredictable drug.
If I were you, I would Google “Mirtazapine Withdrawal” and read for yourself. And of course only read credible sources, but you’ll still be shocked at how crippling and long lasting this drug’s withdrawal is.
Please do yourself a favor and do not listen to your provider. They are far and away behind on accurate AD information. And don’t be surprised if asked, they will tell you “I’ve never heard of mirtazapine withdrawal” or “you’re the first one to tell me that”.
If you’d like to join a FB mirtazapine withdrawal support group, please private message me.
john94307 Morning_Rain
Posted
I agree with Paul. My Pdoc was not really concerned about me discontinuing abruptly. Granted I was only on mirtazapine for one month and at a low dose, but I have read horror stories about people discontinuing and undergoing withdrawal. I did experience some bad withdrawal symptoms even as I tapered. Brain/body zaps, twitching, rebound insomnia (as you can imagine). Generally, anytime you discontinue a drug, its withdrawal symptoms will be opposite of the drug's effect. This is why when you drink alcohol (a depressant) you often feel sped up in the morning. I found Mirtazapine to be a horrible drug. It may work for some, but for others I think there are better options that do not include all the side effects. I couldn't function during the day on this drug; I was a complete zombie and totally unproductive. Did it increase my appetite? Yes. Did it help me to sleep? For the first 2 weeks it did, then I noticed no improvement. At that point, I didn't see any reason to continue. Thankfully my appetite has leveled out as i was getting very worried about excessive weight loss. I was recently dx'd with GERD and gastritis and so this may have been impacting my appetite. In any event, do yourself a favor - if you have been on Mirtazapine for any length of time, i.e., say more than 1-2 weeks, you should definitely taper off. The longer you have been on it and the higher the dose, the slower you should go. There are many postings on this site that discuss the withdrawal symptoms and tapering regimens.
You might ask why I am responding to a post regarding a drug that I am no longer taking. My answer is that this drug scared the hell out of me, and I feel people should be warned.
Morning_Rain john94307
Posted
This drug has a notorious history that clearly demonstrates it does not matter how long or what dosage you’re on, you taper slow and low regardless.
Morning_Rain john94307
Posted
Just to level set.
Mirtazapine is in no way your typical AD. It is a rogue drug that they classed as a tetracyclic, but it’s profile, properties and characteristics is NOT anything like a tetracyclic.
john94307 Morning_Rain
Posted
Morning_Rain john94307
Posted
It does not matter how long you’ve taken mirtazapine or what dose you were on. The withdrawals hit you hard regardless.
You also should taper low and slow regardless of how long you took it (1 week, 1 month, 1 year, 10 years) or regardless of what dose you were on.
This drug does not discriminate. The addiction to it occurs very very quickly.
Morning_Rain paul1555
Posted
Operative word “SAFELY”.
I have been reading and researching mirtazapine for 3 years. Thousands and thousands of endless horror stories.
If Paul wants to roll the dice and play Russian Roulette with his health by tapering large doses for short durations, as some of you suggest, then I pray he is in that very small minority that doesn’t experience withdrawal.
But if he does experience the acute crippling withdrawal, reinstating and/or updosing rarely works with mirtazapine ESPECIALLY when at the lower doses. By that time, the horse is out of the barn. One’s CNS, ENS and limbic system can be very unforgiving once in crisis or trauma.
Personally, I would never gamble or compromise my health any further than I already have by just taking this toxic drug into my body.
The “harm reduction tapering approach” (aka SAFELY) gives you the best chance at withdrawing and recovering from taking mirtazapine.
paul1555 Morning_Rain
Posted
I have now been on the reduced dosage of15mg for three weeks .Last night was the first time my insomnia has returned.i have also noticed that I am having difficulty in dealing with general life matters .Feels like everything is becoming too much to cope with.So I would say my anxiety is back again .At night from the bottom of my legs and feet seem to be on fire and I have to keep them out of bed .The most worrying thing is the insomnia I was put on mirtazapine to help with that.Next week I will be going back to my go to review how I am getting on .if it is going to be traumatic I don't know where to go from here onwards.
john94307 paul1555
Posted
Take a benzo, I know not ideal, but that's what I did when I was experiencing insomnia post-Mirtazapine. A better alternative, which I am taking now myself, is low dose Ambien. On Ambien I feel now grogginess whatsoever, unlike the vast majority of other sleep aids I have tried previously.
Take it step by step. Perhaps your next reduction should be to 11 mg. 3 weeks on 15 mg seems like enough time to consider further reduction (although some would disagree). Expect more insomnia. Talk to your doctor about finding an alternative sleep aid wile you are in the process of discontinuing Mirtazapine.
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