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I stopped taking Mirtazapine suddenly, feeling dreadful, can anyone help?

Posted , 5 users are following.

pauline189
pauline189

Hi, I've been on varying amounts of Mirtazapine for 12 months, initially for depression. It worked for about the first 6 months but I started to feel depressed again and increasingly anxious. My GP increased my dose from 30Mg to 45Mg in an attempt to settle me down again but with out any improvement.

I began to wonder if the Mirt. was the cause of my depression and was I now actually ready to come off the treatment? 3 Doctors at my GP surgery had different views, some saying stop and others saying try different doeses, so I was properly confused as to what to do!

So I took the decision to stop Mirt and one doctor said to reduce the 30 Mg dose, come down to 15 Mg in 2 weeks and then stop althogether, which is what I have done.

I am now in deep distress! I am anxious, suffering nausea, cannot eat and generally feel like ending it all! I am permanently worried that I'll always feel like this, will I ever recover and be my old self again. Having read all the "blogs" I now realise that I should not have taken the strict medical advice and I should have come down more slowly, down to 7.5Mg and reduced over a much longer period.

But I am now where I am, I cannot go back to the doctors who will possibly presribe more drugs, which is just not acceptable. 

I have consulted a natural health consultant who has put me on a serotonin tablet and given me anxiety-relieff tablets but nothing's working.

Can anyone tell me how long this Hell will last? Has anyone had a similar experience? I'd love some re-assurance that eventually all the pain and anguish will relent and that I'll feel anything like normal. Many thanks, Pauline rolleyes

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • booboo40688
    booboo40688 pauline189

    Posted

    Hello, I don't know how to help because haven't been tho the same experience, but it seems to me you are doing just fine, keep it up, coming off medication requires a inner strength and mental strength that some people haven't got, good luck for the future and you are doing fine.!!! Maybe a few more weeks and your anxiety and nausea will go away....

  • karen32905
    karen32905 pauline189

    Posted

    It is definitely Mirtazapine withdrawal symptoms.

    Several of us are and have been going through the same hell !!

    I really can't answer as to how long it will last as everyone is different.

    What have you been given to take now?

    Try to hang in there it will get better

  • christine15542
    christine15542 pauline189

    Posted

    Hi Pauline

    First of all you are not alone.  All those feelings you describe after stopping mirt at 15mg are what I went through.  I stopped mirt cold turkey on 15mg.  I had no idea that the sensible option would have been to taper the drug slowly over many months.  My honest opinion is that all those withdrawal symptoms will pass but it does take time and that is the hard part.  

    You don't say how long you have been clean of the mirt?  And are you taking any other drug at all?  I don't think the GPs fully understand the viciousness of withdrawal on this drug.  I would go back to your GP if necessary.  

    I've been off it for 10 weeks and whilst most of those symptoms you describe have gone, I suffer with crippling insomnia.  I am going back to my GP and insisting on sleeping tablets (which I know they don't like prescribing).

    Keep using this forum. There are many of us in the same boat and we will try our best to share our experiences 

    x

  • aga02916
    aga02916 pauline189

    Posted

    Hi , I started taking mirtazapine 15mg for anxiety caused by stress at work.It helped at first but then I started feeling numb, depressed, out spaced, like I was living in a dream. I wasnt myself. Was having memory problems and intrusive thoughts that I was going crazy and going to stop thinking for myself cause of mirtazapine. I was on it for 3 months. Was taken off it cold turkey and put on fluoxetine 20mg. I was on fluo before for 7 years for ocd and it worked. This time I had extreme tremors, anxiety was off the charts, sweats, sickness, felt like I was getting brain wash. Lasted on fluo 21 days. It just didnt work for me this time. Suppouse to come back on mirtazapine tonight but im giving a try to manage anxiety without meds. Didnt have anxiety 6 months ago, problems at work been resolved so its worth a try. Since stopping mirtazapine I had insomnia, nasuea, tremors , anxiety. Its been 25 days since I stopped and still not feeling myself but not as bad as I was on it. Mirtazapine taken longer than 7 weeks should be tappered. Its a hard AD to come off. Ssri are much easier.
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