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Is there any hope for coming off Mirtazapine?

Posted , 6 users are following.

alexisacula
alexisacula

I'd like to preface this by saying I am emetophobic, so any sort of withdrawal will be amplified for me.

I have been on Mirt for a year this month, starting at 7.5 and eventually increasing to 22.5. I have gained 32 pounds in a year and that's too much. 

The medication was great in the first few months - I was housebound when I first started taking it. I also wasn't eating or sleeping. But then I packed on the weight and my phobia began to get severe all over again. Now I feel like it's time to retire the mirt. It's the first and ONLY medication that has worked for me for anxiety. I am extremely sensitive to anything I take, and I have tried a slough of different meds. But the steady decline in feeling okay has got me wanting to stop taking it.

I have dealt with anxiety for 20 years, but in 2016 everything changed. Like the flip of a switch. I was all of the sudden having multiple, severe panic attacks every single day. I was a mess. I was at my breaking point when I started mirt, so things slowly got better from there.

I'm not having panic attacks as often as I was but I am starting to fear leaving the house because of my phobia and that's a bad sign.

But all these withdrawal horror stories? I am truly convinced I'll be stuck on this med forever. I have a toddler and a photography business. I cannot be stuck inside fearing everything because of withdrawals for months on end. So am I doomed to take this forever?

Despite me laying out all the evidence that a quick wean off mirt is a bad idea to my prescriber, he's still convinced his plan of weaning in 13 days will be fine. I won't be following that plan. I feel so screwed. 

Also, I have done a complete overhaul of my diet, I started last week. Cut out processed foods, eating a lot of fruits and veggies and am really making an effort to eat cleaner in hopes that it'll help my mental health.

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  • Anghared
    Anghared alexisacula

    Posted

    Poor you, anxiety and all the other “things” that can go with this is truly hideous.

    I think you have decided enough is enough and the weight gain is unacceptable, this is what happened to me 

    Always been around 9 stone most of my life apart from three pregnancies.

    After year and a half up to ten stone, that was action station for me.

    I have gone from 45mg. To ask we speak 7.5 mg

    Doctor yesterday now given me drop solution to reduce yet slowly again

    My advice which is working for me reduce slowly I did and am still experiencing withdrawal symptoms but they are lessening,

    I tell myself that I will always be an anxious person and meds or not I still have anxiety do eating healthily and attempting to sleep well

    Dr, Ronan Chatterjee The Four Pillar Plan is excellent also The Calm app 

    Good luck

    Anghared 

  • Anghared
    Anghared alexisacula

    Posted

    I tapered from 45mg. To 30 mg for a month, then I did alternate days 30mg one day and then 15mg  for a month then 15mg for a month and then 15mg one day and 7.5 mg for a month then 7.5 mg for a month 

    I now have oral solution which I will take in a few weeks time, will let you know how I go 

    Hope this helps 

    Anghared 

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 Anghared

      Posted

      Thanks. I am going quite a bit slower at 10% every 4 weeks but may speed it up.
    • alexisacula
      alexisacula Anghared

      Posted

      We don't have the oral available here, but I did get a pill crusher and syringe to make an oral dosage. My prescriber wanted me to drop 10 percent from fifteen to zero in just 13 days and I know that would make me so freaking miserable. Still waiting on the pill crusher in the mail but I am on day four of 15 mg. I feel like between the diet switch and the small dosage drop it's making me feel kinda crappy. If I did a 10 percent taper drop every three weeks I could be done by like, August. Haha. Seems a bit long.

      Thank you for responding - any advice I can get helps a ton! And I hope your weaning goes as smoothly as possible!

    • alexisacula
      alexisacula sarah24378

      Posted

      I was honestly wanting to do 10 percent every four weeks to minimize withdrawal effects. How long have you been on Mirt? And what dosage are you at now?

       

    • Forestfire
      Forestfire alexisacula

      Posted

      Hi i was on 45mg for 9 years and i will have been off completely for 2 years on the first of april. 

       Based on my experience I would recommend doing it much slower than over 13 days. The 10% every 4 weeks would be much better in my non medically trained opinion.

      My doctor told me to halve my dose instantly and then stop altogether after 2 weeks saying i should only feel a bit rough for a week or 2. I did this initially but it was too much to handle so i went back onto 15mg after a month and then worked my way down slowly, based on advice from someone off this site.

       Once i was off it altogether i declined mentally and physically for about 2/3 months. i was off work for 4 months and i'd say it took me about 18 months from the start of the initial weening period to be normal (whatever that is) mentally.

       I should point out i went through some genuinely extreme life events in that time which most definitely contributed to the state i was in.

       One thing i will say is that once i came off them i noticed straight away that i felt less cloudy in my head.

       I'd intended to start a new discussion going through everything in detail but my computer crashed after writing for over an hour. If you have any specific questions i'l answer them. Good luck to anyone reading this smile

    • Forestfire
      Forestfire

      Posted

      And to directly answer the question in the title, yes there is hope
    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 alexisacula

      Posted

      I was on 45 for 2 years. Only done 1 drop to 41.25mg and it has gone ok. Couple of bad days and more fatigue but ok...that is 8%. Next drop i plan to go to 35mg....that is 12 %.
    • ann55375
      ann55375 Forestfire

      Posted

      I have been off mirtaz six weeks, very anxious and having some nausea.  Was put on diazepam four years ago for anxiety and feeling i need it more since discontinuing mirtaz.  I am not sleeping well. Ok less cloudy head, but really not great.  Is this just withdrawal or do i need a different med for my anxiety? Psych is deluctant to give any as imhave had bad reactions to many which work for others.  I have no motivation and wonder if this will leave given time?
    • Forestfire
      Forestfire ann55375

      Posted

      Hi Anne, my sleep was terrible for several months after i stopped taking mirtazapine. I don't know how long it should last and it would vary from person to person as we all react differently. 

       As i mentioned previously, i had a lot of problems in my life at that time which will have contributed to my sleepless nights as well. I don't want to give advice as i'm not trained to do so, so maybe try searching forums for mirtazapine withdrawal and insomnia and see what other people have to say.

       It's not the same drug i know, but i have withdrawn from cannabis a few times after smoking heavily for several years and my sleep tends to take about 6/8 weeks to fully get back to normal. good luck

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