Is there any hope for coming off Mirtazapine?

Posted , 6 users are following.

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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  • Posted

    i also have emetaphobia and this drug made me 1000% worse.

    and trying to come off it is awful as i just feel sick all the time which as you know isnt great for an emetaphobe!

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