Mirtazapine 30mg - feeling worse?

Thanks for the info Betsy.  I was the same, because I had an awful reaction to Cipromil years ago, they started me on 7.5mg mirt and then after a couple of weeks increased it to 15mg which was okay and I got my appetite back and was sleeping better.  After four weeks they told me to increase to 30mg.  After a week or so I didnt feel right, I told the psych but got fobbed off with some old rubbish.  That is the one problem I have with these psych people, they are so single minded, they never take into account a physical illness could make one anxious, it's always anxiety and the mind to them.  Anyway, a couple of weeks ago I did half but didnt feel great so did alternate days 30mg and then 15mg and for the last week I have been doing just 15mg and I feel better.  I do get a bit of anxiousness and slight nausea but then I am on large doses of Vitamin D with suspected parathyroid adenoma.  I never realised they were one of the most difficult drugs to come off.  Xanax was bad enough, in fact all benzos which I dont want to go down that route but I always keep a few by me for "emergencies".  I hope you feel better soon Owen.  I am sure you are getting anxious about the new job which is not helping you.

Though the pill increments make it hard, elainec33, it is really best to do a steady dose each day rather than alternate; that is probably why you are feeling better, now that you are getting the same amount every day.  More one day and less the next keeps the nervous system thoroughly confused as to whether it should upregulate or not!  So for the future, best to break your pills down to get smaller doses on a steady basis.  You can use a pill cutter and eye-ball it, or get an inexpensive jeweler's milligram scale (eBay or Amazon) to weigh bits, or do a liquid titration and use an oral syringe to measure the dose.

I'm sending you a PM with a link for tips on tapering citalopram.

Interesting to see you have suspected parathyroid adenoma as I, too, have thyroid/pituitary issues. See my reply to owen87 when it has been approved. I hope you are better now? Was the adenoma confirmed and did you have an operation? I understand they're now removed via the nasal channel?

Hi Doris, this post is so old I can't even recollect it. The suspected or "mild hyperparathyroidism" was a nightmare, as firstly there is no such thing, would be like being mildly pregnant. Anyway, I was messed about so much by the NHS for nearly five years that I was advised by a well known surgeon in California via a video, to get an operation whatever the cost as it was ruining my life. He recommended Professor Palazzo and after seeing him in January February 2020, I booked in and had the operation three days before lockdown. He removed 3 of the 4 parathyroid glands with a tiny scar on my neck. I dont know where you heard they pull them down the nose. Maybe that applies to nasal polyps.

Anyway, I stayed just one night, it was very expensive, not so much the surgeon but the one night stay in the Cromwell Hospital. He was very pleased with me and wrote a polite diplomatic rollocking to the awful endo at our local hospital. I was also advised to put in an official complaint to PALS which i did which included a dreadful GP who for four years used to say every three months after the blood tests "above the normal range, to be expected"!!!!! Anyway, she retired thankfully. I told PALS i didnt wish to take it any further but wanted the head of the endo dept to be warned of this woman for any future victims of hers.

That was in the March 2020, sadly in the May I tripped in the garden one night and shut my finger in the door, paramedics took me and piece of finger off but they couldnt re attach so had to dress it myself every day and then try and email a photo to the hospital who would look at that and then phone me. Because i have severe osteoporosis (not helped with leaving the parathyroid problem for so long, I moderate an osteoporosis group and i didnt want to let them down but couldnt type so overused the mobile with a speech to text app, thus upsetting my neck, probably text neck. I went to a local chiropractor in the July who cracked my neck and I have had awful headaches since.

So the weeks went by, no dentist except only one who would extract or do temporary fillings, so in February 2021 found a fabulous private dentist and had a lot of work done. Because i have never been good with vaccines as a child I put off having the covid one until my dental treatment was completed in May. So, I went along to local place the doctor gave me the jab, I chose Pfizer which i have since read not a good idea with Hashimotos. She sat me down with an antihistimine for twenty minutes and i was fine. So I walked home calling in a getting a bit of shopping on the way back, it was only a little over two miles which is/was nothing to me, always being a walker, no car and my husband died when my daughter was nearly four. I felt fine, again by the evening fine, I thought what is all the fuss about expecting to feel nauseous or something like that but no, went to bed still fine. When i woke up the following morning, I could barely get out of bed and I have been like that since, getting progressively worse. Have had scans an MRI and an EMG test which confirmed peripheral neuropathy which is absolute hell and no cure. The consultant said regarding the vax, "quite likely as we never know what the long term effects of vaccines are".

So now from easily walking two miles some days I can hardly walk 200 yards

Prior to writing my first post here I did have a fall and I walked around with "unexplained back pain" for 13 months and then the rheumatologist decided to xray my spine only to find a compression fracture at T5 and that now is more painful than it was when i first did it.

I am still taking the 7.5mg mirtazapine. I was off everything but with the PN I am even more anxious and do pop quite a few diazepam or bromazepam as that is the only thing that keeps me going these days as life is so stressful and miserable.

My immune system is totally screwed up, my TSH went to 9 and so the GP asked permission from the head endo to put me on a small amount of thyroxine. The permission was for fear of me going hyper again which apparently 6 or 7 years ago when i had the 13 week non stop day and night tachycardia is the pre run of Hashimotos which then becomes hypo.

I have been taking 25mcg of Wockhard as I cannot tolerate Teva since April. TSH has come down to 2.79. I take it at night as it is too much messing about with four hour gaps between taking calcium and 1 hour for food etc etc.

I asked to go back on a small dose of mirtazapine as it is supposed to be better for sleeping (less is more) sometimes it doesn't help at all but my main concern was that it can suppress cortisol and mine is always far too high.

I bet you wished you hadnt asked how i was now ha ha.

Let's hope Betsy is okay now.

Brain zaps ??  Yes I think they're quite common, usually more so when increasing or especially when decreasing the dose. They can startle you sometimes can't they?

No, but it made my restless leg syndrome much worse.

If you are convinced it is the mirtazapine, best to wean yourself off it then.