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Mirtazapine (Remeron) Withdrawal Success Story!!

Posted , 68 users are following.

MirtSucessBaby
MirtSucessBaby

Hello all!

I see a lot of taper / withdrawal threads on here explaining how bad it was for a lot of people but I wanted to share my experience with a relatively easy taper so those who google it don’t get completely terrified / hopefully it helps some people.

I was on mirtazapine for GAD and Panic Disorder for four years, 30mg for three and 45g for the final year. It helped a great deal in the beginning but the last six months or so I felt I was getting no benefits, so I decided to come off.

Here are my tips before I log my experience.

BE FIRM with your doctor. For too long I was pressured to stay on or even maximise my dose when I was unhappy. Tell your doctor you want off and you want off now and come up with a GAME PLAN.

GET ANTI-NAUSEA MEDS this one is simple, be prepared. I got a script for Maxolon from my doc to take twice a day during my withdrawal. It’s completely safe and non addictive and works wonders.

SET YOURSELF UP FOR SUCCESS you can do this. I personally have been through Valium (diazepam) withdrawal and it was horrifying, so with that experience behind me I knew this would be do-able. HAVE FAITH in yourself and your inner strength.

SYMPTOMS WILL PASS. The good thing is you know it is the withdrawal that is making your anxiety flare up or making you feel uneasy so you KNOW you can get through it and it will end.

So here comes my experience.

Had been on 45mg for a year (out of 4 on this med) and told my doctor I want off and I want off ASAP. They were aware of my success coming off diazepam so were supportive of me coming off this relatively quickly (I really earned my drug withdrawal stripes there haha).

45mg down to 30mg for five days. I took my anti-nausea pill when I woke up straight away and another in the evening if I needed. Honestly felt ZERO bad effects from this drop at all, if anything I felt better. Less violent anxiety, clearer head and happier mood.

30mg down to 15mg for five days. Kept taking those wonderful Maxolons and again this was a walk in the park!! Happier every day and really focussing on how much success I was having so far.

15mg down to 7.5mg for five days. Still on Maxolon every day to avoid the nausea. Had some days where anxiety would flare up quickly but that’s kind of normal for me anyway. Found on this low dose I was falling asleep so fast I had forgotten how sedating the low doses were!

7.5mg to 0 for the rest of my life. Still on Maxolon, have been noticing I still feel some nausea so I am grateful to have the anti-nausea meds to really minimise it. Have been taking 2 daily during this time. My sleep is becoming a bit more broken and less of a “coma” deep sleep now and I’ve been sweating bullets at random but DRINKING LOADS OF WATER.  STILL FEELING POSITIVE!!

I am now 3 days into 0mg and honestly it’s nowhere near as bad as a lot of people experienced and for that I am extremely grateful. Will update if people are interested to read how the next few days / weeks go now that I’m down to no mirt in my system.  It has been so much easier than I was braced for.

So here are a list of things I did experience.

Mild Nausea despite taking the anti nausea meds

Pooping more than usual

Some sleep disruption once I came off completely

Sweating

Mild headache (easily fixed by ibuprofen)

Flare ups of anxiety but NO PANIC ATTACKS caused by withdrawal, if anything my panic attacks are less frequent now

Feeling a little foggy headed once I got down to zero, not a big deal

Jitters. Just general fidgeting and struggling to sit still but that’s expected after being sedated big time for the last four years by a variety of meds now I’m on zero medications.

Things I NEVER EXPERIENCED

(I’m not saying these don’t happen but merely they did not happen to me)

Vomiting

Diarrhoea

Insomnia (I still sleep every night)

Brain Zaps

Migraines

Panic attacks caused by withdrawal

Suicidal thoughts / depression. I’m actually much happier.

Dizziness / feeling faint. Again this is less frequent now than it was while I was on 45mg.

Bad mood changes, being angry or crying for no reason.

So to anyone who bothered to read this essay post. YOU CAN DO IT. Everyone will experience these things differently and I am not disputing that some people have a really rough time, it’s just that when someone has a good experience or an easy time they are less likely to write about it. When I was starting my taper I found so many awful stories and so few positive ones which made me extremely anxious in itself. So I wanted to write out a successful withdrawal story for those people who are about to start to see that they might not have a horrifying experience and there are ways you can prevent a lot of the symptoms SAFELY.

Drink lots of water. Have faith in yourself. Be strong. Don’t put up with sh*t you don’t have to.

I am more than happy to reply to any questions people have about my experience and will update how things go for the next few days if anyone is interested. Cheers and good luck. 

23 likes, 153 replies

153 Replies

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  • richard_43104
    richard_43104 MirtSucessBaby

    Posted

    Hi I’ve just read your blog about withdrawing from Moritzapine. I wonder if you can help me with my slightly similar situation. I’m currently withdrawing from diazepam which I’ve been taking for 3years. At my worst point I was taking 20mg a day and sometimes more, but now I’m down to 2mg three times a day. Recently I was admitted to hospital following a clonic tonic seizure. Whilst I was in I was seen by a doctor who wanted to put me on mirtizapin because he thought that I was having anxiety attacks and that this could help me?  Anyhow I went from 15-30-45 in quick succession. Personally I felt that this now made me have more anxiety problems then before. Do you think it is the mirtizapin or the diazepam that are causing me to feel this way. Personally I believe that before I was taking the mirtizapin the anxiety levels were lower,but I was also on a slightly higher dosage of diazepam (2.5mg) three times a day. Any help would be really appreciated. 🙏

    • toria_07298
      toria_07298 richard_43104

      Posted

      I have read on benzo buddies that mirtazapine helps a lot of people getting off benzos however the dose you're on may be too high as a lot of people cannot tolerate 45mg, I'm sure 15-30mg is the recommended dose for anxiety and 30-45mg is for clinical depression 

    • richard_43104
      richard_43104 sarah24378

      Posted

      Probably not more than 2-3 months I’m not exactly sure. I originally had an abscess which caused a bleed on my brain so my memory isn’t the best. I would say though that I’ve been on 45mg for about six weeks so far. Something that I didn’t mention was that I was also prescribed 100mg of sertraline anti-depression tabs at the same time. I’m pretty sure that since these two have been introduced things have got worse for me. Yesterday I tried to come down from 45-30 mg of mirt. Already this morning I woke up having an anxiety/panic attack, surely this can’t be as a result of what I’ve done. I’m desperate for someone to help because all I keep getting told by doctors is that these symptoms are normal during the Beginning phase. 😞

    • richard_43104
      richard_43104 toria_07298

      Posted

      Thanks for that info. Originally it was prescribed as a preventative of anxiety problems. However at a follow up appointment they said that I may be clinically depressed. This seemed strange as I had just been prescribed sertraline to deal with my depression. (I personally think I was frustrated with the constant change in medication and not depressed. )
    • toria_07298
      toria_07298 richard_43104

      Posted

      Richard benzo withdrawal can make you feel depressed are you eating/sleeping etc?
    • richard_43104
      richard_43104 toria_07298

      Posted

      Eating isn’t so much of a problem but I’m taking 3.75mg zopiclone because of the sleep deprivation. I’ve also just started taking citalopram again as I have used them before and they helped me get through a tough time. The thing is because I’m going from one pill to another I can’t seem to get the diazepam below 2mg three times a day. I really want to get of if these ASAP. 
    • toria_07298
      toria_07298 richard_43104

      Posted

      I'm on citalopram sertraline didn't suit me, maybe you need to get all your meds settled for 4/6 weeks then try and cut once you're stable because right now with new drugs being introduced etc your body/brain doesn't know what's going on, I've been there.

    • richard_43104
      richard_43104 toria_07298

      Posted

      That’s what I’m going to try. Like you I didn’t get on with sertraline if anything it caused more anxiety attacks. I’ve just had a call back from my GPS surgery(not my doctor though)telling me that I can swap to citilopram from sertraline and continue to withdraw from mirtizapin. This all seems a little vague as I’m being given different information from various doctors. Thanks for your advice. 
  • karen_57593
    karen_57593 MirtSucessBaby

    Posted

    Thanks for sharing your story its really helping me ive only been reading horrendous withdrawel storys xxx
  • rob43667
    rob43667 MirtSucessBaby

    Posted

    Great post ! I just posted very similar experience to you - I went hunting for positive withdrawals and they were difficult to find ! I’ve dropped 7lb in 5 days coming off them too and no side effects to report - but I know early days 

    Good luck everyone you can do it and this is a great place to post if you need any help and support - don’t hesitate 

    • rob43667
      rob43667 peta36692

      Posted

      Hi well in no way am I being triumphant here - I anticipated from all of read that withdrawal would be awful - I can honestly say that I must be one of the very lucky ones - I had no side effects at all - the day before I quit cold turkey I started with flu like symptoms and they stayed with me for a week - maybe that masked what was going on but honestly nothing significant at all - I feel so much fresher - I used to wake up - open one eye and feel the dread of the day approach - some call it fog or a weight - I felt that 

      The tiredness I began the day with often stayed with me all day - lethargic - zero ambition - uncaring - angry outbursts - developing into rages without reason - 

      So I am so happy that I came off these terrible drugs - I feel more positive - more energetic - and feel that I can now look forward for the first time in 8 years - it’s a joy to feel that way

      I know it is still early days in the withdrawal process and I’m aware it may still hit me at some point down the line as I’ve read - but right now I’ll take it the way it is - good luck to anyone who is following withdrawal process

      Just do it - stay strong - talk to everyone and anyone about it - be positive - I personally have no regrets I came off this awful drug - I posted elsewhere I feel it should be banned and it’s true in my experience x 

      I’m here if anyone wants to talk or pm me - x

    • rob43667
      rob43667

      Posted

      Oh I also put on 2stone 3lb in weight over 10 months on mirt !! I’ve lost 11lb in 2 weeks now since coming off them ! 
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