Mirtazapine (Remeron) Withdrawal Success Story!!

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. 

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