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Mirtazapine Side Effects and Withdrawal

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john94307
john94307

Hi.  First time poster. I am taking Fluoxetine, 20 mg, currently 1.875 mg of mirtazapine and Ativan (0.5 mg) as needed.  I recently came off of low dose risperidone.   I was put on mirtazapine as I was having trouble sleeping and my appetite was very low.  I lost about 40+ lbs in about 1.5 months.  Mirtazapine has made me hungry (at least my weight has stabilized) and it has made me sleep ok (but not great), but the side effects are killing me.

I am feeling a lot of weird effects on mirtazapine and was wondering if others may feel the same.  First night I took the drug (7.5 mg), I experienced restless legs.  My Pdoc wanted me to up the dose, which I did to 11 mg and felt RLS again.  I thereafter reduced my dose to 7.5 and have continued down.  I have been on 1.875 mg for about 4 days days and then discontinuing this horrible drug likely tonight.

I also have experienced restless arms, specifically my left arm.  My left hand feels uncoordinated and I notice a slight hand tremor.  I have recently started having brain zaps, which feel like a muscle twitch or worse like you are jolted with electricity - usually comes on if I am nodding off - I think they call these hypnic jerks).  I wake up every morning with nausea and a jittery feeling like I've had too much coffee.  I had akathisia on rispridone, which was one the reasons I discontinued.  On mirtazapine, I still feel some inner restlessness, but the dose now is so low I just can't understand why this is the case.  It may be the case that I am undergoing risperidone withdrawal as I have only been off this drug for about 5 days (even though I was tapering at a very low dose).

Mirtazapine makes me feel extremely unmotivated and anti-social.  I just want to hang out on my recliner all day with a heating pad and surf the internet.  I am on ST disability at the moment and this drug is not helping me to get back to work. 

I will be discontinuing Mirtazapine tonight.  For those who have gotten off this drug, I welcome your comments and insight, particularly as to how long the withdrawal symptoms last.  I should point out that I have only been taking Mirtazapine for 1 month and was mostly on 7.5 mg for that time.  My hope is that the low dose and time taking the drug will minimize withdrawal symptoms.  My Pdoc thinks I'm still taking 3.5 mg, but I've decided to take my health into my own hands at this point.  I just can't function on this drug.  Thanks in advance and I hope to hear from members of this group.  This is a scary time for me healthwise and I often wonder if I will get back to normal free of all these psyche meds.  Thanks.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • marion70011
    marion70011 john94307

    Posted

    John

    I’m on  mirtazapine 7.5 and want to start lowering my dose so I can get off this drug completely.

    My question to you is how are you getting 1.875 and 3.5 doses?

    The 7.5 is so very small are you cutting the 7.5 tablet into pieces? If so how?

    Thanks you

    Marion

  • john94307
    john94307

    Posted

    I'm using a pill cutter.  I have 15 mg tablets. Half a tablet is 7.5 mg.  A quarter tab is 3.5 mg and cutting that in half (quite difficult to do and not very precise) is 1.875 mg.

  • marion70011
    marion70011 john94307

    Posted

    John

    Thanks for the information 

    Guess I’m going pill  cutter shopping!!

    Thanks again

    Marion

    • john94307
      john94307 marion70011

      Posted

      Try to get the lowest dose tablets, otherwise it is difficult to cut with any sort of precision, particularly at 1.875 mg.  In the US, they make a 7.5 mg tablet, but I have been using 15 mg tabs.  Thx.  John
  • john94307
    john94307

    Posted

    My first night in a month where I was not on mirtazapine.  How do I feel?  Significantly improved.  I had some mild nausea upon waking, but nothing like it has been recently on low dose mirtazapine.  I actually got out of bed early, took a shower, made my bed and am ready to start my day.  I was unable to do this on Mirt - I would just stay in bed and surf the internet until noon.  I still had some brain zaps, but my restless legs/arms feel a lot better.  I hope this is a sign of things to come.
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