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Mirtazapine withdrawal

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Guest
Guest

Hey everyone,

I've been on Mirtazapine 30mg since Feb his year but I've had alot of problems with. Ear infections, burning mouth syndrome etc. so my Psychiatrist think's I should come of it. He told me to cut down to 15mg and only take them for a week and then just stop. So I finally stopped taking the 15mg on Mon night and I feel terrible.

It's not just my moods (my depression/anxiety had been great before coming off med), I physically feel really sick, been feeling extremely nauseated and last night couldn't sleep because I kept thinking I was going to throw up. Is this a normal reaction coming off mirtazapine?

Because my depression/anxiety had gotten alot better, we didn't feel the need to just take me off mirtazapine and put on on another drug because I thought I was cured. Plus, I don't want to take any more antidepressants at all really.

PLEASE, any help or advice you offer would be greatly appreciated because I'm really worried now and I don't want to have to go back to taking mirtazapine sad .

Will the withdrawal last long? How long will it take to fully get the tablets out of my system?

Please help,

thanks,

Star

7 likes, 878 replies

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  • Pooh_bear
    Pooh_bear

    Posted

    I can answer part of your post. I am also withdrawing from mirtazapine. I have been on 30mg and am now on 15mg like yourself. I haven't had anything like the problems that you are experiencing this time. I usually feel sick and headachy first thing but this usually goes off very quickly. I think that you need to talk to your GP about your next move. I had terrible panic attacks and major anxiety after completely withdrawing from mirtazapine. I was quickly put back up to 30mg which was a bit of a disaster but it did sort out my low mood. I was a bit tearful and crotchety this morning. I have asked and been given some valium for when I completely withdraw from mirtazapine. It sounds to me that you might need something like valium to help with the transition or another anti depressant. Only your doctor or psychiatrist can decide. I believe that we can be addicted ( not sure if this is backed up medically) to mirtazapine so stopping them will be far harder. If you are determined to withdraw from them like I am then it might be useful to go back up to 30mg and try to withdraw at a later date? I think that the only sensible way is by tapering not stopping dead. Mirtazapine is an excellent anti depressant and although you felt well (like I did) it might be masking symptoms of depression. I hope some of this helps you. I'm always around on these boards so post when you can. I hope that you feel better soon. Pooh
    • nay79595
      nay79595 Pooh_bear

      Posted

      When I started taking avanza (mirtazapine), I was told that this medication was not in anyway addictive by my GP, but now I feel really frustrated because every time I try to come off it I have such serious withdrawal symptoms, I have to start taking it again, despite the fact I feel I have well and truly concurred my depression. If that isn’t the definition of addictive, than I don’t know what is! I have been on this drug for five years now and regardless the side effects I am determined to get ride of this horrible drug that has me dependent on it. I am experiencing severe diarrhea, nausea, anxiety, insomnia and cry at the drop of a hat, even though Ive been careful to lower my dose gradually. sad
    • nay79595
      nay79595

      Posted

      Also apparently all my withdrawal are normal for this drug. So I CANT beleive I was told it wasnt addictive sad
    • ann55375
      ann55375 nay79595

      Posted

      I am having a terrible time trying tomget down from 15 to7.5.  How long will,the nausea vomiting and diarrhea alongside migraines take to go away. I feel terrible and am bedbound with it all. Cant. Eat ot drink either, sry mouth nausea is no fun.  Any help gratefully received
  • Pooh_bear
    Pooh_bear

    Posted

    I have a little bit more to add. You should feel more sedated on 15mg than 30mg. If this is not the case is anxiety keeping you awake? I had also read somewhere that mirtazapine has a short half life ie the time that it takes for the drug to leave the body. Hence the arguement as to whether what we are experiencing are depressive symptoms or symptoms of withdrawal? I'm not sure but whatever it is it needs to be addressed so that you begin to feel better.
  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Hi Star,

    I withdrew suddenly from Mt (see posting 'Mitrazapine is extremely unsettling') as it was destroying me. I found that I needed about 4 days until I felt 'normal', but those were 4 real killer days, spent mostly in bed as I has crazy anxiety attacks. Having said that though, it was my own decision to go cold turkey, not a GP recommendation. However, I was only on Mt for 18 days so hadn't built up a tollerance or higher doses like some folks posting here. For me, cold turkey was the best way as it clears out of the system quicker (I have a lot of experience with diazapam withdrawal, and know that cutting down does didn't work for me). Mr x's suggestion of a month to fully clear out of the system is (in my opinion) also correct, because after 4 days I felt normal but could still feel a gradually milder side effects from the Mt appear, then disappear after about 3 weeks.

    Hope this works out well for you, best,

    Silent..

    • pete101
      pete101 Guest

      Posted

      i see you only took it for 18 days and it took you 4 days of hell before you felt normal and 3 weeks to disappear after, what were the milder effects of Mt that you had during those 3 weeks?

      i only took it once 7.5mg on Sat and had awful side effects of muscles joint aches, headache dry mouth and mild dizziness, 3 days after stopping my dizziness got worse to having motion sickness without the nausea and loss of balance, had it for 4 days now and not gotten better, have no idea what has happened, if it feels like withdrawl symptoms but how can that be if i only had 1 dose of 7.5mg?

      i feel like it's done something to my brain causing it to malfunction. i get twitchy muscle flinches as well, i hope it goes away within 3 weeks.

    • emma94239
      emma94239 pete101

      Posted

      Similar situation here. I started 15mg on 17st August. Increased to 30mg on 24th August. Seven days later I decided I couldn't take any more. Literally feel like I am being poisoned. Went back to 15mg for a week, then stopped. I'm into the third day without and I still feel awful. Hoping the next few days will improve.

      I've never felt so awful. Quite scared.

  • Guest
    Guest

    Posted

    Thanks very much Pooh and Silent for getting back to me smile

    (For Pooh) I am completely off mirtazapine now, stopped taking 15mg on Monday night so I'm going cold turkey at the moment. When I took the 15mg for the seven days, I did feel side effects but wasn't as bad as this sad .

    (For Silent) After three weeks did you feel free of all withdrawel symptoms? Or do you still suffer from any now?

    I did speak to my pyschiatrist's secretary this morning and my pyschiatrist wants me to persevere because they want to see if it definitely was mirtazapine that was causing all my problems with my ear infection/sore gums etc.

    I had to take mirtazapine mainly to help with my eating which was extremely bad as I'd lost alot of weight. I've put more than enough weight back on now but I've had to repeatedly go to the doctors/ENT consultants over problems with my ears/mouth throat which I've never had before, unitll taking mirtazapine.

    Part of me wishes I had never taken the drug in the first place because of all the nasty side effects I got off it, but on the up side, my mood definitely improved and my eating is fine now.

    It's really interesting to see how other people have been reacting to mirtazapine and it's side effects. I'm glad I'm not the only one who's had problems with it. I've been very teary since Mon and have been getting upset over the most ridiculous things and it's so hard to describe to friends/family the really odd/strange feeling you get from coming off mirtazapine. I hope you know the feeling i'm on about, like feeling very disconnected from everything/spaced out and it kind of makes you panic? If that makes sense...I've feelt very agitated too, as I've noticed a few times that I'm tensing my legs for no reason at all when I'm sitting down for some reason, then I stop and few moments later I'm doing it again! :roll:

    Off to take some valerian root herbal tablets now to see if they help me sleep tonight. I'm going to try and persevere with the cold turkey, I will keep up to date with how i'm getting on(hopefully it won't get worse! :roll: ).

    Thanks very much for replying to my post! smile

    • Khurana2
      Khurana2 Guest

      Posted

      I have been taking 7.5 mg for 7 months and felt better and stopped cold turkey and nor after 5-6 weeks I am experiencing my anxiety and low mood is back and I feel crying . Has anybody has this experience. Doctor says it's impossible to have so long side effects.

      Please help I am from delhi india

    • Pauljdme
      Pauljdme Khurana2

      Posted

      Hi khurana, a lot of doctors say the same thing, as they have not experienced it themselvs, and due to lack of knowledge. I also came off mirt cold turkey. It took me 2 weeks to get over the the terrible anxiety, panic attacks at 2/3am. It then took another 3 months befor i felt normal again. Like me and millions of others world wide thyat have been down that road, you are not alone. You will get better. Get well soon and gods speed : )
    • Khurana2
      Khurana2 Pauljdme

      Posted

      Hi Paul

      Thanks but problem is even after now 5 weeks I am shaky from indside and when I walk it seeens disbalance?

      The other issues is that I got lot of mood swings and seems I am energetic and few hours later it's gloomy ?

      Did you had this experience and when I go out for shop I see disbalnce .

      How long you took this medicine and dose . I took this medicine for health anxiety and mild depression

      Doctor asking me to start this Medicine again

      Khurana

    • Pauljdme
      Pauljdme Khurana2

      Posted

      Everyone has different withdrawal​s, dizzyness and balance is one of hundreds that i have read about. I was on mirt for only four months and decided to stop cold turkey due to the fact that it made my depression much worst. You will get better it just takes a little time. Search this web site for comfort that you are not alone and that you are not bonkers, you are withdrawing...
    • pamela51740
      pamela51740 Guest

      Posted

      Did you manage to go cold turkey off mirtazapine? I'm on day 2 off going cold turkey I'm going through hell 😦

    • son09724
      son09724 Pauljdme

      Posted

      Hello Pauljdme,

      ?Just asking what do you mean by panic attacks at 2/3 am? I'm curious about this because when I withdrew from Mirt, I had a very terrible feeling. At 2/3 am, I just feel like cold & numb and someone is watching to possess me. Did you feel the same experience too?

    • ann55375
      ann55375 son09724

      Posted

      Noticed you were coming off mirtazapine, did you go cold turkey or do it slowly? It seems its not easy to get off and it helps to hear of others experiences. Are you now past the feelings?  I find anxiety the worst one, along with nausea. 
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