Mirtazapine withdrawal

My doctor also said there would be no withdrawal. Yes, trying to stop them, the withdrawals are horrendous for me. I feel sick, shaky, disconnected, and anxious, all in all a total mess! A friend actually said I looked like I was withdrawing from heroin. That was just from half a 15mg nightly.

I am down to a half of a 15mg at the moment and dare not cut down yet. I am going to reduce to quarter of 15mg soon though.

These tablets scare me – I have never been on any AD for this long – usually 3 month spurts now and again when I hit, what feels like, a crisis level.

I have been on these for about a year, mainly as I was really underweight. Not anymore! Although I have stopped smoking too so can’t attribute the Mirtazapine entirely to that.

I looked into this site because i wondered what the hell was wrong with me.I am 4 weeks off mt and im having the most terrible time.

Feeling dizzy terrible anxiety numbness in my body especially in bed at night.Vivid dreams cant relax blurred vision ringing in the ears and a total feeling of being disconnected and the insomnia is terrible does anyone know how long this lasts i dont want to go back on the tablets but its a nightmare.Glad i found this site it has helped me alot.

Hi All, I’m replying to this post to help other people who may be in a similar position, I was prescribed 30mg of Zispin (Mirtazapine) about 5 months ago, as I realised I had become dependant on them (i.e. needing a pill to knock me out to sleep) I decided the time was right to come off them, I spoke to my GP who said I should wait another few months and them gradually come off them.. They had helped with my mood and I made a conscious decision to sort myself out or be trapped on them for years, against advice I cut my does in half for 2 weeks, that felt like hell as my mood changed and the depression and anxiety was coming back, what kept me going was that I knowingly felt that I craved the drug. Any way I ran out of pills eventually. I missed my gp appointment (as zispin had been causing memory loss and forgetfulness). so as I had now not taken any for 4 days I continued and saw my doctor the week after, she wanted me to go back on a half dose, but as it appears 6 - 8 weeks of withdrawal I have to go through will it make it easier? I decided that I am 2 weeks in withdrawal so go for it, I am now at the end of my 3rd week, and what a bad time I had at the weekend, hot sweats, intensive anxiety, feeling sick all the time, not sleeping right, tied during the day, head aches and so drowsy also my eye twitches. I haven’t given up and I am still keeping off them, if I can conquer the withdrawal then that’s me on the way to recovery. I am a professional person and ended up on these due to my relationship breaking down (6 years relationship), I have been having CBT and this seems to have done the trick more than the pills. I hope that my life will get better and that I will be happy again, only time will tell. Maybe I realised that popping a pill really doesn’t fix the problem and it just covers it up and it was time for me to face reality, you have to help yourself! (Which is the hardest thing to do)? Lee (Lancashire, UK)

i too am in to 5 weeks of withdrawe lgod i wish i could sleep the anxiety has gone almost but the nights are terrible numbness in my body cant sleep at all still vivid dreams but im gonna see it out and get my life back to normal the pills helped me but getting of them is worse than the illness nobody tells u this hope u feel better soon

Go for it Lee. I'm on last dose of Mirtaz (3.75mg) after reducing from 7.5mg 3 weeks ago, and feel terrible too. I have read on this site usually takes 7 weeks or so to improve. Hope it passes quickly for you my friend. They like to mess our lives up don't they, when they put us on this garbage? I am in recovery from Valium addiction and this is nearly as bad as that! 11 months clean from Valium. All the best, danray

Just reading through all your experiences...ive found over time that theres no clear and fast rules to these tablets..everyone is different with effects etc. ive been on 15mg to 30mg then had problems with digestion and pale stool etc so stepped off over 2 weeks...7 days later im still nausious when i wake and evenings and appetite dropped off dramatically...these tablets can effect you quite badly even more than youd think from my point of view... do not worry people its just time and belief that your ok...keep forcing yourself on to a good healthy normal life. Im still suffering and questioning if im ok but unfortuantely its our cross to bear in life, least we are healthy deep down we just cant get a grip...dam it!!!!!!

Hi all,

Well I am out of withdrawal thank god, the anxiety is still slightly there but is getting better, have been discharged from CBT too, just need to cut back on the wine

A phrase I have learnt and keep looking at when I feel a bit shit is

\"When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.\"

How true!

Don't give up!! lee

My favourite saying is there's always light at the end of the tunnel, you then get to the light and there's a sign ahead that says \" beware new tunnel ahead!!!\" olo lol

Hi there

I started taking Mitazipine due to anxiety, stress and mild depression which I believe was brought on over a period of 3 years due to many home life changes and a bereavement. Eventually my body decided it couldn't cope any longer when a promotion at work proved too difficult and I shut down completely.

I have been on Mirtazipine sine January of this year, and, despite putting on 2 stone, I have felt fantastic. It has got to a point now though where the weight gain is making me most upset. I went to see my GP in August who advised taking my 15mg tablet every other night for 1 week and then stopping altogether.

The alternate nights went well although it felt like the 48 hour gap was too long and come 48 hours I was desperate to take my tablet. During the week where I completely stopped, I was incredibly tired, irritable, tearful, drowsey and generally felt awful. I therefore decided, after a phone consultation with the GP to take a half tablet every night which worked well for almost 9 weeks.

Last week I decided to cut back even more so I am now taking half a tablet one night and a quarter the next. (7.5mg and 3.75mg) So far, so good, although I have to say that I am on holiday from work for 2 weeks and last time I tried to cut back to 3.75mg per day, I couldn't cope with the sleeplessness, tears and a full time job. Having the time off work means I can sleep in after a poor nights sleep and not be too affected he next day. I don't think I could effectively withdraw whilst at work full time. As I am a teacher, school holidays seem to come at what feels like good, natural stages for me to cut my medication (a good 6-8 weeks apart each time)

All going well, I shall continue on half, quarter rotation until the Christmas holidays and then I shall drop to a quater a night, then a quarter every other night and eventually to nothing. I hope to be completely clear of Mirtazipine by Easter next year. This seems such a long way off but friends and family are giving better advise than I feel my doctor gave me in August (to stop completely).

I hope some of this information has been useful to someone. It has helped me to share

BellaBelle x

I \"tapered\" off Mirtazapine in a week, cause no one told me I was supposed to do it for FOUR WEEKS. I quitting because I'm starting a program to correct psychophysiological insomnia, and the program was working, til I was entirely off the MT. First I thought I had a stomach virus, and then I thought I was \"regressing\" (at night I feel like there are ghosts and monsters all around me, and I keep worrying someone is watching me/trying to break into my apartment.) My gums hurt really badly, and I have the runs. I also stopped sleeping, and if I try to sleep, I just have waking nightmares or I get sick and have to get up. It's been about a week of hell, and I have no idea when it will end. I need to continue with my program, but this is interrupting it big time, and I'm losing weight like mad. I look like a skeleton. Can't eat anything, or I feel sick and have the runs. I feel seriously lost. I have no idea when this will stop. I regret ever getting on this drug.

I am a 2 time kidney transplant person. I had been taking 150mg of Imipramine for 21 years (the reason for stopping the Imipramine is I have glaucoma, and heard it raises occular pressure), and am on 1mg Klonpin 3 time per day now for 15 years. It worked pretty well for me. After this 2nd x-plant I was quite depressed, so I decided to seek help from a phsyco. We waited for 2 months after I stopped the Imipramine (dropping the Imipramine just made me a little shakey is all), then he put me on Remeron 45mgs. I took it for roughly 3 months. I found it would put me to sleep, but didn't do much for depression. So he put me on Lexapro 10mgs to augment the remeron. I took the first dose, and noticed the next day I felt a little anxious (I have agoraphobia as well), I then took the next dose, and woke up in the night in full blown Serotonin Syndrome all I can say is OUCH!!! I discontinued the lexapro naturally. I noticed a few weeks later, I had another little rebound of that SS. So I started dropping myself off the Remeron, I was angry, and wanted to go back on my former treatment (it worked fairly well) and the physco is 200 miles away, and will not call me back. He has a rule: No Patient Call Backs. Needless to say, I trashed that piece of work (Dr.*******- Provo Utah. What good is a doctor, that is incommunicodo? I've learned all about this syndrome from the internet. I titrated down over about a month by myself. I should have done it over 6. I noticed every couple weeks I would get hit hard with alot of the withdrawal symtoms. When I finally took my last pill, all hell broke lose. It was a terrible frightening experience to go to bed. I would lose myself, and the dreams were terrible, my stomach felt like I had the stomach flu, insomnia, extreme anxiousness, 15lb weight loss, and etc. I didn't get any brain zaps however. I guess were all different. To make a long story shorter. I have been off remeron for a little over 6 weeks now. It's like one day I feel fairly good, and the next is hell. I feel so bad, I just stare at the wall all day. My wife has had to take FMLA leave from work to be with me, Its just to rought to handle alone, as I am agoraphobic, and have big trouble with panic attacks. Would someone please tell me this is withdrawal from remeron, and it will go away? I'm getting worn out here, and feel like I'll never ever be the same, expecially on the bad day's. On a good day, I feel pretty good, but I know the beast is waiting for me around the corner. This crap is driving me Crazy!!! I need it to Stop!!! The symptoms have subsided somewhat, expecially the depersonalization. I force feed myself, as not to waste away. I drink alot of water to keep my transplanted kidney hydrated. I'm not thirsty like I was before this, so I force that down to. I am a bodybuilder, and haven't been able to touch a weight for months now. I'm a different person, and I want me back. Any comment would be greatly appreciated...

I'm Sorry I have bunched everything into one paragraph. I hope you can make sense of it.

Yours in Misery, Tom[b:ea4622b44c]

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Hey.

I am desperate to come off these tablets as the 1 side effect I get from them is increased appitite and my hunger drives me insane.

I now take it every other night or every other couple of nights and I am feeling fatigued and dazey. My partner says I am in a day dream most of the time. I am also dreaming alot. Mostly nightmares of my past.

Panic attacks and tearfulness at the most random times. They are all linked to thoughts/memories tho.

I would much rather see psych than take tablets for depression tho. My head is not with it.

I have now stopped talking Avanza ( Mirtazapine ) which I had been taking for the last year for insomnia and anxiety and for that it worked very well.

Went through a 6 week tapering off period slowly reducing from 30mg to 0 over that time. That wasn't too bad, only had a couple of bad nights from insomnia during this period.

However, after a couple of weeks since stopping completely I've had really bad insomnia which has now lasted about a month. Initially I was also having annoying ( but fairly mild ) anxiety, but either just couldn't get to sleep or would only get to sleep around 3 or 4 am ( and I've still be getting up at 6am )

It's now about 5 or 6 weeks since stopping the medication completely, and I'm now getting a fairly good night's sleep every second night or so ( 5 - 6 hours of sleep )

Very annoying, on the bad days, I feel sick ( and tired but can't sleep ).

I'm also still taking beta blocker medication in the mornings for hypertension and this may be keeping the anxiety in check ( which is a good thing )

Hoping that my sleep pattern returns to normal soon as I'd like to avoid going back on Mirtazapine ( although the only real side effect I had was some weight gain )

From reading other peoples posts here, it would seem that a symptoms such as mine can persist for a couple of months after stopping the medication.

Just wanted to post here, as I found it helpful to read that other people were experiencing the same symptoms.

I have been on mirtazapine 30mg for about 5 years. I have decided its time to come off them. I have taken 22.5mg for a month and that seemed to go ok.

This weekend i cut down to 15mg, and i feel rough! I was a bit like a zombie today and feel nauseous this evening.

I am determined to persevere, but am also really scared of the nightmares i had the last time i tried to cut down. I aim to stay on 15mg for a month and then cut down to 7.5mg for a month.

My GP told me to come off them very very slowly, but also said that mirtazapine is very safe and to stay on them if i feel i need to.

Its good to have these message boards to come to for moral support and shared experiences.

hugs to you all...hang on in there, it WILL get better..xx

Now at 6 weeks since stopping this medication, and for the past week my sleep has been better, now have more good nights than bad. So things are looking better.

Anxiety feelings during the day are either non-existant or mild and managable.