mirtazapine withdrawal

Posted , 2 users are following.

I have been on mirtazapine for 6 months on 30mg for anxiety and although it worked wonderes in the beginning after 6 months if i'm honest i'd rather feel anxiety than feel nothing at all. I felt like a zombie,no emotions, no excitement for anything at all, just completely numb and un-interested. i have put on a stone and half since march and the body judders and heavy sleeping have just made me think enough is enough.. it's time to come of these pills.. so, i halved my dose down to 15mg under instruction from my GP and he said just listen to my body and drop it down to 7.5mg when you feel ready, so i stayed at 15mg for 11 days, i had no withdrawal effects at all, so i dropped it down to 7.5mg 7 days ago. for the last 2 day's i have had a heaache but that's it. i'm currently debating wether to start talking the 7.5mg every other day for a week starting from tonight, or wether to stay on the 7.5mg every night till the headache goes.. i am only weaning off as it was advised by my doctor, a friend of mine was on 30mg a night for 6 months the same as me and she just stopped them dead,she had a headache for 4 days but that was it and she is off them now completely.. i just think if i have a headache anyway why bother taking them anymore, but then after reading horror story after horror story of MT withdrawal i'm a bit scared to just stop.. but at the same time i'd rather feel like death for a week and get it over with than keep getting these drawn out headaches for weeks to come while i taper down.. i just want these pills gone and my feelings back.. i'm that desperate for it that' i'd rather be ill from withdrawal than continue for one one day taking these pills, major internal battle going on.. any advice please, any personal experiences? (preferably positive ones) smile 

you never get positive ones only negative ones as they have more impact on you i guess... although i have read on many forums that weight loss happens fast when you stop taking MT. so that will be a bonus if i do feel rough.. but be assured that's not my main reason for coming off them, any weight liss will just be a bonus.. thanks in advance for any tips or advice you may have..xxx

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • Posted

    Positive Experience here!! 

    I was on 15 mg for about 1 month (maybe 6 weeks) and reduced it to 7.5 mg and then just stopped taking it. Had 1 more a week later because I was feeling lousy, but no side effects until now. It has been a month. Nothing. 

    Instead I switched directly to a very similar med that apparently works the same way Mirtazapine works, but makes you more "like you" and doesnt make you gain weight. It's very new and called Trintellix in North America, Brintellix in Europe and the active ingredient is Vortioxetine. 

    My magic potion right now seems to be: 

    450mg Wellbutrin as AD

    4x0.5 Clonazepam over the day for Anxiety

    30mg Trintellix as AD

    2.5 mg Zolpidem for sleep

    10 mg Trintellix didnt do much for me, but as soon as I switched psychiatrists and was put on 30 mg my suicidal thoughts are gone and I feel like myself again. 

    Back to your question: I think switching directly from Mirtazapine 7.5 mg to 10mg Trintellix MAY have had an impact on the side effects (or in my case no side effects). But I am pretty certain that some people are just really sensitive to side effects and some are not. 

    Give it a try! you can totally do it! And if at all necessary go back on 7.5 or even 3.75 mg if you feel nasty side effects and then start phasing it out.

    All the best!

    • Posted

      that was my way of thinking, although i wont be swapping for any other meds. but yeah i guess if i feel THAT bad i can always take a pill and see if it takes the edge off. i'm hoping i don't feel anythin at all as i was only on them for 6 months. i think a lot of the withdrawal effect forums iv'e read have been from peopl who have been on them for years.. so fingers crossed it wont give me any hassle.. we'll soon see. smile 
  • Posted

    Hi Gill,

    Sorry to learn that you are having some difficultiy titrating off the Mirtazapine. My experience taught me that we are all different and a doctor can only suggest a general titration schedule. It sounds like things went well at first, maybe you have to bump up your dose a bit and then reduce at a slower pace. I know that it's very frustrating but you know your body better than anyone else. I think that I heard with antidepressants to reduce the dose every 2-3 weeks, a bit longer than you were doing.  I wish you best, try not to get discouraged AND don't listen to the horror stories about coming off of Mirtzapine - people seem to focus on the negative.

    • Posted

      hi karin.

      apart froma headache iv'e had no issues with the taper down, i can live with a headache. i guess i'm just scared of getting the other reported stuff like dizzyness and sickness etc, but like you say peopel focus on the negative and withdrawal effect people differently and has a lot of factors like length of time on them and dose etc also the reason you were on them in the first place.. i will stay positive and see how it goes.thanks.xx

  • Posted

    so, i just read another post on here about MT tapering, she got down from 30mg to 15mg then to 7.5mg with no issues, then tapered from 7.5mg 1mg at a time per week so on her last week she was only on 1mg and when she stopped she had horrid withdrawal.. so what's the point in draggin it out, if you're going to get the withdrawal anyway.. might as well just get it over with.. rolleyes 
  • Posted

    7.5 mg is a very low dose, from experience about two weeks by gradually missing doses until your on zero. this is not a benzodiazapene and is much less psychoactive than any of them, they are hard to come off.

     best wishes

  • Posted

    The majority say wd kicks in between 2 to 3 weeks.  So if I can give any advice at all it would be to wait 3 weeks before going lower.  6 months on Mirt' is different to Mermaids 4 or 6 weeks, just saying ... hope you don't mind Mermaid smile  

    After the 3 weeks if you feel on a level / stable / no symptoms go lower, best be safe with this little devil of a AD.

    Wishing you well.

  • Posted

    thanks everyone, i agree that 7.5mg is a low dose, so i have decided to just stop it all together.. but of course if in a few days weeks i start to feel like death then i will maybe consider going on a lower dose.. i hope i don't get any withdrawal at all, i have read a few that came off higher doses with little or no hassle at all. so here's hoping i'm one of those. xx

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