Mirtazapine withdrawal, how long will this last??!!!!

how are you now, any helpful hints about how to get over this hell

 Hi Ox. Did you have any symptoms after reducing from 15 to 7.5 mg. I’m on 15 and thinking of dropping 

Hi mate, I had one day of anxiety after that drop. then it disappeared. I may have brought that on myself though from anticipation. 

I stayed on 7.5mg for about 40 days. Seemed quite steady at that dose.

 

 Cheers forgetting back to me. I’m getting a bit of anxiety in anticipation of dropping down to 7.5 Mg too.   How long were you on 15 mg for  

I think I was on 15mg for 4 months before i started to taper.

Feel free to inbox me if you want any advice on it.

Hi Ox, how are you today any improvement in your symptoms.

 I’ve read that most people have trouble at four weeks off ?

 Did the doctor give you any diazepam or anything to help with the withdrawal symptoms  

Hi mate, I feel great today. Went out for my morning run as usual and experienced no anxiety spikes like the past two weeks. Slept 6/7 hours last night. Im taking valerian root to help with the sleep. 

Yeah im on like week 6 now i think. the past two weeks have been almost identical to my first episode last year, very severe anxiety. That is never constant. Waves ranging from 2 days to 3 weeks. 

I'm hoping this is all part of the recovery process off coming off mirtazapine. Pretty sure some proper CBT is needed though since I have noticed i go into meltdown if something really upsets me. Seems like im still hyper sensitive to potential external stressors.

 

 Yes waves are  very typical of antidepressant recovery. The healing is not linear, it’s two steps forward one step back kind of thing 

Hi

I’ve dropped last night to 7.5mg , already feeling awful !

I’m 5 weeks Sertraline free just got to get this Mirtazapine out of my system now . I’m using Diazipan when it’s bad like first thing in the morning.

Do you think I could do a week on 7.5 Mirtazapine then stop ?

Matt 

I stayed on 7.5mg for 40 days. I would suggest staying at this dose for a while. Dropping from 15 to 7.5 was hard for me but the sides went quickly. let yourself settle out on each drop!

Might be an idea to stay on 7.5mg till you stabilise.

  But I am no expert on these matters. Everyone is different. 

 But I do know withdrawals to be pretty severe and go on for some time 

How has your sleep been ?

Yes , I’m having really weird dreams and waking a lot during the night.

And to think I was told Mirtazapine at 15mg could be stopped all at once anytime I wanted to come off it ! Drs etc are in total denial about these meds !

Just chipping in, was on mirt three years, slowly cut down eventtually to 1.88 by cutting. Tabs then dropped in January.  Having some pretty awful days now and putting the anxiety and depression down to withdrawals during the last weeks.  Hoping i dont need to go on another one as i feel so bad, wish someone could advise on withdrawal help.

Hi Ann

I seen a neurologist today and we talked about withdrawal, he said to take 2mg of Diazipan in the morning and the same at bedtime during withdrawal and for a minimum of three months after stopping, finally a medical professional who totally gets it and understands how brutal withdrawal can be.

I cant even get diazipan! The 3 months timeframe is promising though!

Will your GP not prescribe them for you ?

Yeah it seems like this is the case.

I think I'm starting to level out a bit now. On day 42 of no Mirtazapine. Just coming out the other side of a 20 day anxiety bout. 

I can't stress enough to anyone just coming off mirtazapine, how important your morning routine is. If you experience your anxiety worst on a morning. You must NOT lay in bed once you wake up. This can be the decider on whether you have a terrible day.

The only way I seem to get through my anxiety episodes is by doing fitness on a morning. Going out for  a run seems the best thing. Do it as soon as you've got up and been to the toilet. A quick 20 minute jog or if you cant do that then some fast paced walking. 

Anything to take your mind off the anxiety building up is going to help alot. Once Ive been out for a run I will go in the bath, do some reading and allow myself to relax a bit. I've seen this technique work miracles for me and enjoyed 10+ hours of the day after anxiety free. 

It doesn't always work but if you don't do it, i believe you're just setting your day up for failure. Happy to know any other coping mechanisms people use.

Hi Matt

 May I ask how long were you on the sertraline for and the Mirtazapine.? 

Hi Steven

I was on Sert for 5 months and Mirt for 4 months , previous to that was on Citalopran for many years.

Once I’m through this withdrawal I never want to take another antidepressants ever again ! 🤞

I agree with Ox about moving your butt first thing in the morning, I do a 20  minuet walk and then some yoga , the days I don’t do this are the worst days just laying around feeling sorry for myself, it’s hard to push yourself I know but worth it .

They refused!

Yes I tend to walk for 5 miles a day. That seems to help me.

 How old are you Matt , I am 49. Some say age can play a factor in how quick you heal from these pills. The younger the better apparently.

I’m not sure I put too much store by that though.   Peoples experiences of withdrawals seem so varied.  

Hi 

I’m 53 and female , at the moment I feel 153 😂 

 I’m like you Matt. I want to get off AD’s for good.

 Otherwise you just end up trialling different antidepressants,, with the attendant start-up symptoms and then withdrawals once you realise it’s not working. 

 That’s no way to live life . 

Are you in the UK Ox ?

 I’m surprised they haven’t given you something like Valium to ease the withdrawals if they get too intolerable.  The doctor gave me a short course  of 14  2mg diazepam  tablets.  I don’t want to take any because I know how addictive they are. Just knowing they are their though is a huge crutch. Saying that, if I get a huge panic attack I will probably be swallowing them like Smarties

Hi

Just a wee note about the Diazipan, they are a hell of a lot easier to stop than Mirtazapine or Sertraline , in my opinion anyway 

The idea is that they firstly take the edge off the withdrawal symptoms and also keep the brain calmer whilst it tries to recover from the withdrawal of the AD’s.

I am in the uk yes. Im not sure if theres a note on my medical record to stop me getting them, since i was in hospital and my symptoms were very severe last year. Or that they just try to avoid prescribing them at my surgery.

I'm the same as you withdrawals are horrendous sleeping at nausea is the worst for me wish I never had this drug given too me in the first place xx