Mirtazapine withdrawal - light at the end of the tunnel

Hi Susansasha

Mirt WD messes with your sleep a lot, just want you to know you are not alone and that this is a common symptom, maybe ease your concern.

Trying not to worry about not sleeping is hard, especially in the middle of the night, but if you can say to yourself it will get better and try not to let the worry take over and create more anxiety (as hard as it is) i skey - some nights will be worse than others - try to find a simple breathing relaxing/self hypnotism for yourself that you can do anytime - when the anx' hits you, day or night may be of great benefit.

Wushing you well.

Thank u so much for your reply. Why does it mess with sleep so much? I can cope when I have sleep but really struggling today. I guess sleep does return eventually? Is it because it messes with brain chemistry? I will try the breath in ng exercises. Thank u x

Hi,

It's very common for the symptoms to come back in waves. You'll have a few days when you think you're over it and then it strikes again. This can be very demoralising, but I can assure you things will get better

Seek comfort on the fact that if you have a bad night or 2, you are likely to fall into a deeper, more restorative sleep on subsequent nights. This is probably what you experienced for a few days before last night.

It has been 7.5 weeks since i took my last 2mg tablet. I am still getting withdrawal symptoms but they are happening less frequently.

Get up early and make the most of your day. Fresh air and plenty of activities throughout the day can do wonders for sleep.

 

Hi Scott. Thanks. I have always exercised and I do eat healthy but how do we muster the energy from two hours restless sleep. Try not to get down but I am really struggling today. I am having Accupunture to see if it helps and also going to a hypnotherapist tonight. I don't know what else i can do. X

I don't know why it messes up your sleep pattern but you're right, it is a chemistry disfunction, and yes, most people on here see, to agree, the sleep pattern does return.  

Hope you had a better night x

 

Hi Peter,

I started off at 15mg and went up to 22.5 mg for a couple of months before going back to 15mg.

I used a pill cutter, which helped me to cut it up with a degree of accuracy. Others have tapered more precisely by reducing their dose in liquid form.

If I were you, I would reduce the dose by 10% and give it 2 weeks or so to see how you feel before deciding whether to reduce it again.

All the best

 

Hi Scott-many thks for your reply-am presently taking this 15mg tab and have tried over 1 night dropping to 3/4 tab approx 11.25mg and also tried taking 1/2 tab only 7.5mg-but will now stay on 15mg for a period of time and then reduce-i go to bed around 10ish and am asleep by 10.30 and generally do not wake until about 6ish but then if i wake earlier i cannot get back to sleep-if i try to drift back i have dream after dream which tend to appear to last only seconds until i open my eyes and close them again-then a nw dream starts and the cycle continues also my mind is racing until i get up and then it stops-have u any experience of this-I have had a very stressful 6 months with a very serious family illness and have a stressful job-I understand that stress should not be part of when you want to start to taper-The Doctors are not much help and say reduce to half a tab for 2 weeks then stop and see how u feel-they say the Mirt is well out of the system by then and cannot be wd-thks for your feedback and i wish you all the best-have a good w/e take care-rgds=Peter+.          

Hi Peter

Hope you don't mind me jumping in here, just want to reassure you that those dreams are a common side effect of Mirt', longer you're on it the more that fades.  Also the doctors you speak of, and my doctor and most folks on this forum say the same - they seem to know very little of how to wd from this Mirt' AD ... gather all your info on this forum, take what you feel comfortable with, think and plan long and hard before trying to wd if you are in the midst of a lot of stress.

Wishing you well Peter, Calmer

 

Hi Calmer-no do not mind @all-on Sat night and yesterday took half a tab 7.5mg instead of 1 15mg  full tab and feel ok but don't know if this was wise and should have only decreased by only 10% which would have been roughly half tab+1/4 tab+1/8 tab=approx 13mg-have read on previous comments not to jump up again if you have decreased-don't know now what the best solution is to whether  remain on 7.5 or jump back up to approx 13mg-would appreciate your comments on this- I feel more anxious knowing that when I wake and try to nod off again i will experience these dreams after dream and racing thoughts-how did you feel generally daily on this AD-apart from this dream/racing dreams problem daily I sometimes feel there is a band around my head-not so bad with the fog feeling,but generally a complete lack/desire/interest to do things and also can feel not dizzy as such but that type of feeling

When I eventually get down to 7.5mg/1/2 tab  will remain on that for@least 1 month and longer when I reduce further-please feel free to jump in whenever as i appreciate your above comments-Like you just want this out of my system ASAP-i WISH YOU WELL ALSO IN THIS CONTINUED FIGHT FOR WELL BEING-TAKE CARE-Rgds=Peter+.            

Calmer-hi again Peter-I see from your reply to georg that you are still on this AD and you will start to wd in the Autumn-can i please ask you what mg you are currently taking and how long have you been on this and have you tried before to wd -hope I am not being too inquisitive but it is very very hard to stay positive and remain positive when the wd process takes such a long time the reduction process and not cold turkey seems never to come to a close but reading all these people's accounts we are all in this same position-all wanting to be free and back to where we were in life-thks again Peter+.  

Calmer-hi again-having also periods of crying-presume that is part of the Mirt cycle-thks=Peter+ 

Hi Peter

I have sent you a private message, hope this is ok.

Wishing you well fellow sufferer 

 

Scott-hi-Sorry to trouble you

On Saturday and Sunday evenings I reduced and took only half a tab 7.5mg to see how I felt and felt ok but thought yesterday  i felt made the wrong choice and last night Monday went back up to 15mg- to wd much more slowly and today do not feel great-would this short period of time of only 2 days @the lower dose and then stepping back up to 15mg have such an effect-I think you have previously commented not to do this-presume now in a period of days before i stabalise again and will feel better-take care Peter+    

Hi Calmer-has been a while since i last communicated- please excuse this absence-Update the immediate close family illness is still there and my anxiety is no better-3 weeks ago i cut down from 15mg to presently approx 13.1mg-being half tab/quarter tab/1/8 tab-and last thurs tried 11.25 being half/1/4 tab to see the reaction-was not too good so have gone back to the 13.1 equiv-however last 2 nights have woke at 4.30am and could not get back to sleep with the racing thoughts and dream after dream with no relevance-this all goes the minute i get up-Think i need to revert back to the full 15mg tab tonight  and then go with the Cita method from next Monday-presumably going back up from 13.125mg to 15mg will not create too many side effects as the increase is very low and is not as if i was jumping from 15mg to 30mg-have also felt very tearful at the slightest being-Am still@work and is a big effort to do this-The Mirt seems to drag away all the life from one and nothing is a pleasure-Could i please have your comments on this and any further suggestions-hope you are ok-can you see any of the above is similar to what you may or not be feeling-I am now anxious thinking about waking up @4.30 again tomorrow and so the anxiety remains however hard I try not to let it in me-also very fidgety when i am at home seems i have to be doing something whether this is the reaction to the close family illness-who knows- think also i need to take things very slow in reducing i.e. the Cita method re 15mg chart and then the 7.5mg chart-Every sufferer just wants this out of their system well and truely gone-Sorry for going on about this-hope you understand and I know what great understanding and patience  you have on this matter- take care  Peter+   

Hi Peter

I understand your anxiety and worry about waking at 4.30 but going back to 15mg now, in my opinion, would be a mistake.  You say you went to 13.1 mg  3 weeks ago and have been ok on this ... I think this is the answer for now for you.  Stay at 13.1 mg for a few weeks - until you feel stable again and get your confidence back.  

I think you are saying

15 mg to 13.1 mg EVERY NIGHT for 2 weeks (to last Thursday)

Then 11.25 EVERY NIGHT since

I think dropping the dose should be much less severe - as the CITA plan you have.

Going too fast is not for you Peter, I think you have said that you have tried twice now to withdraw - so maybe being kind to yourself and following the well-trodden advised plan will help you more in the long run.

I understand also if you feel so desperate that you must go back up to 15 mg, this may or may not cause you more anxiety after getting down to 11.25, that's why I think it's best for you to now stick to 13.1 mg.

How do you feel about that?

I will check in again tomorrow - I am not very good in the evenings, I feel I need to switch off from all computer, games, texting, multi-tasking etc ... it prevents me from getting to sleep, which is one of my problems too !

Wiahing you well Peter.

I have also sent you a private message. 

Calmer-hi-thks for your reply

last night took 15mg tab  to see the reaction and had worse sleep-hardly slept @all-but  will drop back down again tonight  and re-instate to 13.1mg-presume/hope this 1 night@higher dose will not cause any great problem-what do you think 

i took the 13.1mg from 14th july till 29th july every night

then 30th 111/4mg-felt slight wd so re-instated back to 13.1mg

then 31st-1st aug-2nd aug and 3rd aug back to 13.1mg

and last night the 4th aug took 15mg-hope this will now not undo and affect all the previous nights@13.1mg-what do you think .Apart from

Sunday and Monday nights waking@4.30am and last night hardly any sleep all other nights had been reasonably ok.-Would appreciate your kind comments-please keep well-thks+rgds=Peter+++.

 

 

Calmer-hi again

re your private message many thks but not received-take care-rgds=Peter+++. 

Calmer-hi again sorry to bother you

My initial plan on reducing was as follows-REDUCING FROM 15MG

13.1mg for 31days-currently in this period-

11.25MG 31days 1/2+1/4 tab

7.5mg for 31 days 1/2 tab

3.75mg for 62 days 1/4 tab

with no weekly/daily alterations/reductions@all 

or do you think it is better to keep to the CITA METHOD BASIS THE 15MG CHART WHICH SPREAD OVER 14 WEEKS

SO ON next  monday 10th  and for the next 2 weeks would remain on 13.1mg

and when the 1st day to reduce would be in week 3 -the thursday of that week would reduce to 7.5mg only for that day and continue with the other weeks and the days to reduce as per their chart

then after the 14th week period ends would then start on the chart basis reducing from 7.5mg-What in your opinion is the better plan-Sorry to go on about this-thks for your continual time and patience on this-much appreciated as always-Best Regards=Peter+++.      

 

Hi Peter

I have e-mailed you - did you not receive the e-mail?

I think the above ratios are a bit too severe - I think you could get away with 13mg down to 11mg but not the others below.  I would say stick to the chart I sent you yesterday.

If you feel anxiety is getting to be a problem stay at the dose you are on at the time, do not go up again, but remain there until you feel settled or stable again.

Wishing you well Peter

 

Calmer-hi again

no did not receive your e/mail and chart -can you kindly  please send it again and the chart-maybe this got directed into the company's spam a/c? and got deleted?

so will revert back to 13.1mg tonight-do you think taking the 15mg last night is likely to do any harm/damage?

Wishing you well also-take care-Rgds=Peter+++.  

Emis Moderator comment: I have removed the email address as we do not publish these in the forums. If users wish to exchange contact details please use the Private Message service.

http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398331-private-messages

Calmer-hi again-no did not receive your e/mail and chart yesterday-do not know why-can I ask you to kindly please send again

will revert back to 13.1mg tonight-only hope that by taking 15mg last night this will not cause any slight problem-what do you think?

You too keep well and take care-rgds=Peter+++.

Peter hi,

I have resent the e-mail, could you please reply with anything else with a personal message, think the moderator doesn't like personal info on here.  

I think you will be absolutely fine going to 13.1 but as suggested, I would only take 13.1 for 2 nights out of 7 nights for the first 2 weeks.  After that follow the plan x