Mirtazapine Withdrawal—Please Give Advice for Peace of Mind

Posted , 7 users are following.

Dear All,

My last dose of Mirtazapine was last Sunday (roughly 10 days ago). I tapered over a month, by going from 30mg to 15, stayed on that for 2 weeks, then went to 7.5mg, stayed on that for 2 weeks, then came off. The first few days were fine. But starting last Friday, I started getting very dizzy and headachey in the eye area, Ibuprofen wouldn't help. I was basically bed bound for 5 days. I also feel nauseous often. The main thing I'm concerned about is my hunger and stomach pain. Short sidetrack: About 1-2 weeks before my last dose, I started exercising and made major changes to my diet to lose weight. I've lost 5 pounds so far. Anyway, the past few days I've been unbearably hungry and get bad stomach cramps, hunger pains, and upset stomach. This doesn't help with the dizziness. I am basically useless and can't do anything due to low energy and pain. I was wondering if these types of side effects are common? I was thinking it could be due to my change in diet and exercising, so I have started eating to maintain weight for a few weeks before I go back to losing to give my body time to adjust. However, I still have the same dizziness/hunger/stomach pains after increasing calories, and I've read coming off is supposed to decrease appetite. I just want it to go away so I can live normally 😦 Also, sorry if this wasn't the most well-phrased description, I feel like I just rambled.

0 likes, 7 replies

7 Replies

  • Edited

    dude, first of all, who told you 30mg could be tapered that fast? I was only on mirt full dose for 1 freaking month , 15 mg, and it has taken me almost 2 years to taper off and i still have a long way to go. About half an hour I've been experiencing some weird things and I'm tapering off every freaking month, I'm surprised all you have is those things you mentioned vs those are all withdrawals symptoms compared to others. anyways, try to eat healthy, exercise when you feel you can and nothing drastic, drink lots of water, sleep if you can, try to distract your mind and dont push yourself cause it ain't going to help nor is going to make this go away cas what your feeling is withdrawals from stopping them med and it won't surprise me if you get more withdrawals because you tapered such big dose to fast. plz be careful. all those symptoms you mentioned re in the long list of withdrawals from this med

  • Edited

    you have tapered too fast. i tapered 10% every 3 weeks when i was on mirt back in 2018 but i started with 15mg only. took me 1 year before being totally free. dont rush it so that the withdrawal symptoms wont be too much. goodluck

  • Edited

    tapering over a month is what most of the medical guidelines have traditionally recommend but some new guidelines are recommending 10% reduction every 2 weeks or longer. Some people get bad withdrawal symptoms during withdrawal. and some get symptoms even after a slow withdrawal. Its very individual. . You have stopped taking the drug now so probably best to persevere. It will end.

  • Edited

    I was on mirt for 3 months. from 15 to 45mg. made me anxiety worse. so I came off it to go back on original old meds I went from 45 to 30 for week then down to 15mg for week, then nothing for 2 mights then back on my old meds. I felt bit crap a few days but never had bad withdrawal, just wanted off this awful drug that took 3 months of my life. I regret coming off long term meds and going on this drug. but had few things going on in life and went to see private psychiatrist worse decision of my life. I had 6 months off work, still struggling with morning anxiety which u never had before. had CBT awaiting more and next visit to psychiatrist. did they give you alternative drug? as sometimes it's what we will need for life. and if that makes us feel better then its what it is.

    • Edited

      I was also on Mirt for just 3 months. After 7 months off, I still have some anxiety, especially in the morning. Other symptoms have more or less gone. Has anyone else experienced this long lasting anxiety - does it ever go

  • Posted

    Thanks, everyone, for replying. While 1 month may seem fast, 1) my doctor told me i didn't even need to taper at all. So I originally went from 30 to nothing all at once. I went back on because it was a stressful time and probably not the best time to come off and because I wanted to do a taper since my stomach was upset. 2) There is nooo way I could wait a year to come off of this. It made me gain weight and feel fatigued every day.

    Anyway, as long as this is withdrawal it will ease my mind knowing that. I was just confused because I've read people having decreased appetite when coming off versus increased.

  • Edited

    jeff it's not straightforward coming off this stuff. I'm supporting my husband off it at the moment. He's been in it for 3 years. He's been off it and back on it because the withdrawal wasn't good. He's down to 3.75 ml but to be honest at every cut he is waiting at least 1 month for his brain to settle. He seems to be more settled after 1 month of a new dose. I'm not sure if this is right but we are going to leave him longer on the smaller doses. when he cuts again he will go down to 1.87ml and probably stay there for as long as he needs to. Not worth rushing it coz the brain needs time to recalibrate. one other thing is he changed his diet to plant based also I read on harvard journals that antidepressants affect your nutrition so he is on magnesium, b complex and vit d. meditation, and breath work. slow and steady and patience its a long journey, however we have learnt so much about ourselves. If the withdrawal is too much dont be hard on yourself, you may have to go on your last dose again and go more slowly. take care

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.