Mirtazapine withdrawal symptoms pass

Posted , 4 users are following.

Hi, ive been on Mirtazapine for around 9 months 30mg ive been reporting to the Drs that im convinced im worse on these but they didnt want to listen. The weight gain has been horrendous 60pounds in the first 2 month alone making my self esteem plummet. Long story short for the sake of my family i decided to take the plunge and taper off. Took 15mg for a week then nothing since Saturday. I know ive probably tried to do it too quick but if you knew the state i was in you would understand my eagerness to quit it. I didnt believe the way i was feeling was withdrawal symptoms til i found this site. The flu symptoms, aches and pains, headaches, diarhea, palpatations, extreme anxiety, suicidal thoughts, depression, the list goes on. I am now feeling positive after ready these posts that it is just withdrawal and however destroying it currently is, i am confident i am not in relapse and i am just withdrawing and it will pass in maybe weeks or months. I am worse in the mornings even before i am fully awake the anxiety takes hold and spirals quickly out of control sometimes passes around lunch time then just complete exhaustion for the rest of the day and finally improving slightly in the evening. I want to thank people for sharing their stories to help me understand my own situation better and i want to encourage others that it can be done. Take care everyone x x x

1 like, 16 replies

16 Replies

  • Posted

    Weldone sarah you should be really proud .. my doctors wouldn't listen to me either. . I found the side effects wear off pretty soon after you stop taking them.. but the mental side of it takes along time.. I wish u well for the future 👏👏👏

    • Posted

      Hi thanks for responding. I was diagnosed with PTSD GAD ADHD Aspergers . . . . The list goes on. They gave me 1 pill after another after another. I was on 40mg Citalopram, 30mg Mirtazapine, 36mg Methylphenidate and Diazepam when i needed it. Previously i have had Lithium, Quitiepine, Depakote, Zopiclone, Sumatriptan, and many others. I had managed to reduce down to just the Mirt but im embarrassed to say that after only 3 nights without it i cracked this morning and took one. I had an unbearable night strong palpatations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, nausea, headache, alover pains. . . . Etc

      Anyway had a little telling off from my Dr today and they have told me to take them again until im feeling much better then to taper them much more carefully. I was foolish and underestimated to effects and believed i was strong enough to ride them out but clearly im not. Im trying to think positive and not get anxious about sleep tonight only the morning will tell i supose.

      Wish me luck and thanks again. :-)

  • Posted

    Good luck to you sarahlouise. You've tapered quickly, but you know your body better than anyone. I'm sending you positive thoughts during your titration - may the wd symtons let up soon. Have you considered holding at the current dose and let your body catch up for a few days or weeks - then dive in again? 

    • Posted

      Hi thanks for responding. I was diagnosed with PTSD GAD ADHD Aspergers . . . . The list goes on. They gave me 1 pill after another after another. I was on 40mg Citalopram, 30mg Mirtazapine, 36mg Methylphenidate and Diazepam when i needed it. Previously i have had Lithium, Quitiepine, Depakote, Zopiclone, Sumatriptan, and many others. I had managed to reduce down to just the Mirt but im embarrassed to say that after only 3 nights without it i cracked this morning and took one. I had an unbearable night strong palpatations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, nausea, headache, alover pains. . . . Etc

      Anyway had a little telling off from my Dr today and they have told me to take them again until im feeling much better then to taper them much more carefully. I was foolish and underestimated to effects and believed i was strong enough to ride them out but clearly im not. Im trying to think positive and not get anxious about sleep tonight only the morning will tell i supose.

      Wish me luck and thanks again. :-)

  • Posted

    Hi sarahlouise,

    Sorry you're having such a hard time. Do you have any other medical conditions Taking any other meds?

    Were you diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression? If so, remember that when you stop taking an AD and you're depressed, that's like removing a tourniquet after having your legs bitten of by a shark—you're going to bleed—a lot. That's on top of any discontinuation syndrome caused by the AD leaving your body.

    It took me about 10 days to feel better after quitting mirtazapine two months ago. Now my anxiety, racing thoughts and depression are coming back, which is to be expected. Those symptoms are manageable for now. But the two side effects that I got from mirtazapine have abated: body aches and pains (like a ran a daily marathon or something), tiredness and lack of motivation, and brain fog. I didn't have those for the first 9-10 years I took mirtazapine but the last two years it became unbearable. That's actually normal too because just about all ADs poop out after a while.

    Keep us posted and feel better soon.

    • Posted

      Hi thanks for responding. I was diagnosed with PTSD GAD ADHD Aspergers . . . . The list goes on. They gave me 1 pill after another after another. I was on 40mg Citalopram, 30mg Mirtazapine, 36mg Methylphenidate and Diazepam when i needed it. Previously i have had Lithium, Quitiepine, Depakote, Zopiclone, Sumatriptan, and many others. I had managed to reduce down to just the Mirt but im embarrassed to say that after only 3 nights without it i cracked this morning and took one. I had an unbearable night strong palpatations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, nausea, headache, alover pains. . . . Etc

      Anyway had a little telling off from my Dr today and they have told me to take them again until im feeling much better then to taper them much more carefully. I was foolish and underestimated to effects and believed i was strong enough to ride them out but clearly im not. Im trying to think positive and not get anxious about sleep tonight only the morning will tell i supose.

      Wish me luck and thanks again. :-)

    • Posted

      Hi thanks for responding. I was diagnosed with PTSD GAD ADHD Aspergers . . . . The list goes on. They gave me 1 pill after another after another. I was on 40mg Citalopram, 30mg Mirtazapine, 36mg Methylphenidate and Diazepam when i needed it. Previously i have had Lithium, Quitiepine, Depakote, Zopiclone, Sumatriptan, and many others. I had managed to reduce down to just the Mirt but im embarrassed to say that after only 3 nights without it i cracked this morning and took one. I had an unbearable night strong palpatations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, nausea, headache, alover pains. . . . Etc

      Anyway had a little telling off from my Dr today and they have told me to take them again until im feeling much better then to taper them much more carefully. I was foolish and underestimated to effects and believed i was strong enough to ride them out but clearly im not. Im trying to think positive and not get anxious about sleep tonight only the morning will tell i supose.

      Wish me luck and thanks again. :-)

    • Posted

      Hi thanks for responding. I was diagnosed with PTSD GAD ADHD Aspergers . . . . The list goes on. They gave me 1 pill after another after another. I was on 40mg Citalopram, 30mg Mirtazapine, 36mg Methylphenidate and Diazepam when i needed it. Previously i have had Lithium, Quitiepine, Depakote, Zopiclone, Sumatriptan, and many others. I had managed to reduce down to just the Mirt but im embarrassed to say that after only 3 nights without it i cracked this morning and took one. I had an unbearable night strong palpatations, anxiety, panic, insomnia, deep depression, intrusive thoughts, nausea, headache, alover pains. . . . Etc

      Anyway had a little telling off from my Dr today and they have told me to take them again until im feeling much better then to taper them much more carefully. I was foolish and underestimated to effects and believed i was strong enough to ride them out but clearly im not. Im trying to think positive and not get anxious about sleep tonight only the morning will tell i supose.

      Wish me luck and thanks again. :-)

    • Posted

      Ahh, ok. It seems like every single time someone has problems discontinuing mirtazpaine, they're always on other meds as well. Myself and a couple other people I know quit mirtazapine cold turkey without any problems. But everyone I've interacted with on this website (and others) that's had a terrible time with mirtazapine were taking other ADs, concurrently.

      Everything gets more complicated when stacking meds: there are so many variables involved that it's difficult to determine which med is working for you and which ones aren't. It's so frustrating. 

      Methylphenidate is basically speed (Ritalin), which can cause anxiety. You already have anxiety so add that med to the mix and that can complicate things—yet if you have ADHD you may require it. It's also addictive so if you miss a dose that can cause withdrawal—real withdrawal—mirtazapine doesn't cause true withdrawal because it's not addictive and your body doesn't build a tolerance against it.

      Is there any way you could get a second opinion from another doctor? Just in case?

    • Posted

      Hi, ive seen a few Drs but the problem was i had a routine ecg and they found that i had prolonged Q-T Interval, they thought the Citalopram was causing it so they took me off that and i had another ecg a few weeks later, it had actually got worse ! My QT wave was 475 then 486, apparently its trouble when it gets to 500. A few of the Drs were conflicting regarding wether the Methylphenidate or Mirtazapine could cause it too and I was so worried about my heart I wanted off all meds but its seems that it wont be as easy as I first thought.

      I am pleased to report though that I slept last night so Im hoping I will quickly be back to some sort of normality, then I will try again in a few weeks or months to taper off the Mirt sensibly and hopefully I will be more succesful :-)

    • Posted

      Just to say Mirt has been the only medicine I've ever taken for depression/anxiety - I had awful problems reducing too quickly - no way could I have done it cold turkey. Have been following the recommended 10% method and for me this is the only way I can cope . Good luck to those who can stop quickly but there is plenty of support for those of us that need a slow 'withdrawal' or whatever you would prefer to call it.

  • Posted

    Im so grateful for your kind replies it is invaluable to me :-) thanks again everyone
  • Posted

    Really struggling today even before i was fully awake, i feel down, overwhelmed, irritable, my chest is restless, tired, hot sweats, nausea, upset stomach etc. Its strange because my Dr put me back on Mirt, i couldnt handle the withrawal, i did it too quick, so i had 30mg Tuesday morning then 15mg Tuesday bedtime, then 15mg Wednesday morning then 30mg Wednesday night and ive been told to just contine taking 30mg at bedtime as normal from today now its back in my system. I had a really good day yesterday, slept Tue and Wed night but this morning is awful. I just need advice if anyone has any please x
    • Posted

      Sorry it's been so rough! Are you taking any other AD meds right now? When did you stop taking Citalopram? 

    • Posted

      Sorry it's been so rough! Are you taking any other AD meds right now? When did you stop taking Citalopram? 

       

    • Posted

      Sorry to hear how rough things have been. Do I understand that you are now at 45 mg, taken over the day? Everyone is unique so it's difficult to advise you. I would say hang in there, day by day - things will get better.

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.