Mirtazapine withdrawal timeline - help!
Posted , 76 users are following.
Hi, just wondering if anyone can give me some guidance of what to expect during withdrawal from Mirtazapine.
I have been taking 15 mg for about 8 months then tapered to 7.5 for a month and 3.75 for another month. I stopped taking it completely 3 weeks ago. Mirtazapine has helped me with sleep and anxiety to some extent but the weight gain (17 pounds) is more than I was willing to put up with.
I had no withdrawal symptoms during tapering or for the first 10 days after stopping. Since then my sleep has been getting gradually worse and right now can barely sleep at all without sleeping pill. I'm also feeling very tearful and having lots of negative thoughts. My appetite has reduced slightly although haven't lost any weight yet (unfortunately)
So questions for anyone has been through it... When did your withdrawal symptoms 'peak' and then start to get better? How quickly did your ability to sleep come back? And how long did it take you to lose weight gained?
I appreciate that everyone has a different experience, but it would be helpful just to have some idea of what's to come! Starting to feel a bit desperate especially with the insomnia. Thanks
2 likes, 213 replies
lynn67615 helenj289
Posted
did pristiq help yOU?
brittney99948 helenj289
Posted
Hi Helen,
I hope everything is going well though I know it's been over a year. I was wondering if anyone could help or reassure me...
I was on 30mg of mirtazapine for approx. 4 years for anxiety, panic disorder, and depression. In those 4 years, this drug wrecked havoc on my body:
Back in September, I decided to taper off mirtazapine because I wanted to try to get pregnant in a year and I figured that the damage this medicine was doing was not worth it anymore. So my tapering off began October 3rd (every 12 or so days, I went from 26.25mg --> 22.5mg --> 18.75mg --> 15mg --> 11.25mg --> 7.5mg --> 3.75mg --> 0mg which ended December 25th.
I barely had any noticeable side effects or withdrawal symptoms during the tapering. Very light dizziness on the days I made each switch, light anxiety sprinkled throughout the entire 3 month process.
I am currently on day 23 of not taking mirtazapine and I have been feeling TERRIBLE. Severe waves of anxiety, panic at night, racing negative thoughts, zero appetite, very foggy memory, inability to focus as well as I used to, and feeling depressed and rather hopeless.
I guess I'm just wondering if anyone here went through a process similar to mine and started having withdrawals AFTER completely tapering off mirtazapine and how long it lasted for you? I read one comment saying that the withdrawal effects peak at the 3-4 week mark but I curious if that was while tapering off, stopping cold turkey, or just being off mirtazapine after tapering??
I'm scared that these horrible feelings will last forever.
ann55375 brittney99948
Posted
do you feel you need a different anti depressant? OR IS IT ALL DISCONTINUATION? which way to go?
karen60759 brittney99948
Posted
hi brittany om 5 weeks off mirt, how are you feeling now?
tina97101 helenj289
Posted
Hi, im currently on my 10th day of being off mirtazapine. I'm experiencing the following symptoms, i just need reassurance that this is expected. One minute im cold and then the next my skin feels like its burning. Back pain, itchy skin, pins and needles. My face will burn up to the point i have to sit with a cold towel on my face and i am constantly over thinking and experiencing anxiety symptoms. Has anybody else had this when tapering off and stopping this tablet? Thanks 😃
Whome tina97101
Posted
hi, how did it go? l'm trying to get off too. thanks!!!
tina97101 Whome
Posted
Hi, i am completely off the mirtazapine. I tapered down slowly and it did take me a good few months to come completely off them but im so glad i did. Even though the withdrawals are awful the benefits of being off them are so much better. i have a clearer head, my anxiety is right down and my mood in general has just lifted. Ive also lost 4 and a half stone in weight. I gained a lot of weight whilst on them. I hope youre doing ok and if you need to know anything else im happy to help 😃
sarah24378 tina97101
Posted
did you feel bad on the taper or only when you got off ?
tina97101 sarah24378
Posted
im not going to lie, the tapering was the worst. i felt awful and to the point where i ended up in A&E because i was convinced i was dying, it was just my anxiety. i feel so much better now being off them but it did take time but i will say just stick with it and stick it out because coming off them is definitely the better option. i wish i never would have been put on them in the first place, horrible drug to come off it really is. hope youre getting on ok
eliechty13 helenj289
Posted
Mirtazapine 15mg withdrawal experience
Tapering schedule:
1st wk- take one full pill every other day
2nd wk-take 1/2 pill every other day
3rd wk-take 1/2 pill every 3rd day
I continue to use busPIRone 10mg twice a day - for anxiety
I’ve been on Mirtazapine for about 10 months. I started with Wellbutrin, which my body was not a fan of and before going off that I started up on Mirt for sleep and anxiety. I was on Mirt only for 2 months until I started back teaching in August and my anxiety ramped up. My doctor then put me on busPIRone which worked very well. I wanted to get off Mirt so I could see if I could just function with one medication and to alleviate some of the unwelcome side effects such as joint and muscle stiffness, Issues with coordination at times, head pounding pressure feelings and I put on about 25 lbs the first few weeks of taking the Mirt.
No withdrawal symptoms until 10 days after the last 1/2 pill that I took on July 3. I became very nauseous for about a week and 1/2. I was good for a week’s time then on July 30, that evening, I began to become very nauseous. This continued the next couple of days. I read that the “peak” withdrawal symptoms happen around 3/4th week off the medication.
I’ve been doing ok with sleep just wake up most mornings earlier than I want to (5a,6a), but not at too extreme hours.
The weight has not really come down and I’m hoping to feel better soon so I can start walking and be ready to get back to teaching with no more issues.
I’m also going to see where all my Vitamins levels are. I believe this was one of the culprits of many of my health issues. Plus stress.
joanne00689 eliechty13
Posted
Hi,
Well done for being brave and confident enough to finally jump off Mirt!!
I joined a FB group via this group but felt that I received nothing but criticism for coming off the way I'm doing it... so I withdrew from that group!
Like you, I reduced my dose but have done it very gradually. I began in January by gradually halving my dose over a period of weeks. I am now on a quarter of a tablet every other night, so will soon jump off.
By doing it slowly I have lost a stone without changing my eating habits. I still have a way to go but have had very few withdrawal symptoms. Just pressure at the back of my head some days... When I tried to come off last year I did it too quickly and was violently sick.
If people are determined to come off Mirt, reducing the dose is the best way but over months.
Checking vitamin levels is vital esp vitamin D (more so in Autumn & Winter).
Good luck and keep us posted!
eliechty13 joanne00689
Posted
Thank you for the encouragement. I was given the tapering schedule by my doctor so of course I figured all would be good. These forums have been a lifesaver to not feeling alone and that there is hope with getting back to normalcy.
joanne00689 eliechty13
Posted
Don't worry - you will get back to normal soon. Keep persevering because it is important to get this drug out of our system and get our brains functioning normally. Unfortunately we are never told about the intricacies of how the drugs work because at the time we are desperate to feel better.
xx
ann55375 joanne00689
Posted
well done everyone, 18 months since i tapered but still a few wee blips. i am sure its not a good med to take and dr left me on it nearly three years with little improvement. internet was most helpful to me.
dan86 ann55375
Posted
hi Ann how are you now? are you fully recovered? also did you experience tinnitus while withdrawing? God bless