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Mirtazapine withdrawal timeline - help!

Posted , 76 users are following.

helenj289
helenj289

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

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  • michelle49593
    michelle49593 helenj289

    Posted

    I'm so grateful to have found these posts. In December of 2020 I had a major food allergy reaction and my allergist said I might be sensitive to some things for a bit. I was ok for the most part staying away from high histamine foods for 2 months. Then I was doing emdr on past ptsd then my mother in law died. I had a few mild panic attacks. So I was talking wellbutrin which was making me lose weight to the point where I had to get off of it. Then I was prescribed mirtazipine for sleep. Within 10 days I have violent reaction to a vitamin that resulted in tachycardia so severe I had to call an ambulance. The allergist thought this was not unusual due to the incident in December. For the next 4 months I began to have increased sensitivity to low histamine foods like oatmeal, coconut milk, apples, mung beans, and even quiona, and broccoli. I was tested by 2 other allergists and they could not figure out what was happnening. The docs just thought I was panicking while eating. I had about half a dozen severe tachycardia episodes where my heart rate would shoot above 150 and I thought I was going to die. Eating became so scary. I ended up doing an outpatient program for anxiety because the docs were telling me the food reactions were stress related. I was put on ativan twice a day and switched to klonopin. After 8 weeks I got off of them. Then as I increased the mirtzapine I had a panic attack so severe I was shaking and almost passed out. The next 3 days I had more panic attacks. I had kept immaculate date for months on when I took what at each time each day. So the only thing different was the increase in mirtazipine from 15mg to 22mg. Then I started reseaching mirtazapine more and found this posting and then on a withdrawl forum there were about 20 other expereinces of people becoming intolerant to various foods and supplements. I almost cried with relief to know I had was not crazy. I never put it together that the troubles increased shortly after starting the mirtaziapine because I was in so much grief. This medication also causes tachycardia and qt prolongation which thank god can be reversed. I stopped it immediately and went through 2 weeks of the most horrendous withdrawl where I thought I was going to die. I'm on day 25 off of it and have started zoloft. I can't sleep without a sleeping aid, but have faith it will return to normal. I reported it to the fda and told all of my doctors.

  • Babalicious
    Babalicious helenj289

    Posted

    my GP suggested reducing my dose from 45mg to 30mg which commenced on 2nd November. this last week I've been feeling awful with the worst nausea, head and neck ache. painkillers and anti nausea drugs dont touch the symptoms. just wondered if this can be a kind of withdrawal as GP says not likely but it seems a bit fishy to me.

    • vivienne09149
      vivienne09149 Babalicious

      Posted

      Hi, yes definitely withdrawal, docs dont recognise w withdrawal. evil drug, wish I'd never taken it. good luck.

  • wendy39985
    wendy39985 helenj289

    Edited

    Hi there, i am looking for advice also, I was only taking Mirtzapine 15mg for three weeks and decided to cone off, i took a pill every other day for a week and then every 3rd day for a week thrn just stopped! I thought that because i was only on fir such a short period i would be fine but 8 days later i started feeling nauseous and ten days on i am still feeling the same and my sleep is being disrupted and waking at 2am!Is this normal?will it be the mirtzapine causing the nausea? 11th day now of nausea and get anti nausea tablets from the doctor - Thanks

    • Guest
      Guest wendy39985

      Posted

      Hello. Yes, it's the mirtazapine! Well done for making the decision to come off it. Don't give up hope! I think I had dizziness and nausea for about the first two weeks or so, then all of a sudden that side effect just stopped. I lots a lot of weight in the first two weeks and basically ate ginger biscuits and cream crakers, and drank peppermint tea. You can get anti nausea meds from the doctor and I've read many on here who have used anti histamine (Nytol/ Avomine) to help with sleep. It will pass, just give it a little more time

      Good luck and give yourself a big pat on the back for quitting it now as the longer it's in your system, the harder it seems to be (for some of us) to get off. Best wishes

  • wendy39985
    wendy39985 helenj289

    Edited

    Hi Helen, i came off Mirtazapine on Christmas Day so 31 days ago and i was fine for a week and then got all the usual nausea, lack of appetite and the biggy sleep disruption waking at 2/3am every night! Also developed anxiety again! after two weeks the nausea disappeared and so did the anxiety, my appetite is ok but not what it was! I get days when anxiety hits me and that in itself affects my sleep! My sleep is bad, i wake up at 2/3 every morning and cant get back to sleep! I have been given sleeping tablets but cant keep tsking thode so have now been given Hydroxyine 10mg tablets to take at night - it is an antihistimine - failing that i am just going to have to suffer for as long as it takes! I have also developed itching in my eyebrow - timescales i just dont have a clue when it will all end

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