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Mirtazapine withdrawal - tips and experiences thread

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evergreen
evergreen

This is a follow up thread to 'Coming off mirtazapine', for people to share their experiences and tips, and give support to one another.

Mirtazapine is a very powerful drug and an exceptional antidepressant which works much more quickly than others, sometimes within days. It has many very good attributes, but also has some bad side effects such as weight gain for some, which means there are many people trying to withdraw from it.

What most doctors don't tell you, is that it is not an easy drug to come off. You will usually be advised to halve your dose for two weeks and then come off it. Sometimes, people are told to just stop it and start another AD with disasterous results. This thread is for those people who have successfully withdrawn from mirtazapine to tell others how they did it, or for those currently part way through the journey, or for those who are facing the withdrawal process and are daunted by the thought of it.

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  • si675
    si675 evergreen

    Posted

    Yes I'm having private sessions with a shrink once a week, I go to group once a week and next week after waiting 3 months I start CBT.  Everyone in grouo say CBT didn't work for them.  Fingers crossed.  I'm OK till I let my mind idle or like now start thinking about being anxiuous and it makes me anxious.

    I suffer from high BP when I'm in the docs or when I recently had the 24 hour BP monitor fitted but at home I've seen as low as 114/47 BP.  If it stops my heart that may be a blessing some days.

  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    New update:

    Last night I woke at 2pm with terrible nausea and stomach cramps and I have a cough and runny nose. I'm not sure if any of this has anything to do with not being on mirt anymore. Because of the nausea, I also feel fatigued with very little appetite. I think I must have some kind of virus, although morning nausea is a normal state for me and so is probably just adding to the virus effects. I have loads of physical work to do today. Oh well, just have to get on with it!

    • lorraine52317
      lorraine52317 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi evergreen

      I do find myself wondering if it's the 'last strand' for mirt wd. Fatigue and nausea to the point of retching was common for me when withdrawing. I know you have tapered brilliantly but think it could still be your brain adapting and adjusting to not getting a single granual!!! I really hope these symptoms disappear quickly for you xx

      god bless xx

    • sarah_47032
      sarah_47032 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi evergreen I had this a couple nights ago just as I was about to fall asleep and it kept me up another couple of hours. But I had eaten too much food so wasn't sure if it was the food. I also have hallucinations a little.. Last night I thought my friend shouted me, I was obv dreaming it as she was fast asleep and the night I was nauseous I thought I saw big cobwebs on my bed when I went toilet. I think it's the trauma from trying to sleep drug free?
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Poor you !!  Sorry to hear of your troubled night, how are you now?  It's the stomach cramps that seem alarming ... hope you feel a little better ??

      x

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Hi Lorraine, Sarah and Calmer. The cramps feel like menstral cramps, but I'm not at that time of the month. I also feel at times like I'm going to pass out. If I'm no better after the weekend, I'll go to the doctors. The nausea is just normal for me without mirt. I've also had to resort to the anti histamines for my itching. But so far no migraines (which was my worst physical symptom before going on mirt), and no depression. I do get anxious, but tonight it was mainly because I was driving everyone for a meal out and it was an hour each way into a city I don't know, and I was feeling ill and faint, so I think anxiety is pretty normal under those circumstances.

      Those hallucinations sound a bit llike sleep paralysis, Sarah. Very scary for you. I've had similar in the past. I hope that it passes.

    • lorraine52317
      lorraine52317 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi evergreen

      how are you feeling today?

      hope your stomach feels better ♥♥

    • evergreen
      evergreen lorraine52317

      Posted

      Thanks, Lorraine. I'm feeling a lot better today. No nausea and stomach cramps almost gone. I'm sure it was a virus. Just going out to do all the mucking out now so will have to see if I'm less fatigued. I do feel it. How are you today?
    • lorraine52317
      lorraine52317 evergreen

      Posted

      Hi evergreen

      glad you are feeling a bit better today ♥

      I have had a really good 5 days straight. Today I went food shopping with my daughter and felt that extreme urge to get home as I really didn't feel myself. It is as you mentioned fatigue to the extent you need to lay down! But staying positive and understand this is part and parcel of recovery!

      Praying for all your days to be bright ones xx

      god bless x

  • kathy50523
    kathy50523 evergreen

    Posted

    My journey to wean began yesterday.  I was on 30mg for 16 days and doctor advised to go back down to 22.5mg.  Slept good for a change.  Got up and was a little dizzy and spacey feeling.  Have some pins and needles in the arms but have been having that since upping the dose to 30mg.  I do have Clonazepam that I am taking for the anxiety as well.  I will stay with the dose the doctor advised for me to take. .5mg in am, .25mg at lunch, .5mg at 5pm  and the .5mg after the remeron just before I go to bed.  She advised even if not anxious to take the dose.  So will try and stay at the 22.5mg dose for 2-3 weeks.  Was on that dose for 27 days before.  What can I expect if maybe anything? 
    • kathy50523
      kathy50523

      Posted

      I have been on Remeron for 64 days so hopefully will not be that bad WD.  ANy suggstions.  I did feel nausea but have felt that and headache since going with the 30ng which is why I do not thik its for me.
  • kathy50523
    kathy50523 evergreen

    Posted

    So today is day 2 after taking 22.5mg last night.  Had weird dream I was having afacelift done.  kinda cool but weird.  Got up around 6am had something to eat took mu Klon and went back to bed.  Got up around 9am went to the gym for 1 hour never sat down to see how I was feeling and them walked the dog for an hour in nature.  Now home had somethng to eat and took my Klon and feel like having a nap. 

    Hope you are feeling better today.  I cannot take the inositol powder.  I tried a qurter teaspoon and developed headache and severe sromache bloating.  I wish I could take it.

    • evergreen
      evergreen kathy50523

      Posted

      I think you are doing really well, Kathy. Good that you are going to the gym and walking the dog; get all those natural endorphins working for you.
  • evergreen
    evergreen

    Posted

    I hope everyone is doing okay?

    I'm doing really well right now. It's been just over two weeks since my last tiny dose of mirt and I am feeling really good. My morning sickness which I assumed was with me for life, because it was there before mirtazapine, has not bothered me at all for the last two days and I am able to eat breakfast again without forcing it down. If this is a sign of what's to come, then I can probably say that mirtazapine has been a fabullous med for me and I have come out of it far better than when I went in. Before mirt, I had almost constant debilitating migraines where I couldn't even understand simple words or communicate coherently, I had very bad morning nausea, terrible allergies and itching skin, and IBS. So far, as long as things don't deteriorate, it seems that only the itching is back and I am now taking cetirizine every day to keep that at bay. But over all, I think that mirtazapine has healed me, at least for now! Yes, it makes you put on weight, and yes, it's a very difficult med to get off, but overall, I think it is a very useful med for many people.

    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      2 weeks already, wow that went quickly.  So pleased for you, you've done really well, you are the one to watch for me because so far, I havn't heard of anyone doing a slow taper, most jump far too quickly (I know you did a moderate but that's slow comparitively speaking).  

      I read yesterday of another book which states our brains need 2 weeks to catch up with any wd tapering, Dr Glenmullen called the Antidepressant Solution, which sounds a good read for anyone really struggling here. 

      Fingers crossed for you, you've at the 2 week hurdle, so seems like you have the all clear.  Glad the sickness has gone too, all sounds like win win for you smile  Let the party begin !!  smile

      x

    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Thanks, Calmer. I hope that it goes well for you too. I'm sure that it will because you are doing a very slow and careful taper. The only think I would say is to really reduce the drops as you head for zero. I cannot believe how just 0.1mg of mirtazapine made any difference, but it most definitely did! Just being on that minute amount kept the nausea and itching at bay for me. It may be that my body was actually reacting to two weeks before as you say regarding Dr Glenmullen's theory. So two weeks before, I was on 0.7mg and tapering by 0.1mg every day until I was at 0.5mg and then slowed to reducing every two days. I think that I probably tapered as fast as my body would allow me, which would be too fast for some, but as you say, it was still relatively slow compared to what many people do.
    • Calmer
      Calmer evergreen

      Posted

      Hey thanks, yes I plan to do just that, I made notes smile  got it, I've order the book, got a 2nd hand one for £5, I'm a sucker for a book, just love reading!  

      Hows the sleep now?  Still with the Tam?

    • Staz
      Staz evergreen

      Posted

      Glad you are well Evergreen. After researching Mirt on other forums it seems some struggle to come off of it and blame the med for all sorts of issues and other come off quite quickly with no issues whatsoever. Reading between the lines of some reviews I think some people who are negative about coming off have just gone back to their pre Mirt self i.e. depressed / anxious and have not done anything to get to grips with the underlying problem while the Mirt was providing the relief then blame the medication for withdraw symptoms.This seems to be a common situation regardless of the AD taken. I'm hoping CBT and a slow withdraw at the appropriate point will help get back on my feet. My 30mg's are now beginning to work and a faint spec of light has now appeared at the end ot the tunnel.
    • evergreen
      evergreen Staz

      Posted

      Hi Staz. So pleased yre starting to feel a little better. Mirtazapine is a very effective anti-depressant for many people. I do share your iew regarding too much being blamed on withdrawal symptoms and not so much on just returning to the pre-mirt state. I think that withdrwing from mirtazapine (and other ADs) can produceendous WD symptoms if it is done too quickly. There is no doubt about that. Also, I bellieve that lasting damaing to protracted WD can be cause by people coming off the eds too quickly for their bodies to adjust themselves. However, I also believe that if a person withdraws at a  that is right for them, be it 10% per month or a little faster, as in my case, and gives the bodyjust itself, that ny symptom after a couple of weeks or so are due to the patient returning to their unwell state and not withdrawal.

      So yes, WD symptoms will happen when withdrawing from mirt (even when doing it slowly, it is not totally painless), and sometimes they can lead to protracted WD if done too quickly, but if done correctly, the symptoms can be kept to a minimum.

    • evergreen
      evergreen

      Posted

      Sorry about all the missed letters. It's my poor connection in this weather.
    • evergreen
      evergreen lorraine52317

      Posted

      How are you today, Lorraine. Things were starting to look up for you, but you sound a bit down now?
    • evergreen
      evergreen Calmer

      Posted

      Is it still going well for you, Calmer?

      Yes, I'm still on the tems. Just half of one per night. I haven't dared start reducing just yet because I don't feel caught up properly on sleep yet. The damned bird scarers wake me up at the crack of dawn each morning. It gets earlier and earlier as the dawn gets earlier. I also wake up a couple of times in the night, but seem to drift off again, so not too bad.

    • Staz
      Staz evergreen

      Posted

      I think you are right Evergreen. A slow withdraw is the best approach regardless. I think how slow depends on a lot on the individual and situation they are in as well tbh. AD's don't 'cure' depression. The way I see WD is simple. If you are stood at the top of the cliff and want to get onto the beach below there are two ways. 1. Throw yourself off the top of the cliff and get to the beach real fast...but it's going to hurt or 2. Go down the steps. It takes longer but doesn't hurt as much. The pace at which you descend the steps needs to be down to the indivdual. I'm going to start real slow and see how it goes when the time comes.
    • evergreen
      evergreen Staz

      Posted

      That's an excellent analogy, Staz. smile
    • lorraine52317
      lorraine52317 evergreen

      Posted

      Wow evergreen! You are so right, I have been feeling down. Trying hard to shake it off! I upped my mirt to 15mg last night and hope that will help. I considered my depression hasn't had the opportunity to be properly treated. Eg 6 months on an AD that made me ill and bedridden! Then only six weeks of mirt before stopping abruptly! I'm now going to give mirt a good go! Thanks so much for noticing ♥♥

      You are my inspiration on my journey bless you xx

    • evergreen
      evergreen lorraine52317

      Posted

      I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. Hopefully you will notice an improvement in a couple of days. xx

       

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