Mirtazapine withdrawl or something else?

Thank you for taking the time to reply. 

I'm not on any other meds for anxiety, I do take propranolol for the vertigo disorder and it may help.  I think stopping the mirts kicked the anxiety in as a withdrawal symptom.  Did you take this med?  Are you off of it now and for how long?  If so are you still having withdrawal?  I can't figure out how after this is out of the blood it can cause withdrawal months later.  That seems like it would be return if symptoms not so much withdrawal.  But I don't no much about these meds I've never been in them for longer than a day or two because of side effects.  

I was on Mirt for 2 months at 15mg then as it stopped working I quit it cold turkey with help of temazepam 10mg and Diazepam 2-4 mg nightly.After 3 weeks am going off temazepam having tapered to 2.5 mg and will continue 2 mg diazepam for a few more nights. This way I stopped the side effects of withdrawel under my doc's advice. Mirt is not a good drug to withdraw from . But just keep your mind off it rest and relax and with time you will feel better. Diazepam helped me a lot- it is only a small dose at 2mg daily and helps to relax . I am not having withdrawel now as I keep focus on pleasant things , exercise 7 kms daily on my bike ride have hot lavender baths at night and take it easy as much as I can.I am 78 years old. Just keep persevering-You may need to go another anti anxiety med-I am also on Lexapro 20 mg daily and it helps a lot.

My psychiatrist didn't want me to take the xanax I have, but if I need it here and there on the bad anxiety days I will take it.  Years ago when I tried SSRI anti depressants I had bad effects and the psychiatrist says I can't take them, so hence the mirts.  I'm afraid to try any others now they are so hard to get off of.  I'm hoping it won't last to long.  I can't believe that the low dose I was on can cause so much.  

I have been on mirtaz for over two years, cant get it higher than 7.5. I cannot tolerate the ssris they had tried for me.  I have never been completely well on this med so dr told me to lower and stop recently.  I have had all the nausea, anxiety and other symptoms during the drop to 5mg et. Then again dropping to 3.75 where i have been for five weeks and i am now feeling very depressed and nightmares back.  Agitated and anxious.  I dont know if its my original illnesss back or just lowering but i feel worse. I am wondering if i should go back up to 5mg or if it is too late to do that now.  I think new young psych will try to change meds and im scared, meantime i feel terrible and dont know whether to up dosage.  Going down to 1.87 is obviously not a choice.  Anyone out there with help.

 Hi  Ann

 I'm sorry you're having such a hard time on this medication. From what I'm reading a lot of people have a hard time with it. Why do you think it would be too late for you to go back to the 5 mg? Did you originally go on this for anxiety?   I did and it helped my anxiety greatly but then I started having swelling in my feet ankle and knees and thought it was the medicine and panicked, and then I started having pain and leg pain was like I was mostly in my calves and of course  my immediate thought was it's heart disease,  main Zaidi revolves around heart disease. I hope that you feel better and that you can find something that helps.  

I dont want to admit defeat by going up as i was doing ok on lowering.  I was originally diagnosed anxiety/depression. It worked a bit but never ent away completely hence the coming off it. Yes, i hope they can find something to help.

HI Chrisy

Thank you for replying.  I'm going to try to stay off the med.  You mentioned have the bad muscle ache in your neck & upper back, feeling very tight and painful.  Does it feel like extreme tension that can go on and on for hours or all day?  This is how mine feels, I feel like I'm under stress and very tight there a lot of the time, it also hurts some going down into the mid back.  I keep thinking its anxiety and freaking myself out thinking if this continues I'll be dead from the stress.  I'm wondering if its a side effect of coming off the mirts?  I also have dizziness and headache.  Sometime the tension is bad and my left side neck will feel numb almost and that relly sends me over the edge.  I can't believe there can be this much tightness and pain.  

I hope you right that I'm almost free of this.  I sure hope my psych doc is  not upset that I didn't go back on the meds.  I never expected that such a low dose and short time taking it would be this bad to stop.  I  hope I never have to take anything like this again.  I hope it all goes well for you and you get off of this.  

In mho, 1.8 mgs is too high a dose to stop at.  Your p.doc probably does not know this, and probably neither will they have knowledge of those WD's your are experiencing including the back & neck pain - all associated with discontinuation of Mirt.

I hear you when you say you don't want to go back on it, and I don't want to worry you further, but it could be a while and a lot of suffering staying off waiting for stabilisation.  I would be kind to yourself & take the 1.8 again, wait for stabilisation (maybe days/week) and then drip drip off by using the  recommended 10% every 3-4 weeks method right down to 0.1 mg ... by making a liquid.  I did it this way using liquid Mirt & was fine.  

I hope your suffering subsides, thank goodness for this forum and getting support from like minded caring folk.

Hi Calmer

Thank you for replying.  I don't understand how to go down with the liquid.  I don't even know if there is liquid here. I'm in the U.S.  if I go back to the 1.88mgs and wait to stabilize then I would drop to 1.69mgs how do you figure that out.  I honestly don't undestand it all.  I'm hoping that being on day 12 of no meds its starting to clear from my system.  

The other thing I don't get is, if the drug is out of the body in 4-8 days how can it continue for months to cause withdrawl?  That just doesn't make sense to me.  I know when I've quit other meds and it out of the body the symptoms are gone.  What gives with this med?  Maybe you can explain it and help me out.  THanks

Can I just ask when you decrease the 10% way,do you get any withdrawals? Or are they so miminal you hardly notice? I went from 45mg to 30mg without researching,and felt fine for 10 days plus (realise about the long half life now) then suffered nausea,headaches muscle pain,really thought I had a bug!! then at around 3 week mark felt my head swimming,and heart palpitations,that's when I did my research and realised it was all withdrawals.felt too determined to go back and rode out the storm,and stayed on 30mg for nearly 3 months to stabilise.next dropped to 22.5mg,currently on 18.75mg,taking a good 4 weeks to stabilise and feel really well,more than 4 weeks if necessary.my next drop will be to 15mg,and as this is less percentage drop than my last one,think this is doable.

Thinking of going slower reductions after this,did you find withdrawals from less than 15mg are much harder than the higher doses?I guess we are all different anyway.

someone made a comment on here "that if the devil ever made a drug he sure did make this one" I have to agree with them,but it did make me laugh,glad I still kept my sense of humour through all this.

how long have you been free of mirtazepine now? and after your last dose how long before all withdrawel symptoms completely cleared?

Hi Sue

Thank you for talking with me.  Its been 11 days and its surely been hard.  May I ask how long and what dose you where on?  My problem is I keep reading how bad this withdrawl is and scaring myself.  They say its dangerous, does that mean coming off of it after taking it for years and just stopping, I don't know.  My pdoc didn't seem to think it was any problem and I am hoping he would not put anyone in danger.  I just feel like crap, tired, anxious, achey, headache, nausea here and there, dizzy, feel tense.  Do you feel all of this? Its so hard having health anxiety, even these symptoms can make you think bad things, like something is wrong and they have missed it.  What was the last dose you where on?  Mine was 1.88mgs,seemed low enough to stop and according to my doc it was.  I can't believe these doctors don't know more about these meds, they should know everythng before they go handing them out.  Do you ever just feel scared?  I try to rest a lot and stay calm but sometimes it hard.  I really don't want to re-instate the meds.  I keep pushing and hoping it starts to let up and I feel better..  I hope you feel better soon to  and it doesn't last to long.

Hi patty, 

I was prescribed 15mg but i only ever took 7.5mg maximum. I went back on them in March after not taken them for 3-4 months. I went sick from work for 3 months. When I went back to work I had to lower my dose to 3.75mg because I found it difficult to get up at 5am. I am having roughly the same side effects as you are. They are awful, I wouldn't wish it on anybody. I never thought a tiny tablet could do this to you. We can do this ! X

When you where off of them the first time,did you go through this withdrawl?  I know once this is over I will never take another drug like these.  I was on the 3.75mg for 3 months and then on 1.88mg for 2 weeks I never would have imagined this could be this bad.  I'm so thankfull I was not on them for years.  I can't even imagine coming off of that.  Its so odd that I can be feeling like poop then all of a sudden feel ok for a bit then back to poop.  I feel reall tired today.  I think all the stress on the body coming off of these is getting to me.  I also took a magnesium pill awhile ago and that can make you feel tired.  I def wouldn't wish this on anyone.  I can't imagine how long this can go on, I mean only being on it for 3 months, I pray it doesn't last for months.  Thanks again for talking with me,its nice to speak to someone who understands.

i took 7.5 for two years, dr wanted me on 30 but i couldnt get past 15 so ended up lower.  Now i am trying to get off and down to 5 then 3.75 five weeks ago.  I am having much higher anxiety and gone through nausea, headaches, insomnia agitation etc.  I feel so much worse.  Psych doesnt know what to do next as hes tried others which make me ill. Do you think its possible to go without these given time?  I am scared to drop next to 1.87 due to side effects, and how bad then will be dropping altogether?  Any views helpful

Hi Ann 

 I am sorry this is so difficult. From what I've read the longer you're on the medication sometimes the harder it is on the longer the withdrawals.   How long have you felt sick on the 3.75? Has it been the entire five weeks that you drop down to that  dose?   It amazes me that these doctors don't have a clue what to do with something like this. Did you feel better on the 5 mg maybe you dropped out of the 3.75 too fast. From what I've read driving too fast can cause all the symptoms and some people of had to go back   To the Dells they were on before the drop and let that restabilize and then start the drop again. I know you don't want to do that because you're afraid of the withdraw and all the symptoms and I don't blame you. I know when the doctor told me on Monday to go back on the low-dose all I could think was I'm going to have to go back through all this with drawl and symptoms again   So I just stayed off of it and I'm helping with each passing day that it will get a little better. And maybe should call the doctor and ask him if you should re-initiate the 5 mg see how that feels and   Let that stabilize and then try the drop again or a smaller drop. I can't believe that this medication is actually on the market and no one really knows what to do with it. I sure hope you feel better soon I'll say a prayer for you  

Yes Patty I did go through this but I didn't realise it was the side effects of  coming off the tablets. I thought it was the anxiety back with a vengeance. It's not until I read this forum did I realise it was the medication withdrawal. I'm having a bad day today so many aches, my mind working overtime. The lowest dose I took of mirt was 3.75. I took them for a few weeks at that dose then I dropped to every other day then 3 times a week then none. I don't think there is any easy way to come off them cos as soon as you've stopped taking them it's around day 10 to 20 the symptoms start. I'm hoping this time I can do it. Last time I went back on them was because my family persuaded me that I obviously needed them but the don't understand . I didn't realise there was so many people on this drug and suffering the same symptoms. X

Hiya Ann, I could only take 7.5 mg no way could I have taken the 15 that the doctor prescribed. I would have been even more spaced out. I don't think there's any easy way to come off them if I'm honest. I'm just gonna try and ride it out. I've had a bad day today it's horrendous. I'm doing it on my own haven't even spoke to the doctor. I'm gonna try my best and see how it goes. Hope you are successful too. Keep in touch. X

Thank you for your thoughts.  I am just so anxious and not sure if its me or the dropping, its been so many weeks now.  See dr next week in the hope of his opinion about what to do. Sticking at 3.75 at moment as people say moving up and down isnt good for CNS. See what dr thinks of that.

i am the same trying to ride it out.  Is it the anxiety which is the worst for you?  I havent seen consult since lowering, he wont be happy i bet.