Mirtazipine withdrawal support

When I just couldn't take it, I used 1/4 of a benzo tablet to get me through the worst of the WD. 

Did you get that severe restlessness? Of course I'm googling everything now and came up with akasithia or whatever and now I'm worried it'll last 6 months like people say. I felt like my brain was melting last night and couldn't handle it and caved and took an ativan. To anyone reading this, don't worry too much, I have an existing high cortisol condition which probably makes it worse.

Hey Sunshine,

I get that restlessness especially at night. Been up all night with it last night. Here is to a better day!

Mirtazapine down to 3.75 and anxiety and agitation here. Never really went away. Using benzos. Any other thing i should be doing - tried listening to relaxation but too agitated. Want to be off these.  Tried sertraline, nearly sent me up the wall anxiety increased.  Must be something other than diazepam.  Trying acupuncture, see if it helps.

I decided to get off all meds as I have reactions to them all and they just seem to make me either more depressed or send my anxiety through the roof. I think there is a biological basis for most depression. Mine started with mold exposure and a leaky gut and now it seems it may have triggered chronic Lyme. I went to a nutritionist who started me on an anti inflammatory diet and cod liver oil/supplements and am starting to see improvements. Last night I was actually happy. Little hitch today but I continue to see improvements as I am able to work now and eat a little more. I am going to therapy and just hope to see continuous improvements. I probably will never take another antidepressant again. Once you get off the mirt and wait a few weeks..and please try to give it some time as I am still getting slight withdrawal waves at almost 4 weeks off...you will feel better. I am 100% sure that these anxiety waves you are having are due to mirtazapine withdrawal and they will abate once you are clean.

Cindy.....

Bless you I feel your pain . I'm going through he'll atm. I'm off work depressed anxiety to the max. Don't know what to do with my self. Been to the Dr's four times and had about 10 to 15 telephone call talking to the Dr about my self. I was on floxutine40mg for 14yrs but stopped working for me a Dr put me on Mirtazapine 30mg then 45mg they didn't work for me so another Dr started me on Sertraline 50mg and had all the side effects going so I was told to stop and just take Mirtazapine for a wk. Went back on the dreaded sertraline for one day and he'll they didn't agree with me. So now I'm on Mirtazapine 15mg slowly coming off but I'm also on floxutine 10mg daily but nxt wk I got to lower my Mirtazapine to every other day then the following wk every 3d day. And then up my floxutine to 20mg.. I have cancelling for the first time tomorrow morning and the thought of it makes me want to cry. But I'm keeping strong this is a horrible decease and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.Hope you are feeling a bit better today Cindy.

Thank you for the words of encouragement! I wish you the best, as well! The whole thing is a bear to deal with and I don't think that doctors do much to help.  I can't stand waiting 3-4 weeks to see my doc to see how things are going and only being in her office for 5 minutes only to get more or another drug added!  Where is the talk of helping people get off meds? Why does everything only have med as the treatment?  I feel that psychiatrists, in particular, feel that their job is to prescribe meds.  It's what keeps them in business.  

Clem clem, I don't know how on earth you are able to keep track of what you're supposed to be doing with your meds or how you're able to figure out which one would cause you a problem. 

I think I'm going to continue with me wean and pray for the best!  I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!   

I feel your pain. Look at my previous response to Ann above. I think these drugs are doing me personally more harm than good. I don't like screwing with my neurotransmitters and receptors. It does not feel right to me. I think a healthy lifestyle/healing your gut and inflammation goes a long way where depression and anxiety are concerned, not to mention that periods of depression come and go anyway. Drugs may be good for some but they are not for me. By all means if you feel like they are helping you then you may want to find one that works and stick to it. But I have no doubt that what you're going through at the moment is just a result of all the changing and that you can balance out. Stay strong!

Thank you so much! You brought tears to my eyes and hope to my heart!  It's comforting to know that we aren't the only ones experiencing this.  I think that helps a lot in finding what works for you.  It's hard for people who aren't going through it to understand.  I think it's easy for them to say -- you'll be okay; just fight through it. It's more than that. Support goes a long way! 

Healing thoughts to all of you!  

Thanks Gretel! I am doing much better. My panic still comes and goes but it is not nearly what it was with all the restlessness and such. I now am having this awful depression but am finding moments of peace here and there so I'm hoping that this is still just my brain balancing out.

I am so much worse on the depression front and the agitation front since lowering to 1.87 .

i am waking with feelings of not wanting to be here.  I can only use diazepam to try to quieten down the anxiety but i have been lowering mirtaz now since august and i dont think i am having withdrawals, it feels like i have still got my original illness and it needs some treatment.  Because i have had such poor outcomes on all anti deps i think psych doesnt know what to do with me next.  The antipsychotic augmentation did not help,at all, neither did many other drugs.

i want to be drug free but feel so ill and no motivation at all.  My hubby just drives me around places to try to keep my mind going or i would shut down 

maybe i need a new antidepressant to try, something is wrong and not getting dealt with.

any help please

 

Hi Ann,

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I am right there with you. I posted earlier that I was getting better and I was but right on the week 4 mark I started getting insane depression and now just really agitated and horrible thoughts. This is not how I was before I started taking the mirtazapine and it still feels like withdrawal even though I was only on it for 3 weeks and another AD that works on the same receptors for a month before. I think you might still be having some withdrawal. What poison that stuff was. I'm so angry I agreed to take it after reading all the horror stories online. All of it has proved to be true for me. I am sensitive to medication though. Just trying to tough it out and wait for weeks to go by. On the other hand if it is partially your normal depression I would consider seeing a functional medicine Dr or naturopath to start healing your gut and body. Sometimes that can make a world of difference. Good luck to you.. keep posting.

Hi Ann 

     Sorry to hear your not feeling any better maybe you should go back to docs and try another anti depressant if doc is willing to let you?

im off mirtazapine 4wks today and although it's been a rough time I'm starting to feel better, still haven't got much of an appetite but can manage small portions still have tummy issues but not as bad the last few days, panic and anixty still comes but getting less of it, just praying it all goes away soon... I'm now on a new anti depressant which I think is helping me also I use beta blockers...

when you were taking your normal dose of mirtazapine did you feel ok ?

                       Kaz

 

Oh, Ann.This makes me so sad. I wish I had the words to help.  It's such a debilitating disease and so hard to understand. I am on day two of not taking the mirtazapine and I woke up feeling really off. Was going to take the pill just to curb whatever I was feeling. Decided against it. Feel like this is where I'm at, I'm going to run with it. Like you, I want off everything to see how my body reacts. I think it's been pumped with so much "junk" for years, it doesn't know how to react.  This is what I've implemented: 

A 20 minute walk  after work -- this is huge as the couch is my best friend. I didn't even want to do a ten minute walk that was recommended

Chiropractor and acupuncture

essential oils

Vit D

Christian based counseling

Don't know if any of it is helping but something must be because as the chiropractor said, I'm not feeling any worse either.  

Good luck to you! Sometimes it helps just to talk to others who are going through similar things. I know it does for me. Sometimes I feel like I'm just going nuts all on my own.   

Hi Ann,

Sorry you are having a rough go of it. Have you tried to go up to your last drop...3.75mg? Dont know if you have considered, but may give you some relief. I am praying for all. Xo

Never felt ok on mirtazapine, just got by so psych said to stop. Its the anxiety which is the worst i think.

what do you now have which is helping?

tried this last night and slept but another day of anxiety ahead.

what did you originally take this med for? Mine was anxiety and depression.  It really hasnt worked as i couldnt tolerate anything above 7.5. I would love to go down holistic route and have started acupuncture.

i dont know how you can go to work. I can hardly leave the house, but i make myself go for a walk every day, because ofmthe weight gain sometimes its slower and can do at most two miles, usually one.

what does chiropractor do for you - does it help anxiety?

i hope you get well soon.

Anne,so sorry you are suffering so very much at moment.did u get liquid mirtazepine? because have had to resort to cutting pills,then it's so very hard to cut smaller than quarter of a tablet,so maybe your doses are estimated,and maybe your nervous system can't cope with estimated dose changes,but I also realise that GP are very reluctant to give this,and after Christmas after I have lowered from 15mg to 11.75mg,and then stayed there for 6 to 8 weeks,I will have my own battle to try obtain liquid for further reductions.

At present I have just passed night 14 at 15mg,and the withdrawals are starting to hit,headaches,tinnitus,muscle pains,stomache aches and bloated,taste almost gone,very cold and shivery and swimming lightheadedness,more anxiousness,from past months know I have a rough couple of weeks before it eventually settles,so will just have keep telling myself it's not forever.still having bizarre odd dreams,and nightmares even after slowly going from 45mg to 15mg,I had hoped these would disappear after lowering,but seems not!

Its good to hear you have a supportive husband who's managing to drive you round,to get you out and about as distraction is a really good thing.

you really need to inform your psychiatrist you are feeling so poorly.

I have no personal experience of having a course of ect,but have known a couple of people who were suffering badly with agitated depression,and they both had really good results from this.

look after yourself Anne and treat yourself kindly.

Hi Ann,

Glad you got some sleep. Yes , i know anxiety is on tap for us today. I am going to try to do things differently today. Not sure what but im too good to have my ass whipped by irrational fears. I am really over this. Just going to try tobusy myself, i will let you know. Peace to you.

Thank you, Ann. I hope the same for you. 

I was given this med to help get me off of EFFEXOR which is another nightmare in itself. YEARS of being on it and it did nothing and the withdrawal brain zaps were HORRENDOUS. The doc used this to help me get off of that and for sleep and anxiety and depression.  I am finding that anxiety and depression are symptoms of something else through counseling.  The chiropractor has been doing slight adjustments where I had a "slant" in my spine in the area that controls the gut. Research suggests that many mental illnesses can stem from poor gut health and I have suffered with GI issues for many years.  I also have a pinched nerve in the area that controls mental health. I've only been going for about a week so, haven't noticed anything different but I'm also not feeling worse and I'm on day 3 of no mirtz.  The adjustments themselves feel great so, hopefully, they are helping. It's going to be a process through chiropractic care to get it under control. 

I don't know how I get to work sometimes either but I do.  I always just put it in my head that if I have to leave, then I leave but to at least try. There are some days where I just can't and I don't.  

Try to think of what you're going through as a symptom and not as who you are or how it'll be for the rest of you life.  When I couldn't get up the other day for two hours, I remembered that and made myself get up. I had a decent day, not great, but at least I got up and out for a little bit. I was always having stomach issues which I believe contributed to me not feeling well. I had my gall bladder removed a few years ago and it's caused more GI issues than I had in the past. Turns out that I have bile reflux due to not having a gall bladder! Imagine that! 

If you are able, try the holistic route.  I think it's worth a shot and definitely don't have anything to lose.  The verdict is still out for me, if it's working but like I said, I'm not doing any worse so, there's hope! 

Here's to hope and prayer!  

Turns out they took my gallbladder out two years ago unnecessarily and my gut has never been the same since.  I have to take warfarin too and im sure its not helping the gut. Im so far down on mirtaz now its just the final drop from about 2mg to go.  Feel fear all the time which seems to manifest in anxiety so diazepam needed.  Dont like using it either. Hoping better days to come

havent had 15mg for a long time. Slowly got to,about 2mg. Dr would not give liquid which i think is atrocious when we are doing so much hard work to get lower they deny us the final cut.  I have paid for 40years into nhs and this ismthe outcome.  Anyway managing it alone and hoping it will get better. I really dont want ect thats the last thing on my mind.

the nightmares disappeared about 5mg, just weird dreams now, people from my past coming into them.

hope your next drop is comfortable.

Ann, i am also having "visitors" in my dreams as well.

No, havent had that. Just anxiety and agitation.  They say this will stop after withdrawal but it will take some time.   I am interesyed in melatonin, where can i buy it? Is it available in uk?

I purchase it at my drugstore. Its in the vitamin section.

Ann how long have you been off? Do you think it's getting better?

Im not even off yet, slowly down under 2mg, not feeling better, been about 8 weeks.

I'm so sorry to hear that! I'm learning to just let the feelings wash over me and remember that it will end at some point. I'm 4 1/2 weeks off and am having some trouble but have my calm moments too. Mostly anxiety and feeling like I have the flu. We will get through this.