Quitting Mirtazapine after 1 month

Doctor has said the same to me. Thinks cognitive therapy will be a better option as AD's just knock me out and make me feel like a zombie, also I can feel, like you,

More anxious on them too. And the foggy head I get from Mirt is a struggle.

I've been on them six months and was on 30mg. I tapered down to 15 as 30 knocked me out! I think went down to 7.5mg for 2 weeks, then 3.75 for one week, then 1.87 for one week.

I spoke to my doctor about tapering off 1.87 and he said with that small a dose it's unlikely to be doing anything! So I can stop it. Tonight will be my third night without it.

I'm a single Mum, and one of my girls doesn't sleep through so maybe I'm used to little sleep anyway?

Good luck, and as someone said before, I think you were on it for such a short time that it hopefully won't be too hard for you

Kirsty

Mirt has killed my motivation, too.  It is hell trying to get anything done!

I feel like you, the mirtaz just makes me so tired and unmotivated and though the psych wants me to in rease dose from 7.5 my body doesnt like it, at 15 i get dizzy spells and nausea.  Feel i want to discontinue but its been two years like this.  All attempts to try different anti deps have made me feel worse.  I am not sure if i will be able to drop down easily.  Foggy head is not nice either.  I also need diazepam for anxiety.  Have tried cbt 25 sessions havent helped.  I think the meds are holding me back but still have depressed days. All helpful hints welcome.

I wish I could give you the answers, but I'm at a loss. I have good and bad days, I try to hold on to the thoughts of the good days.

Someone once told me, someone who had incurable cancer, that if they had a shot at it all again they'd live for every blooming minute, and I try to think if that what I'm at my lowest. Depression and anxiety are awful things, but I try daily not to let them get the better of me, sometimes I fail, sometimes I win, but I always think back to him saying that.

Things I find helpful are to try and stay as busy as I can, I hate two little ones so I have to try and keep going.

Try doing some exercise, getting out in the fresh air can help me, even if it's the last thing I want to do, I always feel better for it!

Remember you're not alone, and I'm certain things can get better for us

Kirsty x

Have not hate!

Hi Kirsty just checking in to see how you are, been thinking of you. How are you doing now off completely? I still back on 15mg, hoping to start weening again in September. I see a different consultant tomoro for a second opinion on trying to get off mirt. Hope you ok 

Hi, I'm six nights off now and I'm not going to sugar coat it, a couple of days have been incredibly hard, anxiety at a high, nauseous, fuzzy head and zero appetite! I have okay days in between rough ones. Going to hopefully keep going. Doc said I shouldn't notice anything coming off 1.87mg, but I'm not sure G.P's are very knowledgeable in these things...

how are you! X

Definitely a better option!  Mirt has a way of getting its hooks into people early so if at any point in your taper things start to get bad, go back the previous dose, stabilize for a week, and then consider a 10% taper from there.

For those who tried to come off but ended up with insomnia so went back on, the problem is the heavy duty histamine block that mirt has.  The first receptor to be blocked on the drug, before the serotonin and noradrenalin receptors get blocked, is the histamine receptor, which is why it exerts such a heavy sedating effect on people - iike antihistamines.  Problem is, the body pushes back against that block over time by modifying the neruons to bring about balance.  This is an "opposition" response to the drug.  So, when you come off faster than your nervous system can adapt back, you end up with those changes unopposed, and bingo, insomnia!  And this insomnia will often be worse than that which you were trying to treat.

So, the answer is to do a slower taper.  I am at 4.9 mg and not having insomnia.  For short time users, hopefully you can get away with getting off faster, since the longer you are on the drug the more likely those changes are to take place.  For longer term users, you may have to do the 10% per month method.  It is much harder to get off the smaller amounts than the larger amounts; in other words, the taper can go a little faster while still at higher doses but as you get to the end it is of even more importance to cut smaller and give yourself three weeks between cuts to allow the body to do its adjusting.

The 10% method, for the most sensitive, is to cut 10% off the PREVIOUS month's dosage, not off the starting dose!  If you are lucky enough to live in an area that has liquid Mirt, and your doc is willing to prescribe it, that is the easiest way to do it.  Mirt comes in SolTabs which dissolve in water so you can make your own liquid, IF your doc will prescribe it! A lot of docs don't want to because they think you should be able to come off faster and by bigger cuts, but those are the clueless ones who then blame your difficulties on a return of your original condition!

Good luck!

Is there any pill which can affect the histamine in the same way as mirt does without blocking serotonin and non adrenaline receptors?