Posted , 6 users are following.
Hi I am trying to come off Remeron and experiencing anxiety, panic attacks and insomnia. I am still living in a depressive situation in my life having just lost my dad to Dementia (I have been looking after him since 2007) and now my mum has Dementia and going down the same road healthwise. So not sure if it is a good time to cease this medication. Trying to taper on 7.5 at the moment but feel very down.
0 likes, 7 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
Kc2325 anne75773
Posted
Hi Anne,
I'm sorry you are having such a rough time all around. Hugs to you.
Your symptoms sound like classic WD symptoms. Your taper cuts may too big. You may want to slightly increase your amount of Mirt to try to stabilize.
Depending on where you are, you might have access to liquid Mirt or have one compounded at your local pharmacy. It is much easier to control your reductions and make them smaller by using the liquid version rather than cutting a pill.
You will find recommendations on this sight sonewhere for a 10% reduction each time to minimize the WD symptoms. I used a variation of that method after my cold turkey attempt at quitting went horribly and was able to get off in about a one year time frame.
Good luck and keep checking in here. There is a lot of good advice here.
christine15542 anne75773
Posted
Hi Anne
Your instincts are right, trying to taper too fast at a demanding and stressful time in your life is not a good idea. You may need to reinstate a slightly higher dose to deal with your family. Remeron/mirtazapine has a nasty and protracted withdrawal that you don't need to fight if you taper too quickly. I speak for the position of somebody that had no idea and stopped this drug cold turkey. Take comfort from the fact that there are many people here that will be able to share and support you through this difficult time
my_cloud anne75773
Posted
Anne
What an awful time for you - are you sure it's a good idea to start tapering when you are grieving from the loss of your father.and having to cope with Mum. Obviously if Remeron wasn;t helping you and you really want to get off it then a very slow taper is the best solution. That's the only way I could do it over 9 months !.
ann55375 my_cloud
Posted
Kc2325 ann55375
Posted
Hi Anne,
I know the question wasn't posed for me but here is how I tapered. I reduced by 1.5 mg each time, using the liquid compounded Mirt. It would stay at this dose until I was stable. At the lower doses, I tapered 0.5 mg each time, again waiting until I was stable. By reducing in these small amounts, the WD symptoms were manageable. I tapered all the way down to 0.25 mg before jumping ship. My WD after still lasted for about 3 months but I was was able to stay off the drug. For me, the hardest WD symptoms were insomnia, anxiety and depersonalizations though I certainly experienced many others.
frazzled anne75773
Posted
Just my two cents worth, anne. Due to the circumstances, if I were you I would not stop the med. You'll have a lot to deal with with your mom (do you have any sisters/brothers or is the entire burden on you?). IMO, not a good time to get off the med.
I have been taking remeron for over 20 years and I thot is wasn't working so I decided to taper. Got down to 7.5 mgs over a period of two month (down from 30 mgs) and that well all hell broke lose. All of the symptoms I had prior to starting the med. came roaring back. Anxiety off the charts (in spite of my taking xanax to help that). As you know all bodies handle meds differently and who knows you may not have the withdrawal side effects as I do but I would not chance it now.
Whatever you decide, I wish you the best. You have a hard row to hoe.
anne75773
Posted
Hi everyone and thank you for your welcome reply. I think that I agree with the comments about it not being a good time to WD due to my mum's health. My dad had a horrible death and nearly died in front of me four times over a two month period. I have an older brother who takes over from me as the family carer every 8/10 weeks so I can have some respite. I went away when dad was in Hospital as I was spent with lack of sleep and worry (going to the hospital every day to feed my dad as the NHS staff were terrible and he did not know how to chew or drink from a cup) The Dr. said he could go on for months and my brother said he would be ok taking over and my husband insisted as he was stressed. Anyway, when I was away, my brothers' allowed dad to be moved into a nursing home and I could not get through from the place I was staying abroad as the answer phone was on at the family home. Apparently, the Nursing Home could not get through to my older brother on the phone at home also and rang my younger brother to say that dad was failing. He died on his own in a horrid place and I think he would have been terrified at the new surroundings. I thought I was handling things a bit better as it is over a year but I can't forgive myself for letting him die on his own. The horrors keep coming back on this lower dose and things at home are not too good. So have come to the conclusion that I will have to be in a very good place to come off this drug and now is probably not the time although I feel like a flake for not being able to handle the WD. Even on 15mg I am still very anxious and I am exercising for a couple of hours a day to try and combat the WD and tire myself out. I will be back when I feel I can face things a bit better but with mum going the same way I am terrified I will hit the bottom again. Many many thanks and good luck to you all. Anne