1. Community
  2. Brain and nerves
  3. Mirtazapine

St. John's Wort Effectiveness

Posted , 10 users are following.

rob03933
rob03933

I'm trying to come off Mirtazapine and can't seem to get past 15 mg so I was thinking about trying St. John's Wort and was wondering if others have used it and if so did it help? I already exercise and take a lot of omega-3's but I still can't seem to get off this crap..

I know there's warnings about taking it with antidepressants because of serotonin syndrome but my doctor wants to always add on other medications which I refuse to do so I don't know if St. John's Wort would really be a problem. Any info would be appreciated and thanks in advance!

0 likes, 19 replies

19 Replies

Next
  • sarah24378
    sarah24378 rob03933

    Posted

    What symptoms do you have when you drop below 15mg ?

    Have you tried a very slow taper ?

    What dose where you on and for how long ?

  • rob03933
    rob03933

    Posted

    I'm back at around 18 because I've developed dry eyes which get worse at lower doses and I get bad head pressure when I go down along with anxiety levels rising and feel depersonalized badly. My high was 45 mg and I've tapered every 2 to 3 weeks so I haven't tried the really slow taper. I've been on it for over a year and at 30 mg for most of it.

    I can't tell you how frustrating this has been and I'm not sure what to do at this point but I have to figure out something.

  • catherine55994
    catherine55994 rob03933

    Posted

    Hi Rob,

    St John's Wart can cause insomnia. I guess you may be taking Mirtazapine for insomnia so St John's may not be right for you.

    • rob03933
      rob03933 catherine55994

      Posted

      Catherine,

      I've read it may help insomnia but the internet has different facts for everything I guess. I'll probably just start on a small dose and work up some if it doesn't cause me any problems. Thanks!!

    • robert68588
      robert68588 rob03933

      Posted

      Hi,Rob.I'm just going up to 30mg over the last 4 weeks(after starting at 15mg,8-9 weeks ago.But at the same time they were weaning me off Paxil which I had been taking for 20 years,20mg twice a day.I don't know what the relational difference is between the two,but the taper off of the Paxil and increase of the Mirt did cause me some anxiety(more than usual),but that's about it.It I don't know how long or how high your dosage was over the length of time you took it,but it appears the longer you are on a drug the longer it takes to go thru withdrawal,if you will(speaking from experience).Good luck and God Bless You,Bob

    • rob03933
      rob03933 robert68588

      Posted

      Robert,

      I've been on it over a year so I'm definitely feeling the withdrawal effects in a bad way and I'm very frustrated to say the least. I feel totally defeated a lot and feel like I can't get off of the Mirtazapine. I'm probably just grasping at straws at this point to help me but I'm unsure what to do anymore. God bless and best of luck to you!

    • robert68588
      robert68588 rob03933

      Posted

      Hi Rob.I here you brother about grasping at straws.The last 7 months have been hell for me for multiple reasons.All I can tell you is you have to attacl it on several fronts.I've seen a counsoler,a psy for the meds,talked with my pastor and family and friends Especially those in my men's prayer group and of course ALOT of talking to God.I still have a fair amount of bad days or more accurately bad moments during each day,You just have to take one day at time(I'm getting to really dislike that cliche,having heard it enough,especially from myself,although true).I go to sleep each night believing,no matter how outrageous,that tomorrow will be better.It often isn't,but I still believe so that evening again.KEEP THE FAITH,BROTHER!! God Bless You,Bob

    • rob03933
      rob03933 robert68588

      Posted

      Robert,

      We sound like we go through a lot of the same issues on a daily basis and I talk to God a lot also. Wish I could just stay more consistent and stop going so up and mostly down..Definitely have to keep believing that tomorrow will be a little bit better than today as hope is sometimes all I have to keep me going each day.

      Thanks for the reply and encouragement and God bless you also brother, hope things go better for you each day!!

    • robert68588
      robert68588 rob03933

      Posted

      Hi Rob,Hope you had a good weekend! It was pretty good for me ,but to give you an example of my above post,on Saturday I try to sleep in a couple hours as it is the only day I can.Now mornings are always the worst for me(as they are for most of us with medical problems) because I haven't taken any meds for about 9 or 10 hours,your body "relaxs" during that time and then when you wake up your pain and anxiety/depression wake up with you and plus I've always been a night owl and not a morning person.So on Saturday I still have to take my meds and get a little something in my stomach for sugar purposes(I'm not diabetic however) and go back to bed,but because I have awakened the nerves it really is a terrible couple hours with those 10-15 minute naps where you jerk awake,high anxiety,etc.So i finally give up and get up.It then takes me a couple hours before I start to get to normal.But on Saturday afternoon I was somewhat better.On Sunday when I go to church it is similar to Saturday although to a lesser extent because I'm up earlier and am out and about sort of like during the week for work.I'm doing alittle better with the new meds and adjusting to various things that have changed my life over the last few months so I'm hoping it will continue to improve.Keep the faith brother!! God Bless You,Bob

    • rob03933
      rob03933 robert68588

      Posted

      I had a pretty good weekend Robert which I did some volunteering and got a lot done and it sounds like we have issues at different times of the day. I'm usually good in the morning and early afternoon but my physical symptoms of dry eye and head pressure get worse later in the day and during the evening. They force me to go to bed early a lot because it gets unbearable some nights. I've been prescribed a low dose of gabapentin to hopefully help out. Keeping the faith and God Bless!!

  • switchman02263
    switchman02263 rob03933

    Posted

    Hi Rob

     John's Wort is not a good pick as it can cause insomnia in most folks.

    I cant seem to get past 7.50, and have to try and  stabilize and keep up

    the dose to try and stabilize. It's hard to go to work when you have no sleep. At this point I have been  trying to ween off longer then I have been takeing it. sad  im also not sure how to get off this stuff,  I have seen  three diffrent DOC's about trying to get off this stuff and they are clueless, the just want to give out more pills and will ask why do you want to get off it works so well for  your insomnia,  I feel now I am on my own trying to get off the MIRT. Thats why I come to these sites to get some hope and ideas.  Please keep in touch and let me know your progress.

     

    • rob03933
      rob03933 switchman02263

      Posted

      Thanks switchman and I think I'll skip the St. John worts and just stick to my routine I'm using. I'm taking fish oil, B and D Vitamins and some Magnesium at night to help and there are times that I feel good but these don't seem to last very long for some reason.

      I will keep in touch and please update me also as the doctors don't seem to help any of us that much and we need to be here for each other whenever we can. Good luck and I hope you find success getting off this crap soon!

    • sarah24378
      sarah24378 rob03933

      Posted

      Have you tried tapering at 10 % every 4 weeks to get off it ?
    • rob03933
      rob03933 sarah24378

      Posted

      Sarah,

      I've tried to go a little quicker but that doesn't seem to be working, I just want off of this medication..

      I guess I'll have to go slower or find another medication to help me get off it.

  • Insomniac1993
    Insomniac1993 rob03933

    Posted

    Hi Rob,

    Sorry to hear you're having trouble weening off Mirtazapine

    Do you think you could possibly ask your GP for a short prescription of diazepam? If you can explain to them that you only need a weeks worth just to help you sleep, because you're having a hard time with the Mirtazapine, they may give you some.

    Slightly off topic however have you considered having any therapy to aid you in sleeping whilst tapering or staying on your low dosage to ween yourself of? This way there's less need to return to medication and less reliance on it, so you won't need St Johns Wort or any other medication either.

    Also, I don't know if you've heard of 5HTP, you can get it mixed with valerian, which generally works wonders and acts as an antidepressant at the same time. But please check with your GP as to whether you can have these with Mirtazapine.

    Wish you all the best

    • rob03933
      rob03933 Insomniac1993

      Posted

      I was in Clonazepam to try and help switch off Mirtazapine but and yo make a long story short it went really bad and I'm still paying for it so I want to stay away from benzodiazepines completely.

      I have considered CBT for my sleep issues and may have to do it if I can't get better sleep on my own. My doctor wants me to do a low dose of gabapentin to help me get off Mirtazapine so I'll see how it goes.

Back to top
Next

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

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.