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Terrible side effects upon dose increase to 30mg

Posted , 7 users are following.

jansell84
jansell84

Hi everyone. 

I just wanted to post post my mirtazapine experience here to get it off my chest and to get some advice hopefully. I've been on 15mg of mirtazapine for about a year and a half. I had a health scare back in 2015 and it shook me up so bad I developed horrible anxiety/depression. I was so desperate for relief I think I'd have probably taken anything I was prescribed against my better judgement. Anyhow, I've had a load of strange physical symptoms over the past year and have always thought something was seriously wrong with me, i.e. That I had some sort of disease or something. Well, I was just instructed to increase my mirt dosage a week ago and as it turns out, it seems all of my physical symptoms have been the mirt this whole time. Terrible back pain, dizzy spells, faster than normal heart rate, hot flashes, awful weakness... I experienced these symptoms for several months when starting the mirt, however between my anxiety, and the other meds I was being tried on at the same time, I never put 2 and 2 together. I thought the illness was getting worse... however, in light of all the symptoms resurfacing upon raising the dose it seems pretty obvious it's the mirt. 

Now i I have the dilemma of what to do next. I've been on the 30mg for a week. Do you think I'd be ok to drop back down to the 15mg without a taper? And then where do I go from there? I've read terrible horror stories about withdrawal from this drug. I know everyone is different, but I really don't feel prepared to endure withdrawal right now. But I don't want to continue to feel so awful. Damned if I do, damned if I don't situation. 

Anyhow, advice is greatly appreciated... also wanted to post my experience in case someone out there might be going through something similar and expects that perhaps the mirt is the cause. 

0 likes, 16 replies

16 Replies

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  • Laserbeam
    Laserbeam jansell84

    Posted

    Hi Jansell

    I have been on 15mg of Mert for 6 months. If you only did 30 for a week or so I would try and drop down to 15. You may not sleep as well but hopefully all those other symptoms will diminish. you could taper to 1.5 pills for a few days and then try just 15 again.

    • ann55375
      ann55375 Laserbeam

      Posted

      My body couldnt take the increased dose either, i wa feeling bad enough on the lower dose like you.  As it was only a short time i agree that dropping down now should be ok, getting down from 15 is something you need to see dr about as i believe its not easy.  I am stuck at 7.5.
    • Calmer
      Calmer ann55375

      Posted

      Sorry to read you are stuck at 7.5 mg Ann.  Are you having some reaction to dropping down to that?
    • ann55375
      ann55375 Calmer

      Posted

      No, stuck here as i cant seem to decrease as i get insomnia badly. Still anxious as well.
    • Calmer
      Calmer ann55375

      Posted

      Is the anxiety from the last drop in dose?  Just wondering when you dropped to 7.5 mg?  You might be better to make a liquid so you can do micro cuts in % to avoid that insomnia, I dropped 5% every 2-3 weeks depending on how I felt after each drop ... ugh !!
    • ann55375
      ann55375 Calmer

      Posted

      I dropped a year ago. Very afraid wont sleep if i try to drop further. Still fighting depression and hampered by changing med due to taking anticoagulant.  Wish i knew someone on anti dep and anticoag to see what they can take
  • jansell84
    jansell84

    Posted

    Thank you all for the replies. These side effects suck. Funny thing is I never got the desired side effects of increased appetite or help with sleep. It did initially help knock out my anxiety which was severe... but what's the use if it's going to keep me in bed all day every day with weakness and back pain? 

  • morag98629
    morag98629 jansell84

    Posted

    Hi my name is morag I have been on mirtazapine 15  for 5mths seamed ok then this past couple of weeks my legs feel weak my knees hurt l just wondered if it was the tablets I have an appointment on wed with the doctor 
  • robert68588
    robert68588 jansell84

    Posted

    Hi Jansell.to hard for me to tell you because I'm only been on Mirt for 7 weeks at 15mg and 2 1/2 weeks at 30 mg.I seem to be doing alright but I'm also taking it in con junction with 400mg of Gabapetin and Tramadol for pain for IBS and a soon to be fixed hernia(I hope).However it appears to be helping me from the sleep,aniexty side.I think if you want to taper,1 week would be the time to start before it gets to deep into your system.At the same time they were giving me the Mirt,they are tapering me off of Paxil after 20years of taking it,so I'm still in the wait and see mode.God Bless You,Bob

  • jansell84
    jansell84

    Posted

    Thank y'all for the replies. Hope you're doing well with that taper Bob. Hang in there and God Bless you too man. 

    I dropped right back back down to the 15 from the 30 after almost 2 weeks. I feel a lot better during the day i.e. Not as much weakness and the back pain is gone, but my nights have been dodgy. The first 2 nights I was able to fall asleep on my own but the past 2 have been terrible. Some very strange feelings as I try and sleep. Dizziness, weird feelings in my neck, back, and shoulders, hot flashes... I know it's my body trying to readjust so it hasn't really freaked me out. I had to use Ativan to sleep and stop the symptoms both nights. I rarely use that. It has to be really bad for me to break that out so it's been rough. Hopefully it won't last much more than a night or two longer. We'll see. 

  • jansell84
    jansell84

    Posted

    So it's been a week now since I dropped back to 15mg from 30. I was ok the first 2 nights, then the next 3 nights would get hot flashes and dizziness when trying to sleep. It went away after 3 nights and I had 2 good nights where I fell asleep on my own. Then last night the hot flashes came back with dizziness. I hope it's from the dose change and not something else going on with me. This is that point where you start to second guess yourself... is the medication really causing this or is it something physically wrong with me. Logic says medication because it didn't happen before... then the what ifs kick in. I was only on 30mg for 2 weeks. Would one expect this kind of response going back to 15mg from only being on 30mg for a couple of weeks? 

    • Calmer
      Calmer jansell84

      Posted

      Unfortunately yes, those all sound like symptoms of dropping 50% of the dose - even tho' yuu only have been taking Mirt for 2 weeks.  Hopefully the symptoms will ease sooner rather than later with this time scale.

    • jansell84
      jansell84 Calmer

      Posted

      Oh I've been on mirt for 1.5 years... I was just on 30mg for a couple weeks but had to stop... side effects were too much 

    • Calmer
      Calmer jansell84

      Posted

      Oh I see now; yes for sure those symptoms could be harsh, you might want to step up if too bad, back to say 28.5 mg?  Don't leave it too long, usually the sooner the better.

      Hope it improves soon.

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