WithDrawal

Posted , 8 users are following.

Morning u lovely people ,,,just a word of warning ,,,you should never come off these pills just like that ,,,,it's dangerous ,,The chemicals in your brain just go bonkers,,,I've been on these for 15 long years 45 mlg,,,ie had a nervous break down,,insomnia,,anxiety,,depression ,,sleep walking ,,these pills sorted all this out ,,any way I've been advised now to come off them ,,I did it before but too quickly n boy did I get sick again ,,,so this time I'm doing it grain for grain,,snail pace ,,so far after 3 month I'm on 30 mlg now n I'm quite proud of my self ,,but ,,omg ,,I look so tired ,,feel sick etc ,,I'll stay on 30 mlg for another 6 months then I'll get my self down to 15 mlg,,,these are very strong drugs,,so please please do it properly n slowly xx

1 like, 12 replies

12 Replies

  • Posted

    Morning Sue.. Guess you have just put my 'own' decision making & the want to just try cutting back on the meds.. Taking hold of your advice THANKS hun xxx
  • Posted

    Hi Sue

    I've been tapering for what seems like forever ... 10% every 4 weeks, or 5% every 2 weeks, in case you want to try this I'll give a link for your informed choice.  There's no need to feel sick or the hurrendous w/d symptoms you suffered last time if you follow this.  

    You can get Sol Tabs which dissolve, another link for you below, so then you can adjust the milligrams much more easily than cutting tablets ... ugh ... never really know what measure you're getting that way.

    I think if you follow this you'll skip the insomnia, nausea, anxiety, belly gripes, any breathing problems etc etc.

    I hope your planned wd goes smoothly x

    For advice on tapering Mirtazapine slowly at the recommended rate of no more than 10% every 3 or 4 weeks, please see the following which is within this forum, 

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/depression-resources-298570

    and then click on the link "REDUCING AD'S USING 10% WITHDRAWAL METHOD".   

    https://patient.info/forums/discuss/mirtazapine-tapering-simplified-510495

     

    • Posted

      Hi hun this is useful info as docs just think hey half the tablet then stop. Well that's 10 days that I've been on 7.5mg front 15mg so I don't think it's sensible I start again the nausea has eased a little thanks to taking a combo of metaclopramide (not sure if thats right spellling) anti sickness im just using half dose and ranitadine. How would you suggest i taper now as its tablet form im on. Im worried sick depression comes back as last few days ive been very down when i wake eases over the day but i dont want to end up back to where i was. At mo im just taking half a 12mg tablet as the have a line so break easy.

    • Posted

      That is a mighty cut - 50%.  I would wait at this dose for at least 4 weeks, see what happens for you, afterall, some people get hit badly after 2 weeks, you might be ok, not everyone, so just sit tight.

      Well you might be able to ask your doctor for the soluble maybe??  That is the best option, to dilute from these, failing that, i'll paste the tablet method.

      Don't forget, the depression you fear or the feeling of being down ~ withdrawal or discontinuation symptoms, they usually pass within a few days, as long as you go slow.  How did you get to 12mg?  I think they come in 30 or 15 mg.

      Here is the pill to liquid instruction for anyone who might want to taper slowly.

      You will need a 15 ml syringe and also a 1ml syringe with markings on at 0.1ml intervals

      A pill crusher (available from Amazon)

      A clean medicine bottle or small jar

      A small accurate measuring jug or medicine cup with measure on. 

      --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

      • Crush up 2 x 15mg (or 1 x 30mg) Mirtazapine pills until they are a fine powder (although the outer coating does not grind up as fine as the white Mirt’ powder that is inside, but that's fine. So long as the white Mirt’ is a fine powder.

      • Then measure 30ml of half water and half maple syrup (or something else to your taste) and pour into the medicine bottle.

      • Then pour in the powder and shake it vigorously. So 1ml of the liquid equals 1mg of Mirtazapine. N.B. Mirtazapine is not soluble in water and so you must shake it vigorously every time you take out a dose to ensure you are getting an accurate measure of Mirtazapine.

      • Also you should store it in the fridge. It is recommended to keep it no longer than four days, but a reliable source kept (her) each batch for two weeks without a problem.

      So from the 30 mg / 30 ml draw up the syringe what you require. 

      1 ml of the liquid = 1 mg.

      This has been tried and tested and works very well. Just make sure yu shake it very well before drawing up the syringe.

      Credit to Evergreen13 CommentsSeen by 28

      Some people can handle bigger cuts, you will know yourself if you are super sensitive as youu have just done a 50% major cut.  See how youu go over the next 2 weeks.

      Wishing you well x

       

    • Posted

      Sorry hun typo meant 15mg and thank you for your help ill stick with this dose for a few weeks and let you know how it goes
  • Posted

    I have been on Mirt 30 for 2 year
    • Posted

      I have been on Mirt 30 for the last 3 years . I can now say I have fully recovered . Have reduced meds to 15 in jan and all well so far will now go down to 7.5 over nxt few months and hopefully stop. This is the second time I have come off this med gradually and been successful good lol to u all . I think snail pace is actually good when coming off this drug xx
    • Posted

      Hi Jacquline

      I'm interested to fread your story, so few come back and tell how it went for them.  So I was just wondering, how were you in your last taper, and when you actually stopped?  

      I am tapering really slowly, hoping all will be well when I finally get to zero !

  • Posted

    Sue, I'm sorry, but that's simply not true. It's not "dangerous" to come off mirtazapine cold turkey. I just quit after 12 years at 45mg. I had symptoms for about 7 days and now I've haven't felt this good in decades. I'm not taking any meds at all, just magnesium at night to help me sleep and l-theanine in the morning to calm my nerves.

    Mirtazpaine is not addictive and it doesn't cause true withdrawal. Only addictive substances like benzos, alcohol, cocaine and opiates cause withdrawal.

    When you quit mirtazpaine or any other AD, you go through "discontinuation syndrome" while your brain seeks equilibrium after you've been supplementing it with chemicals. It's normal. It's not particularly fun, but it's not dangerousnless of course you are a suicide risk or in a deep, dark, depression.

    Mirtazapine is one of the genltler ADs, too. I would suggest talking to your doctor, getting a small script of benzos to take the edge off, and quitting cold turkey. Get it over with, instead of prolonging the discomfort for a year. With Paxil, sure. But with mirtazapine, no.

    Remember that discontinuation syndrome is temporary, and once your serotonin, dopamine and norepenephrine level your brain in a week or two, you'll feel so much better. Promise!

     

    • Posted

      With respect, sometimes you just have to agree to differ, everyone is different; Sue has tapering this before so she has an idea of how it will be for her personally.

      However I hope your WD goes smoothly with the CT, and if it gets too uncomfortable you can always step back, bear in mind that the symptoms sometimes kick in around the 2 weeks mark, them BAM, it hits you.  Hope you're lucky to avoid that, you might be one in a million who get away clear.

      Wishing you well MUD.

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