Hi everyone I've been on 15mg of mirtazapine for 4months now and although they have massively helped me they have cause me to gain 2 stone ! 😱 And are making me so tired , after speaking with my doctor we have decided to take me off them , I'm starting 7mg from tonight for 2 weeks then straight off them , I've decided not to go on another anti depressant and to see how I go alone , has anyone done similar to this and can offer some advice I'm not going to lie I'm terrified that I'll end up anxious and I'll again during the stages of coming off them but I know I need to , also did anyone gain a lot of weight and did them manage to loose it once of mirtazapine x
Hi
Everyone is different so are the withdrawal symptoms. But to be on the safer side take 11.25mg for 2 weeks then go to 7.5 mg. Then based on your condition you can plan further taper. I hope that helps.
I agree with Rish, no point in risking your CNS now hey? Try 10% drop for 3-4 weeks and if all is well you might want to either stick with it or try a little more, as we're all different some can manage and some can't - I could only manage 5% drops and did this every 2 weeks, took a while but worth it.
Wishing you well.
Hi Rebecca
Your post struck a chord with me so I hope I can give you some advice. I was on 15mg of mirt for 6 months. Like you I gained weight. I have always been very active and careful around food. Despite running and eating healthily, I went up a dress size. I put on half a stone. I also noticed that despite being on them for anxiety and depression mirt was not helping any longer, especially the anxiety. So I stopped. I went cold turkey without discussing it first with my GP. Please heed other users advice when they say taper this drug slowly. It can kick out vicious withdrawal symptoms. And I know firsthand how dreadful the withdrawal is. And this is after 11 weeks cold turkey. You have very sensibly come here seeking advice. I only wish I had found this forum first. Some doctors will tell you there is no withdrawal and others will tell you to taper, whilst others will tell you, you haven't been on it long enough for mirt to have much effect. Taper slowly, listen to your body. And finally YES the weight does come off. I lost all the mirt weight easily within the 4-6 weeks
I gained weight whilst on it, but it has come off (and then some) since coming back off it. I did do a much slower taper than you're going for though. Good luck! X
Calmer, I slowly tapered and have been off Mirt 4.5 weeks now. I still seem to have withdrawal, could that even be possible? Sorry to ask, but I remember you being very knowledgable about this drug...
Hi thankyou for your advise I did go down to 7.5 yesterday and I'm due to take again tonight I'm going to see how I get on this week and if I am finding it difficult I will maybe go back up and come back down slower x
Hi thanks for your reply , how did you taper down ? Xx
I halved the tablet every two weeks until I was down to 1.87mg (I got a pill cutter) then after two weeks on 1.87 i went down to every other night for a week then stopped. Doctor said I could come off quicker but when I looked into it I saw that wasn't the best option. Here if you need me 😊
Great thankyou 😊 I'm defiantly going to try it your way xx
Here if you need to talk xx
Hia I'm a week in now on 7.5mg the last two days I've felt really sick and extremely tired sore muscles and head ache , is this a sign of down of them x
I am tapering mirtaz. Went down from 7.5 four weeks ago to about 5, now down to about 3.75 will try to stick it for a couple of weeks but in the four weeks I have just felt worse and worse. Insomnia is bad, energy levels low, anxiety still there.
how have you got on now? I think my dr will want to put me on something else but i react very baldy to them all, been three years now.
hi Rebecca
we find ourselves in similar positions.
i am trying to get off mirtaz. My dr said do it in four weeks, huh! Not possible. So im doing it slowly. Feel awful,every day, nausea interspersed with anxiety and when lower than 7.5 sleep gone. So frustrating. Trying really hard to push on but wonder if you have read of anyone here who has succeeded in this taper.
Hi Rebecca
Ive been on Mirtazapine 45mg and 225mg venlafaxine slow release tablets for over a couple of years now , and I've piled on the pounds I've tried to cut down on what I eat but it's very hard as I seem to always be hungry.
Prior to this I was very very depressed and all the Meds I was prescribed didn't work, so I saw a different psychologist who put me on mirtazapine and it didn't work either so after several months I called his secretary to ask for another appointment. This time he added venlafaxine to my meds, when my gp gave me the prescription I went straight to my chemist and collected the tabs.
Well after 3 days of taking the two meds I awoke one morning and I can only describe the feeling that the light had been switched on in my head, I spent the rest of the day doing jobs around the house that I'd loaved to do before, and I had so much energy it was like I was back to my old self again.
All I can say Rebecca is yes I've put on weight but I'd rather be where I am now than back in that black hole some years ago.
Take care. x
Hi Ann
I'm a week and a half in I'm currently taking 7.5 due to go down to 3.25 on Monday , I'm feeling pretty crap tbh bad head ackes feeling sick , I'm ok with sleeping so I suppose that's a plus , I have really bad hot sweats though that come on all of a sudden , I've had some throbbing pains in my head also , I don't know if these are signs of coming down or If I'm expecting symptoms and some how creating them?
As for the anxiety it has started to rear its ugly head but it's manageable at least I know I'm anxious because I'm coming off the meds , I just keep telling myself this is only a temporary state .
Over all though I am pretty confident that I can get through this withdrawal . I am slightly nervous at doing down to 3.25mg but I'm just taking every day as it comes .
How are you feeling ? X
Hi. I've neen on 15mg for 8 years and am finally coming off. I've been taking 7.5mg for the last two weeks. My plan Ina 7.5mg for a month. Then cut that in half so 3.75mg for a month. Then 3.75mg every other day for a month. Then off. Some people have said reduce by 10% but that's hard to do with a pill... anyway so far I'm fine except sleep. I wake up multiple times at night and early. My question is - does this pass? Before the depression that caused me to go on the drug occurred in 2009 I slept fine. While depressed I didn't. Then mirtazapine was like a god send as obv it has sedation properties and to be honest it's been one of the reasons I've stayed on. But I too put on weight and believe it's now time to come off.
I guess my question is - will and when my sleep patterns return to normal? Apart from the sleep I've had no other side effects.
How are you getting on Rebecca?
Yesterday was such a terrible day, almost four weeks since dropping down from 7.5. I was nauseous till teatime and hardly ate. Tok anti nausea pils which helped. Went to bed and slept two hours and woke with masssive anxiety. Had to take 5mg diiaz then couldnt sleep so gave in and took half a mirtaz. Slept. Woke today miserable again but I had slept.
I dont know how drs think we can get through this but its really bad.
feel sad i had to give in but the insomnia and anxiety on this taper is bad.
not sure what next
How did you taper down from 7.5? I have been at about 4 for four weeks and am now feeling like a zombie, cant think straight, insomnia awful, nausea all day. Will this pass? I feel like im going mad. So bad last night woke after two hours with major anxiety and had to take diaz. Still no sleep somgave in and took 7.5 and slept. I wonder if doing one night on 7.5 then one on 3.75 might be better, looking for anyones ideas here thanks.
never managed to get higher than 15 so dr now says lower and maybe see if i can manage. Manage! God this is awful, been on 7.5 for several weeks, dropped to about half of that over three weeks ago, seemed fine then bam this week, insomnia, nausea, depression all hit hard. Eventually last night had anxiety attack woke me 1am. Took diazepam but no sleep. Gave in and took 7.5 and slept. Still feel,bad today. I think,i am one of those who cannot manage anything but very slow taper. What would you suggest tonight, maybe 6mg for a few weeks?
i think my taper seemed too fast.
im really struggling here.