Oh my goodness Evergreen, so sorry about your awful experience, never heard of that before. However, I am aware that the loaded doses of antihistamines can slow breathing down and that asthma sufferers sholuldn't take it. You did take a wacking big dose, I think the recommended is 10 mg, but never the less I guess that's put you off for life now. Also with the added Mirt' in your system there's a lot going off there.
Bet you'll be looking forward to a better nights sleep tonight, the horrors of trial & error doesn't do anything to help with any confidence to sleep naturally again!
I hope you've recovered now, like you I got little sleep but that was due to partying and getting up at 7.30 to sort the animals out and dog walk.
Going to put my feet up now, hope you get chance to also.
Thanks, Calmer. I took the 25mg pill because that was the dosage indicated on the package for children aged 10 and over and adults. I have since found that it is in night nurse which I have had in the past without problems (20mg in each dose of night nurse). But never again will I take so much as a mg. I wonder if it is because I have chronic kidney disease stage 3. Maybe I used to be able to tolerate it but now can't. I have the same breathing problem with morphine, codiene and tramadol. I also have an anaphalaptic reaction to NSAIDs. So I think I am particularly sensitive to some drugs.
Day four of 11.25mg and so far so good. Apart from my sleeping problems last night courtesy of the phenergan, I feel very good. My appetite has continued to decline, meaning that I am no longer hungry all the time. Today I have had a light breakfast and three cups of tea and two biscuits and am not in the slightest bit hungry or craving any carbs. So far though I have seen a loss of only one pound in weight since tapering off the mirt. I don't think the weight loss will come until I am off it completely.
My plan is to reduce again to 7.5mg next Friday. So that is ten days on the 11.25 dose. If I get side effects I will delay until I stabilise.
Yes it sounds like you are sensitive, you'll definately have to watch anything that contains sedation in the future.
It will be a real marker to get to 7.5mg ... (1/2 a 15 mg) that is my aim before Christmas, although if it is more sedating (for me) it will be somewhat harder. I might stay there until next year, I will be able to break a tablet so no 'drawing up syringe' at 10 pm for me for a while!
I'd love to know if anyone has had experience of using the Mirt liquid for longer than the recommended 6 weeks - that is the manufacturer recommends that once opened to use within 6 weeks. I've asked 2 Chemists and they said to stick to those rules. Shame really, because the lower I go the more bottles I will get through due to this.
Hope you get a better nights sleep, good husband you have there
Are you feeling any withdrawal symptoms each time you reduce, or is going so gradually keeping them at bay? Getting Christmas out of the wway before going any further after 7.5 sounds like a good plan.
Day five on the 11.25mg dose. Emotionally, I still feel fine, but I am feeling fatigued and slightly nauseous. I think the fatigue is down to still not being caught up with my sleep from Saturday night and my bad reaction to the phenergan. Tthe slight nausea and lack of appetite is me returning to my pre-mirt state. One of the reasons the doctor put me on them was due to mme having morning sickness and lack of appetite, so I don't think this is a withdrawal symptom. I am sat here after turning out the horses, trying to make myself have some breakfast. This was exactly like I used to be. It will get worse, because I used to even vomit some mornings. I can't therefore blame it on withdrawing from mirtazapine.
Sounding positive re "how you used to be" but it does sound like classic WD Evergreen, so be maybe a little kindness to yourself & stay at the current dose until all the waves have calmed.
I asked around re the Phenergen, (Rose sends her best regards) - she says you ought to see your doc, having a severe allergic reaction to an allergy pill, you will need to know what you can & can't take in the future as far as antihistamines go.
Thanks. I have raised a yellow card report which will go to my GP. I know I'm okay with cetirizine and benadryl but won't ever take anything else. I won't drop my dose if I get any worse with my nausea, but I remember this is how I used to be before mirtazapine so I don't really want to blame it for these symptoms. The crux will come with me if I start to feel depressed again. That will be my signal to stop and maybe back up a step. Everything I read says that it gets harder and harder the closer to zero you go.
Thanks for the updates, evergreen! I'm excited for you getting to 11.25 mg.
I was doing more reading on mirt's actions. It works on several different receptors, based on concentration. It has the highest affinity for the histamine receptor, which is why at the low dose it is very sedating. It has a lower affinity for the serotonin receptors, which is why they are only affected at higher doses, so as you keep dropping, there is the risk of rebound depression and anxiety. This does not mean that you are relapsing. Once your system has adapted to the absence of the drug's action, you should normalize.
Whe I was in protracted withdrawal from Effexor, I started a type of therapy called Emotional Brain Training, and began learning about mindfulness, and listened to Buddhist type spiritual talks on youtube that brought things into perspective about our choices about our thoughts, and I can say that I am feeling more peaceful and accepting of myself than I ever have before in my life, before and during ADs. If I suddenly feel depressed and anxious now, I know it is withdrawal. Just something to think about. Are you in therapy or doing emotional work?
Thanks, Betsy. No, I am not in any therapy at the moment. I am hoping the inositol will boost my serotonin enough to cancel out the withdrawal. We shall see. I have doubled my dose of it as of yesterday. I am having around 18 grams now a day and I really think it is helping as I feel better emotionally than I did when I was on 30mg of mirtazapine. But only time will tell; the anxiety and depression may hit me out of nowhere.
I meant to add, that the downside of so much inositol is lots of gas and diarrhea. But as it is not painful, and I spend most days at home, it isn't a problem for me. You do get used to it and the gas subsides, but now that I have upped my dose it is hitting me again, lol.
That is great! I have added inositol to my routine thanks to you reminding me of it! And fantastic to know you feel better than at 30 mg mirt! I do think there are so many alternatives to these drugs for depression and anxiety, whether it is supplements, CBT or...?
Day six on 11.25mg and I awoke without nausea and was easily able to eat my breakfast. Feeling pretty good this morning despite terrible insomnia again last night. I took half a temazepam which didn't work, and was forced to take the other half around 1 am which sent me to sleep within half an hour. I have bought two insomnia books which I will report back on once I have read them. 'The effortless Sleep' and 'Say goodnight to insomnia'. My mother is also a terrible insomniac and she sent me a link to a study which shows that insomnia is most probably a genetic condition and scientists are working on producing a drug which shuts off the problem. Probably not in my lifetime though, unfortunately.
Anyway, back to the mirtazapine. I had a couple of hours around teatime and early evening when I started to feel depressed. This went an hour or so after I took my mirtazapine. Coincidence? Maybe. But I feel fine today. I have not taken my inositol yet as I have to drive an hour each way for my psysiotherapy session, so don't want any gas or diarhea!
Day even and still feeling great. I have today and tomorrow on 11.25mg before I reduce to 7.5mg. Obviously, if I get severe withdrawals from that, I will do alternate 11.25 and 7.5mg and see how that goes.
yayyyyyyy sounds like you're still doing well, apart from the sleep. What about trying the Epsom salt bath before bed ~ all natural, or have you triued the Magnesium supplements before bed, they're supposed to work well, I havn't tried them myself but many have said how good they are.
Hi Calmer. Thanks so much for your support. It really means a lot. How are you doing? Are you still on track? You were right about the nausea being a withdrawal, whilst I was thinking I was just returning to my pre-mirt state. It was obviously a withdrawal symptom because it only lasted a coupple of days. I guess that it will startr to get worse as I get closer to the end. I do take magnesium but took one close to bedtime last night. I also had half a temazepam and slept reall well. I don't wwant to rely on the temazepam too much but I find if I don't have one and then am forced to take one in the small hours because I'm still awake, I need twice as much for it to work. I have to get up around 7 am seven days a week, so I don't ever have a lie in. I think that is part of my problem because I am always under pressure to sleep.
I dropped some Epsom bath salts into my shopping cart yesterday, another little sleep helper, although tbh, by about 9 pm I'm too tired for a bath, but at least Ive got them ready, just in case.
Yes I fully understand "pressure to sleep", responsibility awaits. You know when you've read the Say Goodnight To Insomnia a few little pieces of the jigsaw of the mindset around sleep attitude will really help you. Especially the little voice that visits us when we wake halfway through the night around 3-4 am that says "Oh God, I'll never get back to sleep and then I'll be in a state tomorrow" - our negative thinking causes the adrenalin to kick in which in turn keeps us awake. At times I just take 2 paracetamol and usually I get back to sleep, telling myself "so what ... one bad nights sleep isn't the end of the world" ... my CBT Therapist worked through some of the negative sleep thoughts with me, we talked strategies & he advised me to keep a few flash cards in the bedside drawer and read before bedtime if and when necessary. And to be honest, since my "episode" last year I have been going to the Buddhist Centre and learnt good meditation, so I try to "block" these negative intrusive thoughts if I can.
If anything, with your insomnia having gone on for many years, maybe a Therapist along these lines might help for you. Choose from a Professional list mind you, go Private if you can - a good CBT with Mindfulness Therapist will probably have a waiting list of 2 - 3 months maybe, so worth looking in advance if this might be for you.
I would recommend looking on the B.A.B.C.P. website for a list of accredited professionals if you might be interested.
Hope your day is a good one, wishing you well x
I'm doing OK, I am down to 8.25 mg Mirt (liquid 0.55 ml) tonight so another little drop. I sleep better at the lower dose, in fact I find it hard to stay awake once I rest on the sofa in the evening - love the sofa!!!