I'm curious...

Treatment and medication
1

Guys, I don't believe this...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with me; I have been on here for a couple of months now, making posts and talking about my Mirtazapine experience. Now, recently, I have decided to begin slowly coming off the drug, because I am not happy with it and the things it's doing to my body. 

Now, I have health anxiety; I'm slowly beginning to reign it in, but it's still there. So, the smallest things startle me and send me off the boil. Recently, I went to my GP because I have been suffering with pains in my... wait for it, there's a list... my forearms, my wrists, my hands, my fingers, the joints in my fingers; I have a shoulder that has been messed up for months, and refuses to get better. I get sore legs, sore knees, feet, and all this time I have been thinking... I am going bonkers; I'm going absolutely bonkers.

I had convinced myself I had Fibromayalga, which is highly unlikely, given that I am 27 years old, and a man. The doctor looked at me as if I had sprouted a second head. Anyway, the doctor diagnosed some things he thought it might be - Tennis Elbow, Tendonitis, slight muscle inflammation, or simply just my body being stiff and tense from being anxious so frequently.

Now, recently, I looked up the side effects of Mirtazapine, and low and behold, some topics from this very site came up and there were people going through exactly what I am going through. Granted, those threads were from quite some time ago; we're talking years ago. So, I decided to post this, to see if there are any members currently on here that have experienced or are currently experiencing these kinda symptoms.

I'm referring, mostly, to joint and muscle pain (my muscles also twitch quite frequently).

So... anybody with me?

2

Yes, I'm with you, David!  I am reducing mirtazapine and am down to 11.5 mg, but recently had a spate of muscle twitching, my left tricep and my right thigh.  I also have a mystery injury of my right elbow, the inside of the elbow - tennis elbow?  Well, I don't play tennis and can't think of a triggering event; it's just a chronic pain when lifting things. It doesn't seem to want to heal.

I read this somewhere:  Serotonin constricts muscles leading to muscle damage. When you attempt to use a constricted muscle it rips and tears.

Hmmm.

3

Betsy, I have been practically climbing the walls of my apartment, baffled as to why my body is so sore all of a sudden. I was genuinely starting to believe it was all a figment of my imagination. My shoulder, my right shoulder, has been so sore for months now. My fingers, the joints of my fingers, my forearms kinda throb. The small of my back, my pelvis, my hips. It's not 'painful', per say... it's like a dull ache. I am relieved, though, to see that someone else is twitching. Mirtazapine may be good for helping a patient get a good night's sleep, but that is where the benefits end. It has done NOTHING for my anxiety, nothing. I ache, my body is sore, like a car ran over the top of it. Enough is enough.

4

What dose are you on and how long have you been on it?

5

None of those symptoms David, but horrific weight gain of 21lbs over ,the last year, after listening to the Jeremy Vine Show on BBCR2 on Monday this drug is the worst of the lot for weight gain, I was prescribed it as I'm a lifelong insomniac, it did that job ok, I was on 30mg per night, I've cut it by half the last 2 nights, no withdrawal, cutting back to a quarter tonight and tomorrow, then off it for good, I'd rather be tired than fat!!!

6

Hi Rosie - I missesd the programme, what did it have to say, I'm currently doing Slimming World in an effort to reduce my weight but it's a real hard slog just to lose a couple of pounds.   My husband on the othr hand has lost almost a stone!   

7

David

i am also experiencing same thing, shoulder's joint,Wrist joints and finger joints pains. I have been on mirt for 6 years now and started feeling the shoulder joint pains 2 years ago and the wrist ,finger joints pain started last year it has been difficult to for me to link it to mirt but reading same symptoms from different people shows it might be mirt

8

I'm on 15mg, and I would say I'm on them... I would say between 3 and 4 months, so not too long.

9

Oh, yeah, they'll put you to sleep. That's the one thing they do correctly. But when you wake up each morning, do you not feel like... I dunno, groggy?

10

Charles, if there are a significant amount of people all singing from the same hymn sheet and complaining of the same symptoms, then perhaps Mirtazapine is responsible. 

11

Since they aren't doing anything for you, you'll probably want to taper off before your system gets more committed to Mirt.  It already has its hooks in you, so it won't be fun :-(  You could try 7.5 mg and see if you can handle it, might make the pain issues go away but might also be too big of a jump down for you.  Many of us on here are doing a much slower taper out of necessity, making our own liquid for dosing smaller dosage cuts by syringe

12

Making your own liquid?

13

Hi susie32309, I heard the programme by accident as I was driving at the time, I have no other side affects apart from weight gain, last night was the night I was down to a quarter, no ill affect at all, forget slimming world unless you come off these belly ballooners, I tried last September and was losing only 1/2lb most weeks and I was religiously sticking to the diet, you should be able to get the Jeremy Vine show on I player it was BBC RADIO2 on Monday 20th June at approx 1pm worth a listen as they were talking about a lot of drugs especially this flaming mirtazapine gggrrrr 😈

14

thank you Rosiegrady - I found it last evening and listened to it, I do wish doctors would tell us about potential side effects before prescribing - I had knee replacement surgery last year and when I asked the surgeon what I could do to help with the recovery and long term usage of the replacement he said just one thing . . .  you don't need to lose weight, but don't gain any - the more you weigh the more pressure it puts on the replacement!   I went to SW as I noticed my weight was starting to creep up, I lose 2-lb one week and it's back the next, I'm following it religiously but I just can't get rid of the weight - I know I'm doing it right as my husband has lost 12-lbs now!   I'm on 30 mg but cut the tablet in half last evening in an effort to start a slow taper!   Thank you so much for getting back to me . . . 

 

15

Is that too sharp a taper Rosiegrady?   I did try a couple of months ago by cutting my tablet in half for a week, I became so dizzy that I couldn't stand, extreme nausea .  . . 

16

Hi, I'm not going to blame my GP for not telling me the full facts, I read the leaflet for myself and did note that increased appetite and weight gin we possible, then promptly forgot about it til I heard Jeremy Vine and though oh balls I'll have to come off it, image lifelong insomniac and I was going through some pretty horrific back pain which when you can't sleep anyway is a killer, anyway back hip and pelvis fixed now so definitely time to get off these drugs, I've been on them for over a year and think my GP prescribed them as a last ditch attempt to help me with getting some sleep during the most painful times I'm doing great with the cutting back and thankfully no withdrawal at all, I'll be so glad to get into my clothes again, though I expect losing the weight will be harder than gaining it

17

Hi David, I hope you are still around. how are you these days? I read through your old posts. your story mirrors mine. I have exactly the same symptoms as you had on mirta. how did the story end, did you get rid of the symptoms? I have terrible pain in my forearms and palms and fingers. GP said tennis elbow. but on both sides, does not up up in my opinion. Every day the pain seems to get worse. I do not know what to do as i depend on mirta. Please get in touch.

18

I know this is an older post, but add me to the choir on this. I absolutely could’ve written this post myself. Also considered fibromyalgia. Having done more research there are more than a few people who reported the same types of symptoms, including people who were told they had fibromyalgia only for their symptoms to ultimately resolve after discontinuing Remeron.

19

wow wow, are you still on it? I am now down to 4mg per day. -Cannot wait to be done with this toxic medication. I could swear it is related to this medication. I am worried about the withdrawals symptoms though. But the physical pain got so bad, I rather deal with the anxiety i took the medication initially for. you also have elbow and knee pain?

20

One other thing I wanted to point out to you, in doing my research there was a comment from a guy who thought he had fibromyalgia, turned out to be the Remeron.

I cut the 7.5‘s in half, but frankly I don’t think I plan to taper very long because the pain is just too much. I know the risk of the serious withdrawals, but I’m in such agony now I would like to know sooner rather than later if that gets better and then deal with the rest.

The outside of my elbows, both of them, started to ache, and the inside of my elbows/forearms feel like they are on fire. I don’t have tendinitis or tennis elbow, it simply doesn’t make sense, especially being that it is happening in both of them! Pain in both my knees. never had issues with my knees before. And although I have a lot of spinal issues, the pain I’m experiencing now is far worse than I ever did, even with the arthritis and disc issues.

it will take some time with the discontinuation symptoms and everything else, but the timing of this and how widespread it is, I believe it is due to this medication. Having had so many other tests I believe this is it. Plus the more I looked into it the more I found out it is NOT uncommon. As I also said in another comment, for people who take antihistamines it could be worse, and I do take Allegra.

This issue of joint pain, muscle pain, burning sensations is far more common than the usual symptoms you hear about with this medication. I even looked around on Reddit and found a lot of this issue of joint pain, muscle pain, burning sensations is far more common than the usual symptoms you hear about with this medication. Posts with people who discontinued it due to terrible wrist, arm and leg pain.

I know this is not going to be a fun ride, but my hope is once I get through it, however long it takes, some of these other issues resolve! I wish the same for you. I know this medication works wonderfully for some, but it clearly is not for me.