i just wanted to post my mirt WD adventure as it may help someone trying to get of mirtazapine.
I want to add that I tried three times to go off and without this forum I think I would still be on this medication.
the first time I tried I was told to go straight from mirt to Trazadone. I tried this and followed the advice of my doctor. By day seven I was not only not sleeping much but after perhaps an hour I would wake in a panic unlike anything I had ever experienced in my life. I went on mirt for insomnia, yet this was far worse. I would wake in a cold sweat, panic and disoriented to where I was.
i thought perhaps it was the trazadone as the doctor said no WD from mirt. So I dropped the trazadone with his advice.
The second time I tried (at this point I thought I had developed a new mental illness BTW, I thought maybe I was psychotic and it had nothing to do with mirt)
i tried again and felt ok but about ten days later had the very same thing happen. Early wake and panic and the rest of my day was anxiety. Then I started having terrible stomach pains, vomiting. It was so difficult to even think. I had no idea mirt could have WD, but certainly it wasn't the trazadone ....
i went back on mirt and my symptoms vanished within a day or two. I slept again and my nausea went away. That's when I knew it was the mirt, no matter what any doctor said and by this time I was on doctor number 2.
i started searching the Internet and found this forum.
i found people who so coincidently had the same symptoms going off mirt as I did, so now I wasn't alone anymore.
the people here were very helpful.
CITA was still funded, so I used their chart to reduce and found doctor number 3.
She was willing to concede that maybe mirt had WD. So that was helpful. But mainly it was the people here who helped me step down very very gradually for the mirt.
i went super slow and at the very end of my taper going every other day and then the next week every third day ect....
i did still have trouble with WD.
I slept maybe 3 hours the first few weeks and did awake with panic but because I was aware this would happen I was prepared.
i think the key is to prepare for WD. I took a benzo for sleep and it cut the panic some. I tried not to be to troubled about not sleeping.
dont let it get to you! It's hard
Have a plan this is important.
Also try and have a WD buddy. Prepare ahead of time with medication should you have nausea. I used both phenergan and Zofran.
Mirt has a histamine block. So I also used a histamine block to replicate it during WD I believe it helped me.
stay as positive as possible and plan for your WD to coincide with a good time in your schedule. If it's possible to use vacation time, I would advise a light work load.
Keep a journal. You'll want to look back at your progress.
it won't last forever and you'll feel so much better once you are off the mirtazapine
good luck to all.