Hi group
Advice if u can please, been on mirt 8 mnth, 15 for 3 mnth an 30 for 5,
Seen my pdoc last week to reduce, he said alternate 30-15-30-15 for a week so I'm on 15, I'm so anxious of withdrawals , please help, has anybody done it this way? So scared, this damn pill .....
Well, everyone is different and you'll have to see how it goes, but I should just warn you that withdrawal effects can be delayed by a few weeks. I tried a very small reductionvand was hit with the withdrawal effects, including brain zaps and muscle spasms, 2 weeks after I started and they just kept coming even after I went back to 30mg. So all I'm saying is, be careful and listen to your body.
Thankyou pixie for ur reply, ur right in what u say, my anxiety about withdrawal only kicked in when I made the decision to come off it, r u off them now then? xx
Hi Angela. I withdrew very slowly over six months. I had to buy a weighing machine and cut my tablets up down to 1 mg and I still got insomnia as a withdrawal going through th is now and been off for three weeks. Doing my head in. U may be ok. But my advise would be to taper slower. X
Sorry to report that I'm still on the 30mg. The muscle spasms aggravated my ME/CFS and left me really Ill and that has taken a long time to get over. But I am going to try again when I feel stronger. Actually I'm not in any particular hurry to get off the mirtazapine, because it's done me good with minimal side-effects. My psychiatrist said I could stay on it, but it's been 6 years and I'd like to feel I could do without it.
Wow u done very well susansasha, wot withdrawal symptoms did u have if it's ok to ask? I don't want to b on them forever, I got the cita chart an that's a really slow process, but it is what it is, thanks for ur reply oh an well done for gettin off them, xx
Just insomnia and itching. But itching gone now. I had to taper over six months. I would definitely advise this. I hope u get on ok. My doc said mirt was not addictive. He was wrong. X
To be honest they av been a great med I think readin all the horror stories has made me want to get off them more, sorry to hear uve had a horrid time tryin to reduce, especially with ur other conditions, u must feel so awful at times, I wish u well pixie an thanx for chattin to me, wish we could all get off this rollercoaster lol xx
Ov course they are otherwise we could just stop no problem, who r we to tell a doctor other wise, well I did!! An she referred me to a psi who actually listened to me, wow, it was a revelation, but again he told me there were no withdrawals that his patients av reported, oh wot to do, could u tell me how u done it? Sorry to b a pain, how long where u on them for? Thanks so much for ur help xx
Hi Angela. I was on 30 mg for six months. I had a breakdown. I suffer from anxiety. I then went to 15 mg for about four weeks. Then split tablet to 7.5 mg. Then I reduced by a mg a week and I did have some sleepless nights. I think now I should have waited until I was ok then dropped. Just reduce very slowly. U may be lucky and not get any withdrawals. Do it in your own time. I have had some awful days. But on good days and try and do as much as I can and enjoy the good days. I hope this helps. Susan x
Aww bless ur heart, hope ur doin much better now, did u go straight to 15 from 30 or do 22.5? They r a great med to b fair, but they created my anxiety which I didn't av before I took them, so frustrating, do u take anythin in it's place or r u free from all meds? They want to put me on something else but I'm not keen lol, just want off them, thanx for ur help Hun, best ov health to u xx
Hi Angela I went from 30 to 15 and was ok. I found the lower the mg the harder it is. In was only on mirt nothing else. I wouldn't go on anything else unless u are not sure u can cope without anything. Do what's right for u. I hope this insomnia is over soon. You take care and take things slow. Xx
Hi, may I ask about the weighhing machine? I'm going to need one if I can't get liquid form when I start to wd. Can you give details please?
Many thanks 
Angela Hi, do listen to Pixie, there is lots of advice on this forum if you look for it regarding wd. But in a nutshell, to withdraw 10% every 3 or 4 weeks OR WHEN YOU FEEL STABLE OR BALANCED again (yes that important), youu can stay on each lowered dose for as long as necessary.
There is no rush but to wd too quick could totally undermine your confidence and health. The manufacturers of this don't tell you this on the leaflet, and doctors (we seem to agree on this forum) don't know very much regarding how to wd unfortunately for everyone's mental health!!
Sorry to sound harsh, but ... feeling strong about it really.
Wishing you well.
Hi go on amazon and put in mg weighing machine. It should bring them up. Mine is called smart weigh digital jewellery scale. It measures mg. Good luck x
hey that was quick - many thanks Susansasha x
Ha ha! Hope it helps u. There seems to be so many of us in this situation. X
Hey, I recently reduced my dose from 30mg to 15mg. I was on 15mg for 2 years before I slowly withdrew from it over the space of a year.
(I did this by going from taking it every night to every other night for a month, then every 3 nights for 3 months, then every 4 nights for 4 months) then I stopped completely. I had no withdrawal symptoms at all reducing the dose, until I stopped completely, then I developed itchy skin for about 3 weeks. I'm telling you this because a lot of people withdraw by reducing the dose (from 15, to 12, to 7 etc) but this is just another way to think about doing it :-)
Anyway about 3 months later my depression came back. I was on 15mg for 2 months then upped the dose to 30mg. I was on that for 6 months & decided that I wanted to reduce the dose because I was constantly exhausted!
So I went to the doctor who at first told me to just start taking the 15mg again, then when I told her I still had loads of 30mg pills left, she told me to alternate for a week & then take 15mg only.
When I got home, I decided to just take the 15mg instead of alternating- I didn't see the point in playing around with the doses, confusing my body. And I figured that if I had a hard time, Then I could alternate the doses.
Like you, I searched for people's experiences at reducing from 30mg to 15mg- I couldn't really find much & the stuff that I did find was pretty off putting.
I'm glad to say that I haven't had any withdrawal symptoms at all. I still have an appetite & I can still sleep. I sort of tortured myself because I've been waiting for the bad side effects but they haven't come. I've read that sometimes withdrawal can be delayed, but it's been 4 weeks today since I've been taking 15mg again so I'm hoping that I'm past it- you never know though.
Some people say that it's best to take it slowly & others say that going from 30mg to 15mg is easy and that it's going from smaller doses to minute doses which are the most difficult.
My suggestion to you is that you just start taking the 15mg and then if you can't handle that start alternating. Make sure you speak to your doctor because they'll know best and make sure you do what's best for you!
Sorry for my long answer, but I hope it answers all of your questions.
Hope however you decide to do it that it's easy for you!
Lots of love x
Hi all,
yes I agree withdrawing of Mirtz is really hard and horrible. I went great for the first week, but now I'm into week 3-4 and I feel really sh*tty, the itchies are driving me crazy and insomina, spinning head and neasua and stomach cramps, diarrohea etc, it feels like all the hold depression/anxiety symptoms again which I haven't had for years. I have lots 4.5 kilos though in 3 weeks probably because most of my food is going straight through me and I'm eating alot less, mirtz definitely made me constantly hungry, so the weight loss is my main motivation factor to keep going, but gees it's hard, I'm seeing my pdoctor tomorrow again to try and get some advice on what to do, i'm not working at the moment, but I wouldn't be able to, just looking after myself and my son 50% of the time is hard enough for me. I never realised how hard this drug is to get off, i am seriously thinking about going back on it just so I feel well again, but then i'll get fatter again grrrr!!!! cheers nettie in Aussie.
Hi Becky
Thanks so much for ur reply it's a massive help, yeh my doc said to alternate for a wk then stay on 15, an just so scared of gettin any withdrawals , sounds daft eh, it's good to hear u had no withdrawals, fills me with confidence, I should ov reduced by now 😡 I beat myself up all the time too, stupid pill, thankyou so much an please stay in touch, I'm just afraid of takin the first step but can't stay like this forever, big hug to u xx