Hi Folks
Firstly lease excuse my appalling grammar!
I am contacting you from Ireland, and I rejoiced when I saw that somebody somewhere might be reccomend/advise me with the issue of tapering of meds. I suffered a severe bout of depression due my mothers and best friends death in the space of two weeks and burnout which was work related 2 and a half years ago. I was under the HSE the equivalent of your NHS and had my medication chopped and changed alot be a very trigger happy consultant psychiatrist. I felt like a complete guinea pig and was not able to advocate on my own behalf due to the depression which was initially made far worse by the various combinations of drugs firstly citaloprom 20mg then 30-40mg and on top of that 15, 30, 45 of mirtazipine, each increase left me in a state of irritability that daily broke into pure unadulterated rage and 1000s of emotions in between. After a period of about 5 months of constant increases of medication my mood stabilised and I felt ready to return to work, but my psychiatrist decided to 'tweak' my medication in eary december 2011, she tapered me off citalopram and introduced sertreline but a paltry dose of same and left me in no-mans land for six weeks I eventually got up to max dose of sert but still felt barely functional but had to return to work. After a month back in work I had to return to psych and tell her I couldn't function at anywhere near enough to what was needed in my job so she decided I ought go back to original dose of citalopram, and added the cheery news that I might not get as much benefit this time around and for once she was correct, so on I went stumbled through the summer of 2012 on this max dose of cit and mirt which was not leaving me with the stability I needed to do my job, and so I was perscribed sixty 60 mg of mirt, this left me completely floored and in a perpetual stupor and certainly no more stable. When I returned to the psych she wanted to experiement again this time introducing effexor and/or lithium. I decided enough was enough and returned myself to the care of my GP took myself down to 45mg of mirt and stayed on 40mg cit and decided to brave the winter out on that dose. In January of this year after speaking to my siste (who had success with escitalopram) and my GP we decided to try 20mg of Escitalopram and it and the dose of 45 mirt has gotten me through the year in a satisfactory manner, I have also been in therapy for a year and now with the guidance of my psychotherapist am considering coming off mirtazapine, I am prepared to do it over a long or staggered time frame or what ever is recommended by your service so would really appreciate any advice that you could offer on the subject.
I was thinking of two methods either coming off 2mg every 2 months or 5-7.5mg every six months but reading above posts perhaps this seems a little too cautious, but saying that going on mirt was the worst experience of my life by a long long way so i am a little cautious with reason, saying that dropping from 60 to 45 was bad but not catostrophic.
What do people that have come off the drug think?
hi i have been on mirt for arround 18months at 20mg then upped to 30mg 6 months ago! i have been living with the side effects but lately had sucide thoughts so decided to come off this drug! i took 35mg last night and spoke to my doc who i am seeing next week ! is there any advice on how much i should take to wean my self off! really confused on what i should take or if theres something for me to ease me off this drug.. need advice please..thank you in adavantage..julie
hi guest,
Im taping off mirtz at the moment drop my self down from 30mg to 20mg in 4 nights.. so far i feel alert had some vivid dreams! im scared and am worrying about the side effects that may accur! is it possible i will sail through this! is that possible..thank you julie
Hi all
I writ this whilst suffering from side effects of coming of mertazipine. I started taking these in January 2014 following a operation and me becoming low and note eating. After 4 weeks it was increased from 15mg to 30mg. As time went on I felt increasing worse not better, anxiety and panic attacks being the main with an increasing worsening feeling like I had a massive hangover. So after going back to my GP who wanted to give me a betablocker but we went for the increased dose of mertazipine. So I was on 45mg, I lasted 10 days, how Awful did I feel ? The worst if you think it could get worse. By this point I was on the sick and a prisoner in my own home through fear of panic attacks. With a husband working nights and a 5 year old this put a huge strain on my husband.
I went back to my GP and saw 2 different ones who agreed reducing the dose to 30 mg of mertazipine but said going any lower would be going backwards so prescribed betablockers. 4 days I took them for again another drug to mess me about and by this point feeling extreamly frustrated.
I saw my doctor who agreed getting off these was wise, I have had 1 week a time on lower dose and on day 5 of nothing. I worry what I am experiencing is me being someone dependant on antidepressants even though I know it's coming off them. This whole period is upsetting frustrating and tiring. Anyone who has done this has surely become a stronger person. I have listed a few of my current symptoms any feedback would be great fully received.
• anxiety / agitation
• diarrhoea
• tearful
• loss of appetite
• nausea
• vivid dreams
• insomnia
Good luck joy coming off mirt, i did it, been off it 18mths, on nothing now & have realised sometimes you just need to find inner strength not rely on pills, all they did was ness with my head & made me feel worse.
Take it easy though, cut down gradually, it took me 2mths to get off 30mg
Pat
I think I've come off them too quick tbh but as I was told by Gp, one week 45 one week 30 then one week 15. I did 4 days on 15 as became impatient with feeling so I'll. But then worse now!!
Hi Katheryn,
if you get this message...can you answer?
Thanks!
hi guest, i have just been put on mirtazapin 30mg, been on for one week feel so ill tried and week cant go to work or do much else can you tell me if this passes as i couldnt stay like this,
My experience of taking 15mg Mirtazapine did not give me the symptoms that you are experiencing. The tablet takes a few weeks to start working, but they helped me to get off to sleep at night within 15 minutes initially. I would suggest that what you are going through is not caused by Mirtazapine. I hope that you feel better soon.
Regards,
JanieLee
Hi all I have been on Mirtazapine 45mg for about 4yrs now they never caused me any problems I know about.But I am coming off it now I have been on 30mg for almost a month,next week my GP putting me on 15mg I hope I have no effects from that .But reading all your replys to this has frightened the life out of me.I have enough problems without coming off a tablet to cause me more
Norma, no worries: read the Road Back website like me and get Ready to taper off properly. God bless you
i was on 30mg for 6months it never went away but eveyone is drifferent, they never lifted me and i went into depression .. let me know how u go x im off them now thank god i have my motivation back x
Thank you manuelmanuel.Im not very technical how do I get the rode back website.My mood yesterday was terrible I could of quite easily of killed my husband over the silliest things,it's a good job he is understanding xx
I just got the road back website but it seems like it's in the us and I'm in the uk but I have sent an email so wait and see but thank you
Hi Pat50
I've been tapering off Mirt very slowly this year & I am now down to 0.1.5ml of Mirt Liquid. Two more drops then I'll start missing nights.
Can I please ask what was your final dose when you stopped & how were you in the weeks following?
Many thanks
Jo x
Kathryn this is so helpful- I am not on this drug but my 89 year old aunt has been put on it (about 1.5 years ago I think) by her nursing home and I want to take her off it as I think it is adding to her depression not helping it. But reading your experiences with withdrawal and other people's, I don't think I can put her through it. She is on 45mg so maybe I could ask them to gradually reduce it to 30 then 15mg and leave it at that...its so hard to know when its not me taking them.
Hi Kathryn
I see that your comments about Mirtazapine withdrawal was a year ago now and hope that you are well and completely free of these horrid drugs. I have been on Mirtazapine for two years, being prescribed it for early morning waking with horrendous anxiety. Other than putting weight on it did nothing for me but, under doctors recommendation I continued. I don't believe I suffered/suffer from depression as during the day I am fine, keep busy and quite content with my life. Just these terrible early morning feelings. So, I decided to wean myself off these very gradually and took the last one about a month ago.
The first couple of weeks were fine but I seemed to hit a brick wall full on on the third week (I wonder if anyone else has had this?). My doctor tells me it is the anxiety come back, but as it never left in the first place I believe it is withdrawal from the Mirtazapine. The symptoms I am experiencing are itchy skin, quite horrid nausea, lack of concentration and wonder if you or anyone on the site can tell me if they have had a similar experience.
It is so good to hear comments from other sufferers as it makes you think that you are not alone.
Jean
Hi Jean, may I ask what amount of mirt were you on and how long and what 'drops' did you take?
Pat
Excellent info, I have just been put on Met after being on ALL the SSRIs for the last fifteen years, have tried to withdraw but never been able to, they have badly affected my heart and now am on bloody beta blockers as wel !!!! The last time I wanted to come off the doc said just stop taking them, I asked him to,prescribe liquid version and he said no!!!!! You must have a personality that will always be prone to,depression aaaargh. He then said do you want me to refer you to the drug and alcohol team, I asked him had he ever been on Anti D.s and he said no, I replied don't tell me what you have read in books about withdrawal!!!! I'm telling you how it is. Your article is very encouraging and I an hoping to come off again using this method in Oct as I have got my mums party then , thanks xx
Thank u so much on ur insight,which is much better than a doc. I have been taking mir 7.5mg for the past two and half years. I tried to stop it , not that gradually, but of no use. I wanted to try again real slow but Iam afraid.