Katie 04237
It sound like you are doing well. It's so good to hear a good result I want to start getting off Mirt. I have posted yesterday. I have been on Mirt for 11 weeks at 7.5 and I am wondering how I should do this without much pain and suffering. Do yo have any ideas. How do you get the 7.5 pill cut into 3.75 and then to 1.87. Please get back to me. Glad you are doing so well.
Hi, I'm trying to get off too. This message thread has been so much help and encouragement to me! I'm down to 3.75 now, sleeping has been affected and my anxiety seems more in the morning, but I'm less snappy than I was.
At the moment I'm cutting the pills. Will need to get a pill cutter to go down to 1.87, they're available at the chemist.
Good luck!
Hi Mary yes you can just cut the pills. I managed without a pill cutter even at 1.87. Probably not accurate, but I could managed to cut a 15mg tablet into 8 fairly even pieces. If some pieces looked a tiny bit bigger than others then I would just make sure I spaced out the bigger and smaller pieces evenly over the 8 days if that makes sense!!
Onto day 15 now without any mirt and still feel ok. This is the day I wanted to get to as I had heard so many people say withdrawals can start at around 1 to 2 weeks after stopping completely. I did have a terrible nights sleep last night, only got around 3 hours I think. But still ok other than that. Still no anxiety apart from a few random hours of mild anxiety one day last week. Still feel calm, stable, capable. Still feel a bit foggy but keep getting patches of feeling better, like Friday when I had a really good day.
Well done on getting down to 3.75 kirsty! You can do it!! I just spoke to my phyciatrist this morning who said it was highly unlikely that there would be any further major withdrawals to come. He has said that all along but I have feared this process so much I didn't believe him. He said mirtazapine was usually one of the easier ADs to come off. He really should know his stuff as well cos he the most senior person of the whole of our local NHS trust.
I am daring to believe him now!! He knows that I check things on the internet a lot and keeps telling me off for doing so. He reckons the internet is very negative and biased towards the most negative stories of Withdrawl and creates fear. I really really feel for those people who have had a nightmare coming off tho,, clearly quite a lot of people do have a very hard time so idk.
Yesterday I felt crap, but kept busy and that really helped, I'm an over-thinker so I can
Imagine things feeling much worse than they actually are.
That's such interesting advice from the psychiatrist, and do you know what I'm going to believe his every word! I think a positive mental attitude is a massive key to getting through this!
Congrats on 15 days, you have so got this!
I am an overthinker too, just the same. Hope you are feeling better today Kirsty. I just wrote another post today for anyone interested if you click on my username you should be able to access it
Katie thanks for answering my post. I went to see a doctor to see if I could get some help getting off this stuff. She recommended I get a 7.5 tablet and cut in half to 3.75 and also take 5mg of Prozac. I started last night with the 3.75. Ihad a hard time cutting the 7.5 pills in half, but got it done. There so small if I have to go to 1.87 I know they will be like crumbs. I see the doctor again next week. Hope this goes well.
17 days off now and feeling very well right now. Calm, stable, energy and clarity. Smiling. But did have a bad 24 hours or so yesterday and this morning, with a return of depressive feelings. I honestly don't think it was to do with mirt withdrawal, more like just a blip that I seem to have now and then. I got those blips just the same whether on mirt or off it, it seems. Still not sleeping well.
Thank you for continuing to update 😊
Sorry you had a bad day yesterday, glad it's passed today. I'm hoping to go down to 1.87mg as from tonight, I'm very nervous about it!
Can I ask, did you struggle with sleeping before Mirt?
Kirsty x
Hiya Kirsty, no I slept fine while on mirtazapine, started to struggle with sleep only after I dropped under 7.5. Really hoping it will resolve soon. Good Luck going down to 1.87. How is your sleep?
Katie x
Sleep hasn't been too bad... yet! Had one night where I really struggled, but other than that's it's been okay. I've tried to keep really busy and hoping that's exhausting me enough!
Thank you, I'm a bit nervous as I feel quite bizarre in the morning, I think it's withdrawal as I used to be a morning person before it.
I'm still keeping in mind with the psychiatrist said to you, it's helping me 😊
Kirsty x
Well sorry to have to let u know kirsty and anyone else who has followed this thread, I have had to reinstate Mirt back to 15mg. Had a very bad sudden return of depression and felt very ill. So much so I had to ring the crisis team. It came on very suddenly. It may or may not have been due to the withdrawl process, idk. I did get these bad spells anyway but it was a particularly bad one. I guess I panicked and felt I had to follow the advice of the crisis team and my doctor.
Anyway the good news is after taking 15mg x for just two nights I appear to have stabilised and feel much better now. So at least there is that safety net for anyone worried about how long they might have to wait before reinstating that you can apparently get back on an even keel quickly and it only takes a day or two.
Bit gutted that I am back to square one but maybe a lesson learned. Also the timing of withdrawl with hindsight may have been not the best as so close to school summer holidays which I always worry about. I may have been sub consciously worryingly about the school holiday season and that may have brought it on idk.
Will keep posting to let u know how I am getting on and if and when I decide to go for it again
Should also add that I have slept very well since going back on, full 8 hours sleep. I also really don't wanna put anybody off that is currently tapering. The nature of my illness means I get these bad spells regardless of what's medication I am on. Meaning I got bad spells before Mirt, while on it, while tapering, and while off it, no difference. It's just cos this was an especially bad one that I really did feel I needed to take docs advice this time. It won't put me off trying again but I think I need to be more well in general before I try again.
Thanks for ur post Katie, I was hoping to start tapering down from 7.50mg, but I had a really bagful day yesterday and I'm now thinking the time in not right to withdraw. I just started a new job last week, so after reading ur post I'm just gonna stick with it & take Drs advice. Hope ur coping better. All the best.
I'm so sorry you've had such a rough time Hun. You do what is right for you, that is all that matters!
I'm glad going to 15mg has helped you again. All that matters is that you get back into a good, happy place again.
Kirsty x
Hi katie, I'm happy to see you doing good, even you had to go back on remeron. I would not worry about it now. I'm coming off remeron too but I'm doing much much slower than you did. I'm dropping every 4 weeks only 10%.for over a year now. I'm at 1.8 mg and even this is very small dose is going to take me other 6-8 months to come off. If I would be you I would try it next time much slower. What I heard most people recommend 10% reduction every 3-4 weeks. Is easier on your CN. Good luck
Thank you both. Am awaiting a change in consultant doctor now and the end of the summer holidays before trying anything else xx
So sorry to read of your suffering; you're not the first and won't be the last for sure to try to come off Mirt' and get hit with the nasty WD. I'm so pleased reinstatement worked quickly for you, for anyone reading your story it might be worth them knowing that the longer time left before reinstatement the longer it may take to stabilise ~ nature of the beast of Mirtazapine/Remeron that actually alters our brains chemistry - if whipped away abruptly it is like removing the trellis that is holding up the rose arch and it crashes down ~ when in fact it needs to readjust slowly. it is not about getting the med' or chemical out of the system, and cannot be flushed away.
I hope you find the support you need. In my experience no doctors or p.docs knew about the terrible affects Mirt can cause, you might get more help here on the forum from a few folk who have travelled the road also.
Wishing you well, at least you are now in a good place
Best wishes.
Hello Calmer
And Katie please excuse my butting into this thread. I wanted to ask for some advice from Calmer as I'm in a desperate situation myself having gone cold turkey seven weeks ago. It's 3.30am and I'm going crazy with insomnia. I did take a zopiclone at 1.30am and still no luck. I was on this drug for mainly anxiety and depression and never had a sleep problem until now.. I was on it for 5 months at a 15 mg dosage. I regret not following a taper regime but I honestly did not know anything about this drug. After 7 weeks I'm at my wits end so any help you can offer me will be gratefully appreciated.
I have replied to your private message Christine x