Mirtazipine withdrawal symptoms

Treatment and medication
1

Hi all,

I've been on Mirtazipine for just over a year, from 15mg , 30mg to 45mg (for about 10 months).

Great tablet for sleeping. Although nearer the end this could be hit and miss.

I have also put on 3 stone whilst on them. To try to shift this i have Increased excersise, used My fitness pal, I cannot shift the weight under 16st, I'm 5'1 so I feel horrendous.... Which in turn this has made my anxiety , self confidence and depression worse. I feel embarrassed about what I've become .

About a month ago my anxiety became unbearable, hard to face customers at work, going out. Everyday things became tough, nothing seemed to make me feel better. I wasn't smiling, just felt utterly hopeless.

Last Sunday something inside me snapped. I decided not to take them anymore. See if I can loose the weight and live without antidepressants. Been on and off them since 2008. In all that time, I hadn't found 'the one' to conquer all my troubles. I honestly feel like they have been making me feel worse depression and anxiety wise.

Since stopping them. I slept well Sunday, Monday and Thursday. Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday night, i got about 3 hours sleep but waking up I was covered in sweat, after waking I just can't get too sleep.

Mentally I've felt fine. I have suffered from nausea, restlessness, fever, chills and aches.

I'm just wondering how long I can expect sleepless nights and night sweats?

I've been taking lots of vitamins and omega three to help me through.

I know when all this is over it will all be fine. I'm feeling confident in dealing with my bodies own natural rhythm.

Thanks

Rebecca

2

Good on you. I'm trying to do the same. I was off it for a week then after the first few nights of sleeping ok I went to zero sleep for about 3 days and an odd hour here and there. Eventually I had to go back on it just to sleep. I lost a stone weight in the week I was off it. And as I said in a previous thread I wish I had never started meds as none have helped just made me worse. Hopefully after a couple of weeks you should feel ok. Get some antihistamines and see if you can get a weeks worth of zopiclone off the doc to try and restore a normal sleep pattern. I wish you luck.

3

Thank you. My partners on the 45mg too. At times, it has been tempting to have half to knock me out, awful when your wide awake at random morning times , all I'm thinking is I need sleep..

I've just been to late night chemist for nytol. Will try them tonight. If no joy, will go doctors for zopiclone.

I hope you get through your tapering off OK, good luck to you too.

Comforting to know that someone else agrees that they do more damage then good.

I've had enough if being on that ride lol...

Best wishes

Rebecca

4

Ha you definitely aren't aline Rebecca

Take care and best of luck

5

I'm sorry you're going through this, and withdrawal is horrible. Withdrawal can last anywhere between 3 and 7 days from experience. I would hope your sleep would start to regulate once withdrawal has stopped. You can buy over the counter medications for sleep, pharmacists are always happy to help with any questions. Your doc can also prescribe short term medications for sleep (usually 1-2 weeks prescription). I'm in the process of coming off Mirtazapine because of weight gain (2stone in 2 months!) and joint pain. Also, Mirtazapine is much more sedating at lower doses which is why it would be hit or miss towards the end. Perhaps you could speak to your doctor with regards to withdrawal and could consider another medication? I've tried so many, I'm changing to lithium now.

You're not alone in this. Lots of people have experienced horrible withdrawal, but if you're very worried try NHS 24 or your doctor.

6

Also, Quetiapine is a great prescription medication that can be sedating. It's an antipsychotic but I'm prescribed it for anxiety and sleepy. It's non addictive as opposed to zopiclone and zolpidem which causes docs to be reluctant to prescribe them!

7

I am glad that quetiapine works for you, but I would be wary of calling it "great" for others.    I say that having read Wikipedia about it.   Its use is not recommended in some cases.   

Best wishes.

8

Well the nytol haven't worked lol.. Will go docs mon for sleep aid. Am sure if I could sleep the physical withdrawals wouldn't be as noticeable. Its a week tomorrow since last mirtle.

Thanks for your advice Natasha, in the future if I feel I need some help, I will put forward those recommendations. I struggle with anxiety and sleep. At the moment, I'm feeling that I want to get me feeling how I should feel without medication....

Its been a long time on the antid's and other anxiety aids. I've tried lots of different medications.

Hope you loose your weight soon (so do I!) Scary how quick it can happen. I personally thought I was just going to be big after turning 32 lol, only recently occurred to me that it could be mirtles (google) ... Will see in a few weeks after meds out of system, how the weight it.

Hope the lithium work well for you. Best wishes Rebecca

9

I would be wary of using Wikipedia as your source. It has side effects like all medication. No harm in discussing it with a doctor.

10

I did something similar a few months ago. I quit mirtazapine cold turkey after 12 years at 45mg. I felt brain foggy and tired and nervous about 10 days, with a few sleepless nights in there. 

One thing I'd recommend is to go easy on the vitamins because they can sometimes make the sweats and anxiety worse. For instance, if I take vitamin b complex, it sends my anxiety through the roof. It has done that since I was a kid, for some reason. I learned the hard way that when stopping meds, the only way you can tell where your symptoms are coming from is to not start any new meds or vitamins or supplements until you're through with discontinuation syndrome. Otherwise you might develop new symptoms from the new stuff and think it's the old stuff that's causing it. It gets so complicated and frustrating.

No I take a tiny bit of melatonin, no more than 1mg, maybe 4 nights a week. But every night I take 400mg of chelated magnesium and that really calms me down, soothes restlessness in the legs and helps with tossing and turning. You have to use chelated magnesium though, or magnesium glycinate, because the cheap stuff doesn't do much other than give you diarrhea, which could be extra awful when dealing with stopping mirtazapine. 

I only had a couple nights with minor night sweats—nothing compared to withdrawing from benzos. Those will go away really soon. If they don't, I would suggest getting your blood pressure checked.

One last thing. No caffiene. That makes the sweats and anxiety and sleeplessness a thousand times worse when you're coming off an AD. It also prolongs reovery. You may be be tired for a few weeks but you have to let your body be tired for a little while so it can start boosting energy on its own, but if you ingest caffiene that makes your body think you don't need the energy, so you doesn't bounce back as quickly. 

You're already on your way! Good luck! 

11

Thank you for your reply.

Friday I managed 6 hours, Saturday 5 hours and last night I slept for 7 hours. All without sleep aid. The nytol didn't work, so I won't be using them.

I'm feeling more chills than warmth now. Much more easier to deal with.

My partners saying I've got restless legs .. I do toss and turn a lot. Will check out the type of magnesium I'm using if its the better version, i, will take that at night. Thanks for that.

I've been off warm brews and my appetite is kind of non existent. Had waves of nausea. There subsiding too.

Things are progressing really well. This has been the most difficult AD withdrawal ever. Its all worth it though. I'm feeling really positive in dealing with my feelings and thoughts, however they arrive.

I will have a look into melatonin, I think that's a natural chemical produced in body. So that sounds positive smile.

Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge.

Best wishes Rebecca

12

Hi Rebecca.

I was wondering how your weight loss has gone since stopping the meds I am also 5 foot 1 and have put on over a stone since being on 15 mg mirap it's really getting me down as I have never been this big

13

Hi Christine,

Awful side effect. Trying get treated for insomnia, anxiety and depression and before you know it lots of pounds too. sad rolleyes, which in turn makes everything worse (my experience)

I threw the scales away about a month ago as they were never moving however hard I tried to loose the excess weight. So I had a paddy lol and put them in bin.

I have definitely lost quite a bit up to now. Can tell on my face, chin and now I can get into some jeans I just couldn't get into. I'm guessing nearly a stone.

My appetite is no where near where it was. The carbs, crisp and sugar want has definetly gone. My appetite is back to how is was.

I constantly felt like grazing whilst on mirtazipine.

You could go doctors and ask for an alternative ?

Best wishes

Rebecca

14

Week 3 of cold turkey withdrawals.

The sweats and chills stopped about 1 week ago.

I'm able to sleep now.

The queasy feeling still surfaces although these are for a smaller period of time.

My body is no longer aching.

I'm loosing weight.

I'm feeling great.

Best thing I could have done.

My appetite is back to how it was pre-mirtazipine.

Best wishes everyone

Take care

Rebecca

15

Thanks Rebecca I really appreciate your reply xx

16

Hi just an update.

I have lost 11lb in just over 3 weeks. Wonderful. Got scales at work...

No withdrawal symptoms at all now. Was worth sticking it out.

Feeling so much more like the old me. Wonderful. Free. Positive. I like it.

Rebecca

17

Great to hear Rebecca 😊