Hi everyone.
I just wanted to post post my mirtazapine experience here to get it off my chest and to get some advice hopefully. I've been on 15mg of mirtazapine for about a year and a half. I had a health scare back in 2015 and it shook me up so bad I developed horrible anxiety/depression. I was so desperate for relief I think I'd have probably taken anything I was prescribed against my better judgement. Anyhow, I've had a load of strange physical symptoms over the past year and have always thought something was seriously wrong with me, i.e. That I had some sort of disease or something. Well, I was just instructed to increase my mirt dosage a week ago and as it turns out, it seems all of my physical symptoms have been the mirt this whole time. Terrible back pain, dizzy spells, faster than normal heart rate, hot flashes, awful weakness... I experienced these symptoms for several months when starting the mirt, however between my anxiety, and the other meds I was being tried on at the same time, I never put 2 and 2 together. I thought the illness was getting worse... however, in light of all the symptoms resurfacing upon raising the dose it seems pretty obvious it's the mirt.
Now i I have the dilemma of what to do next. I've been on the 30mg for a week. Do you think I'd be ok to drop back down to the 15mg without a taper? And then where do I go from there? I've read terrible horror stories about withdrawal from this drug. I know everyone is different, but I really don't feel prepared to endure withdrawal right now. But I don't want to continue to feel so awful. Damned if I do, damned if I don't situation.
Anyhow, advice is greatly appreciated... also wanted to post my experience in case someone out there might be going through something similar and expects that perhaps the mirt is the cause.
Hi Jansell
I have been on 15mg of Mert for 6 months. If you only did 30 for a week or so I would try and drop down to 15. You may not sleep as well but hopefully all those other symptoms will diminish. you could taper to 1.5 pills for a few days and then try just 15 again.
My body couldnt take the increased dose either, i wa feeling bad enough on the lower dose like you. As it was only a short time i agree that dropping down now should be ok, getting down from 15 is something you need to see dr about as i believe its not easy. I am stuck at 7.5.
Sorry to read you are stuck at 7.5 mg Ann. Are you having some reaction to dropping down to that?
Thank you all for the replies. These side effects suck. Funny thing is I never got the desired side effects of increased appetite or help with sleep. It did initially help knock out my anxiety which was severe... but what's the use if it's going to keep me in bed all day every day with weakness and back pain?
No, stuck here as i cant seem to decrease as i get insomnia badly. Still anxious as well.
Hi my name is morag I have been on mirtazapine 15 for 5mths seamed ok then this past couple of weeks my legs feel weak my knees hurt l just wondered if it was the tablets I have an appointment on wed with the doctor
Hi Jansell.to hard for me to tell you because I'm only been on Mirt for 7 weeks at 15mg and 2 1/2 weeks at 30 mg.I seem to be doing alright but I'm also taking it in con junction with 400mg of Gabapetin and Tramadol for pain for IBS and a soon to be fixed hernia(I hope).However it appears to be helping me from the sleep,aniexty side.I think if you want to taper,1 week would be the time to start before it gets to deep into your system.At the same time they were giving me the Mirt,they are tapering me off of Paxil after 20years of taking it,so I'm still in the wait and see mode.God Bless You,Bob
Is the anxiety from the last drop in dose? Just wondering when you dropped to 7.5 mg? You might be better to make a liquid so you can do micro cuts in % to avoid that insomnia, I dropped 5% every 2-3 weeks depending on how I felt after each drop ... ugh !!
I dropped a year ago. Very afraid wont sleep if i try to drop further. Still fighting depression and hampered by changing med due to taking anticoagulant. Wish i knew someone on anti dep and anticoag to see what they can take
Thank y'all for the replies. Hope you're doing well with that taper Bob. Hang in there and God Bless you too man.
I dropped right back back down to the 15 from the 30 after almost 2 weeks. I feel a lot better during the day i.e. Not as much weakness and the back pain is gone, but my nights have been dodgy. The first 2 nights I was able to fall asleep on my own but the past 2 have been terrible. Some very strange feelings as I try and sleep. Dizziness, weird feelings in my neck, back, and shoulders, hot flashes... I know it's my body trying to readjust so it hasn't really freaked me out. I had to use Ativan to sleep and stop the symptoms both nights. I rarely use that. It has to be really bad for me to break that out so it's been rough. Hopefully it won't last much more than a night or two longer. We'll see.
Hang in there! That's about all you can do.God Bless You,Bob
So it's been a week now since I dropped back to 15mg from 30. I was ok the first 2 nights, then the next 3 nights would get hot flashes and dizziness when trying to sleep. It went away after 3 nights and I had 2 good nights where I fell asleep on my own. Then last night the hot flashes came back with dizziness. I hope it's from the dose change and not something else going on with me. This is that point where you start to second guess yourself... is the medication really causing this or is it something physically wrong with me. Logic says medication because it didn't happen before... then the what ifs kick in. I was only on 30mg for 2 weeks. Would one expect this kind of response going back to 15mg from only being on 30mg for a couple of weeks?
Unfortunately yes, those all sound like symptoms of dropping 50% of the dose - even tho' yuu only have been taking Mirt for 2 weeks. Hopefully the symptoms will ease sooner rather than later with this time scale.
Oh I've been on mirt for 1.5 years... I was just on 30mg for a couple weeks but had to stop... side effects were too much
Oh I see now; yes for sure those symptoms could be harsh, you might want to step up if too bad, back to say 28.5 mg? Don't leave it too long, usually the sooner the better.
Hope it improves soon.
OMG!! I thought I was the only experiencing this! This drug is the devil! It has taken my life away completely. I've lost 19lbs on this drug. And I have no appetite. My anxiety is sky high. And everytime they up it everything gets worse.