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Author Topic: coming off mirtazapine  (Read 12527 times)

theresalou

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coming off mirtazapine
« on: February 29, 2016, 08:55:57 AM »

HI
was wondering if anyone on here is/has come off mirtazapine 45mg. tried to find a taper schedule but unsuccesful. been on them three months for anxiety caused by coming off hrt. back on hrt and anxiety gone but take these at night and the mornings are awful- tremors/shakes upset stomach
feeling of cant be bothered with anything- drag myself to work, am also on 4mg diazepam which also coming off having changed from lorazepam. blamed all the symptoms on them but as time goes on am more convinced its the Mirtazapine!. was going to try drop to 30mg for week and see what happens. any tips gratefully received!
T.
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babyjane

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #1 on: February 29, 2016, 09:32:23 AM »

good morning theresalou

I cannot comment on Mirtazipine but I am on an AD that seems to be causing me more problems than it solves so I have decided to cut down and then stop them.  My advice to you is to stay in close contact with your GP and get the support of your local pharmacist at the surgery if they have one, or at your nearest local chemist. A lot of them have private rooms for consultation where you can call in and chat in confidence even if you are only looking for some reassurance.
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dazned

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #2 on: February 29, 2016, 10:29:15 AM »

Hi how long have you been back on hrt?

As you have been on /taking diazepam and mirtazapine and potentially recently re started hrt I wouldn't be in any rush to start tapering anything else you wont know whats causing what will you  :-\
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theresalou

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #3 on: February 29, 2016, 03:50:34 PM »

Thank you ladies, still undecided but  really just want off everything except the hrt , been back on hrt elleste duet 2mg since nov 20th last year and Mirtazapine started dec 8th.
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babyjane

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #4 on: February 29, 2016, 07:16:04 PM »

It doesn't sit right with me either to be adding chemicals to my system and I have reduced my ADs due to side effects and was planning on stopping, but something happened in the car today on the way back from my hospital appointment that showed me that they are making a difference so the jury is now out on whether to stop or not.  Speaking to my GP next week about it all.
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ES12

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #5 on: February 29, 2016, 09:48:48 PM »

I'm presently trying to quit Mirtazapine. Been on 15mg. for 6 months and had fairly tolerable side effects, but I've gained so much weight, and after sometime, it no longer helped me sleep. So I lowered the dose to 7.5 mg. for a month and then just stopped....
Tomorrow will be 4 weeks since my last dose, still having horrible withdrawal symptoms... It's not a walk in the park quitting this medicine, but I'm determined to go through with it...
Try to google the withdrawal symptoms, I'm going through all of them :(

If you're going to quit, maybe you need to taper slowly, however, every individual is different and reacts differently to medicines, maybe you'll have it easier...
If I can do it all over again, I'll definitely taper real slow, but there's no way I'm going back on that drug.

I'm sure it's been a blessing/life saver for some though... Maybe you may not want to quit anyway, good luck with whatever decision you make...
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theresalou

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #6 on: March 01, 2016, 08:47:07 AM »

well pretty certain the lethargy, tremors, diarrhoea are down to the mirtazapine ( all listed as side effects) but the one side effect I really needed was the weight gain as because the anxiety was so bad lost a lot of weight and struggling to put back on( less than 8st at the mo) and increased appetite has not  happened!
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Annidav

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2016, 10:26:11 PM »

Hi - I have been on mirtazapine for over 12 months as was suffering from terrible insomnia which was causing anxiety and then leading on to panic attacks. The mirtazapine certainly helped me have unbroken much needed sleep. However I noticed weight gain over the last 12 months and couldn't understand why no diet was helping to shift the weight and this  in turn was getting me down. As a last resort I researched the mirtazapine and found that they, and propranolol, have weight gain as side effects so I saw my GP who agreed to reduce the dosage from 45mg to 30mg. In my wisdom (not) I decided that this was not good enough so went "cold turkey" and simply stopped taking them. I am afraid after a few days I was back to insomnia every night, anxiety, panic attacks so bad that even having to see a different doctor caused me to have a panic attack; so I am back on mirtazapine whilst I consider HRT. My advice if you are thinking of coming off them is to do so in consultation with your GP and don't do what I did. X
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Smokey

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2016, 12:37:44 PM »

Hi Annidav

I have just started taking Mirtazapine I'm three weeks in.

I have researched these recently, but wish I had done so before starting them.

I originally went to see my doctor ( 3rd one ) about increasing my Hrt I was on 75 mg patches.  I was getting strange creepy feelings and I immediately thought hormones playing up, I would be watching tv and suddenly get really scared ( and no it wasn't a horror movies)just a normal film.

My doc said I should reduce my Hrt to 50 and prescribed Mirtazapine 15mg each night. I was reluctant but went ahead. My mood was a bit low too so I thought maybe she was right. 

I had spent since last April reducing Nortriptyline ( also a Antidepressent ) I came off them due to chronic constipation and like you weight gain. I also had nerve pain too. I wasn't put on them for depression but for tension head aches by a neurologist 5 years ago, I didn't even know they were an Antidepressent. Now I wish I hadn't bothered .

There is a site on line and it recommends to tapper off Mitazapine gradually by 10% every14 days. If you get side effects maybe nausea increase dose again to what you were previously on when side effects go and reduce again but a little bit less than previously.

Ann x
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ES12

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Re: coming off mirtazapine
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2016, 12:24:52 AM »

It's been 8 weeks since my last dose of Mirtazapine and I'm still having withdrawal symptoms...
It's terrible... I've read on some forums that it's very difficult to completely withdraw from this drug.
I wish I have researched more about it before starting to take it.

I had side effects all the 6 months that I've been on it... I persevered, hoping it will get better, never did... then I gained so much weight that I decided it was totally time to quit...

I've read that withdrawal symptoms can lasts for up to 6 months... I hope not >:(
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