New doctor - coming off tablets

[rb1978]

Moved to a new area last month and went to my new doctor this morning due to running low on meds and needing a new prescription. It was awful...felt like I couldn't talk to him, no free flowing conversation and he opened with how did I want to go about coming off them...not did I want to or did I feel ready.

So now he's given me a repeat prescription and said to half the dose and go back in three weeks. I'm taking Mirtazapine 15mg and have been doing for 6 months or so...but the first couple of months were spent feeling like they went doing anything and tweaking the dose to get it right. Even after this time I'm not 100%, still have anxiety problems but not as bad as before. Still feel like a person who suffers with anxiety and still get worried to death about health problems. But the meds have helped keep it down on a day to day basis.

Just wondered what other people experiences were of taking meds and coming off them...do you ever get to the stage where you feel 100% free of the anxiety and then can come off meds or is it normal still to have problems whilst you're taking them?

Thankfuly (?) in my discomfort this morning I completely forgot to ask the doctor about another thing I get a prescription for and am running out of so am going back to see someone else about this other non-anxiety related thing on Friday...so it gives me a chance to raise my concerns and see what the other doctor thinks.

[shoegal]

Hi,

I don't know why your new Doctor wants you to come off your medication especially as you don't think you are 'better' yet and still suffer from anxiety.
Maybe it was a misunderstanding as you say you didn't feel comfortable with him. Can you phone and ask to speak to your Doctor over the telephone?
Please don't feel pressured into coming off your meds if you don't feel ready. Your last Doctor obviously thought you still needed them.

Good luck. I hope this gets sorted out for you. :)

Love from shoegal xxx

[jo61]

Hopefully the doctor later in the week will be more understanding. If you feel you need to be on meds, it needs to be discussed - you're the most important person this situation and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

[airwolf451]

hey rb, tell me this, did you fing taking mirtazapine at the 15mg dose has helped, i have been on it now 9weeks, though i havent taken any since friday.

do you find it helps, and how long did it take to work for you.

also did you have a dry nose and mouth on them .

thanks steve

[EebyJeeby]

I'm not sure of your history, but guidelines recommend psychotherapy as the best form of treatment for anxiety. It could be that your new doc firmly believes this and therefore thinks that after 6 months of taking tablets, it would be a good time to re-evaluate.

I'd speak to him again and get some reassurance about what alternative treatments (e.g. psychotherapy) he has in mind should you need them. Obviously if you still feel the need to stay with the tablets for a while, do tell him that you don't feel ready to stop.

However, I can assure you that recovery is possible without drugs. Many people here have done it, myself included, so I hope I can reassure you on that score.

Eeb x

[rb1978]

Well I've brought the appointment forward to Wednesday now due to it niggling me (which is in itself due to being blooming anxious so is a case in point.) I'll see what happens. I'll have to be firm. I've written down what I want to get across this time. The first doc just threw me with starting by assuming I was coming off them.

Airwolf.....I started taking Mirtazapine in about Oct last year and it was a few months till I started feeling benefits. Started at 15mg and then went up to 30mg but Christ that messed with my head. I was so edgy and tearful all the time so came back down to 15mg.

I've never thought about the dry nose and mouth thing but you're right I do. I do have sinus problems and yes my nose gets dry. Without going into too much detail, I'll say crusty and leave it at that ;-) Funnily enough the 'non-anxiety' thing I'm going back for is a prescription nasal spray so y'know it could be connected.

Mouth-wise, not really noticed it being dry as such but I do seem prone to ulcers and little spots and stuff.

Had a routine eye test a couple of weeks ago and my eyes were a little bit dry too. Not dry in that I would have noticed they were dry and had itchiness but the optician spotted it when she did the contact lens fitting.

[airwolf451]

hey seems like we are 2 peas from the same pods, now tell me you have bad aches and tension down your left side, and jumpy and jittery and we are all set

do you find 15 mgs are enough to help you through,, doc says they will help me sleep but as yet still takes forever to rest lol

[rb1978]

Can't say I've had pains all down my left side or feel jumpy and jittery but the thing that started the whole HA off was tension pains in my left ear and down the left side of my neck.

[airwolf451]

yup i get that too, goes into my shoulder and left are, bloody annoying isnt it