Coming off Mirtazapine - My journal

[Ingenious]

It seems to be a common question here regarding coming off Mirtazapine and what the effects are, both immediate withdrawal effects and also the longer terms effects on mood and anxiety.

Well I have just started to taper off Mirtazapine after being on 15mg a day for nearly a year. I am also tapering off slightly differently - slower - than most people. However I am bound to forget what the effects were, so I thought I would start a thread and post from time to time

First however some important info. I am not coming off this medication because I am not suited to it, or it is not working, which is the reason many do. I am coming off it because I've had a period of many months now where I have been feeling good. In fact at times recently I have felt the medication was no longer needed and possibly counterproductive.

I must also stress I do a number of things to help support my recovery besides taking this. I exercise a lot, I do mindful meditation daily (that was a total game changer and the only thing to get to the root of my problems and fix them at source, but is the subject of another thread another time!) and my diet is awesomely good.

I had a good chat with my GP before deciding what to do. It was felt that as life was pretty good at the moment and the side effects are not horrendous, there is no great rush to cease the Mirtazapine, rather it is a desire on my part to do this. So we agreed the following:

1 month taking half a dose daily (that's half a 15mg tablet). Then review the situation. It will be easy from there either to just stop, or go back to 15mg if life without it gets tough.

It is worth adding at this point I have always been hypersensitive to antidepressants. When I tried Citalopram I was floored by just 5mg (it might even have been 2.5mg). So although to some people, especially those on 30mg, these dose changes might sound small I can assure you to me they are not.

Also, if I forget to take a 15mg tablet I know about it pretty quick. I take them in the evening and when I go to bed if I am very restless plus start getting head zaps/shocks, then start to feel very rough, I know I have forgotten to take the tablet. The half life on these must be quite short and for me withdrawal effects come quickly, one reason I want to have a soft landing from this.

Also driving me to come off this is I'm just so skint at the moment and having such an increased appetite is causing issues with having to feed it. I'd like to lose a bit of the weight I've put on and although I have lost 2 stone before while on this, that was severe food boot camp, I'd like to lose the weight by eating normally again. I'm getting fed up with the late night urges to eat that I cannot resist

Last night was my first night on 7.5mg. I didn't notice any problems sleeping except for a bit of worry on my part wondering what was going to happen.

I got up today and I have what can only be described as a minor headache. I'm a bit tired. Mood wise I feel fine, and have done some work from home. It's a dull grey day anyway which never helps. So far, a bit of a non-event really, but good news in the sense that I am not rolling around the carpet in spasms or seeing flying pink pigs Hopefully not famous last words... will check back in soon.

[Belleblue]

Thank you for telling us about this Ingenious. I will be reading your journal with interest as I too will come off mirt when the time is right.

Strangely (although maybe not so strange) one of the things I look forward to when I stop the mirt is that I will be in charge of my appetite again .... so I fully understand how you feel about that.

Do please start a thread on how mindful meditation has helped you when you get the time .... I'd be really interested in that and I'm sure it will be of help to others too.

Your posts have helped, encouraged and inspired me on my own med journey - so I just want to say thank you for that.

I wish you an easy time with the withdrawal.

Take care.
Belle x

[ElizabethJane]

Ingenious I wish you well in coming off mirtazapine. I'm sorry to hear that the weight gain diet thing has got to you as well. It would seem very simple that if you begin to feel unwell that you would go back onto mirtazapine again? I don't think you will want to. Apart from the weight gain mirtazapine has served me well. EJ.

[LAURA48]

Very good post - will read on a regular basis having been on this myself - know what you mean re food cravings - did not like that all but keep up the good work and agree with your tapering - no rush. Good Luck Laura

[lauz_lea]

Good luck Ingenius, remember, there's no rush, it isn't a race so just assess it a day at a time. Be extra mindful of old problems/habits coming back - although I'm sure that the change you have made to your lifestyle and the meditation will prevent a relapse.

[Ingenious]

Thanks for the words of encouragement these are really appreciated

Having just eaten two cadbury creme eggs and a packet of crisps and THEN dinner, I can confirm that appetite is not affected after just one day on half a dose

Getting close now to when I'm due to take the next half dose so the level of this in my system must be lower than it has been for some time. Feeling a bit "foggy" but otherwise OK.

Yes EJ in a way I am hedging my bets - by spending some time at half a dose it should be easy to then go either way - back on them or come off them. This is largely because at the moment life is good, and I don't want to mess things up just because I feel I ought to come off them. I'll be honest I'm also scared - I hate the side effects of this type of medication, coming on or off them, so as gentle landing as I can get is welcome.

The next few days should be interesting.

[surfmonkey]

I hope it goes okay ingenious. Like others I have found your posts a little ray of mirt sunshine. I'm finding great benefit from mindfulness like yourself and have been on 15mg for 8 weeks. Having a bad couple of days, but just trying to accept it as a bad day brought on by worry about my daughter being ill last night. Sending you and everyone some peace and love.

[JT69]

Hi Ingenious,

I too will follow your thread with interest. I found reducing from 15mg-7.5mg easy as I never suffered any withdrawal at all thankfully. I do still take that small dose and my after discussing coming off altogether with my GP last week he said it took a long time for me to become well again (my last bout of depression) so would rather I remained on the very low dose for the forseeable future...so I think that is what I will do.

The weight gain has been a problem for me too...it is very hard to lose but I have managed to lose what I gained on it and just need to lose the rest now (I was heavy to begin with). I am currently following a well balanced diet and it is slowly going.

I wish you every sucess with your withdrawal...I have always found your posts encouraging and supportive to others.

Take care
JO.x

[Ingenious]

Day 2 on half dose - Had a good night's sleep, got up and feel more or less normal. The slight headache and fogginess from yesterday has gone. Appetite still high - had a pig out on crisps and chocolate very late last night

[Ingenious]

Day 3 - Had a great night's sleep and was very tired when I went to bed - a good sign considering I'm on half my normal dose (was worried I might start getting insomnia again). Today I've had the occasional few seconds of feeling a little dizzy, plus when I went out this morning everything seemed SO bright, a bit like I feel if starting a migraine, but no migraine came - though I did have a few spots/aura in my vision from time to time. None of this has stopped me going out driving and walking with a friend, working on the computer, etc.

I might be feeling the first signs of a change in appetite. Last night after dinner I felt full for at least 2 - 3 hours after eating. Usually I am snacking again within the hour. Today on a country walk I actually refused food/coffee on one of the rests - I was still full from the last one.