Coming off Mirtazapine - Withdrawal so far

[crystalpaws]

thank you for coming back to me, may i ask why are you coming off mirtazapine?

[hanshan]

Hi Crystalpaws,

I'm not coming off mirtazapine. I commented because I think it's important to give support and information to anyone who is coming off. There are lots of studies done on people starting a medication, but it's harder to get information on people stopping, so individual patient stories, particularly those recorded in some detail, can be very helpful to others.

[Tiffy]

LAW,
Could you please lay out in specifics exactly how you came off mirtazipine? I am taking 7.5 mg. and have been taking it for about 6 mo. HELP :-)

[law]

Sure Tiffy, I was on 30 mg I halved that to 15mg I stayed on 15 for 2 months before halving it again using a pill cutter to 7.5mg after 4 weeks I halved it to 3.75mg. Its pretty difficult to cut evenly that small so on a bad dya i would take the bigger pieces leaving the smaller chunks for better days, after 4 weeks I stopped taking it and the timeline at the beginning of this post began. Sominex helped me with the worst side effect for me insomnia

Law

[Bonnibelle]

How did you find withdrawal Law?

[Beeble]

I've gained weight on Mirtazapine and am not happy on it...I am just so hungry all the time and that is so unlike me. I would say it has made me manic at times. I even opened a box of chocolates I had brought fro someone else over Christmas.... I just HAD to eat them. I don't like the way I am at the moment at all. Self loathing...I hit myself and call myself stupid....as that is how I feel a lot of the time.

[wooodyp]

Hi

I am withdrawing from 30 mg mirtazapine cold turkey. Took it mainly for insomnia from parkinson's, but it was doing nothing for insomnia lately. Also I do not want to be on something that is addictive. My first ten days were not bad but now about day 15, it is getting harder. The last 2 days I have been wanting to grind my teeth, and my head is terrible in the mornings (Stuffy and just blah) Takes at least an hour to feel normal again after my coffee. In all honesty, I would not recommend cold turkey to anyone else.

[hanshan]

Withdrawal, from ADs affects different people in different ways.

It's sensible to have a worst-case scenario in mind with a gradual withdrawal, plus going back a step or two if withdrawal symptoms kick in.