Withdrawing from mirtazapine

[sandie]

Hi everyone

I have had a strange journey with mirtazapine and now feel I want off.

I was initially prescribed sertraline - 50 mg, then 100mg 2 weeks later. Horrible side effects and came off them after 4 weeks, GP prescribed Mirtazapine initially at 15 mg, and then 30 mg 2 weeks later.

So I have been on 30 mg for around 6 weeks now. I still have fairly acute anxiety and my sleep is pretty non-existent. Not too much trouble getting to sleep, but awake around 3 hours later and then toss and turn. Often I awake in an absolute sweat - bed linen and night wear absolutely soaked. This was the case last night.

GP won't give me anything to help with my sleep, and because I am so tired during the day I feel awful - jittery, shivering, hot and cold sweats etc. Plus, I still have the nervousness and anxiety.

So what is the point of taking the meds ? They are clearly not helping with my sleep, nor am I free from the anxiety.

I am now thinking that perhaps the best thing I can do is come off the meds or at the very least reduce down to 7.5 mg - ie, that dose which is generally regarded better to aid sleep.

Any advice or helpful info, personal experiences of Mirt etc would be very welcome.

I spend a lot of time on my own - my husband works away, so am alone with my thoughts a lot of the time. I know this is not a good thing, and if I am withdrawing from meds on my own then I don't expect it to be easy - but if I could just get some sleep it would be much easier.

[karenp]

I took Mirtazapine for 8 months 4 years ago but it made me feel terrible but my doctor persuaded me about 8 weeks ago now to give it another go, blaming my bad divorce on my mnetal state 4 years ago, but I am finding I am crying all the time and very depressed again so want off also! I had a bad time getting off before but was on a much higher dose (15mg this time) and am starting to think I am much better off going medicine free as ad's just seem to make me so much worse.
I lived with my 12 year old son but my ex husband took him from school 5 weeks ago saying my depression has gone on too long, this has been horrific for me as he tooke mt to court to reverse the residency and told a pack of lies about me which the judge believed. I cannot stand being on my own in my house so am stating with my parents but my dad just yells all the time, so it's a no win situation. Really hope things get better for you. I am going to drop to 7.5mg tonight as I cannot stand this terrible grieving any longer and would rather just see how I feel on my own now. hugs darl xxx

[pulisa]

Sandie and Karen, you both have such a lot to deal with and mirt is obviously not helping at all. I don't take any meds either as they didn't help me with my anxiety and my life is always going to be very challenging and stressful with my home situation.

Sometimes meds don't help and you and your liver are better off without them IF they prove ineffective and just give additional long term symptoms. Mirt is NOT a gentle anti-d-I had the most horrendous reaction to it myself. There are no "gentle" anti-deps but if they help and improve quality of life then they play a part in healthy functioning.

Your GP is the only one to advise but I think you both have a right to choose whether you continue with meds or not. I really wish you both the best of luck with your decisions xx

[sandie]

Thank you Pulisa - can you tell me did you have night sweats and increased anxiety on Mirt ? Did you also find it made you almost 'hyper' - it seems to have given me so much nervous energy and I am jittery a lot of the time.

Nor have I benefitted from it's supposed ability to enhance sleep. Did Mirt disrupt or enhance your sleep ??

[pulisa]

I was literally punching walls with mirt-I had a horrible reaction and felt the most overpowering sense of aggression. I couldn't sleep and was taken off it straightaway. I don't know what dose I was given as I took it in good faith about 10 years ago now. I wouldn't be so trusting now....

[sandie]

One of the things I think GPs don't always take into account when prescribing a dosage, is the patient's size. I am not especially large, and yet no doubt I was started on the same dose another person twice my size might be prescribed.

I am concerned about tapering too quickly, but am keen to be off these meds. I have masses of nervous energy during the day and wonder if this is what is waking me up and not allowing me to get back to sleep.

While I wouldn't describe it as punching the walls, it is a bit hyper.

[pulisa]

I think size is a very important criteria to take into consideration. For me a lower dose is always better tolerated. Personally I think for anxiety and agitation less is always a better option.

[A63]

Hi Sandie,

I have a very similar story with mirtazapine. I am also on Citalopram, which I have just increased from 20 mgs to 40 mgs - more on that later.

I started on 7.5 mg of Mirtazapine a couple of years ago. I had depression and anxiety last February and was put on 15 mgs of Citalopram; I had to reduce to 30 mgs of Citalopram to 20 mgs at the same time.

At the end of October I became severely anxious and depressed. I was put up to 30 mgs of mirtazapine; Citalopram remained at 20 mgs. I was signed off work and am still signed off. Every since then, like you, I've been sleeping for three or four hours a night: no real problems getting off to sleep, but I typically am bang awake between two and three am. The insomnia is now my biggest problem by far; like you, I feel I could cope much better with some sleep. I've taken a couple of small overdoses: often feel as if I can't really carry on.

So, after six weeks of this, I've reduced the mirtazapine to 15 mgs and upped the Citalopram to 40 mgs. Hopefully my sleep will begin to improve. It's an ongoing nightmare. You have my real sympathy!

Let me know how you go.

---------- Post added at 10:58 ---------- Previous post was at 10:57 ----------

Sorry, I should have said I was upped to 15 mgs of Mirtazapine, not Citalopram.

---------- Post added at 10:59 ---------- Previous post was at 10:58 ----------

I get the sweats as well! Need to go and change the bedding now!

[sandie]

I have husband at home for around 4 weeks now - he arrived back yesterday. He is a very positive and supportive person and I cope much better when he is at home.

After the awful sleep issues and awaking in a perspiration soaked bed, I decided last Wednesday to come off the Mirt. Because I only had 30mg tablets in the house I broke these in two and only took 15 mg on both Wednesday and Thursday nights.

My GP had given me a prescription for 45 mg tablets which I had not used, so on Friday on had this dispensed. I was worried that to reduce down to 15 mg, was to big a drop, and thought that to go from 30 mg to 22.5 mg (ie, half of a 45 mg tablet) , might be more sensible.

I know it was mixing dosages - going from 30 mg, to 15 mg for two nights, and then up to 22.5 mg, but thought that this was probably the safest and slowest way of withdrawing.

Barely managed 3 hours sleep, and today I am jittery and very anxious. Can't wait to get all of these blasted meds out of my system - I just hope that it is not a bad withdrawal experience.

One question for any Mirt users out there. Did any of you develop phobias while on the Mirt or did any of you become agoraphobic ? Certainly in the 3 months since I have been on meds (4 weeks sertraline and 8 weeks Mirt), my anxiety has worsened and I have developed some almost manic behaviour with certain things.

[Hipha]

Mirt introduced anxiety and panic for me at 45mg and the anxiety remained at 30mg. I found that I could not tolerate being in confined spaces after taking mirt. The whole point of being on mirt is to improve mood and reduce anxiety. If it is not doing both then what is the point in persisting. I am on a journey back to no meds and it is the most difficult thing that I have ever done. Good luck in your journey