First Post - Quitting Mirtazapine

[Holmesy]

Hi guys,

This is my first post on NMP so please stick with me....

After 3 years of Mirtazapine use I've decided recently to quit. At my highest dose I was on 30mg and over recent months tapered to 15mg, 7.5mg and 3.75... Two weeks ago I quit completely. Week one went great! I had energy! Life seemed generally brighter. Week two has been so much worse... Lack of sleep, nausea, sweating, muscle twitching and joint pain and anxiety off the charts.

Was wondering if anyone else had similar experiences? How long did they take to get better? Should I stick with it? Should I go back on?

Any help by way of support or similar experiences would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks

Paul

[aimlesswanderer]

Your symptoms are similar to mine. I wake up most mornings early (4-5 am) with bad nausea and diarrhoea and feeling really blue. I tend to get a bit better as the day goes on and go to bed feeling semi-human until the cycle starts again the following morning.

I do get tummy troubles (IBS) when I get anxious so I'm not sure if that's what's been triggered rather than the withdrawal but since stopping Mirt I've definitely gone downhill.

If you weren't having bad side effects with Mirt it's worth discussing with your GP whether to start it up again. I was having debilitating lightheadedness on it, though I'm still getting bouts of that now that I'm off the stuff.

If you do a Google search for Mirt withdrawal you'll find a lot of stories. I was only on it for a couple of months all told so I'm hoping to not have it too bad.

[Holmesy]

Hiya,

Thanks so much for getting in touch, good to know I'm not the only person out there doing and experiencing this... Just started week 3 today with a trip to my GP thrown in for good measure. I've lost a stone in weight in 2 weeks which I'm kinda happy about. I put about 3 on with the Mirt. Today has been kinda good. Anxiety was bareable and I went back to work and managed a full day in a pretty stressful job. I've had a couple of moments but they were very short lived. Still really no appetite and forcing myself to eat 3 small meals.

I discussed going back on a light dose with my GP and we both agreed to try another 2 weeks before making that call. My sleeping is worrying me most, about 2 hours per night but the doc reckons with a good sleep routine that will improve, also had a few strange flutters in my chest but rather than my stock response (that could quite easily take me to A&E suspecting a heart attack) I recognised them as palpitations and got past it.

Anyways thanks again and hope you continue to do better.

Paul

[aimlesswanderer]

I ended up going back on the Mirt at a 7.5 dose. The morning nausea, the poor sleep and loss of appetite were all proving too much for me, especially while trying to hold down a job. I plan to go on an AD in a fortnight and hopefully then come off the Mirt again once I stabilise and my anxiety reduces in a couple of months time.