Stopping mirtazapine

[Benjammin69]

So 8 days ago I reduced my mirtazapine to 15mg and added Wellbutrin ... today I stop mirtazapine altogether... other than anxiety and a bit of a low mood it’s been ok. Anyone quit or cross tapered like this before? Any advice let me know

Cheers guys

[Hry]

Hi there, I have been taking 30mg mirtazapine for 7 weeks now. It has helped me a lot with my sleeping issues but I would like to come off the medication or at least reduce it to 7.5-15mg as I feel extremely tired and drowsy during the day. Are you having any sleeping issues after tapering to 15mg? I read in another thread you were also taking quetiapine. Are you on this medication while tapering mirtazapine? Thanks

[Benjammin69]

Like the topic says.... if I was to stop taking it would I have any withdrawals? I want to simplify my med regime and this isn’t doing anything for me anymore

[MyNameIsTerry]

It's not supposed to as far as I know. But I would be wary of withdrawing multiple drugs at the same time just so I knew which was doing what.

[Benjammin69]

So.... I have tapered off of 30mg mirtazapine over a period of 8 days.... And wow! The adrenaline surges I can feel in my body, the panic, the trembles and shakes. I obviously have reduced to quick! Anyonelese got experience with this?? I’m going to reinstate at 15mg... for a week or so.

Peoples experiences and views are welcome

[MyNameIsTerry]

How long were you on it? That's a very fast taper. You've dropped a couple of therapeutic dose levels there.

I would look at a much slower taper and be mindful of the half life in ensuring you at least stabilise your blood plasma levels before moving down further (although I would take longer than that to see how I adjust).

[Benjammin69]

How long were you on it? That's a very fast taper. You've dropped a couple of therapeutic dose levels there.

I would look at a much slower taper and be mindful of the half life in ensuring you at least stabilise your blood plasma levels before moving down further (although I would take longer than that to see how I adjust).

I have been on it since August 2016, I was on 30mg and reduced to 15mg for a week then 0mg and I have only got in to trouble yesterday really and today’s been a rough ride with pure adrenaline and anxiety. I’m going back up to 15mg and still going to cross taper with bupropion.

Do you know how quick withdrawal symptoms go away? I need this adrenaline gone as it’s impacting my driving and everything

[MyNameIsTerry]

I have been on it since August 2016, I was on 30mg and reduced to 15mg for a week then 0mg and I have only got in to trouble yesterday really and today’s been a rough ride with pure adrenaline and anxiety. I’m going back up to 15mg and still going to cross taper with bupropion.

Do you know how quick withdrawal symptoms go away? I need this adrenaline gone as it’s impacting my driving and everything

Sorry I didn't get back to you, I don't pop on the Meds board as much these days.

This med has a half life of 20-40 hours so it's harder to determine how long it is going to take to be eliminated (as a guide) as this is across gender groups. But men do eliminate it quicker than women, average 26 hours for men vs 37 for women. With that in mind it may come out completely around a week and less for clinically insignificant.

The trouble is not only what the drug does on a consistent basis but any changes they make e.g. down regulation in SSRI's prevents reuptake by plugin holes where it would be absorbed through. Mirt works by blockers binding to nerve cells therefore as you remove the Mirt more of that blocking is no longer happening and the body may need some time to adjust to that as it does with the down regulation of SSRI/SNRI's.

I'm not sure how long that will take, it's one Ian would know I bet. There may be some studies out there but I've never been on Mirt so I've not looked at it as much.

Perhaps something else to consider is how Mirt works in a different way dependant on dose? Low doses up to 15mg tend to give the antihistamine effect so make you tired but these are said to alter to it's Serotogenic activity once you move up a dose. So, I wonder whether reinstating to 15mg is doing little in that respect and it's still a form of withdrawal? A question for the psychiatrist but why is there a need to withdraw so quickly in the first place?

[Maca44]

I would be looking at months not days to come off 8 days is way to quick.

[Benjammin69]

I would be looking at months not days to come off 8 days is way to quick.

It was My psychs suggested taper unfortunately so I just went with it and bang! Hit me like a bitch