Wean my way off mirtazpine and onto citalopram!

[hallam11]

Hello I am Hallam11,

I may have spoken to some of you on other posts and threads. For the past 8 weeks I have taken mirtazapine and it hasn't worked. My depression and ocd are still constant and still remain hugely present. Anyway I went to the doctors today to speak about the mirtazapine, I had been seeing a female doctor but found her very abrupt and unsympathetic, I had to ask for counselling as she was just happy to throw any tablet at me and get me out of the room. I had told her that I had taken citalopram the previous year and got on well with it but I had come off of it too early without really sorting out my problems. Anyway she was still very adamant that mirtazapine was the right anti-depressant. Anyway the doctor I saw today was very confused as to why my former doctor would have put me onto mirtazapine and not tried citalopram again as it had worked previously. Anyway we spoke about it all and came to the agreement that mirtazapine was the wrong tablet and we should go back to citalopram. He thinks as its a SSRI it would work best. Anyway to cut a long story short I have been told to wean myself off the mirtazapine over the course of a month and then to start on citalopram.

As it was about a year ago I was on the citalopram I have forgotten what to expect.Please don't worry I do not have health anxiety or worries over side effects so please be truthful, can't be that bad I went through it before!

Thanks xxx

[suzy-sue]

Hallam you didnt say what dose you were taking at present .? If you cut down very slowly the discontinuation syndrome will be minimal .I came off 15mg of Mirtazapine and felt more anxious ,So Im suprised your Dr has told you to do this now ,considering you are going on holiday .You could try doing it and see how you feel after a couple of days but personally I wouldnt want to risk feeling worse before my hols .If you arent going to replace the Mirtazapine with anything else for a month it doesnt seem the right time to do this imo .Unless the Dr will give you some Diazepam to help with the possible increase in anxiety .Like I said its just my opinion .We all are different with regard to the way we feel with side effects etc .All the Best Sue x

[hallam11]

Oh sorry I don't think I described it well, for the next 5 days I am to take my 30mg of mirtazapine and then it runs out. Then for one week I have to take 15mg of mirtazapine every other day and then the week after I have to take mirtazapine at the start and end of the week (just 2 tablets) and then just one tablet the week after. Then he told me to stay free for a week or a few days and then start on citalopram 20mg.
xx

[suzy-sue]

Well Hallam ,if it were me hun I wouldnt cut down until after my holiday .You will be on less than half your dose whilst you are away .Is it worth risking it ? Does your Dr know you are going away ? Maybe it would be worth speaking to him and asking if it would be poss to cut down when you get back ?.One more week wont make any difference .You dont want to feel bad whilst you are away ,a lot of people suffer with dizziness and head zaps plus increased anxiety when they start to withdraw ..It does seem a lot to cut back on in a short space of time ,and this ups the odds of it causing symptoms ..But its your decision ,just wanted to make you aware of things .hope it hasnt scared you tho ..Luv Sue x

[jaded jean]

Hi Hallam11
I was on mirtazapine. and guess how long my weaning off period was....1day I was on 30mg for about 4months but anxiety started breaking through so I suggested Citalopram to my GP as I am menopausal as well and that deals with some of the meno probs too, We will all react differently when we change our meds over . As Suzy Sue mentioned its bad timing just before holidays. Yes my changeover was prettygrim but that does not mean yours will be the same . A lot of other people on here will have done the same as you and will offer their support, stay strong
Jean

[JT69]

Hi Laura,

I agree with Sue, be careful hun, not having changed from mirt to cit I wouldn't know how that feels but I did change from cit to mirt and it was pretty awful, yes we are all different but if your holiday is pretty soon I would wait until coming back before changing over as the side effects and withdrawal effects dont want to ruin your holiday. Decision obviously lies with you but would hate for you to feel horrible whilst away.

Take care
Jo.xx

[hallam11]

Hi,

To be honest I hadn't really thought about it. I can't really get into the doctors again before I go away so Im not sure what to do.
I have 4 30mg tablets left which means on wednesday night (one week before the holiday) I need to make a decision. He only gave me 28 tablets of the 15 mg. I don't really know what to do now.

Laura x

[lynn1960]

i changed from cit to mar and have never felt better martazapine is the best ever i have now gone back to work after months home can sleep all night and no longer have panic attacks

[hallam11]

Im glad it worked for you Lynn, sadly mirtazapine didn't work for me

xx

[JT69]

Hi Laura,

I am not a doctor hun but if I were you I would perhaps stay on the 15mg dose until after your holiday then perhaps do the coming off plan??? At least that way you shouldn't feel the withdrawal effects as much. Having not coming off this med myself yet I dont know what it will feel like dropping from 30-15mg but you will know that before you go away so you will be able to guage it a bit better is you see what I mean. What a dilemma?? Typical eh?? Good luck hun, let me know how you go.

Jo.xx