marie123: tapering trazodone

[marie123]

Hello Son. Trazodone and Mirt gave/gives me plenty of fatigue and brain fog. It's a side effect and from withdrawing from them.

 

The reason I must stop these meds is the side effects are horrible. I can't function like a normal person and it's destroying my health. The weight gain is bad on Mirt and it raises your cholesterol. Joint pain, muscle aches, dental problems, sinus issues, edema (ankles, knees, stomach), poor digestion, rashes, dry skin and hair, etc. are some the issues. I can keep going but you get the idea.

 

I tapered trazodone first because I thought that mirtazapine would give me better sleep while tapering the other. Good luck. Marie.

[SonSetFree]

 @marie123

 

Sorry to hear about how bad things have been. Are you seeing relief from the side effects side now that you are off the traz and on a smaller amount of mirt?

[marie123]

Yes I am feeling some relief from the side effects. I have to tell you though, when I taper, I feel withdrawal affects. There is no getting around it. I do feel better overall and I do get some very good days. The prize is the end of the taper and some time after that for everything to shake out. You have to really want it, and be determined and stubborn. I wish you well. Marie.

[SonSetFree]

Way to stick with it.  You don’t have too much further to go!

 

Was traz easier to taper?  Looks like you suffered after dropping off at 4 mg.  Other than that was it easy?

 

at what point did mirt WD start getting bad? 

[marie123]

Hello Son. It's hard to answer that question. I now never let the w/d get too bad. At the beginning when I was trying to figure out how much to taper I cut too much and w/d got worse. I cut now about 3% every three to four weeks or more, depending how I feel. I make the 3% cut based on the new dose. If you wanted to start a mirtazapine taper I would suggest a 5% cut and see how you feel. Trazodone I screwed up by stopping at 4 mg. I should have gone all the way down to .5 mg. Mirt I'm going down to .1mg.

 

Trazodone tapering was easier in the beginning of the taper. It got harder in the middle and end of the taper. Looking back I should have started cutting smaller percentages at that point. I think if I knew better at the time trazodone would have been an easier taper than Mirt. Mirt feels a bit stronger. Be well. Marie.

 

 

[SonSetFree]

That’s helpful.  Thank you.  

[marie123]

Hello. This is just an update for my records. I'm pretty stable at my dose. I am looking forward to going to visit family on the other coast. Unfortunately I now have a UTI and midway point of finishing the antibiotic Bactrim. Bactim has side effects that I'm trying to ignore like brain fog, nervousness, bloating, dizzy, etc. I'm home so I'm just floating around the house lol. I think it's getting better so I should be good for my trip. I will bring an old bottle of an antibiotic in case it gets worse. My plan is to cut again on Valentine's Day. It's my gift to myself. It will be good to get away from the cold and get some outdoor exercise. I keep putting off converting to liquid. I guess when I get frustrated enough and I can't measure it fairly accurately anymore I'll do it. Be well everyone. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello. I've been taking the Bactrim now for 6 days with one pill left to go. It's not working. I kind of thought it wasn't because usually I feel relief after a day or two. Bactrim gave me some nasty side effects like anxiety, bad brain fog and fatigue. I just put up with it to cure the infection. I'm going tomorrow for a new script and a culture. I will probably get Cipro. I know Cipro has issues but it is really good with getting rid of UTIs. I am allergic to penicillin so my choices are limited. I am revved up by all of this, plus there is some ongoing family drama that I am helping sort out. Stress and Mirt do not play well together. I hope that the new a/b kicks the UTI's butt and I can go on my trip. I might have to postpone.

[Estman]

9 hours ago, marie123 said:

Hello. I've been taking the Bactrim now for 6 days with one pill left to go. It's not working. I kind of thought it wasn't because usually I feel relief after a day or two. Bactrim gave me some nasty side effects like anxiety, bad brain fog and fatigue. I just put up with it to cure the infection. I'm going tomorrow for a new script and a culture. I will probably get Cipro. I know Cipro has issues but it is really good with getting rid of UTIs. I am allergic to penicillin so my choices are limited. I am revved up by all of this, plus there is some ongoing family drama that I am helping sort out. Stress and Mirt do not play well together. I hope that the new a/b kicks the UTI's butt and I can go on my trip. I might have to postpone.

Hi Marie,
My digestive problems have flared up again.
Food is left to rot and ferment in the intestines
Everything is fine in the stomach.
It seems that bile acid and stomach acid are also low
For both, I started taking a food supplement
I still suspect that I have SIBO
Can it be determined from a stool sample?
I have found that antibiotics like:
ciprofloxacin (Cipro), an antibiotic that treats gut infections resulting from dysbiosis
rifaximin (Xifaxan), an antibiotic that treats symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), a common condition associated with dysbiosis

blood tests and urine tests as normal and do not show any other reason
Do you have experience with them?

 

 

[marie123]

Hello Estman. Sorry your gut is flaring again. I am not well versed in SIBO. This is something I will look at after I am done tapering. My gut is not perfect as I get constipated a lot from Mirt. I don't have any issues when I take Cipro. I've taken it maybe 2 years ago and it did not cause a problem. You should go see a gastro doctor or a naturopath. I've taken dried figs to get motility going and it worked. Be well. Marie.

[Hibari]

Hi @marie123

 

I'm sorry you are struggling with a UTI. I wanted to pass on something natural I have used. It's called D-Mannose and it's great for UTI's. 

 

I know you are going to take Cipro but wanted to share it as future resource. 

 

Hibari. 

[marie123]

Hi Hibari. How are you? I had been popping a lot of D Mannose last week. It did not help much. I believe this uti is a relatively strong one. I tried D Mannose previously when I've had some twinges of uti and it seemed to help then. I hope your taper is going well. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello everyone. After one day of taking Cipro the uti has improved noticeably. I literally could not sit or lie down without pain since my bladder was contracted and in spasm from the uti. This has abated thankfully. I am hoping that I continue to improve as the week goes on. I leave one day after I am finished with the script. The hotel is very comfortable so I'm going to try to pamper myself a bit while I'm there. My doc did a culture and should get in back in a couple days. He is going to call me with the results. I'm curious what bacteria it was. I'm glad I am off Bactrim because I felt crazy on that stuff. I am a bit tired and slightly dizzy now, that's all.

 

When I saw my doc yesterday he looked at me, then the chart, and complimented me about my 30 pound weight loss. He said I should be proud of myself. I am proud. It's no easy feat changing my diet and sticking to it while dealing with life and withdrawal. I guess I'm a good multi-tasker lol. Another 30 pounds is my next goal along with finishing up the Mirt. I think I can do that. Be well. Marie

[savinggrace]

Hi Marie

i have followed you for years and in awe of your persistence and determination. It is amazing that you have been tolerating many (necessary) medications during this taper with minor hiccups. (Not to marginalize them but at least they didn’t set you way back)

 

I had to succumb to an antibiotic after letting myself get way too sick before going to the doctor. I spend my life staving off infections but I got exponentially worse each day. My dentist actually could see full sinuses on a dental X-ray. The sinus infection spread to my gums. The antibiotic is wiping me out completely. BTW just one dose of Bactrim caused me respiratory depression. 
 

Congrats on the weight loss.I bet it feels great.  Send some of it my way. (The weight) Hard to imagine I used to be 50 pounds heavier. 
 

Hope your trip works out well. 
 

Grace

[littlebird]

53 minutes ago, marie123 said:

the uti has improved noticeably. I literally could not sit or lie down without pain since my bladder was contracted and in spasm from the uti. This has abated thankfully. I am hoping that I continue to improve as the week goes on.

 

My suggestion might sound a little out there, but I once had a UTI that wouldn't quit. Really awful. In desperation, I mentioned to an acupuncturist I was seeing for a neck issue that a UTI was driving me crazy. He popped a few needles in my belly in addition to my neck, and that pesky infection was gone in 24 hours. WILD. That UTI finally clearing up after one session was thing that turned me from an acupuncture skeptic to a believer! 

 

Got another UTI years later, when I was working in an acupuncture clinic part-time, and the doctor I worked with gave me these herbal teapills. Haven't had acupuncture since pre-covid times, but I still lean on the herbs I got from that time. Those teapills I linked chase off any UTI symptoms I get, but definitely check the herbs for interactions with anything else you're taking. 

[marie123]

2 hours ago, savinggrace said:

Hi Marie

i have followed you for years and in awe of your persistence and determination. It is amazing that you have been tolerating many (necessary) medications during this taper with minor hiccups. (Not to marginalize them but at least they didn’t set you way back)

 

I had to succumb to an antibiotic after letting myself get way too sick before going to the doctor. I spend my life staving off infections but I got exponentially worse each day. My dentist actually could see full sinuses on a dental X-ray. The sinus infection spread to my gums. The antibiotic is wiping me out completely. BTW just one dose of Bactrim caused me respiratory depression. 
 

Congrats on the weight loss.I bet it feels great.  Send some of it my way. (The weight) Hard to imagine I used to be 50 pounds heavier. 
 

Hope your trip works out well. 
 

Grace

Hi Grace. These antibiotics really mess with us. Wow one dose of Bactrim gave you respiratory depression. Well it made me depressed and I was walking around confused and spacey. The longer I was taking it the worse it was. Sinus infections themselves could really make you feel wiped out. I've had them and they are terrible. I hope you stabilize in some way and put a bit of weight back on. Are you able to tolerate protein shakes or things like plain cooked chicken? Bland things may help. Keep trying different things, something may work. Marie.

[marie123]

16 hours ago, littlebird said:

 

My suggestion might sound a little out there, but I once had a UTI that wouldn't quit. Really awful. In desperation, I mentioned to an acupuncturist I was seeing for a neck issue that a UTI was driving me crazy. He popped a few needles in my belly in addition to my neck, and that pesky infection was gone in 24 hours. WILD. That UTI finally clearing up after one session was thing that turned me from an acupuncture skeptic to a believer! 

 

Got another UTI years later, when I was working in an acupuncture clinic part-time, and the doctor I worked with gave me these herbal teapills. Haven't had acupuncture since pre-covid times, but I still lean on the herbs I got from that time. Those teapills I linked chase off any UTI symptoms I get, but definitely check the herbs for interactions with anything else you're taking. 

Hi littlebird. I've bookmarked the site for teapills so that I might try them some day. I have not tried acupuncture before but I am curious about it. I think I will try it one day because I know sometimes different things do work. Thanks for stopping by. Marie.

[Hibari]

21 hours ago, marie123 said:

Hi Hibari. How are you? I had been popping a lot of D Mannose last week. It did not help much. I believe this uti is a relatively strong one. I tried D Mannose previously when I've had some twinges of uti and it seemed to help then. I hope your taper is going well. Marie.

@marie123

 

Hi Marie,

 

I'm glad you know about D-Mannose and sorry it didn't clear up the UTI. 

I hope the CIPRO does the trick. 

 

I'm hanging in there.  I'm slowly recovering from my anesthesia setback. The two remaining symptoms are insomnia, though that is getting a little better (not due to taking Mirt) and anhedonia, which is my toughest symptom.

 

My taper is going along though I wish I could go faster. I'm still at high enough of a dose where I feel flat and listless.  I'm going to keep chipping away till I get to the end. 

 

Seems like you are feeling all right on your dose like it's more in the background than foreground of your life.  

 

Wishing you a continued smooth taper. 

 

HibarI 

 

 

[Estman]

On 3/31/2016 at 9:01 PM, marie123 said:

Hi Fresh. I have updated my signature to help understand how I tapered off of Trazodone. I am beginning to think this may be withdrawal unfortunately. If I reinstate should I reinstate at 1 or 2 mg? Am I still in the window of reinstating and how long before I know if it works and I feel better, maybe one or two weeks? I am sorry if I have so many questions but updosing is all new to me. My symptom is only nausea which is more intense in the morning, but lessens some as the day goes on. I am eating and not vomiting, just feel real nauseous. How does one know if they should just ride out the symptoms?

 

Thanks again. Marie

Hi Marie,

My exact same reaction
My digestion is very slow and it seems that the food is not digested properly
Often the stool is yellowish-brown and like pieces of food inside
A wise person advised to drink more water and add some mineral sea salt and baking soda
Last night I drank some of it and also when I woke up at night
I woke up in the morning with very bad nausea
As if he wants to throw up, but he hasn't
It seems as if there is too little stomach acid
It is possible that bile acid is also low
Even low soda water seems to make it worse
Along with the nausea, there is also a nasty dizziness
I also took probiotics for several months and the digestion got worse and worse.
I won't take it anymore
How did you manage to increase stomach acid, food supplement?

[marie123]

Hello Estman. I have not done anything to address this yet. Like I said I am mostly constipated but get relief when I am mostly stable. I'm not positive but I think Mirt gives you low stomach acid so food is not digested quickly. It slows the system down for sure. I have not used supplements for this because when I add any supplement it usually makes it worse. I find walking, drinking more water, and if it really gets bad dried figs help. Try to do it naturally and let me know if this works. Marie.

[marie123]

20 hours ago, Hibari said:

@marie123

 

Hi Marie,

 

I'm glad you know about D-Mannose and sorry it didn't clear up the UTI. 

I hope the CIPRO does the trick. 

 

I'm hanging in there.  I'm slowly recovering from my anesthesia setback. The two remaining symptoms are insomnia, though that is getting a little better (not due to taking Mirt) and anhedonia, which is my toughest symptom.

 

My taper is going along though I wish I could go faster. I'm still at high enough of a dose where I feel flat and listless.  I'm going to keep chipping away till I get to the end. 

 

Seems like you are feeling all right on your dose like it's more in the background than foreground of your life.  

 

Wishing you a continued smooth taper. 

 

HibarI 

 

 

Thanks Hibari. I've had a few run-ins with anhedonia but luckily they did not last long. They go away. Good luck with your taper. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello everyone. The trip went well since I got better luckily right before I left. It was good to visit family and do some touristy stuff. I was able to get some fresh air and exercise visiting gardens which is a favorite thing to do. I'm tired but in a good mood since I returned. I guess it's time to make another small cut of .1 mg Mirt. This will put me at 2.6 mg.

 

I will make liquid soon I think. I tried making my own liquid a way's back and my mistake was I only used water, no suspension. I was successful when the compound pharmacy provided me with liquid. I did it slowly and I think I took almost 2 months to changeover. A time after that the pharmacy changed their suspension and I could not handle it. I went back to cutting again since they no longer carried the old suspension. I'm going to call them again and see if they got the old suspension back. I'll try to find out what it was called since they did not want to tell me at the time. I guess they did not want to lose business but they did. I could not use the new one. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello. I'm doing okay after my last cut. I have some hip/bladder pain going on on my left side. The bladder is irritated from the UTI and also Mirt. My hip issue is probably also from Mirt since I've read plenty of people have this hip issue going on. It's not that bad just uncomfortable at times. I'm just ignoring it for now. It's all inflammation from the darn drug. My digestion is weird and my tummy is bloated a lot.

 

I will cut sometime next week one small .1 mg Mirt that will bring me down to 2.5 mg. I want to get down to 1.9 mg by July. It will be a beautiful thing to be in the 1's. I then will hold for two months since I'm taking a long vacation and I need to feel my best. I think I'll continue to dry cut since so far it's working. I can then make the liquid switch when I get home in October. I know I keep changing my mind lol. I'm looking forward to spring and the beautiful weather. Be well. Marie.

[Utek]

Hi @marie123

 

I glad your last cut went well.  I too have some right hip pain and bladder issues.  After my last cut, my fatigue and dizziness was really bad so I have decided to hold at 9.4mg until things stabilize.

 

I also taper by cutting, and even at 9.4mg the piece of the pill is so small.  I believe the outer coating is around 1mg, and some people say the drug is not distributed evenly throughout the pill, so I am going to experiment with just using distilled water.  I'll let you know if I have some success.

 

Congrats on getting to 2.5mg.  I hope to be there in a year or so, but just got to get this fatigue under control.

 

Utek

[marie123]

Hello there Utek. I see you have the hip and bladder pain and have it on the right side. I have it on the left side. It's weird how some get it on different side. Yes I do believe the pills are not evenly distributed. I like to think that when I use the other half for cutting my dose the next day, I get the rest of the actual med. It's not accurate but I'm cutting tiny amounts so it should not be too bad. I also use the weight to help getting an accurate number. I'm not changing to liquid yet because I'm on a roll with cutting. I'll get slowed down when I transfer over since I will take a month to do it. I figure I'll get as low as I can at this point. I still feel these cuts pretty strongly. I do wait until I have a few good days in a row before I cut again.

 

I have to say that I had the fatigue when I was taking my 7.5 mg pill. This is one of the reasons I had to get off it. I feel it tapering too but it's lessened some at the lower dose. I can tell that it will decrease as I lower the dose. I'm going over to your thread to post. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello. This is for my records. Tonight I will cut .1 mg Mirt which will bring me down to 2.5 mg. This is a third of my original dose of 7.5 mg.  I'm feeling pretty good so that's when I cut. I've noticed lately that finally I am feeling awake in the morning when I wake up. That heavy fog and the feeling of not wanting to do anything in the morning is dissipating. This has been going on since 2014 when I was polydrugged with ambien, trazodone and mirtazapine. It's still there some but I know now that it will be gone eventually. My baseline is definitely higher. It feels like I am escaping Mirtazapine. Be well. Marie.

[Hibari]

@marie123

 

Congratulations on moving lower and escaping Mirt 

 

You are getting there. 

 

Hibari 

[Gigi68]

Well done Marie! You'll soon be in the 1's!

[marie123]

19 hours ago, Hibari said:

@marie123

 

Congratulations on moving lower and escaping Mirt 

 

You are getting there. 

 

Hibari 

Thanks Hibari. I was wondering if you remember Leah who was tapering Mirt too. Did she ever taper off? I've always wondered about her. Marie.

[marie123]

15 hours ago, Gigi68 said:

Well done Marie! You'll soon be in the 1's!

Hi Gigi. I'll be doing my happy dance when I'm in the 1's. Marie.

[Hibari]

3 hours ago, marie123 said:

Thanks Hibari. I was wondering if you remember Leah who was tapering Mirt too. Did she ever taper off? I've always wondered about her. Marie.

@marie123

 

Yes, Leah did taper off. She had been on 90mgs of Mirt for 17 years. She successfully tapered off in about 3 years. She is a very nice person and was a great support to me. 

 

Hibari. 

[Utek]

Hi @marie123

 

I hope everything is going well for you.  I just wanted to let you know that I have switched to home made liquid for the last week.

I am using Mirtazapine20mg method exactly.  His post below:

 

I have been using regular bottled water and it makes a perfect milky liquid.  I don't think there is a need for fancy, expensive syrups.  Just shake it good before use.  He doubles the water for the amount of the pill for extra accuracy.  So I put my 30mg pill in 60ml of water.  It's not much water.  A small, clear bottle is fine.  For a 9mg dose I would measure out 18ml of water.  I had a little extra mild anxiety over the transition but things seem to be leveling out.

 

Also, I used some Icy Hot cream for my hip pain last night, and it really helped.  I am also doing some mild stretches that I found on Youtube for hip pain.

 

Take care.

[marie123]

Hello Utek. It's so good the liquid is working for you. The hip aches will come and go. I had them with my last few cuts but not the latest cut. I have some insomnia, hives and constipation this time. No worries for me. I just keep going. Mornings are much better. I feel more awake at this lower dose even with some insomnia. All of these symptoms come and go. Be well. Marie.

[marie123]

Hello. It seems like my cuts have caught up to me. My okayish sleep has taken a turn for the worst. I usually get about 5/6 hours but now it's only 2/3 hours. This has been going on for 8 days straight now. I'm hoping it to settle down so I'll wait it out. I'll start walking in the evening again. I've done that in the past when sleep went south. I'll get rid of the second afternoon half/caff coffee. My last cut was a bit fast so I think it was what caused the worse insomnia.

 

My spouse recently got his medical marijuana card for sleep. His sleep has always been bad but I've warned him not to take sleep meds. He experimented with a couple MMJ products and found an indica/sativa gummy that works well for sleep. He takes it maybe once a week. I am tempted to try a half of one to see what it's like. I think it may interact with Mirt but I'm not sure. Has anyone taking Mirt tried an indica gummy? I'm curious about it. Marie.

[Bestill]

I feel like there is quite a few of us who are having a tough time with their symptoms.  At least here in the United States.  I blame the constant fluctuation of weather.  At least that what I’m blaming mine on.  
 

I hope you find some relief soon.  I don’t know anything about edibles but the last time I tried half of a small cookie . I had anxiety for 4 hours.  This was a looooong time ago but I will never touch anything like that again.

[marie123]

Hi Bestill. Do you get bad insomnia from your taper? I think Gigi mentioned that she has taken gummies for insomnia. She takes it in the middle of the night so it does not interact with Mirt. This is what I would do. I am still waiting it out though, for now at least. It's the tired wired feeling of insomnia where you just can't sleep. The weather is playing a part for sure. This early type spring weather keeps spring allergies going strong. I was reading the other day that people who get allergy symptoms in spring also have insomnia. The article said people are walking around sleepy all day from the lack of sleep. I do feel like I have more sinus issues lately. Never had spring allergies before but Mirt now gives me the same symptoms. Marie.