DesignInMalice: mirtazapine

[DesignInMalice]

So, I began taking mirtazapine in January 2020, began with 15mg/day and increased to 30mg/day after 2 weeks

 

June 1st I decided to start tapering, went down by 3,75mg EO week until I was at 15mg/day. I stayed on 15mg/day until august 2020 cause once I got down to that it felt like it was going to fast and I got withdrawals.

In august I went down to 11,25mg/day. Stayed on that until the 2nd week of september, then I reduced the dose o 7,5mg/day for 1,5 weeks. I got too excited cause it didn't feel too bad and went down to 3,75mg/day for 2 days. At that point I felt like complete **** and went back to 7,5mgs for a couple days. I wanted to taper down to 6mgs and decided to just put a 30mg tablet in 50mls of water and let it dissolve, mix it and using a syringe to draw out exactly 10ml which was 6mgs. Put it in a glass of water and pulled back normal water to make sure that everything got out so the doses would be the same everytime. Since water evaporates and it would be impossible to get the same dose everytime if you didn't make new solutions. Since I didn't wanna make new ones everyday I just made one and filled 3 syringes and once they were all emptied I made a new solution. 

 

I decided to cut down the dose every 2 weeks and just go with my gut feeling to know how much I can handle at each reduction. It was 6mg/day to 4,5mg/day to 3,75mg/day. The withdrawal effects I get are itchiness, irritability, anxiety and sh*tty sleep quality. They last roughly 4-6 days after dose reductions. One that isn't disappearing however is adrenaline rushes from some things like gambling, introducing myself to new people or situations where I'm under pressure. I've never been the type of guy to get nervous to the point where my heart races this hard, not even under pressure.

 

I can deal with all the symptoms, I still function so its fine. 

 

What I want to know is: How low should the dose be before I quit? How long does it take for symptoms to disappear after quitting? I know you can't say exactly how long it will take. But perhaps you could give me an estimate given the fact that I was able to taper fairly quickly without to harsh side effects.

 

 

 

[Gridley]

Welcome to SA, DesigninMalice.

 

To give members the best information, we ask them to summarize their medication history in a signature -- drugs, doses, dates, and discontinuations & reinstatements, in the last 12-24 months particularly.

 

Account Settings – Create or Edit a signature.

 

As you probably know, you're tapering much faster than we recommend.  If that's what you want to do, that's your decision.  I would urge you to read the following link and to slow down. Withdrawal symptoms can be delayed, and the lower doses of these drugs are the most potent.

 

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

The symptoms you describe are typical withdrawal symptoms.

 

 

What is withdrawal syndrome.

 

Daily Checklist of Antidepressant Withdrawal Symptoms (PDF) 

 

When we take psychiatric medications, the CNS (central nervous system) responds by making changes over the months and years we take the drug(s). When the medication is discontinued, the CNS has to undo all the changes it made. Rebuilding the neurotransmitter production and reactivating the receptor and transporter cells takes time -- during that rebuilding process symptoms occur.  

 

These explain the healing process really well.

 

Brain Remodelling 

 

Video:  Healing From Antidepressants - Patterns of Recovery

 

To answer your questions:

 

1.  We recommend tapering down into the 0.00's in mg.  I jumped to zero from Lexapro at 0.025.  

2.  There is no way to predict how long withdrawal symptoms will persist after stopping the drug.  There is no way to give a meaningful estimate.

 

We don't recommend a lot of supplements on SA, as many members report being sensitive to them due to our over-reactive nervous systems, but two supplements that we do recommend are magnesium and omega 3 (fish oil). Many people find these to be calming to the nervous system. 

 

Magnesium, nature's calcium channel blocker 

 

Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) 

 

Add in one at a time and at a low dose in case you do experience problems. Get supplements that are single ingredient (not mixed with other types of supplements).

 

This is your Introduction topic, where you can complete your drug signature, questions and connect with other members.  We're glad you found your way here.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manymoretodays]

Welcome DIM,

So you are now on 3.75 mg of the mirtazapine?

 

You may want to just HOLD again for a bit there before rushing on to taper completely off.

There is no prize for tapering too quickly.

The rule of 3KIS: simple, slow, stable

 

I'll also include the Tips for Tapering mirtazapine(Remeron) in case you have not seen this yet.  You'll find information on getting the smaller doses needed for a harm reduction taper there.

From:  Important topics in the Tapering forum and FAQ

 

And okay, best,

L, P, H, and G,

mmt