Vinny: poison they call Remeron

[Vinny]

Hello all,

 

Thank you Altostrata and all affiliates for creating this wonderful forum for us all to cope and survive the hellish nightmare of what is modern medicine. I finally am feeling more at ease with my struggles knowing that whoever is here in this virtual sanctuary is in the thick of it as well, if not, reached the end of their journey victorious. I plan to try and give as much as I can, as this process will be a two way street. Anyways, here is my situation.

 

I never took any type of medication except when I was diagnosed with ADHD in college. I had been on Adderall 10-20mg PRN, mostly for social-heavy days. I was in a 7+ year relationship that ended, and started on Buspar 7.5mg in 2020. I've been on it since. After the relationship ended, I have felt my anxiety has become worse, specifically in social situations. Was on Zoloft for about 8 months (8/2020-4/2021), 25mg, but caused some unfortunate side effects. Had no problem whatsoever weaning off of it.

 

December of 2021, I was prescribed Mirtazapine 7.5 nightly for sleep, as I was still having trouble sleeping due to night shift. This was the biggest mistake I've ever made. A couple missed doses gave me severe, realistic nightmares with heavy panic attacks. I didn't know what it was coming from, but have now determined it may be the Remeron. As much research as I had done, I thought I was ok with it and willing to try it. However, this medicine is poison to my body, and have learned I am not the only one. Somewhere along the line, around May, I realized that I wasn't taking half the pill (7.5mg), but rather the whole pill (15mg).

 

I now am highly anxious all the time, almost to the point where I can't even speak and have a normal conversation. I constantly worry about every social interaction I have, and tend to avoid them if at all possible. If I go out to drink with friends, it's heavy. I smoke marijuana on occasion to help relieve the anxiety. I am not myself at all, and it is affecting my social and work lives. I mostly fear of it affecting my relationship with my girlfriend. I travel for work, so my psychiatric care has been fragmented and interrupted. The PCP I have now has no idea how to manage these meds, and the psych referral was declined because I'll be moving to another city in November. 

 

Something I have wondered is if my ADHD is where my anxiety stems from. Being scatterbrained and having poor short term memory is very frustrating. I am curious if starting a stimulant again is what will help me focus and not feel so socially anxious. I tried Strattera for a couple months, but still had some unpleasurable side effects. Also, I had never been depressed, per se, but this mirtazapine withdrawal has made depression a very dark and real thing in my life.

 

I am here to gain as much insight as I can to overcome the most massive obstacle I've ever faced. Remeron has exacerbated every insecurity I've ever had to a nonfunctional level, and I am looking for support from those who understand. It is not something that is easy to talk about, nor easy to understand if you haven't been through it. But already reading through a fair share of posts here is very comforting and reassuring that this too will pass, and I will come out as strong as ever. 

 

On the up, I am going to start tapering next week by 10% as recommended. You can see below what my tapering process has been like. I just want this hell to be out of my life, and to be me again. Very much looking forward to conversing with you all, and I appreciate any optimism that you may bring forward!

 

Vinny

[getofflex]

Hello, and welcome to SA.  We are a volunteer-run community of people who have been or are getting off of psychiatric drugs.  It looks like you have several things going on here.  Let me give you some basic info, then give you feedback at the end. 

 

Can you please add your Adderall use to your drug history?  When did you stop taking it?  

 

Here is some important information about how these drugs actually work.  This explains why we get symptoms from going off of these medications, and why it's so important to taper slowly and carefully, and be very cautious about changing our doses: 

 

How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

 

This helps you understand what withdrawal syndrome is: 

 

Video on Recovery from Psych Drugs

 

Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

 

Tapering is best done extremely slowly, and we generally taper by 10% of the current dose no more than once every 4 weeks, so that the reduction becomes exponentially smaller.

 

 Why Taper by 10% of my Dosage  

 

Tips for Tapering Remeron/mirtazapine

 

Here is a link with checklists of common WD symptoms: 

 

Dr Joseph Glenmullen Withdrawal Symptom Checklists

 

 

Here are some techniques to cope with symptoms: 

 

Non Drug Ways to Cope with Withdrawal Symptoms

 

Stability is really important when we are tapering off psych meds.  Please read the link about stability:

 

Keep It Simple, Slow, and Stable

 

 

We don't suggest many supplements, but 2 that many of us find helpful are magnesium and omega-3 fish oil. Here are the links for info about those. It is suggested to add one at a time, and start with a low dose to see how it affects you. 

Magnesium

Omega 3 Fish Oil

 

As I see it, there seem to be several reasons for why you are having the anxiety and nightmares.  

 

1) You missed a couple of doses of mirtazapine.  Missing doses of psych meds causes nervous system destabilization and is very hard on the brain.  

 

2) You've recently tapered it by 2 big of reductions.  You reduced it by 25%, then 33% respectively, and only a week apart.  This is way too fast tapering.   Your brain can't keep up with these big and frequent drug changes.  

 

3) The use of alcohol and weed in a nervous system that is working hard to adjust to tapering psych meds is probably adding to the problem.  We strongly suggest completely avoiding alcohol and any mind altering substances, like marijuana.  

 

4) You increased your dose of buspirone just a week apart from doing a reduction of mirtazapine.  We strongly suggest people don't do this, because if you have problems, you won't know what caused what.  It often takes several weeks to even months for people to feel the effects of these drug changes.  

 

My suggestion to you is to stay away from the mind altering stuff, and hold on your current doses of drugs for a while, to allow your nervous system a chance to adjust and stabilize.  I would give it at least several months, or longer.  (about 3-9 months). Our nervous systems are highly complex, and take a long time to adjust to getting off these drugs.  Once you've done this, and feel reasonably stable, then you can commence tapering again.  

 

Please keep in touch, and let us know how you are doing. 

[Vinny]

Hello getofflex, 

 

Thank you so much for spending the time to send me these helpful links and supplementals. I have looked them over and have found them super intuitive and helpful. Between my first post and this one, I had gone through some very difficult days... Feelings of hopelessness and despair almost daily. However, I have rode the wave out and feeling much better.

 

I believe I have finally stabilized on my 7.5mg and have dropped it 10% as of 11/28. So far so good. I have also finally started my new job, all on day shift for the next 6 months. I am now living with my girlfriend and it's been wonderful. I have cut back quite a bit on drinking and smoking, mostly just some drinks with friends and the occasional edible to relax. I have cut down a lot on caffeine, trying to drink teas and avoid energy drinks. I am working out multiple days a week now; my gf and I have recently joined the Y.  Life is good!

 

Cutting back my doses has seemed to be normal, and I haven't experienced any kickback yet. Regarding my social anxiety, I have actually felt comfortable without much anxiety. a couple friends have already been out to visit and I was not overly anxious. At the moment, I feel overall well and more energetic.

 

Regarding my ADHD, I still think my concentration is slightly worse than normal, and I am seeing a psychiatrist today to discuss ADHD medication. Looking forward to seeing what they think. 

 

Anyways, I just wanted to update you guys, as the trough has bounced back, at least for the time being! I will keep y'all posted.

 

Thanks again!

 

Vinny