ShadowDancer: Mirtazapine is giving me so much trouble after being floxed by fluoroquinolones - Tinnitus/Head Buzzing and Insomnia.

[ShadowDancer]

Hi @Rhernan

Thank you for your very kind and considerate response.

It took a while for me to respond because, seeing you suffering from this for the past 4 years, kinda scared me a little, did not know what to say...

These meds made me overly emotional. I'm sorry you have been suffering like this for so long.

 

For the ear sensations, if your eardrum vibrates to certain sounds, if you hear clicking or crackling sounds when you swallow, and if you have sound sensitivity(hyperacusis), you might be suffering from tonic tensor tympani syndrome (TTTS). I have this. Basically there is a muscle attached to your malleus bone and its job is to protect you against loud sounds by contacting and causing the ear drum to pull inwards, but these meds distrupt their function, so they stay contracted all the time. This causes all sorts of pain/burning sensations...

 

The cure? There is none. Some people find relief with Liquid magnesium or Magnesium L-threonate. But in our hypersensitive situation, it might cause us further damage.

Other people are given serotonergic muscle relaxants, which for us is a death sentence. It would kindle us and set our recovery so far back, it would be better to live in pain.

 

As for tinnitus, two treatments will be available in 3 years time. One would be the potassium channel drugs I mentioned. I know I'm kindled, so these drugs will mess me up probably... The other is a device by Susan Shore, called Auricle, it is a bimodal simulation device, they will make  you listen to the sound of your tinnitus frequency via earbuds and they will attach a pad to your nape which will electrically stimulate the aprt of your brain responsible for audio processing, this will lower the tinnitus sounds by 50-75% percent. It was proven to be effective in 65% of the patients.

 

AS you have said. I hope time heals us all, but sometimes it gets so hard. 

 

The kind of pain I was in when it came to headaches was a 10/10. Imagine being drilled into your brain from the top of your head to the thallamus 24/7. I had that kind of pain. it isn't that intense anymore but I am still debilitated by my headches...

 

Also what I have realized. Sometimes, I feel like my old self. The symtoms are still there but the personality comes back. If I play games or watch movies or listen to songs that I like etc., on those nights I can't sleep at all. And if I do sleep, I have dreams about the stuff I watched...

 

Listening to classical music all day instead of stimulating myself with other media, kinda sorta helps me sleep better.

 

Having said that, there is not a moment that goes by that I don't want to die. This is the hardest stuff I had to deal with... If the ear tugging etc along with the headaches were to go, I would force myself to live with my other symptoms.. I still can't accept this happened to me at all...

[Rhernan]

7 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

Hi @Rhernan

Thank you for your very kind and considerate response.

It took a while for me to respond because, seeing you suffering from this for the past 4 years, kinda scared me a little, did not know what to say...

These meds made me overly emotional. I'm sorry you have been suffering like this for so long.

 

For the ear sensations, if your eardrum vibrates to certain sounds, if you hear clicking or crackling sounds when you swallow, and if you have sound sensitivity(hyperacusis), you might be suffering from tonic tensor tympani syndrome (TTTS). I have this. Basically there is a muscle attached to your malleus bone and its job is to protect you against loud sounds by contacting and causing the ear drum to pull inwards, but these meds distrupt their function, so they stay contracted all the time. This causes all sorts of pain/burning sensations...

 

The cure? There is none. Some people find relief with Liquid magnesium or Magnesium L-threonate. But in our hypersensitive situation, it might cause us further damage.

Other people are given serotonergic muscle relaxants, which for us is a death sentence. It would kindle us and set our recovery so far back, it would be better to live in pain.

 

As for tinnitus, two treatments will be available in 3 years time. One would be the potassium channel drugs I mentioned. I know I'm kindled, so these drugs will mess me up probably... The other is a device by Susan Shore, called Auricle, it is a bimodal simulation device, they will make  you listen to the sound of your tinnitus frequency via earbuds and they will attach a pad to your nape which will electrically stimulate the aprt of your brain responsible for audio processing, this will lower the tinnitus sounds by 50-75% percent. It was proven to be effective in 65% of the patients.

 

AS you have said. I hope time heals us all, but sometimes it gets so hard. 

 

The kind of pain I was in when it came to headaches was a 10/10. Imagine being drilled into your brain from the top of your head to the thallamus 24/7. I had that kind of pain. it isn't that intense anymore but I am still debilitated by my headches...

 

Also what I have realized. Sometimes, I feel like my old self. The symtoms are still there but the personality comes back. If I play games or watch movies or listen to songs that I like etc., on those nights I can't sleep at all. And if I do sleep, I have dreams about the stuff I watched...

 

Listening to classical music all day instead of stimulating myself with other media, kinda sorta helps me sleep better.

 

Having said that, there is not a moment that goes by that I don't want to die. This is the hardest stuff I had to deal with... If the ear tugging etc along with the headaches were to go, I would force myself to live with my other symptoms.. I still can't accept this happened to me at all...

Although it’s been 4 years, most of that time I did not suffer from these things to an extent that made me worry about it all the time.  It has only been recently, the last few months, since I completely came off mirt that these symptoms have gotten worse.  I did not suffer for 4 years with it…just so you know and can find relief in that.  And I’m sorry if that “triggered” you, that was not my intention.

 

As for the all the ear issues, they don’t happen to me all the time, just when I’m in a bad wave, and that also seems to be when all the other symptoms peak as well.  
 

The headaches I experience are migraines as I become nauseated, cannot eat and they are always usually on my left side and put me down for days.  So I understand that level of pain as well.

 

As for sleep, this is by far my very worst and most concerning symptom as nights are normally pretty horrible for me.  I have all sorts of weird things and dreams and movements and gasping for air and then I will also have days on end of no sleep at all.  I am supplementing with magnesium glycinate (I stated with 100 mg’s for a week and then upped it to 200 mg’s) and I think it’s helping…that is so far the only supplement that I can tolerate and there was a point I couldn’t even tolerate that.

 

I do have to agree that if my day is stimulated in any way, I pay dearly for it at night and then they can set off a vicious cycle. My son had his last high school soccer game last night (he’ll be graduating this year) and I forced myself to go, we then went to dinner and I have paid dearly for going last night.  While I did fall asleep ok, I awoke several times with fear and terror coursing through my body and had strange, vivid dreams all night long. I ended up waking at 2:45 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep because my body was in that fight or flight mode and I was so scared (but for no reason).  So yes, overstimulation is a big no-no for me as well, but sometimes it cannot be avoided.  All we can do is our best!

 

I did want to ask, are you eating a low histamine diet?  That can help and I had to switch to that (as well as cut out caffeine, alcohol, excess sugar, processed foods and also gluten (but I have celiacs disease so I haven’t had gluten in over 9 years)).  You might want to give low histamine a try.  It’s pretty much staying away from aged foods, leftovers, fermented foods/drinks, bananas, spinach, strawberries, aged meats and cheeses, highly processed foods and meats like sausages, salami, pepperoni, deli meats, etc…

 

I hope and pray that things improve for you soon as you were not on anything very long.  I know my story will take time as I was in these meds longer and therefore my brain and CNS were exposed for a longer duration.

 

Keep pushing through each day and know gaining your health back is just around the corner!

[Santino]

Hi friend

Tinnitus was an on and off symptom for me as well but now i am totally cleared of it. It raises its head up when i have high blood pressure. If i eat too much in 3-4 days or one week i will hear this buzzing noise on my ears and will start to feel this full feeling. If i measure my blood preassure on those days it will definitely be up.

Have you checked on that direction?

All the best

SAntino

[ShadowDancer]

Hi @Santino.

I'm pretty sure my T is neurological, it started after the brain zaps, sound distortions and it is purely electrical. I also have hyperacusis on top of that.

I don't have issues with my blood pressure....

 

I realized something funny.

There's only 6 pages worth of recovery stories here, and 300+ pages of introductions...

Especially with mirtazapine cold turkey, there is almost no recovery stories.

I also read lots of stories where people did not improve a bit even after 5-10 years.

 

Scary thoughs ruminate my brain.

[Santino]

1 hour ago, ShadowDancer said:

Hi @Santino.

I'm pretty sure my T is neurological, it started after the brain zaps, sound distortions and it is purely electrical. I also have hyperacusis on top of that.

I don't have issues with my blood pressure....

 

I realized something funny.

There's only 6 pages worth of recovery stories here, and 300+ pages of introductions...

Especially with mirtazapine cold turkey, there is almost no recovery stories.

I also read lots of stories where people did not improve a bit even after 5-10 years.

 

Scary thoughs ruminate my brain.

Hi ShadowDancer

If the recovery stories are helpful to you i could recommend you reading mine. Check for Santino in recovery stories and you will understand where i was and where i am now. Same as you i was in a very dark spot, hopeless, depressive, anhedonia and today i know that all the sacrifices i made were worth it. Everything slowly went away and right now i can live a fully normal life.

Now as you have gone off cold turkey i need to explain you something. There is no clear indication on when you will be out of the woods. Your situation with bad and good days is an indicator that your nervous system is repairing itself. It will continue like that for quite some time. Try to be productive on the good days and take up for the lost time during the bad days. On the bad days do not kill yourself worrying why this is happening to you, just accept it and push forward until the good day comes again.

In your case some people would suggest a reinstatement of mirtazapine on a very low dose. Maybe 1-2mgs. You can try to check the 2-3 days after this introduction and see whether the symptoms subside. If that is the case than you can continue with that low dose and taper slowly while continuing to live your normal life in the background. I have to tell you a secret though.... when i got covid in 2020, in the middle of a very deep crisis with some personal issues, I got hit hard by insomnia. After 3-days of no sleep and worried up to death with anxiety i decided to try a very low dose of 3.5 mg of Mirt in order to stabilize sleep. It immediately did the effect. I started to sleep and the days became really normal. I healed from covid and all was normal again. Within a matter of days i started tapering again and around start of May i was free again. In case you need more info you can write me in inbox anyway. 

All the best

Santino

 

[Rhernan]

1 hour ago, ShadowDancer said:

I realized something funny.

There's only 6 pages worth of recovery stories here, and 300+ pages of introductions...

Especially with mirtazapine cold turkey, there is almost no recovery stories.

I also read lots of stories where people did not improve a bit even after 5-10 years.

I too noticed that, but if your part of other groups or watch other web resources, ie website, Facebook groups, YouTube videos, or even speak to “coaches” that have been through this you will hear, over and over, that pretty much everyone does heal at some point.  I recently spoke to Baylissa Fredericks who went through benzo withdrawal (and maybe AD withdrawal) and then went back to school to learn about what happened etc…well she said everyone she’s worked with and everyone she knew while she was on her healing journey has healed.  She explains that many, many (the majority) of people don’t report success stories because they are either living full happy lives and don’t want to revisit that part of their lives, or it’s too difficult to recall this almost traumatic even or that people just move on and heal and never come back.  I think it’s important on this journey to have faith in the healing process and hold onto hope.  Without those two things we can fall into despair and hopelessness and that can lead to stunting our own healing.

 

I have seen, heard and talked to so many people that were much worse off than me, and they have healed and always tell me to keep pushing and that healing does happen.  I hold onto those words like a lifeline and tell myself it’s just a matter of time…which it is!  
 

Baylissa Fredericks, Angie Peacock, Gemma De Costa, jenniferswanphd, and many more can be found on line and also on YouTube.  Baylissa and Angie both offer coaching and have lots of success stories.  To access Baylissas there is a small month fee.

 

There are so many people that have been through this and offer coaching and they all say everyone heals, but it’s a matter of TIME and unfortunately no one knows the lime line which is the most frustrating part of it all.

[ShadowDancer]

I'm still deteriorating, last night was without sleep again and the night before, some strange things happened, like I'm dreaming but I also hear the clock on the wall and my father snoring, my sleep is getting more shallow as the days go by, why!?

I can fall asleep, dream and wake up in aspan of  five minutes sometimes ..

And after a sleepless night, I go crazy, literally like the crazy guys in movies I lose control, the headaches turned into constant pressure, the pain comes and goes now. 

I think I'm a very severe case... 

[Rhernan]

3 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

I'm still deteriorating, last night was without sleep again and the night before, some strange things happened, like I'm dreaming but I also hear the clock on the wall and my father snoring, my sleep is getting more shallow as the days go by, why!?

I can fall asleep, dream and wake up in aspan of  five minutes sometimes ..

And after a sleepless night, I go crazy, literally like the crazy guys in movies I lose control, the headaches turned into constant pressure, the pain comes and goes now. 

I think I'm a very severe case... 

I am the EXACT same as you!  Literally, the same!  I feel like I have brain damage and everyday it gets worse and worse.  I’m now in my 7th month off and everyday is constant pain and pressure and sickness.  My nights are a horror show and if I sleep it’s toxic and scary and I always feel like I need to go to the hospital because I’m dying….

 

the weird half awake/half alseep feeling I too get on and off and had it last night. It’s like you can tell your thinking and hearing things, but then you’re also in a weird sleep state too?  It’s hard to describe, but you’re not alone in that feeling.  You’re also not alone I’m feeling when you have these horrible nights you go a bit crazy!  I too am like that, but it’s so often for me I’ve learned to breath and distract and try to not let it overwhelm me…sometimes I'm able to do this and other times I'm not and my day is then consumed with withdrawal and fear.

 

BUT this IS ALL withdrawal!!!  I have had so many labs and tests and scans and even yesterday had a CT of my abdomen and pelvis.  I’ve had MRI of my brain and neck and sleep studies and they are all normal.  There is no other explanation other than withdrawal as it all stated after I came off my antidepressant.

 

I know how scary it is, and the lies our brain tells us when we are this sick are scary ones, like we are different, or we will never heal, or this will last years and years, but this is also part of withdrawal and very common.  Although we are very sick and have symptoms that seem life threatening, it is normal and healing is happening even if we don’t feel it.  Of course, seeing a doctor and having things ruled out is also a good idea, even if it brings you peace of mind to know it’s all WD.

 

you will heal and you will have your life back, maybe a different one, because this journey changes who we once were, but this isn’t forever and it’s only a season in our long lives.

 

hang in there and find things to distract you or things that make you feel safe and comfortable…you can do this and you will heal!!!  🙂♥️

[ShadowDancer]

My sleep patterns changed to every other day.

I can only sleep every other day now and it's been horrible..

The nights I can't sleep, the morning after, I'm suicidal the entire day.

On the nights I could sleep, I get 6-8 hours, very broken with vivid dreams. However, seems like even then I'm losing hours on those nights too?

When I sleep, in the mornings I feel tired? On the nights I can't sleep I'm wired all the time?

 

Had an EEG done BTW, no problems were found.

Seen a neurologist, I was gaslit OFC. Turns out all I have to do is follow proper sleep hygine rules and take Zopiclone. Turns out this problem is all in my head and I don't want to heal that's why I can't sleep.

He also said live with palinopsia etc, there are people who deal with cancer out there my problems are minor.

He doesn't believe these drugsa can cause long lasting damage, even when it does, it only happens to a minority of people, so he believes I think I do have these problems just because I did research on these problems..

I was raised believing that these people were smart and they saved lives. Just because I looked stuff up about the brain now he calls me a hypochondriac and treats me liek an insane person since I can use terms like GABA etc.

 

Hanging out on the visual snow boards, VSS cause insomnia head pressure and tinnitus just by itself and seems to be permanent in many sufferers, for some it goes away.

Some of these guys never touched any drugs at all.

I'm pretty sure it is not withdrawal I'm dealing with here any more.

 

I just want my sleep back.. I can take the pain with enough sleep.

 

Edit: Question. Does developing eye crust mean that you slept or not? I try to keep my eyes closed all night and on some nights I have eye crust even when I can't sleep. Is it because I kept my eyes closed or I got microsleep?

[Erimus]

4 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

Hanging out on the visual snow boards, VSS cause insomnia head pressure and tinnitus just by itself and seems to be permanent in many sufferers, for some it goes away.

Some of these guys never touched any drugs at all.

I'm pretty sure it is not withdrawal I'm dealing with here any more.

I suggest you stop visiting forums that compile misery and suffering, and instead spend your time online reading success stories. During this process, the less time spent online the better. 

 

It’s highly likely that if you didn’t have these symptoms before psychiatric drugs, they will dissipate with time. 
 

Although the inconsistency of your sleep pattern is horrible, the fact you can sleep 6-8 hours every other night is a sign that things can and will improve. 

[ShadowDancer]

2 hours of sleep in over 48 hours, and I'm so energetic I can run a marathon now.

Great.

[Erimus]

4 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

2 hours of sleep in over 48 hours, and I'm so energetic I can run a marathon now.

Great.

Keep riding the waves.

[ShadowDancer]

OK I have total imsonia for days now and I feel wired all the time.

I lay in the bed for 1.5 hours then I get agitated and my heart starts beating faster feels liek I'm gonna have a heart attack and I kinda get like a cortisol/adrealine rush kind of feeling.

My eyes kinda get bloodshot and droopy around the time I'm supposed to go to bed but the moment I get in I'm energetic. 

I also got jerks before falling asleep, feels like my brain is shutting down for good, I'm dying and hurts my body sometimes.

 

Also, the headaches, if they get better I can't sleep. Sometiems the intensity drops to a 1/10. Those nights I can't sleep. IDK why.

 

It has been days of this, what is the best course of action now.

Since I'm kindled and had an adverse reaction I can't go back on mirtazapine.

 

Should I try Zopiclone at 3.75mgs like the doctors suggested?

Magnesium? Melatonin?

 

Please advise..

[ShadowDancer]

I won't last with total insomnia like this. 

My chest hurts when i can't sleep, feels like a heart attack. And ı have nausea in the mornings of nights ı can't sleep.

IDK.

Is melatonin ok for kindled brains...

Please god help me...

[Erimus]

5 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

I won't last with total insomnia like this. 

My chest hurts when i can't sleep, feels like a heart attack. And ı have nausea in the mornings of nights ı can't sleep.

IDK.

Is melatonin ok for kindled brains...

Please god help me...

Your nervous system is going haywire, which is why you're experiencing all these crazy symptoms. It's very difficult but the worst thing you can do is react to them all with fear. Anxiety, and withdrawal, symptoms can often be misinterpreted as a heart attack, but if you are concerned get a check up with your doctor to rule out any organic conditions.

 

You can try melatonin but you must start very low and build up, in order to assess how you respond to it.

[ShadowDancer]

It's been days of this awful insomnia and my muscles are twitching all over my body with louder tinnitus.

Chamomile tea used to relax me, the last time I tried I felt it was relaxing me but my brain rejected the sedative effects.

I'll try melatonin next if not I'm actually considering unisom or zopiclone.

If I can't get any sleep I'll pull the plug. Enough of this pain! My brain feels like a heavy balloon and I feel dizzy this never happened before..

I remembered that I first had the bad reaction to atarax, spiked up my tinnitus then unisom also did the same.

18 days later physical and continuous 24/7 brain zaps and hearing problems along with palinopsia began, burning my brain, I think it was a seizure? I haven't felt hopeful ever since felt like that day something broke in my brain. I attribute this to mirtazapine.

I'll post updates.

[Caponeisdead]

Hi I am in a similar situation to you with the electric tinnitus that feels like my brain is melting a long with the headpressure and brainfog for the last 2 years with no improvement. I've been down the maxofacial route having botox and an mri which did show some level of displacement in the tmj disks. Unfortunately it did nothing for me and my complaints about severe tinnitus and the fact that I could modulate my tinnitus somewhat with my jaw were generally ignored instead with them just telling me to stop clenching and address the problems in my life that a causing me stress. Yea thanks a bunch. I don't know the solution but I would think that the neural hyperactivity could be picked up in the brain with an EEG which would at least prove somewhat that what your experiencing is real 

[ShadowDancer]

21 hours ago, Caponeisdead said:

Hi I am in a similar situation to you with the electric tinnitus that feels like my brain is melting a long with the headpressure and brainfog for the last 2 years with no improvement. I've been down the maxofacial route having botox and an mri which did show some level of displacement in the tmj disks. Unfortunately it did nothing for me and my complaints about severe tinnitus and the fact that I could modulate my tinnitus somewhat with my jaw were generally ignored instead with them just telling me to stop clenching and address the problems in my life that a causing me stress. Yea thanks a bunch. I don't know the solution but I would think that the neural hyperactivity could be picked up in the brain with an EEG which would at least prove somewhat that what your experiencing is real 

My EEG turned out fine. I don't know what else to do. People say PET scans or SPECT show the actual damage in the brain but afraid to go through these procedures..

 

In otehr news.

.3 of melatonin does nothing I'm still wide awake.

It's been almosta week like this.

I'm afraid it's fatal insomnia.

[Erimus]

57 minutes ago, ShadowDancer said:

My EEG turned out fine. I don't know what else to do. People say PET scans or SPECT show the actual damage in the brain but afraid to go through these procedures..

 

In otehr news.

.3 of melatonin does nothing I'm still wide awake.

It's been almosta week like this.

I'm afraid it's fatal insomnia.

There is no easy way out of this. Eventually you will crash again and be able to sleep somewhat, that is what happens after prolongued insomnia. It doesn't help much but I know what it's like having crippling insomnia for weeks on end. It gets better, something has to give eventually.

[ShadowDancer]

Seriously thinking about zopiclone now.

I have erratic/fast heart rate and it elevates when i am in the bed.

[ShadowDancer]

I am dreaming with my eyes closed and my body, it gets an adrealine rush kind of feeling when i close my eyes in the bed after a while.

I don't sleep.

[Comecloser80]

8 minutes ago, ShadowDancer said:

 

I am dreaming with my eyes closed and my body, it gets an adrealine rush kind of feeling when i close my eyes in the bed after a while.

I don't sleep.

 

It has not stopped for me in more than 14 months. We both have Mirtazapine in common.

I would consider trying CBD/THC for sleep rather than going onto Z drug. 
I have read in benzobuddies, many people experiencing severe issues even yrs out due to damage caused by Z drugs.

Lastly, it seems like there is hardly anything available to combat WD/injury induced insomnia. 
I wish you speedy recovery.

[ShadowDancer]

Why is my sleep deteriorating when I am this many months away?

Is my brain getting damaged still?

On top of that I doN't feel the need to blink anymore either.. 

[ShadowDancer]

Having sexual dysfunction along with a high resting heart rate/nausea...

[Erimus]

4 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

Why is my sleep deteriorating when I am this many months away?

Is my brain getting damaged still?

On top of that I doN't feel the need to blink anymore either.. 

It’s the windows and waves of recovery. Symptoms will get worse before you crash again and they improve a little. Your brain is in chaos as it tries to recover from an adverse reaction to a drug. It is not becoming more damaged now you are off the drug.
 

I know you are desperate but sleeping pills do not help the situation, I’ve been there myself. You become dependent on the 4-5 hours of low quality sleep they offer.

[Rhernan]

17 hours ago, ShadowDancer said:

I am dreaming with my eyes closed and my body, it gets an adrealine rush kind of feeling when i close my eyes in the bed after a while.

I don't sleep.

 

@ShadowDancer  I am having the exact same symptoms and it’s absolutely horrid.  Whenever I try to sleep, or even relax and close my eyes, I get rushes that wake me and I instantly get nauseated, sweaty, my heat pounds, I get increased tinnitus, my eyes hurt badly and I get an instant migraine/headache.  I then either fight these for while and fall back asleep only for it to happen over and over or it keeps me awake all night in this weird awake/but asleep state (which is hard to describe).  When I do sleep I have vivid and strange dreams and awake very sick.  Mornings are always the very worst and I’m usually sick half the day, then sometimes feel a bit better only for it to be repeated the next night.

 

I was taking magnesium and melatonin but felt it as making the nausea and headaches worse so I am taking a break, but it doesn’t seem to matter so I might resume.

 

I do have to mention adding anything, like a z-drug is a big risk as it too can cause dependency and lead to the same symptoms you’re having now when you want to come off those. 
 

are you having any windows, or times where it’s less intense?

[Sonia009]

2 minutes ago, Rhernan said:

 

@ShadowDancer  I am having the exact same symptoms and it’s absolutely horrid.  Whenever I try to sleep, or even relax and close my eyes, I get rushes that wake me and I instantly get nauseated, sweaty, my heat pounds, I get increased tinnitus, my eyes hurt badly and I get an instant migraine/headache.  I then either fight these for while and fall back asleep only for it to happen over and over or it keeps me awake all night in this weird awake/but asleep state (which is hard to describe).  When I do sleep I have vivid and strange dreams and awake very sick.  Mornings are always the very worst and I’m usually sick half the day, then sometimes feel a bit better only for it to be repeated the next night.

 

I was taking magnesium and melatonin but felt it as making the nausea and headaches worse so I am taking a break, but it doesn’t seem to matter so I might resume.

 

I do have to mention adding anything, like a z-drug is a big risk as it too can cause dependency and lead to the same symptoms you’re having now when you want to come off those. 
 

are you having any windows, or times where it’s less intense?

@Rhernan @ShadowDancerI'm getting the exact same symptoms, I never knew how to describe them but it's just like you say. Some nights are better than others.

[Rhernan]

1 minute ago, Sonia009 said:

@Rhernan @ShadowDancerI'm getting the exact same symptoms, I never knew how to describe them but it's just like you say. Some nights are better than others.

 

@Sonia009 yes, I seem to have random nights where it’s ok, and then horror nights where I think I might die or have some horrible brain disease or damage.

 

What other symptoms do you have?

[Sonia009]

36 minutes ago, Rhernan said:

 

@Sonia009 yes, I seem to have random nights where it’s ok, and then horror nights where I think I might die or have some horrible brain disease or damage.

 

What other symptoms do you have?

@RhernanIf it's any consolation I thought I must have had some insidious brain disease but I just had a brain scan that was normal. I get headaches, neck and and shoulder aches, ear fullness, tinnitus, dizziness, light headedness, nausea, weird dreams, racing thoughts that come and go, constipation, anxiety, no appetite with loss a of weight, blurry vision at times, night sweats, feeling chilled, fast  heartbeat etc.

[Rhernan]

10 minutes ago, Sonia009 said:

@RhernanIf it's any consolation I thought I must have had some insidious brain disease but I just had a brain scan that was normal. I get headaches, neck and and shoulder aches, ear fullness, tinnitus, dizziness, light headedness, nausea, weird dreams, racing thoughts that come and go, constipation, anxiety, no appetite with loss a of weight, blurry vision at times, night sweats, feeling chilled, fast  heartbeat etc.

@Sonia009

 

Yep!  I have all the same symptoms as well!  I should look at your profile, but I’ll just ask, what is your med history? Did you take mirt?  What did you take, are you tapering, off, for how long, etc…

 

I’ll message you, maybe we can keep in touch!?

[ShadowDancer]

13 hours ago, Rhernan said:

 

are you having any windows, or times where it’s less intense?

No windows, Sometimes I calm down and personality coems back. Sometimes I am headache free for a few hours.

That's about it.

 

the tinnitus and all the visual problems are constant and I believe, permanent.

Tinnitus fluctuates between 1-4/10.

I'm pretty sure the drugs that will come out that I mentioned above will kill tinnitus while you take them. But with a sensitized CNS... Would it be smart to take them...

as for the rest of my symptoms, especially the visual ones, I am not so much different from @Aurorax, read their story if you want to find out more.

By far the worst symptoms are insomnia and headaches. If I sleep better, on those days, I don't care about any of the symptoms.. much...

 

Just like erimus mentioned, I crashed last night and got deep sleep for 6 straight hours if I believe but took me a while to crash. I didn't sleep this long in one go like this forever..

After that I got some light sleep with awakenings for 3 hours, probably.

[Chompoo]

@ShadowDancer I have the same history as you. My problems all started with an antibiotic for stomach trouble. After that, I developed a range of symptoms, beyond stomach problems. I went to the doctor and was eventually prescribed Mirtazapine, to stop my weight loss. I only took ONE pill. But I came down with worse problems than before. I slept 2-3 hours for around 9-10 weeks before my sleep started improving.

It's been 13 months. Now I sleep 7 - 7.5 hours on most nights, though I still wake up in between. And I've finally received a diagnosis for my condition. I have gut dysbiosis and a systemic Candida infection thanks to the antibiotics. It killed off all the bacteria in the stomach, including the good bacteria that keeps Candida in check. Candida is a yeast that is found in our stomach and it helps in certain functions, like digestion. But it can grow beyond our stomach to infect our ears to give us tinnitus, our eyes to give us visual problems, our brains to give us brain zaps and migraines etc. Mirtazapine worsened the problem for me, because it lowered my stomach acid. Without stomach acid killing off both bad bacteria and Candida, they spread even more wildly inside my body. So my problems became 10 times worse.

Please stay off ALL psychotropic drugs and substances. All these affect stomach acid, motility, bile secretion, and liver health. They will only make your problems worse, not better.

You can recover your sleep by improving your diet, to include food rich in Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin A, B, C, D and E. These will boost your immune system and increase your stomach and bile acid. Both will help your body kill off Candida and bad bacteria, and reduce your symptoms. Food rich in selenium, amino acids (glycine, taurine and arginine) and polyphenols (i.e. green tea, extra virgin olive oil, fruits and vegetables) are also helpful. 

Please also stay off all alcohol, coffee, diary, simple sugars (white rice, white bread, both white and brown sugar, sugar substitutes), and vinegar. These either feed Candida and bad bacteria or will make your problems worse.

A Paleo diet is usually recommended, so you might want to look into this. Getting your nutrients from food is better than taking supplements. This is because bad bacteria and Candida generate lots of toxins when they die off. The toxins could overwhelm your body and cause you worse symptoms. So you cannot go too aggressive in your diet. The most important thing is that you must be able to poop at least once a day, because it is through poop that candida and bad bacteria can leave your body. Getting your nutrients from food is the safest, as you are unlikely to overdose on them. But if you suffer from constipation for days, you need to start cutting back on the food you're taking too, especially those rich in zinc, calcium and Vitamin D.

Hope this helps.



Take care and

[ShadowDancer]

I lost the ability to sleep completely and am on my last legs.

I have all the other symptoms of fatal insomnia with fast heart rate and akathasia etc..

[ShadowDancer]

**** this.

Tomorrow night I'll take zopiclone.

My heart beats fast in the bed and keeps me especially awake.

I get adrenaline rush/cortisol feelings.

Been a week.

If it is fatal insomnia I'M dead.

 

[Rhernan]

16 minutes ago, ShadowDancer said:

**** this.

Tomorrow night I'll take zopiclone.

My heart beats fast in the bed and keeps me especially awake.

I get adrenaline rush/cortisol feelings.

Been a week.

If it is fatal insomnia I'M dead.

 

You don’t have fatal insomnia.  I have thought I had it MANY times myself especially when I have akathisia.  But I eventually sleep a tiny bit, then a bit more, then more…but it isn’t great and always feel sick.

 

you can survive this!  

[Rhernan]

On 3/11/2024 at 3:01 AM, Chompoo said:

@ShadowDancer I have the same history as you. My problems all started with an antibiotic for stomach trouble. After that, I developed a range of symptoms, beyond stomach problems. I went to the doctor and was eventually prescribed Mirtazapine, to stop my weight loss. I only took ONE pill. But I came down with worse problems than before. I slept 2-3 hours for around 9-10 weeks before my sleep started improving.

It's been 13 months. Now I sleep 7 - 7.5 hours on most nights, though I still wake up in between. And I've finally received a diagnosis for my condition. I have gut dysbiosis and a systemic Candida infection thanks to the antibiotics. It killed off all the bacteria in the stomach, including the good bacteria that keeps Candida in check. Candida is a yeast that is found in our stomach and it helps in certain functions, like digestion. But it can grow beyond our stomach to infect our ears to give us tinnitus, our eyes to give us visual problems, our brains to give us brain zaps and migraines etc. Mirtazapine worsened the problem for me, because it lowered my stomach acid. Without stomach acid killing off both bad bacteria and Candida, they spread even more wildly inside my body. So my problems became 10 times worse.

Please stay off ALL psychotropic drugs and substances. All these affect stomach acid, motility, bile secretion, and liver health. They will only make your problems worse, not better.

You can recover your sleep by improving your diet, to include food rich in Zinc, Magnesium, Calcium, Vitamin A, B, C, D and E. These will boost your immune system and increase your stomach and bile acid. Both will help your body kill off Candida and bad bacteria, and reduce your symptoms. Food rich in selenium, amino acids (glycine, taurine and arginine) and polyphenols (i.e. green tea, extra virgin olive oil, fruits and vegetables) are also helpful. 

Please also stay off all alcohol, coffee, diary, simple sugars (white rice, white bread, both white and brown sugar, sugar substitutes), and vinegar. These either feed Candida and bad bacteria or will make your problems worse.

A Paleo diet is usually recommended, so you might want to look into this. Getting your nutrients from food is better than taking supplements. This is because bad bacteria and Candida generate lots of toxins when they die off. The toxins could overwhelm your body and cause you worse symptoms. So you cannot go too aggressive in your diet. The most important thing is that you must be able to poop at least once a day, because it is through poop that candida and bad bacteria can leave your body. Getting your nutrients from food is the safest, as you are unlikely to overdose on them. But if you suffer from constipation for days, you need to start cutting back on the food you're taking too, especially those rich in zinc, calcium and Vitamin D.

Hope this helps.



Take care and

@Chompoo

 

hi! Just read your response!  I’d love to learn more about this diet and what specifically you did to help.  I’m having all the same symptoms as it seems you did including eye issues, migraines, poor sleep and ear issues.  I was doing Lego/high protein but I’d love to hear more of what you did.

 

can I message you and get a simple idea of what foods your are/did eat to help aid in your recovery?

 

thanks so much!