ItDoesGetBetter: Mirtazapine taper completed. Be patient.

[ItDoesGetBetter]

46yo male in Australia. Government lockdowns and financial debt tipped me into severe depression end of 2021 and I didnt know it until I was in that dark hole. Was given Mirtazapine, it did help me as I needed sleep and needed to regain my appetite. The initial side effects was the usual sedation, brain fog, lower blood pressure but the huge benefit of sleeping outweighed that. After watching Dr Andrew Huberman and his 'sleep cocktail' I started taking supplements, Magnesium Threonate, Apigen and L-Theanine and started walking 7am every morning to get sunlight in eyes as it resets your body clock, regardless of how I felt and what the weather was. Also walked at night too. Took 3 months off work which added to the financial stress. (Mortgage is $1000/week, married, 2 kids). I came across 'Vipassana Meditation, A Guide for Beginners' on youtube. Please do it, it taught me how to slow down my overthinking mind, its amazing what are subconscious mind does and when youre aware of it, its the beginning of getting better. All you have to do is lay down on your back and listen. So simple. I also joined a gym and started doing weight training. Also found Dr Jordan Peterson's lectures on depression on youtube very helpful, David Goggins mental strength stories and came across Dr Eric Berg explaining the link to gut health and mental health. I started eating raw saurekraut (creates serotonin in your gut) then 4 ate pasture raised eggs every night as the tryptophan in the eggs helps transport the serotonin to your brain neurons. Things you learn when youre on this horrible journey! I was still taking 30mg Mirtazapine daily and 4 months into it I was confident to start tapering. I bought the Gem20 scale for $50, a pill cutter and nail file. Slowly tapered 10% to 15% every 1-2 weeks for 14 months. The Brass Monkey slide seemed too long, 30mg would of taken 6 years. While I was tapering I started taking fish oil with a very high EPA ingredient, 750mg. The higher the EPA, the better for the brain. In the 14 month taper I had approx. 10 nights that I couldnt sleep, had some agitation and was very flat but I knew I was getting better. Withdrawals look like depression symptons, stick to it but slow down with the tapering if it gets too much. You will always have some withdrawals but as long as you can still function you will get there. Now 4 weeks from getting to 0mg I still have some small withdrawals like agitation and not feeling myself but thats nearly gone too. Feel free to ask questions. I was there, I found this website when I first started my journey and it stressed me out more, all the disaster stories. But here is a positive story that was done with alot of hard work and consistency to get to where I am. You will do this too! 

Edited January 1 by FireflyFyte
Updated title

[FireflyFyte]

Hello,

 

Welcome to SA. Glad that you are doing well after your taper of Mirtzapine but 4 weeks is not too long at 0mg so would recommend you avoid alcohol, or recreational drugs, and strenuous exercise to not trigger increased withdrawal symptoms.

Thanks,

 

Firefly 

[Valerie1]

Congratulations. I was on Mirtazapine 7.5 mg for 3to 4 months and have been tapering very slowly also 3 years to get to 1 mg.  Like you I’ve found benefit from some probiotics , fish oil and magnesium.  So far I’ve been able to keep working and traveling and living my life by tapering slowly. Definitely have had side effects along the way but not enough to keep me from functioning.  Very good job on your taper and all the best to you in 2024.

[Hibari]

Congratulations on getting off of Mirt @ItDoesGetBetter.

 

Good to hear you are feeling well. 

 

Hibari

[ItDoesGetBetter]

6 hours ago, FireflyFyte said:

Hello,

 

Welcome to SA. Glad that you are doing well after your taper of Mirtzapine but 4 weeks is not too long at 0mg so would recommend you avoid alcohol, or recreational drugs, and strenuous exercise to not trigger increased withdrawal symptoms.

Thanks,

 

Firefly 

Thank you for your support. I know there's no real rule as everyone is different but is there an average time period where the withdrawals will eventually disappear? The tinnitus (ear ringing) and agitation seems to be the last of it 

[ItDoesGetBetter]

3 hours ago, Valerie1 said:

Congratulations. I was on Mirtazapine 7.5 mg for 3to 4 months and have been tapering very slowly also 3 years to get to 1 mg.  Like you I’ve found benefit from some probiotics , fish oil and magnesium.  So far I’ve been able to keep working and traveling and living my life by tapering slowly. Definitely have had side effects along the way but not enough to keep me from functioning.  Very good job on your taper and all the best to you in 2024.

Congratulations on your tapering journey and still able to function. I think the key is to be patient, methodical and be determined to get to 0mg. Wishing you an amazing 2024!

[ItDoesGetBetter]

2 hours ago, Hibari said:

Congratulations on getting off of Mirt @ItDoesGetBetter.

 

Good to hear you are feeling well. 

 

Hibari

Thank you for your kind words. Your journey from 2014 to now would of been a bumpy ride but also encouraging that we can do this 💪

[RyanL3w]

How are you now, any follow up issues?

 

Vipassana Meditation, still doing it? I will check it out. 

 

Thanks for the inspiration. 

[ItDoesGetBetter]

On 9/5/2024 at 1:53 AM, RyanL3w said:

How are you now, any follow up issues?

 

Vipassana Meditation, still doing it? I will check it out. 

 

Thanks for the inspiration. 

Thanks for your message. My last dose of Mirtazapine 0.1mg was on 4 December 2023. Overall I felt good but had lighter but still frustrating symptons of (manageable) withdrawal, maybe 1-2 times a week, for approx 3 months. Although its been 10 months since last dose I feel 95% 'back to normal'. Its a long process even when you get off it. 

 

i stopped doing the daily Vipassana Meditation as I rewired my brain to stop overthinking from it. Beforehand I would think about every worse case scenario of what ifs and maybes for things that havent even happened. Now, if my mind starts overthinking I revert back to what I learned with the meditation. It really is a good tool. In the first few days that you do it, you will freak out with what the subconscious mind is randomly thinking. 

 

Its a long journey to come off it if you do it right but you will get there. Be patient and dont put an end date to it. Just listen to your body and mind. I am not any meds, no alcohol, no cigarettess or any drugs. My mind is free to think clearly again and I am sure you will get there too

 

 

[LukeUK]

If you want to see what can happen if you use mirtazapine for 4 months, but only taper for 1 month and not more, then read my thread.

 

This reinforces the difference.

[RyanL3w]

On 9/6/2024 at 11:11 AM, ItDoesGetBetter said:

Thanks for your message. My last dose of Mirtazapine 0.1mg was on 4 December 2023. Overall I felt good but had lighter but still frustrating symptons of (manageable) withdrawal, maybe 1-2 times a week, for approx 3 months. Although its been 10 months since last dose I feel 95% 'back to normal'. Its a long process even when you get off it. 

 

i stopped doing the daily Vipassana Meditation as I rewired my brain to stop overthinking from it. Beforehand I would think about every worse case scenario of what ifs and maybes for things that havent even happened. Now, if my mind starts overthinking I revert back to what I learned with the meditation. It really is a good tool. In the first few days that you do it, you will freak out with what the subconscious mind is randomly thinking. 

 

Its a long journey to come off it if you do it right but you will get there. Be patient and dont put an end date to it. Just listen to your body and mind. I am not any meds, no alcohol, no cigarettess or any drugs. My mind is free to think clearly again and I am sure you will get there too

 

 

Thanks for the reply, glad to hear you are nearly there. I spotted this comment in a previous post:

 

 The tinnitus (ear ringing)

 

Has that gone now?

 

Dry mouth was the biggest issue but is settling now. What is really annoying is the constant ringing in my ears. Just constantly reminds you your taking something. Probably a 50% loss in taste is my other issue.

 

At any point did you try to go harder than the 10-15% drop every two weeks? Its so hard trying to pace yourself when you have only been on somthing 8 weeks. To think it will take me a year to get off it. We are all obviously different but also all learning from each other. 

 

Thanks again.