DC33: mirtazapine taper

[DC33]

Hello,

 

I am tapering from 30 mg of Mirtazapine and my current dose is 0.1125 mg (active ingredient). I began taking Mirtazapine on 1/1/17 and began tapering on 10/25/17. Like so many others, I followed the poor advice of my doctor in dropping too quickly. His recommendation was 15 mg for a week or two, then stop. I decided to be more conservative and drop to 22.5 mg. This made me horribly ill with intense nausea, violent digestive upsets, horrible stomach pains, magnified anxiety, debilitating fatigue/body aches + more symptoms . After 4-5 weeks I was feeling better, so I dropped to 15 mg. This caused the same symptoms, but even worse. Bedridden, I tried to ride it out for about a month, but the suffering, weight loss, etc was too intense. At this point, I had to updose to 22.5 mg. I held there for 5-6 weeks until I stabilized and began following the advice of some experienced individuals from other forums who had been through it already.

 

My first drop after stabilizing was from 22.5 to 20 (11.11%). This caused intense symptoms, so I began doing roughly 5% drops every 2 weeks. Though I still experienced symptoms, I found this to be much more manageable than any previous drops. My eagerness to get off quickly eventually led me to some faster paced cuts. Sometimes every 10 days, sometimes as quick as every 5 days. Percentage drops were creeping up. I may do well like this for a month or two, but then it would catch up to me in a big way. Sometimes this would have me sick for a month or more at a time. I have since learned to be more patient and am going slower as I prepare for my "endgame taper."

 

I am part of a private support group on FB that only has about 50 members. I have gotten great support there, but it sounds like the endgame taper went faster and more smoothly for the experienced members there than it has for me. This has led me to seek wisdom here since there are so many more users and experiences documented on this site. Below I am going to outline my last handful of drops and what I plan to do from here to the end if all goes smoothly. I am hoping some of the most experienced contributors here can take a look and provide some guidance to the end.

 

It is important to note that I started out dry cutting with a Gemini scale, then under 1 mg (active ingredient) I switched to compounded pills for 4 months. This had me sick the whole time and eventually I figured out that the compounding pharmacy was not making accurate doses. At this point, I began making homemade liquid. 1/2 water and 1/2 Ora Plus suspension, refrigerating and discarding every 4-5 days, using a syringe. I will be sticking with this liquid method until the end.

 

PREVIOUS DROPS

10/21/19 - Switched to homemade liquid from compounded pills. Did a slight updose at this point from 0.38 mg to 0.45 mg to ease the transition to liquid.

0.45 mg - 34 days

11.11% drop

0.40 mg - 32 days

12.5% drop

0.35 mg - 14 days

14.29% drop

0.30 mg - 45 days

8.33% drop

0.275 mg - 15 days

9.09% drop

0.25 mg - 16 days

10% drop

0.225 mg - 10 days

11.11% drop

0.20 mg - 19 days

12.5% drop

0.175 mg - 18 days

14.29% drop

0.15 mg - 63 days

8.33% drop

0.1375 mg - 21 days

9.09% drop

0.125 mg - 21 days

10% drop

0.1125 mg (9/1/20 - CURRENTLY 9 days in and having moderate symptoms. Planning to drop after 28 days total)

 

PLANNED DROPS

11.11%

0.10 mg - 28 days

25%

0.075 mg - 28-42 days (depending on severity/length of symptoms)

33%

0.050 mg - 28-42 days (depending on severity/length of symptoms)

50%

0.025 mg - 28-42 days (depending on severity/length of symptoms)

100%

ZERO!!!!!

 

I see that Brassmonkey is currently re-writing the endgame taper article. Just wondering if everything I have planned here looks reasonable. Of course, I will listen to my body and if I have to hold longer or make adjustments, I will. Thank you for reading my story. Sending love and encouragement to everyone fighting a similar battle.

 

[DC33]

Has my post been lost in the shuffle? I would like to have a dialogue here as I approach the lowest doses and the biggest percentage drops.

[DataGuy]

Hello @DC33,

 

Apologies, it does seem like your post slipped through the cracks. I believe one of our most prolific moderators is taking a bit of a break, so that can leave a bit of a hole in response times. We are all volunteers, so sometimes life/withdrawal gets in the way. 

 

I am probably not the best person to discuss the endgame taper with you, since I have never actually done any structured taper myself. Perhaps another member or moderator can weigh in. I can look over your work, but just need a couple hours to get something done. I'm sorry you had such a tough time initially. It's pretty amazing that at this late date, doctors have still not caught on to the withdrawal problem. 

[Gridley]

On 9/1/2020 at 12:22 PM, DC33 said:

ust wondering if everything I have planned here looks reasonable

 

Sorry for the delay.  

 

It looks reasonable and is pretty much in line with the early draft of the Endgame Taper I read.  It's good you're leaving open the possibility of longer than a four week hold. I'm still using the scale and will finish out with it.  My last cuts, like your planned drops, get to pretty large percentages,, but I have no choice due to the limitations of the scale.  I've noticed my symptoms ramping up a bit as my percentages got up beyond 16% (my cuts are now at 50%).  If I had the luxury afforded by using the liquid, I personally would stretch it out a bit more with lower percentages.  

 

0.025 is a good jump off point. 0.012 is another consideration, depends on how you feel.

 

Depending on how I feel, I'll be cutting by 50% from 0.1 to 0.05 next week.  

 

 

[Melissa03]

@Gridley, you could use a scale all the way to 0.1 mg? Is it some special sensitive scale ?

[DC33]

@Gridley Thanks for your reply. I am definitely considering a final dose of 0.0125 mg if I struggle with the last handful of cuts. I am hoping to see the updated endgame taper article before I get to the 25%+ cuts. I still have at least 6-7 weeks before I'll be there.

 

Best of luck with your next drops. I was very comfortable with the Gemini scale for a majority of my taper and didn't want to stop using it. When I got below roughly 10 mg in weight / 1 mg active ingredient, it just wouldn't measure accurately anymore. Compounded pills were a disaster for me, which led me to liquid. Making homemade liquid was a very scary concept for me at first, but has been smooth sailing once I got the hang of it. Have you ever tried that method?

 

Can you tell me how to add a signature? Haven't been able to figure it out. I like how you listed your year end amounts. I should also note that I CT'd a LOT of different benzos/Z drugs/antidepressants/mood stabilizers between 2012-2017. Kept feeling progressively worse and didn't know why. Of course no doctor ever mentioned anything about tapering to me. Just kept throwing more drugs at me. Started Mirtazapine out of desperation because I couldn't sleep anymore and felt so awful. Then when I felt like I was ready to be drug free and off the Mirtazapine...BAM! Insane withdrawals.

[DC33]

Nevermind about the signature...just found it!

[ChessieCat]

3 hours ago, Melissa03 said:

@Gridley, you could use a scale all the way to 0.1 mg? Is it some special sensitive scale ?

 

I know BrassMonkey managed to was a very small amount with his Gemini-20 scale.

 

It is possible to weigh 4mgpw (milligram pill weight) which is 0.004g on the scale.  That is the weight of the powdered tablet.  That is not the dose amount.  Different tablets weigh different amounts and contain different doses.  You need to do a calculation to work out what the mgpw and mgai (milligram active ingredients) are for your tablets.

 

Please see this topic which explains how to calculate what dose is contained in your tablet.

 

using-a-digital-scale-to-measure-doses

[Gridley]

11 hours ago, DC33 said:

Have you ever tried that method?

It's a scary concept for me, like it used to be for you, and I haven't progressed beyond that stage.  

[DataGuy]

11 hours ago, DC33 said:

@Gridley Thanks for your reply. I am definitely considering a final dose of 0.0125 mg if I struggle with the last handful of cuts. I am hoping to see the updated endgame taper article before I get to the 25%+ cuts. I still have at least 6-7 weeks before I'll be there.

 

Best of luck with your next drops. I was very comfortable with the Gemini scale for a majority of my taper and didn't want to stop using it. When I got below roughly 10 mg in weight / 1 mg active ingredient, it just wouldn't measure accurately anymore. Compounded pills were a disaster for me, which led me to liquid. Making homemade liquid was a very scary concept for me at first, but has been smooth sailing once I got the hang of it. Have you ever tried that method?

 

Can you tell me how to add a signature? Haven't been able to figure it out. I like how you listed your year end amounts. I should also note that I CT'd a LOT of different benzos/Z drugs/antidepressants/mood stabilizers between 2012-2017. Kept feeling progressively worse and didn't know why. Of course no doctor ever mentioned anything about tapering to me. Just kept throwing more drugs at me. Started Mirtazapine out of desperation because I couldn't sleep anymore and felt so awful. Then when I felt like I was ready to be drug free and off the Mirtazapine...BAM! Insane withdrawals.

 

@DC33 this is similar to my story, except a bit inverted. I was given many sedative antidepressants to sleep - CT'd or rapid tapered off most of them - until finally landing on Mirtazapine. This I had to stop because although it was one of the only medications that helped me sleep well, I realized it was making me feel terrible. So then, with zero knowledge, had to get off that one and experienced terrible withdrawals, like you. I had very intense insomnia like I'd never had before, sleeping 1-2 hours per night and was prescribed Clonazepam to "rescue" me. I was extremely hesitant to take the Clonazepam, but as the insomnia wouldn't let up and I felt like I was losing strength and weight, I eventually took it. It helped me in that situation for sure, but the result is that I was trapped on the drug for something like 10 years and became increasingly ill because of it. My memory and concentration became worse and worse and I continued to experience stomach problems, not being able to gain weight no matter what I did, and feeling sick if I tried to eat too much. After failing many times, eventually I got off the benzo using a hellish but more reasonably paced taper (though much faster than recommended by this site), and that landed me where I am now: still experiencing substantial symptoms 2.5 years later. 

 

I have always wondered which is worse, Mirtazapine or benzo withdrawal? I suspect for those who've experienced both, whichever comes last would be worse, given equal tapers. You hear horror stories from each, though. 

[Gridley]

14 hours ago, Melissa03 said:

@Gridley, you could use a scale all the way to 0.1 mg? Is it some special sensitive scale ?

You can weigh down to 1 mg pill weight. That is the lowest the scale can weigh (not 0.1mg).  It's just the regular Gemini 20 scale. I'm able to use it down to 1mg pill weight (not active ingredient) by using the little 10 gram weight that comes with the scale.  If I want 1mg pill weight, I turn on the scale and then put the 10 gram weight on.  At that point the scale has a total weight high enough to weigh the extra 1 mg from the powder (mentally subtract 10 grams from the total). Others have had different experiences with the scale but this is what works for me.

 

To get lower than 1mg pill weight, I weigh 1 mg pill weight and eyeball it to divide it in half with a razor to get the next dose, 0.05mg pill weight.

Edited September 3, 2020 by Gridley

[DC33]

2 hours ago, DataGuy said:

 

@DC33 this is similar to my story, except a bit inverted. I was given many sedative antidepressants to sleep - CT'd or rapid tapered off most of them - until finally landing on Mirtazapine. This I had to stop because although it was one of the only medications that helped me sleep well, I realized it was making me feel terrible. So then, with zero knowledge, had to get off that one and experienced terrible withdrawals, like you. I had very intense insomnia like I'd never had before, sleeping 1-2 hours per night and was prescribed Clonazepam to "rescue" me. I was extremely hesitant to take the Clonazepam, but as the insomnia wouldn't let up and I felt like I was losing strength and weight, I eventually took it. It helped me in that situation for sure, but the result is that I was trapped on the drug for something like 10 years and became increasingly ill because of it. My memory and concentration became worse and worse and I continued to experience stomach problems, not being able to gain weight no matter what I did, and feeling sick if I tried to eat too much. After failing many times, eventually I got off the benzo using a hellish but more reasonably paced taper (though much faster than recommended by this site), and that landed me where I am now: still experiencing substantial symptoms 2.5 years later. 

 

I have always wondered which is worse, Mirtazapine or benzo withdrawal? I suspect for those who've experienced both, whichever comes last would be worse, given equal tapers. You hear horror stories from each, though. 

 

Definitely sounds like an inverted version of my story. I would say that Benzo withdrawal was scariest for me (and I think it is still a factor several years later), but Mirtazapine has been far more debilitating in terms or zapping my energy, killing my digestive system, and preventing me from living life. It's hard for me to say for sure since I CT'd so many different medications over the course of a few years and I don't know which ones caused which symptoms. I can say that I feel like things took a turn for the worse when mood stabilizers (Lamictal/Gabapentin/Trileptal) were introduced around 2015-2016.

[Colonial]

6 hours ago, DC33 said:

but Mirtazapine has been far more debilitating in terms or zapping my energy, killing my digestive system, and preventing me from living life. It's hard for me to say for sure since I CT'd so many different medications over the course of a few years and I don't know which ones caused which symptoms. I can say that I feel like things took a turn for the worse when mood stabilizers (Lamictal/Gabapentin/Trileptal) were introduced around 2015-2016.

 

Something can be said for the "straw that broke the camels back" reality.

Are my issues from this drug because it's this actual drug? Or if I had CT'd this med first in my history would I have been ok like I was with the first med?

If the first med I CT'd off of way back yonder that didn't give me an issue then, if I had CT'd off that last in the cycle would I have had a reaction then?

So many possibilities, which, I know, is frustrating and unhelpful.

 

I also CT'd off, oh, I'd say close to 10 anti depressants in a few years in my late teens early 20's.

And way back then so little way known, that even basic "known facts" were missed.

My brain zaps were actually misdiagnosed as seizures and I was sent to a neurologist who put me on Depakote for those "seizures".

 

On 9/1/2020 at 1:22 PM, DC33 said:

 I switched to compounded pills for 4 months. This had me sick the whole time and eventually I figured out that the compounding pharmacy was not making accurate doses.

 

Wow, I'm very sorry to read that.  How were You able to determine that?  Did you have them analyzed by a different pharmacy?

 

 

 

[DC33]

12 hours ago, Colonial said:

 

Something can be said for the "straw that broke the camels back" reality.

Are my issues from this drug because it's this actual drug? Or if I had CT'd this med first in my history would I have been ok like I was with the first med?

If the first med I CT'd off of way back yonder that didn't give me an issue then, if I had CT'd off that last in the cycle would I have had a reaction then?

So many possibilities, which, I know, is frustrating and unhelpful.

 

I also CT'd off, oh, I'd say close to 10 anti depressants in a few years in my late teens early 20's.

And way back then so little way known, that even basic "known facts" were missed.

My brain zaps were actually misdiagnosed as seizures and I was sent to a neurologist who put me on Depakote for those "seizures".

 

 

Wow, I'm very sorry to read that.  How were You able to determine that?  Did you have them analyzed by a different pharmacy?

 

 

 

@ColonialThe first clue was that I never stabilized on the compounded capsules in 4 months. At first I chalked it up to doing some big drops too quickly around the 1 mg mark before switching to compounded capsules and needing some time to stabilize. When time didn't help, then I starting to wonder if a brand change was the problem as the pharmacy had a stock powder that was a different brand from the pills I had been taking. My previous brand was on backorder, so they agreed to use pills I already had to pulverize and make my capsules. The agreed to do this only if I took my pill bottle home with me after each refill. They said they didn't want to be responsible for keeping up with it, which I found strange. This was an inconvenience to me as I had to drop them off every few weeks and then go back and pick up my refill and bottle of pills - doubling my pharmacy trips while sick all the time. Regardless, I agreed to do it.

 

I counted the number of pills taken from the bottle each time they did a refill. I had 7.5 mg pills and was getting 14 days of 0.37 - 0.40 mg tablets. If you do the math, one 7.5 mg pill could handle this, but they told me from the beginning that sometimes it would take an extra one to make the math work just right with the amount of filler that had to be used. No problem there. The first time or two, they used 2 pills. Then when I refilled to 0.37 mg, I didn't count the number of 7.5 mg tablets missing and took my first dose. It knocked me out COLD for 12 hours. Just like Mirtazapine does when you first start taking it at a higher dose. The next day I was in outer space. It was a feeling that I was well familiar with and started to wonder if a mistake had been made. I went to count the number of pills missing and they had used THIRTEEN! If all 13 were dispersed evenly, I took a dose of just under 7 mg. I called the pharmacy to calmly let them know what happened and they said they would look into it and get back to me. Of course they said their records all checked out and sometimes it takes an extra few pills to get it right. They even asked me what other drugs I had taken or if I had consumed alcohol - trying to find a way to transfer the blame to me. Admitting to the mistake could probably get them in trouble, so the only thing they were willing to do to make it right was remake the batch at no cost. Needless to say, all confidence in them was lost and I was forced to make the transition to homemade liquid. I wish I had done it sooner.

[Colonial]

Wow, yes, the switch to " so how much were you drinking" blame game.

Sorry to hear about that.

With 13 pills missing they probably read the math wrong and did 3.7 mgs.

 

I figured I "might" have to  pay out of pocket once to see if my pills were being compounded correctly if their was an issue.

Luckily it never got to that but I was prepared to face that possibility and if they were at fault, they would have had to reimburse me.

 

[DC33]

After a 10% drop on 8/23, I started having WD symptoms on 8/27. I've been having symptoms for 12 days straight...bad fatigue, nausea, body aches, increased anxiety, heat intolerance, and sleep disturbances. Usually after a long WD period, I will wake up one day and can tell that things have greatly improved. I really hope tomorrow is that day.

 

Given that I am having prolonged symptoms after a 10% drop at only 0.1125 mg, should I only do a 5% drop next time? I was planning on dropping 11.11% to 0.10 mg after a month and then doing my 25% - 33% - 50% - 100% endgame taper, but I feel like a long period of withdrawal would be likely, which wouldn't exactly set me up to be strong/stable for my endgame taper.

[ChessieCat]

If you sleep disturbances continue you might want to consider doing a tiny updose.

 

2 hours ago, DC33 said:

 

Given that I am having prolonged symptoms after a 10% drop at only 0.1125 mg, should I only do a 5% drop next time? I was planning on dropping 11.11% to 0.10 mg after a month and then doing my 25% - 33% - 50% - 100% endgame taper, but I feel like a long period of withdrawal would be likely, which wouldn't exactly set me up to be strong/stable for my endgame taper.

 

 

I think a good long hold now and then only 5% next time would be a good idea.  Starting from a good stable place is definitely the best thing before commencing the end game taper.  And of course once you get to the end game taper, holding as long as is needed on the new doses.

 

It can be frustrating holding for longer, especially when you are so close to the end.  I've held for an additional 5 weeks this time because I've had health issues over the last 3 months.  But in the scheme of things it's a small price to pay if I can keep my symptoms to a minimum.

[DC33]

@ChessieCat I think that is a good plan. I will hold at this current dose for a while...letting myself feel good for at least 2 weeks before trying the next 5% drop. The longer holds are definitely frustrating, but I'll get there eventually.

 

I have a question about diluting my liquid further to make smaller cuts easier to achieve. I am currently doing 15 ml water and 15 ml Ora Plus suspension...30 ml of liquid for 1 crushed 7.5 mg tablet. If I were to double the liquid to 60 ml, could that lead to a less evenly suspended medication?

[DC33]

Anyone with experience with homemade liquid who knows how far is safe to dilute for the sake of smaller drops?

[ChessieCat]

how-to-make-a-liquid-from-tablets-or-capsules

 

[Hamster]

On 9/11/2020 at 4:27 AM, DC33 said:

Anyone with experience with homemade liquid who knows how far is safe to dilute for the sake of smaller drops?

Hi,

 I am just below 1 mg active ingredient right now. I am doing this by dissolving a 15 mg Mirt Soltab in some 80 ml of water. 

Out of this suspension / solution I am taking 5 ml every day.

As 15 mg is the smallest tablet you can get here I am willing to dilute it more and more ... should not be an issue, just shake the bottle well before taking out your daily dose. 

In theory when you go down to extremely tiny doses one may end up with a significant amount being absorbed on the surface of the storage bottle.

But I do not expect this to become an issue as long as we are still in the 0.x mg range. 

 

Regards,

Hamster

[DC33]

I have reached uncharted territory in my taper. My last cut was 6.5 weeks ago and it was 10% to 0.1125 mg. I have not recovered from this drop (previous cuts are listed in this thread). Severe fatigue, high anxiety, and brain fog are my primary symptoms right now. A little bit of digestive upset, but nothing like what I have endured in the past. Last week I had a couple days where I felt good, so I tried to stay busy with light exercise, errands, and social activities. On Saturday I spent about 5 hours straight on my feet while I watched a football game. The next day I was extremely fatigued and I've felt the same way ever since. I have a circadian rhythm disorder and it seems that I have been exhibiting the symptoms of chronic fatigue throughout this taper. I don't know if it's all withdrawal or not. I am seeing an endocrinologist who is going to do some bloodwork this week. I doubt he will find anything, but I feel like I need to give it a shot.

 

I am ok with doing a much longer hold if that's what I need to do, but I am just confused because in the past WD from a 10% cut may last 2 weeks or so, but then I would start feeling better and better until my next cut. Over 6 weeks at this dose and I am suffering. Maybe raising the dose slightly would help? I hate to cancel out all the time I've spent suffering at this dose if I don't have to. I've read lots of accounts on here of needing to do much longer holds and smaller cuts near the end. I was hoping to begin my endgame taper this year and do larger cuts, but with how I feel now I can't see being ready for that anytime soon. Feeling lost and frustrated.

[DC33]

@ChessieCat @Altostrata @Gridley I am really suffering after more than 7 weeks at 0.1125 mg which was a 10% reduction. Do I need to updose? If so, how much would be appropriate? I really just need a break from feeling so awful. Fatigue, high anxiety, and brain fog are the primary symptoms. I am sleeping 7 hours at night, but not feeling refreshed.

[DC33]

I guess I am just talking to myself at this point. I did a 11.11% drop this past Sunday from 0.1125 mg to 0.10 mg. I wasn't feeling good at the time of the drop, but it had been 2 full months since my last 10% drop and I felt like I needed to keep pushing. Now I am so weak and my mind is in a very bad state. I am really not doing well. It has been 3 years since I started this taper and withdrawal hell. I have only been able to work full-time for 6 months during this period. I am struggling greatly financially and do not have health insurance. I am not married and unable to date because I am sick so often and I am very lonely. Most of my family and friends do not understand what I am dealing with whatsoever. Exercise has been one of my main tools to cope throughout this journey, but the last several months I have been too sick and weak to get regular exercise. It seems like everyone who has tapered Mirtazapine all the way to zero was able to make much larger/faster cuts at then end than I have been able to. I am losing hope. 

[Shebon]

Hi DC:

 

Do not lose hope please .....You have come so very far on this remeron merry-go-round.  And so very close to finishing!  

 

I have tapered from 3.75 mg. since 1/1/20 to currently 1.6 mg.  I am doing a revised CITA taper -- if you look at my signature.  It seemed to be going well until I hit a snag with overdosing on synthroid (thyroid med).  Some days the fatigue is bad; other days not so.  

 

Just a thought but might your fish oil, b complex, biotin, glutamine, and probiotic be revving up your CNS?  I too have tapered off the nasty benzos in 2011 and started remeron in 2013.  I could not take any supplements except magnesium and calcium, and my multi.  I log my daily moods/symptoms, which is helpful in assessing progress.  I had read that the B vitamins can be stimulating as well as fish oil and probiotics.  Anyway, just a thought -- if you can cut them out for a week and see how you feel.  

 

Hope you feel better soon.....

Best regards,

Shebon

[DC33]

@Shebon Thanks for the encouragement. I also log my daily symptoms and activities and agree it is very helpful in tracking progress.

 

That is something to consider with my supplements. The only thing that makes me think it isn't a problem is that I have been on the same regimen for a long time. Probably 2 years. I would like to take a break from them and see what happens, but anytime I miss the probiotic, my stomach gets very upset. I think my gut is so used to the daily dose of good bacteria that taking it away sort of creates probiotic withdrawal...which it the last thing we need in our situation.

 

Are you tapering with liquid? Scale? Compounded capsules?

[DC33]

I just noticed something when reviewing my daily notes from the past year. Since starting with homemade liquid (1/2 water and 1/2 Ora Plus), I have made a new batch every 4-5 days. Once or twice I accidentally went to 6 days and this caused WD symptoms. That makes sense as 4-5 days seems to be the consensus for how long to keep a batch. What I just noticed is some of my best runs of feeling good for consecutive days were around a time that I was making a new batch every 4 days. It's possible that the potency is diminished if a 5th dose is taken from a batch. I'm going to start doing 4 days max for a while and see what happens.

[Shebon]

Hi DC:

 

I tried soltab tablets, crushed and mixed with water.  I made it to the 80th day and then crashed at 3.25 mg.  Back up to 3.75 mg. on the regular 15 mg. tablets.  

I had tried crushing 15 mg. of a tablet, mixing it with maple syrup, and then oragel, and taking only out 3.75 mg.   But I crashed several times on the 14th day too.  But I was not throwing it all out at the  4-5 day mark like you are.  I think yours is a better method by far!

 

I started adding 1/2 of a daily dose into the week, then (2) 1/2s of a daily dose, until finally, the 7th week or so, I was down 50% less.  I am maintaining this method as it seems to be the best for me.  

 

Just a FYI, I read somewhere that probiotics can be problematic if an overgrowth of bacteria takes place.  Seems the good pros can be nasty too if they overtake the bacteria population.  I eat lots of apples, bananas, and nuts to go the pre-biotics route.  

 

If you have had some normal like days, that is a good sign.  I think lots of healing takes place on the way down and off.  You are sooooooo very close at 0.10 mg.  Do you feel comfortable just jumping off at this point?  

 

Best regards,

Shebon

[Gridley]

55 minutes ago, Shebon said:

Do you feel comfortable just jumping off at this point?  

We recommend going a good bit lower than 0.1.  It's good to get into the 0.00's.

 

On 10/23/2020 at 1:01 PM, DC33 said:

It seems like everyone who has tapered Mirtazapine all the way to zero was able to make much larger/faster cuts at then end than I have been able to.

We are all different.  I had some rough days after I got below 0.1.  

[DC33]

@Shebon When I was at the much higher doses I thought that 0.10 mg was virtually nothing and that jumping off when I got to this point would be an option. It is absolutely not something I would consider now given how difficult this year or tapering has been for me. I started the year at 0.35 mg and after almost 10 full months, I am down to 0.10 mg. That's how slow I've had to go this year and I've still suffered a lot. @Gridley My jumping point is either going to be 0.025 mg or 0.0125 mg, but that won't be until April 2021 at the earliest. 

 

I try to eat lots of fruits and vegetables to make sure I have plenty of prebiotics. I think I am just going to stick with the probiotic until the end of my taper. Not willing to risk upsetting my digestion or nervous system until the Mirtazapine has fully been out of my system for a while.

[ChessieCat]

11 minutes ago, DC33 said:

My jumping point is either going to be 0.025 mg or 0.0125 mg

 

When to end the taper and jump to zero?

[DC33]

I just began my "Endgame Taper" after some long holds. This drop was from 0.10 mg to 0.075 mg. I'm planning to hold for 6 weeks. This is a 25% drop and I'm trying to have a positive attitude about it, but I'm scared because at no point over the last 3+ years has a 25% drop been manageable. Oh well...I have to give this a shot if I'm ever going to make it to zero. I want my life back and I can see the finish line. Prayers/thoughts/good vibes would be much appreciated.

[Santino]

7 hours ago, DC33 said:

I just began my "Endgame Taper" after some long holds. This drop was from 0.10 mg to 0.075 mg. I'm planning to hold for 6 weeks. This is a 25% drop and I'm trying to have a positive attitude about it, but I'm scared because at no point over the last 3+ years has a 25% drop been manageable. Oh well...I have to give this a shot if I'm ever going to make it to zero. I want my life back and I can see the finish line. Prayers/thoughts/good vibes would be much appreciated.

 

HI DC....

You will make it buddy. You will be good. Just preserve sleep. If you keep sleeping well all the other things will slowly calibrate when you go off. I swear about it.

All the best

[PH1]

You got this DC33!     On October 30th I just finished a 34 month taper off of mirtazapine and am doing fine.    Slow and steady.

[marie123]

Hi DC33. You're very close. Nicely done. Longer holds at the very end will work wonders. Good luck to you. Marie.

[DC33]

Thank you, everyone.

 

@PH1 What did the last bit from 0.10 mg look like for you? How long were your holds and what dosage did you jump to zero from?