Bestill: mirtazapine and being free

[Bestill]

Good morning.  I have spent the last week stalking this website and thought how wonderful it was to have such a support system.  So here I am.  
 

As you will see, I haven’t been on mirtazapine for very long.  I was desperate at the time and needed relief like many of you have stated.  I still wasn’t feeling great when upping the dose to 11.25 mg but refused to go any higher.  
 

I started seeing a functional doctor back in Aug and it turns out, I have an over active thyroid which has pooped out my adrenals.  So here begins the healing process.  I was put on wholefood supplements.  Meaning, each ingredient has come from a whole food source. I have been off refined sugar, junk food for 3 and half months.  The withdrawals from that was fun!

 

I have been feeling better, ups and downs but I felt like I needed to be off mirtazapine in order to heal properly.  If that makes sense.

 

Knowing to decrease slowly I thought that 16% would be a good start.  Nope.  Within 4 days I went into withdrawals.  Anxiety through the roof, nauseous and upset stomach.  I immediately took my original dose and have been doing that for 6 days.  I am still not 100% and I just feel exhausted, sick to my stomach in the mornings.  It comes and goes.  Appetite way down and little waves of anxiety.

 

I am looking for support during my process.  My husband is sweet but hearing “it will get better soon” is not helpful.  I practice mindful meditation, yoga, journaling.  My head is in the right space, but my body is rebellious.  
 

Can is take longer than a week for your body to build up to the dose you reinstated?  I’m assuming so as every body is different but it just feels nice to hear it.

 

To conclude this novel. Once I stabilize, my functional doctor will guide me with a taper where we will start at 2.5%.  I’m thinking after the holidays so my body has time to be still.

 

Any advice will be great.  I would also like to journal my way through this here in hopes to help not only myself but others as well.

[Kiasofia]

Welcome @Bestill

So glad you found us! Are you currently taking 11.25mg mirtazapane? How long have you been taking it? Do you take any other medications or supplements?

 

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.

 

Here are some links that may be useful. Perhaps you have read some of them already?

 

Tips for tapering off mirtazapine (Remeron)

 

Preparing to taper

 

NEVER SKIP DOSES TO TAPER

 

What is withdrawal syndrome?
 
About reinstating and stabilizing to reduce withdrawal symptoms
 
The Windows and Waves Pattern of Stabilization

 

On 11/4/2021 at 1:30 PM, Bestill said:

Can is take longer than a week for your body to build up to the dose you reinstated?

It depends on the drug, but usually at least a week. And it can take a few weeks to notice an improvement.

 

It sounds like your functional doctor has a good understanding of a slow taper. One thing to be aware of is to calculate the percentage of reductions based on your current dose, not original dose:

Why taper by 10% of my dosage?

 

Some find making frequent smaller cuts is easier than larger cuts on a monthly basis:

Micro-taper instead of 10% or 5% decreases

The Brassmonkey Slide Method of Micro-tapering

 

We really appreciate journaling your journey in this thread and are here to support you!

[Bestill]

@KiasofiaHi there.  I have been on 11.25 a little over 4 months.  Only medication I take beside my supplements.

 

I am feeling better beside feeling more tired.  Probably since my body was on over drive 5 days ago.  I am still having shortness of breath which I typically have but anxiety makes it worse. Also tight chest and throat sensations, like lump in my throat.  A little bit of itching and the tingles in my arms mostly, sometimes the legs.  I’m so used to that though.  My upper back is super sore and almost burns sometimes.  Magnesium cream helps with that and heating pad.  Appetite is slowing come back as well.  Hit or miss.  Drinking lots!

 

My functional doctor is the best and I have improved more in the few month under her care.  I want to be off the antidepressant because, well, I don’t need it.

 

Understanding  the long process this will be.  I welcome this “adventure”.  
 

 

[Kiasofia]

57 minutes ago, Bestill said:

I welcome this “adventure”.

Great attitude🙂

 

We advise people to be careful with supplements. Tapering a psychiatric drug makes the central nervous system (CNS) more sensitive and one might have a negative reaction. You can read more in this thread. The exception is magnesium and fish oil which many find helpful. I'm glad magnesium cream a long with a heating pad is helpful for you.

 

As there are common misconceptions about how these drugs work I found this post helpful to understand what is going on: How Psychiatric Drugs Remodel Your Brain

 

Here is an overview of our topics relating to symptoms  I can relate to the lump in the throat feeling. Hopefully it will settle down once you adjust to 11.25mg.

 

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

[Bestill]

Thank you!  Will see how the supplements deal when tapering.  I have been on them over 3 months with great success.  Not one side effect on any of them and I always have side effects on supplements.  Usually bad anxiety.  This doesn’t mean they won’t appear.  I have a very sensitive body, so it will let me know! 
 

I appreciate all of this great info and will stay up to date on changes being made!

[Bestill]

Is it normal to have swollen glands when you are on an antidepressant or tapering.  I noticed it about a month ago and it has gotten worse when I tappered

[Bestill]

It is November 8th and my body is feeling much better since a week ago with the 16% taper.  I will have moments of feeling blah but it passes.  I still have sore back muscles and the feeling of something in my throat.  This makes me have air hunger where I can’t get a deep breath.  Trying to just let my body figure everything out and giving myself the space to rest, move, laugh, cry.  I had some energy work done over the weekend which can always stimulate things and release those nasty toxins.  Trying to just focus on today and not worrying about what tomorrow will bring.  ❤️

[marie123]

Hello Bestill and welcome to the board. You are in the right place for support. A lot of us here are tapering off of Mirtazapine. The lump in the throat, swollen glands, muscle aches, burning back, tingles, etc. are all from Mirt withdrawal. You are right to go slow at 2.5% when you start again. I would do that amount every two weeks for a bit and see how you feel (5% per month). I would read everything on the forum relating to Mirtazapine including the success stories while you wait to stabilize. Good luck. Marie.

[Bestill]

@marie123 That taper you suggested was my thoughts exactly.  Start low and slow and go from there.  Thanks for popping in!!  It’s nice to have support from someone who is experiencing the same antidepressant.  

[Kiasofia]

Thanks for updating @Bestill

I'm glad things seem to be going the right way and that @marie123 can share her mirtazapine tapering advise and experience😊

[Bestill]

 @marie123 do you feeling like you are really minimizing your WD symptoms with the 5% taper.  I just don’t ever want to feel like I did last week.  I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

Edited November 9, 2021 by Kiasofia
fixed tag

[marie123]

Yes I was tapering larger amounts than the 5%. It was probably about 10% monthly. I find with the lower cutting I am feeling significantly better, but not completely free of withdrawal stuff. Today I walked around the mall for almost 3 hours starting early holiday shopping. In the past I would not have any energy or motivation to get out of the house. It could be also that my dose is getting lower. Always though during my three tapers if I cut too much or too fast I would get an array of symptoms. I guess I got smart or learned my lesson. You can get an idea of the withdrawal from Mirt by reading introductions from others. Some can go faster and others get in trouble. Be careful with the taper though. Sometimes you can feel good after a cut but several cuts can add up quickly and really slam you. It's better just to stick to slow careful taper to avoid that and just keep going. Sometimes it's hard to have that patience, but it's something we have to do. Be well. Marie.

[Bestill]

Ah yes, energy.  Can’t wait for that come back.   I used to be go go go, which got me to where I am now.  Learning to slow down but I do feel like Mirtazapine has sucked a lot of energy.  Good days and bad.  Thanks for letting me know @marie123 about your experience.  Part of me wants to start sooner than later but the other part of me is like wait until after the holidays so you don’t have any sketchy moments.  🤷‍♀️

[Bestill]

Tonight I begin my taper.  I am going with the brassmonkey method as I feel it will be a good place to start and see how sensitive I am.  I am using a jewelry scale and seems to work pretty well.  Starting dose is 11.25 mg and decreasing by 2.5% for the first week.

Will report when it comes to my next drop and if I experienced anything out of the ordinary.  ❤️
 

side note: it has been a little over 6 months since I have been on Mirtazapine.

[Kiasofia]

Thank you for updating and best wishes for a smooth taper❤️

[Bestill]

It’s been 1 week since my first decrease.  I really didn’t feel withdrawals until night 4.  Only hits in the evenings with feeling a little off during the day but not enough to knock me off my socks.  I continued my life as normal.  Today I feel it a little more during the day but it comes and goes.  I have actually tapered down a little bit more than a percent and continue to taper this next week little by little so it ends up being the 2.5%. (so the 1% plus the 2.5%)  Will hold until I feel stable.

 

I will also note that my body has gone through a lot in the last month as I have made some huge dietary changes of giving up gluten, dairy, soy and corn.  I have been refined sugar free for almost 5 months.  I am over a month into gluten free and over 2 weeks with everything else.  So I am not dismissing the fact that my body is still getting acclimated.  It was pretty much the same withdrawals I am having to mirt.

 

With that said, withdrawals are the following:

air hunger- this is the worse symptom but I’m handling it.

nausea- comes and goes

sleep was disturbed a little bit better last night.

I feel run down like flu-like symptoms 

swollen glands 

minor anxiety that comes and goes

Muscle pain- primarily upper back between the shoulder blades 

 

I practice yoga everyday.  If anyone is looking for something in that department, I recommend inner dimension tv.  They have an app and you pay monthly.  They have everything from restorative, take a nap yoga to power yoga kick my butt.  I find mediation videos on YouTube.  I look for things like positive affirmations for healing to balancing of chakras.  I do this daily as well.  I also work on art projects to keep me busy.

 

 

 

 

[marie123]

Hi Bestill. It looks like you are doing well with your taper. I used to do yoga almost every day. It was the best I've felt in my life. I'm not ready to start it again until I reach a point where I feel a bit better/healthier/motivated. I'm still feeling a bit sick from the virus but hanging in there. Don't try to change to many things when tapering, like adding a bunch of supplements, too much exercising, etc. Keep things nice and calm. Marie.

[Bestill]

Ahh, I saw that you were sick.  I really hope you begin to heal.  Bone broth is very healing.  If you can stomach it plain.  Sending you positive energy.  

 

I actually took a bunch of supplements out and calm is my middle name.  I am a mom of two so I make sure I save my energy for them.  
 

felt a little more withdrawals today but I continue as usual.  Still tapering down the full 2.5% and will hold.  Should be there Friday night!

[Faure]

Hi, thanks for your message on my thread. As you can see the Brassmonkey slide suits me very well. At first I found weeks 3,4,5 got a bit harder (nothing that disrupted my life, just more tired and not quite so happy) but now, month 7, week 3 has been the easiest so far. Not sure what next week will be like with totm, week 4 and a couple of new work things. But I'm getting much better at remembering things pass!

 

I really relate to the energy problem. It has been such a problem for me that past 2 years. It's good to do this together🙂

[Bestill]

I love having support for others who understand. It makes the process so much easier.  Keep in touch!

[Bestill]

Today I am struggling.  The emotions of feeling down, the air hunger.  The feeling of something in my throat so then I freak out more which doesn’t help.  Trying to relax my body as much as possible but my body having other plans.  I finally just cried as I take crying as your body wanting a release.  
 

Somedays I just can’t be tough and full of positive energy.  Today I am sad and exhausted.  
 

i will definitely be holding for another week and few days.  I’m looking for a couple of good days.  I haven’t seen any for almost three months with all of the healing that is taking place from diet change, tapering and still balancing out the thyroid.  
 

Feels good to let this out for others to see and understand.

 

Bestill

[Gigi68]

Hello Bestill, I am also tapering Mirtazapine. It's always nice to find others who are tapering the same drug. I'm sorry you are having a tough day. Just know that it is temporary! One of the side effects I have had since first starting Mirtazapine is the lump in the throat thing (called globes sensation). As I have tapered over the past 11 months, it has gotten better. It's not gone but it's better. Seeing the horrible side effects vanish or at least improve has given me lots of hope as I've tapered. It keeps me going. 

 

Good for you for doing yoga and art projects. I have found that keeping very busy is really helpful. I try to get some really good exercise every day. I guess for most people hard exercise is a no go, but for me a good mountain bike ride, a hike with friends or some weight lifting are important. I have also taken up watercolor painting. I never thought I would do something like that, but I have really enjoyed it. 

 

Hope you get a good restful sleep tonight and feel better tomorrow!

Gigi

[Bestill]

@Gigi68your words are so encouraging and came at the right time.  I am looking forward to feeling better as I continue the decrease.  
 

we love to water color in our house.  My daughter just asked for water color pens for her birthday so I’m excited to try those out myself.

 

I used to work out a ton.  Probably one of the reasons why my body pooped out on me.  I practice yin yoga 4 days a week and started with 30 min power yoga 3 days a week.  Sometimes it changes based on my energy levels.  I love restorative yoga!

 

Again, thank you so much for you reply and I wish you nothing but the best as you continue on this “adventure” as well.

 

Bestill

[Bestill]

Just a quick question for anyone who would like to answer.  When you started your tapering, did you feel better before you decreased more or did you feel like a constant “not so great” until you got lower in your dosage.

 

I am definitely feeling more withdrawal from the last drop and want to see some light at the end of the tunnel.  As I know everyone is different, I always love to hear other people’s experiences.  I guess I just have the it’s never gonna get better feeling right now.

 

thanks

 

cal

[Gigi68]

At the beginning of my taper 11 months ago, I was so incredibly ill on 7.5mg of mirt. I had an incredible number of horrible side effects. As I tapered down, I continued to feel mostly awful but it was generally the same degree of awfulness. However, very very slowly over this past year I began to feel much better. Many of the side effects are now gone. I have noticed in the past month or two, that I have much less anxiety.  When I think back to where I was a year ago, I see now I am in a much better place. It really hasn't been easy though to know when it's time to drop again. Sometimes, I just decided to drop because I didn't feel any worse. I tried doing lots of small drops and holding for one to three weeks, but I began to feel like I was always having to drop again. My last several cuts have been 6% and held for a month or 5 weeks. I think this suits me well for now. I've had some WD symptoms show up during the 3rd or 4th week so I think it's good I've held longer. Don't know if this helps. It all feels a lot like trial and error to me. Are you feeling any better?

[Bestill]

This is very helpful.  Yesterday was rough and a little better today.  I just try to relax when I can and keep telling myself it will pass.  Once I see a pattern, I will chill out more.  For now, I am holding to see if there is any positive change.  If not, I will cut a little more.  
 

the air hunger is my biggest issue and I think it’s a side effect and gets worse with the tapering or if my anxiety is heightened. If that was gone, I would handle it much better.  Yesterday I was gasping to take a deep breath.  I feel like I have the flu as well which makes me a little apprehensive since I work at an elementary school and Covid is having a party up in there with the omicron.  I tested today and was negative but I’m having the congestion and today had chest pains.  I just need to chill.  I have the next 4 days off and acupuncture tomorrow.  The cool thing is, anytime I meditate, do restorative yoga, or listen to positive affirmations, I feel ok.  So I do that throughout the day, often.

 

I appreciate you checking in and giving feedback.  It is good to hear and I know that everything I am experiencing is part of the process.  It’s just not a fun one.

[Bestill]

Update:  I slept like Pooh last night and went to acupuncture and felt worse anxiety before and during, so I cut it short.  Then it dawned on me.  My period is due in 4 days, give or take.  I’m already having hormonal issues so Im prob having a worse time because I usually get anxiety and over all feeling like I got hit by a bus.  This has been going on for 5 days.  I may have to do a cut after the period.  I also noticed period symptoms showed up when ovulation started when I did my first cut 2 1/2 weeks ago.  Perhaps I do a bigger cut after the period and hold until my next period is done.  I find this quite interesting, very uncomfortable is an understatement  but I’m definitely learning.  

[Bestill]

Period started…. Boy, it’s been a doozy!!  I was up all night feeling sick.  Had a little panic attack.  Haven’t had one of those in a very long time.  But now things can calm down hopefully.  Will hold until next week making it a 3 week hold.

 

I did have some windows the past 3 days where it kind of goes down hill as the day progresses.  With the hormones out of control, the sleep wasn’t great. But, there were moments of feeling ok.  I will take that.  
 

I notice that if I do too much, I feel wiped out easier which is funny because  I don’t even think I’m doing a lot, but apparently my body lets me know differently.

 

Air hunger and back pain is holding on strong.

 

 

[Bestill]

Tonight I will decrease another 2.5%. This will take my dose to 10.52.  I don’t feel any worse and actually had a better than ok day yesterday.  Today is not so great.  I just keep telling myself that my body is working hard to heal.

[kate1385]

How are you getting on with your decrease @Bestill? I hope things are going ok for you. 

Sending you warm thoughts 

[Bestill]

@kate1385This past week was a lot better than the previous.  Even had some times of feeling normal.  Getting ready for another 2.5% decrease tonight.  
 

I still didn’t go without withdrawals but I pushed through.  Rested when needed but still able to be a mom and wife as well as work.  Mood is up and I actually didn’t cry at all.  I think my cycle had a lot to do with my emotions in the previous weeks.

 

Sleep and appetite have been great so far.

 

Hoping for good things this week.  Thanks for checking in!

 

bestill

[Chlo]

Hello sweetheart @Bestill

I will Include you in my prayers for a smooth week. May your symptoms be gentle on you❤ What is the Calm5 that you take?

[Bestill]

@chlo.  The calm five is a flower compound that helps with anxiety or if my mind is racing.  I know everyone is very careful with using anything while tapering but I was using it before I started my taper and it’s been very helpful when the anxiety or air hunger really creeps up.

 

thank you for your kind words and I love being in anyone’s prayers so I appreciate it.

 

bestill

[Chlo]

@BestillYour most welcome! I may order some later in my taper when I'm more stable. I have a homeopathic medicine called Gelsemium sempervirens that's used for Anxiety and stage fright, but I haven't tried it yet. I'm just sticking with the basic supplements for now and Altos advice. Wishing you a wonderful day, Hugs!

[Bestill]

Day 4 into my 2nd cycle.  Feeling it more this week than last week.

 

Mostly, air hunger, swollen glands and trouble swallowing.  This leads to a little bit of panic.  Trying to tell myself it’s just withdrawal and I’m winning.  I am more tired this week as well.  

 

This too shall pass.
 

[Chlo]

@Bestill Bless you🤍 It is hard to remind ourselves that these are just withdrawal symptoms, but we are safe in the arms of Jesus and this will pass. 

(Hugs)