heron1967: tapering mirtazapine

[heron1967]

Hello All,

I only just joined. I've very recently discovered that I'm getting severe withdrawals from the Mirtazapine I've been trying to stop for the last couple months.

I took 45mg for about a year in around 2005 and didn't seem to have any problem tapering it over a few weeks that time (age 38). But now aged 54 I've been on 15mg since August 2021 and am struggling to reduce it. I went briefly up to 30mg for 4 weeks and cut it back to 15mg in November 2021 with no particular problems I was aware of at the time, beyond my usual fluctuating sleep and anxiety (which have not been helped by Mirtazapine apart from the first 3 or 4 weeks, after which the benefits wore off).

 

I've then twice tried to reduce the drug in the last 2 months, before discovering from reading around that I was going too fast. The first time I reduced by a quarter, but after a week my sleep worsened, and I had unpleasant flushes and much worse anxiety. The second time, I reduced by one eighth (pill cutting, but a bit inaccurate I think) and the same thing happened after a week. It resolved when I took 15mg again. One of the problems is that when I don't sleep my existing anxiety and mood problems re-emerge, so I get a horrible combination of withdrawal plus my existing cyclical anxiety and self-criticism and poor sleep. A vicious cycle. I was also struggling to work due to poor concentration. It improved again when back on 15mg.

 

I have just persuaded the GP to prescribe Mirtazapine liquid this time, but they were reluctant! I am wondering how to start the tapering, and would value advice on this. Given that I had a bad reaction to reducing by 1/8 very recently, I wonder if starting with a 10% reduction will still be too fast for me and I should go slower - maybe 5% and see how it goes?

[Altostrata]

Welcome, @heron1967

 

On 2/23/2022 at 2:54 AM, heron1967 said:

Given that I had a bad reaction to reducing by 1/8 very recently, I wonder if starting with a 10% reduction will still be too fast for me and I should go slower - maybe 5% and see how it goes?

 

Slower tapering might be better for you. But first, it seems you've had a bad few rounds. Do you feel any effects from the mirtazapine? Are you taking any other drugs?

 

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