Mirtazapain: introduction - my mirtazapine taper

[Mirtazapain]

Thanks @getofflexfor these links. I found the posts about drug interactions particularly interesting (and frankly, frightening). 

 

It's been 10 days since I stopped the trazodone and I have felt better and better each day. Some mild anxiety and occasional mood drops but no more shaking; thank goodness. The past six days I've actually felt 'normal.' Whatever that means! 

 

I will hold here at 6.75 mg for 2 more weeks and then taper to 6.55 mg, a 3% drop. 

 

Thanks everyone! 

[getofflex]

9 hours ago, Mirtazapain said:

t's been 10 days since I stopped the trazodone and I have felt better and better each day. Some mild anxiety and occasional mood drops but no more shaking; thank goodness. The past six days I've actually felt 'normal.' Whatever that means! 

I'm very glad to hear this.  Trazodone is a dirty drug, meaning that it doesn't do what it was originally intended to do (treat depression), and is now used for it's side effect of causing drowsiness, and has a hangover effect the next day.  It has a nasty metabolite, and bad interactions with lots of other drugs. 

 

9 hours ago, Mirtazapain said:

I will hold here at 6.75 mg for 2 more weeks and then taper to 6.55 mg, a 3% drop. 

Sounds like a solid plan.  Listen to your body, and make sure you are not in a wave at this time.

[Mirtazapain]

On 4/21/2022 at 5:40 AM, getofflex said:

It has a nasty metabolite

I've been reading about trazodone, its metabolite M-CPP and its nasty side effects. Yikes. Doctors seem to hand out trazodone like candy without any kind of warning. I was prescribed it for sleep.

 

This is why I started my taper with mirtazapine. I thought, AD first, sleep meds second. That made sense until one of the meds I was taking for sleep (trazodone) reacted badly with the mirtazapine during my cut from 7.5 to 6.75 mg.

 

No one told me that serotonin syndrome was a rare but possible risk when trazodone is combined with other ADs like mirtazapine. Especially when up- or down-dosing. No one until altostrata, that is. 

 

So, I had to CT the trazodone. Any kind of slow trazodone taper would likely have continued to make me very ill because of the way trazodone and mirtazapine react in my body. It was a horrible experience, one I hope to nevet repeat. 

 

It's now 16 days since I ct'd the trazodone. At first, all I noticed was relief that I was no longer nauseous, sweating profusely, and shaking uncontrollably. I felt really good for a few days. But now I am noticing some WD symptoms, presumably from stopping the trazodone: insomnia, low-grade anxiety, headache and fatigue. 

 

I have been feeling frustrated about the fact that my mirtazapine taper has stalled out. Then I realized that in the past 6 weeks I've cut my mirtazapine by 10%, suffered through 2 weeks of serotonin syndrome, ct'd trazodone, and now have trazodone WD. That's rather a lot. 

 

So, no more beating myself up for going 'slowly.' I'll continue to hold at 6.75 mg of mirtazapine as long as needed. I have hammered my nervous system quite a bit. It needs to repair itself. And that will take time. 

 

Onwards! 

[Gigi68]

You are certainly getting an education in drug interactions, WD and tapering! Hope things settle down for you soon.

[marie123]

You're doing the right thing by holding the Mirt dose. I also had the unfortunate experience of trazodone while also taking Mirt. I found out the interaction between the drugs but was on the traz for some years and had to do a really slow taper. Remember with Mirt you are more in control of your taper and it's withdrawal effects if you go slowly. Be well. Marie.

[getofflex]

On 4/24/2022 at 4:38 PM, Mirtazapain said:

I have been feeling frustrated about the fact that my mirtazapine taper has stalled out. Then I realized that in the past 6 weeks I've cut my mirtazapine by 10%, suffered through 2 weeks of serotonin syndrome, ct'd trazodone, and now have trazodone WD. That's rather a lot. 

 

So, no more beating myself up for going 'slowly.' I'll continue to hold at 6.75 mg of mirtazapine as long as needed. I have hammered my nervous system quite a bit. It needs to repair itself. And that will take time. 

This is perfect.  I can see that you really get it now about how to taper this drugs.  I completely agree, a nice long hold to give your nervous system a break is what you need.  Listen to your body.  It will tell you when you are stable, and ready to resume tapering.  Great job, keep up the good work.  I've been working on my Lexapro taper for 4.5 years, and I'm glad I have. 

[Mirtazapain]

I'm one month post-CT from trazodone. It took about 3 weeks to stabilize after my bout with serotonin syndrome (and ct'ing the trazodone). Even my sleep is better. Not great but better. My main lingering symptoms are tinnitus (mild) and intermittent ear worm (same song, going on 6 weeks 🙄). 

 

I am going to hold steady at 6.75 mg of mirtazapine for another two months. I could probably drop now but my husband and I are going away for 3 weeks at the end of the month and I just want some normal. Maybe even a glass of wine? Madness, I know! 

 

Thanks for all your support and help getting through the last two months. There were a few really grim weeks in there. 

 

[Faure]

21 minutes ago, Mirtazapain said:

Maybe even a glass of wine?

Watch out, alcohol is well known to cause instability to an already sensitised nervous system.  Even a year after stopping all meds I’ve read people get derailed by it….probably not worth the risk! 

[Gigi68]

Glad to hear you have stabilized. I think you are smart to hold for a couple of months. After I stabilize, it seems my sleep improves a lot and I really enjoy that sleep time until the next drop. 
 

Have a wonderful trip! I’d skip the wine though. 

[getofflex]

23 hours ago, Mirtazapain said:

I am going to hold steady at 6.75 mg of mirtazapine for another two months. I could probably drop now but my husband and I are going away for 3 weeks at the end of the month and I just want some normal. Maybe even a glass of wine? Madness, I know! 

Yes, great idea to hold.  Your nervous system will love you for it.  

 

About the alcohol, what Faure says.  Don't do it, not worth it.  A few hours of pleasure for days or weeks of worse WD symtpoms is a distinct possibility.  Any mind altering substance tends to further destabilize and confuse a fragile nervous system in WD. 

 

 

[Mirtazapain]

I'm 10 weeks into my drop from 7.5 mg and 5 weeks into ct'ing from 12.5 mg trazodone for sleep (because of scary serotonin syndrome reaction). I've had some really good days in there but entered a wave a few days ago: pretty intense anxiety, tinnitus, and ear worm. I hadn't planned on dropping again for another 6 weeks. 

 

Mirtazapine is a potent antihistamine, so I am on a low histamine diet to hopefully counteract the extra histamine burden. I walk every day and practice meditation twice a day. I also have weekly acupuncture sessions to help my nervous system. 

 

Today I'm feeling scared. If I am struggling this much after 10 weeks, how will I ever manage to get off this medication? 

 

It helped me so much, I was very happy and stable on 7.5 mg, but the weight gain and massive cholesterol spike is what prompted me to start my taper. Now I feel miserable, and I have only dropped 10%.

 

I don't know what to do. Go back up? Perservere? This just doesn't feel like a way to live. 

 

Thanks for listening. 

[Ariel]

Hi @Mirtazapain

I'm sorry you're in a wave. 

 

5 minutes ago, Mirtazapain said:

I am on a low histamine diet to hopefully counteract the extra histamine burden. I walk every day and practice meditation twice a day. I also have weekly acupuncture sessions to help my nervous system. 

 

This is great! You are being proactive and taking really good care of yourself. This is so supportive to your healing -- and healing is happening all the time, even when we don't consciously feel it. Even in a wave!

 

6 minutes ago, Mirtazapain said:

Today I'm feeling scared.

 

It's okay to feel scared.

Something to keep in mind might be that fear is one of the big withdrawal neuro-emotions. It's very tricky to do -- and I don't always manage -- but I try my best to practice taking a step back from the fear and letting it just hang out on its own while I go do something else. This is related to "change the channel", distract, acceptance, all those great non-drug coping techniques for dealing with emotional spirals and neuro-emotions. (I'm guessing you're already familiar with those SA help topics.)

 

I find it encouraging that you have really good, healthy habits and are navigating this process mindfully. You're doing a great job! I trust that your hard work is paying off. 

I'm sorry it's rough going right now. Hang in there. This too shall pass, and it will get better. Healing is happening all the time!

 

In solidarity and patience <3

A.

 

 

[Gigi68]

Good morning,

I’m sorry you are having such a struggle. It is scary to think about how long this is going to take especially when feeling badly. When I first started tapering off I was so scared too. I was so ill I thought how will I ever be able to do this? But it does get easier as you get lower.
 

The drug is making you have doubts about yourself. It’s a good sign that you’ve had some nice windows. I would continue to hold a while longer. In my opinion going up is not a good idea. It may not work, you will regret it and it will just take you even longer to get off. You are also probably still having symptoms from quitting trazodone. 
 

Sending you a big hug!
 

 

[Mirtazapain]

Thank you @Arieland @Gigi68, it means a lot to get feedback, especially from a couple of taper warriors like yourselves. It helped, Gigi68, to know that you also had a rough start to your own withdrawal process, but that you were able to stabilize and continue. My life has felt so disrupted these past couple of months. The idea of spending many more years in this withdrawal limbo has me demoralized. 

 

Yes, I am sure that this taper was significantly derailed by my concurrent (but medically necessary) trazodone ct. How frustrating! 

 

I am impatient to stabilize so I can continue my taper journey. But of course, my body has its own wisdom and it own timeline. 

 

Thank you again 💜

 

 

 

 

 

[Mirtazapain]

I've been thinking a lot about what I've gone through these past almost 3 months and I think I have a better understanding about why this taper from 7.5 - 6.75 mg has been so freaking hard. 

 

First, I tapered from 7.5 mg to 6.75 mg and developed a paradoxical reaction to the 12.5 mg of trazodone I had also been taking, every 2nd night for sleep.  Though not officially diagnosed, all of the symptoms pointed to serotonin syndrome.  And because the shaking, nausea, sweating, diarrhea etc stopped as soon as I stopped taking the trazodone, I can just assume that the two meds were toxic for me.

 

But then intense withdrawal kicked in.

 

What I think is happening is that trazodone and mirtazapine have similar modes of action.  They both have very high affinity for 5-HT2 and H1 receptors (among others).  So, my 12.5 mg of trazodone was effectively "topping up" my mirtazapine dose.  In a sense, my receptors were about 95% occupied because of the combination of these two drugs.  When I made my first mirtazapine cut I went down 10%, but when I ct'd the trazodone one month later, it was as if I took another 30%-40% cut to the overall dose of medication reaching my H1 and 5HT2-2.  In other words, I unintentionally did what you aren't supposed to do: I cut too much, too fast.  

 

No wonder I have a combo of morning adrenaline surges, DP/DR, ear worm, tinnitus and anxiety.  My poor brain has taken a beathing.

 

I can't add back the trazodone because of the bad reaction.  I suppose I could up-dose my mirtazapine (perhaps to 7 mg?), or I can continue to grind it out.  I helps to know that I am in a pretty intense wave caused by this rather massive drop.  This too shall pass. I will hold at 6.75 mg until things plateau.  One day...

 

The doctors have always told me that trazodone was for sleep, mirtazapine was for depression.  Turns out I was taking what amounts to two very similar medications.  Both at the "lowest" doses, but as we all know, the lowest does IS the dose.  The lowest dose is where most of the efficacy is.

 

 

[Mirtazapine20mg]

It is extraordinary impressive how much neurobiology mirtazapine suvivers have to learn. I am fighting Mirtazapine too and to me your hypothesis sounds completely plausible. It is hell of drug to get off. Im impressed by your cool rational state of mind in the midst of a Mirtazapine taper. Keep up the good work :-). 

[Mirtazapain]

Thanks for your kind words, @Mirtazapine20mg.  Yes, I practically have a PhD in pharmacology and neurobiology by now!  One of the things that helps me is trying to understand what is happening. Knowing that I complicated my mirtazapine withdrawal by having to ct off trazodone helps me to be a bit more patient with myself.  I really gave my brain a beating these past 3 months: drop mirtazapine 10%, serotonin syndrome, ct trazodone, and now more withdrawal.  One day at a time.  Sigh. I hope you are doing well. 

[Mirtazapain]

I thought I would post an update as its been over a month since I last wrote.

 

I am now four months from my drop from 7.5 mg to 6.75 mg.  This precipitated a three week bout of serotonin syndrome because the 12.5 mg of trazodone I had been taking every 2nd night for 3 years could no longer be combined with mirtazapine. I ct'd the trazodone on April 9, 2022, so it's been almost 3 months since I've been off the trazodone. I've read some members' posts about coming off trazodone and it looks like ct'ing off 12.5 mg was a huge drop.  Sadly, I could not taper off the trazodone more slowly as it made me so sick.

 

I felt great for the first few weeks after coming off the trazodone, but in mid May, about a month after ct'ing the trazodone, I dropped into a wave that lasted quite awhile - almost 3 weeks.  My symptoms were mostly low mood, anxiety, agitation, ear worm, tinnitus, brain fog, fatigue, headache, with some DP/DR thrown in now and again.  Then I had about three pretty good weeks.  Very few symptoms, mostly mild ear worm and tinnitus (which I interpret as an indication that my brain is still dysregulated).

 

A few days ago I was feeling good so I decided to have a small gin cocktail - my first in ages - and the next day I was able to have a coffee (half-caff).  I also added whey isolate to my morning smoothie as whey can help lower cholesterol.  (High cholesterol is a side effect of mirtazapine and why I am tapering off in the first place.) A couple of days later I dropped into another wave, which is where I've been for the past couple of days.  Poor sleep, adrenaline surges in the morning, and a new symptom: phantosmia.  Which is to say, I smell burning and smoke and nothing is on fire. I wonder if I did this to myself with the alcohol, coffee, and whey protein - i.e., if I triggered a histamine reaction of some sort.  

 

The 10% drop + serotonin syndrome + trazodone ct must have hammered my nervous system more than I thought.

 

I am frustrated because I really hoped that I would be able to think about making another mirtazapine drop soon.  I guess I will have to hold for a few more weeks.  I have a pretty busy July and August so I guess I'll wait until at least mid-August.  I will make a small 3% cut to 6.55 mg. 

 

Do I need to wait until all my symptoms are gone?  I admit to being very nervous about kindling if I drop while I still have symptoms.  If I am still getting windows and waves, even this far out, do I need to wait until I have no more waves before I make another cut?

 

Thanks for your input and help and thanks for listening.

 

 

 

  

[Mirtazapain]

Hello!

 

I thought I'd post an update.

 

After a really horrible spring, during which time I dropped 10% from 7.5 to 6.75, developed serotonin syndrome with trazodone, ct'd trazodone, endured 5 1/2 months of horrible wd symptoms, I eventually stabilized. Honestly, I never thought I would, but I did! 😊

 

Since late August I've been able to make four small dose reductions: 6.55 (3%), 6.375 (3%), 6.12 (4%), 5.83 mg (4.5%). I'm hoping to eventually be able to drop by 6% / month. 

 

I find that since the horrible symptoms I experienced in the spring (nausea, shaking, agitation, anxiety, tremor, insomnia, palpitations, blood pressure spikes, to name a few), my wd pattern is more manageable and more predictable. At about day 7 or 8 into a drop I experience mild agitation, a mood dip, broken sleep, and rumination. This lasts about a week and then I stabilize pretty much. By day 24 or 28 I am ready to drop again. 

 

I just dropped to 5.83 mg last night, so we'll see if this pattern holds. Mostly I am just happy to be able to taper without too much disruption to my life. 

 

I hope everyone is doing okay. 

[Hibari]

Hi,

 

I saw your post and wanted to connect. 

 

I too cold turkeyed off of Trazadone but at a much higher dose. I was on between 50-100mgs for a month and was switched over to Remeron 7.5mgs ( which is not helping me sleep).  I am now on a little less than a milligram of Trazdone to stabilize per Alto's suggestion. I'm also in a setback after being healed for 17 months. 

 

I'm wanted to know if you had burning skin with your Trazadone ct? Its been about 25 days off and I have burning skin and sweating at night.  How long would you say it took to feel better from the CT? I know we are all different but I'm just curious. 

 

Congratulations on getting lower on your Mirtazapine taper. 

 

 

[Mirtazapain]

5 hours ago, Hibari said:

 

I'm wanted to know if you had burning skin with your Trazadone ct? Its been about 25 days off and I have burning skin and sweating at night.  How long would you say it took to feel better from the CT? I know we are all different but I'm just curious. 

Hi @Hibari,

Thanks for reaching out to me. To answer your question, I did not have burning skin sensation when I ct'd the trazodone. 

 

My symptoms basically fell into 2 stages. The first was the serotonin syndrome itself, which lasted 3 weeks (until we figured out what the feck was going on). Those symptoms were uncontrolled shaking, blood pressure spike, palpitations, severe agitation, sweating, tremor, insomnia and fever. These symptoms stopped as soon as I stopped the trazodone. 

 

Then, about 3 weeks later I entered the second stage. This was a deep wave that I attribute to the combo of mirtazapine withdrawal (I had dropped from 7.5 to 6.75), the trazodone ct, and the lingering effects of serotonin syndrome. My symptoms during this time were morning adrenaline surges, anxiety, low mood, agitation, tinnitus, ear worm, and restlessness. These symptoms came in waves, and finally settled, but it took about 4 months. I waited another month before making my next mirtazapine cut. I went small (3%) as my confidence was in shatters! But fortunately, I had no wd symptoms during that drop. I've dropped 3 more times since then. 

 

I am sorry you are struggling. Honestly, I had no idea trazodone could be so toxic until this spring. I empathize with what you are going through. All I can say is that I thought I would never stabilize. But I did. You will too! 💜

[Hibari]

Thank you @Mirtazapain for responding.

 

I too was put on Remeron while on Trazadone initially and was very concerned about serotonin syndrome. I'm thinking that I may have some of that as well.

 

So you had insomnia too despite being on Mirtazapine? 

Its been driving me crazy and I keep thinking the Mirt is not working but I felt it was the rebound insomnia from the Trazadone.  

 

Are you sleeping more now? 

 

I have the sweating, insomnia, inner trembling, achy legs  and also hot flashes. I also am very emotional but have been since the start of my setbaxk 3 minths ago. I know this is Trazadone withdrawal and not my setback symptoms, which are very tough in their own right. 

 

The doctor who switched said there would be not issue switching over. I knew he was wrong but was tired, vulnerable and sick. 

 

It's so good to hear that you stabilized and I'm hoping for that myself.

 

 

 

 

[Mirtazapain]

I did have a few nights of full-on rebound insomnia (awake all night) when I ct'd the trazodone, but it didn't last, thankfully. 

 

In general, insomnia hasn't really been an issue for me. My sleep is ok. I do wake a fair bit, though I do manage to get back to sleep. If I've had a few broken nights, I will take 2.5 mg zopiclone, but never more than every 3rd or 4th night. I really don't want to develop a dependency to yet another psychotropic ... 🙄

 

Are you taking mirtazapine and trazodone together now? I see that you are taking 1 mg of trazodone, but what is your mirtazapine dose? 

 

I took mirtazapine and trazodone together for years. I only encountered a problem when I lowered my dose from 7.5 to 6.75 mg. That's when the serotonin syndrome kicked in, for some unknown reason. Altostrata was the one who caught it! Apparently, our system is very sensitive to paradoxical drug interactions when we adjust our dose, up OR down. Who knew? Certainly not me! At least not until it happened... 

 

💜

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Dear Pain & Hibari,

 

Your exchange has given me much pause for thought. I finished a year’s Mirtazapine taper (30-45mg for 18 years) in February. I had long waves & windows after withdrawal. (They may have settled by now. Still on tenterhooks about whether waves will return.)

 

In December, I will be eight months out. Still on Trazodone 30mg (now 20 years). Some folks in the SA community find it easy to taper & wean Traz but the long mix with Mirtazapine makes me a bit worried about starting the taper due to your experience.

 

Still sleeping like s*it which was the whole purpose behind these two poisons.

 

Thanks, folks. Glad of your support. Stay well, stay easy.

 

 

CJ

Bangkok

[Mirtazapain]

@unblocktheplanet

First of all, congratulations for getting off mirtazapine! That is a huge accomplishment worth acknowledging and celebrating!

 

At my current rate of 5% / month, I still have at least 2 years ahead of me. Madness!

 

Just to reassure you, my nightmare 4 or 5 months last spring was caused by a few things that converged all at once. I dropped my mirtazapine dose 10% from 7.5 to 6.75 mg using capsules compounded by a compounding pharmacy. I later found out that the capsules were made using a different formulation of mirtazapine. So I switched brands and dropped at the same time. While that was going on, I also suddenly developed a paradoxical reaction between mirtazapine and trazodone, two drugs I'd combined without issue for years. The serotonin syndrome forced me to ct the trazodone, which led to another layer of withdrawal. So in a 3 week period I dropped doses, switched brands, developed serotonin syndrome, and ct'd trazodone. This is definitely not something I would recommend.

 

No wonder it took my poor brain over 5 months to stabilize. 😏 

 

Your experience will surely be different, as you are no longer taking mirtazapine.  I think if you start your trazadone taper when you have achieved some semblance of stability from your mirtazapine taper, and go nice and slowly, you should be fine!

 

Thanks for reaching out. 

 

 

[unblocktheplanet]

Dear Pain(less),

 

Though I live in Thailand, I’m Canuck, too, and had my vegcaps made by a compounding pharmacy in Victoria. I reduced by linear taper at 10%/month. Maybe that was two quick & my waves were tsunamis.

 

Yeah, me too. No issues with Mirz or Traz for 16 years, until they pooped out.

 

Hope you’re getting some nice fall colours. Nature helps.

 

 

CJ

Bangkok

[Hibari]

On 11/6/2022 at 4:18 PM, Mirtazapain said:

I did have a few nights of full-on rebound insomnia (awake all night) when I ct'd the trazodone, but it didn't last, thankfully. 

 

In general, insomnia hasn't really been an issue for me. My sleep is ok. I do wake a fair bit, though I do manage to get back to sleep. If I've had a few broken nights, I will take 2.5 mg zopiclone, but never more than every 3rd or 4th night. I really don't want to develop a dependency to yet another psychotropic ... 🙄

 

Are you taking mirtazapine and trazodone together now? I see that you are taking 1 mg of trazodone, but what is your mirtazapine dose? 

 

I took mirtazapine and trazodone together for years. I only encountered a problem when I lowered my dose from 7.5 to 6.75 mg. That's when the serotonin syndrome kicked in, for some unknown reason. Altostrata was the one who caught it! Apparently, our system is very sensitive to paradoxical drug interactions when we adjust our dose, up OR down. Who knew? Certainly not me! At least not until it happened... 

 

💜

 

 

Sorry for the delay in responding 

@Mirtazapain

 

I'm on 7.5mgs of Mirtazapine and about 0.07 mgs of Trazadone. Lately when I take the Trazadone, I get low grade hyperness or alerting. In other words, it makes me anxious. 

 

So even though I have wanted to taper my Mirtazapine dose, the Trazadone will have to go first. 

 

Be well

 

Hibari 

[Mirtazapain]

I thought I'd share an update and hopefully hear from some of you in similar straits. 

 

On the 18th of November, 2022 I got covid. It was not a mild case, but I was mostly better by the end of the month. At the end of November I dropped my dose of mirtazapine to 5.51 mg. Three weeks later I got the flu vaccine. The very next day the wheels started to fall off. 

 

I had about a week of mood swings, followed by about a week of agitation, followed by a week of low mood, and now I have had about a week of non-stop shaking, and anxiety that's off the hook. Not to mention lying awake all night insomnia.

 

I don't know if all of these things are connected, but I've never had such intense withdrawal symptoms so far after a drop. These most recent symptoms are about 8 weeks since I last dropped. I don't plan to drop again until I stabilize, which feels like it'll be never.

 

I have literally been shaking for about 16 hours straight. This is similar to the shaking I went through when I had serotonin syndrome with trazodone, when I dropped from 7.5 to 6.75 (though this time I don't have the other serotonin syndrome symptoms like agitation, nausea, dizziness, blood pressure spikes, palpitations, Etc.) I even went to the ER today because I couldn't figure out why I have been shaking like this. Of course they couldn't really help me, other than to offer me benzos, which I don't want to take. 

 

Has anyone else experienced severe withdrawal symptoms 2 months after making a dose reduction? Has anyone experienced extreme shaking? Why the sudden massive spike in anxiety? 

 

My mood is okay, thankfully, but I worry about rebound depression. 

 

Thanks for listening. 

 

[marie123]

Hello. I am sorry to hear about your Mirt troubles. I see that you had the flu shot. Every time I get a flu shot I get a reaction and it revs up my w/d for a week or so. My guess would be that getting covid, the taper, and then the flu shot made you unstable. Yes you can get withdrawal symptoms two months later. Sometimes the previous cuts add up and then you get hit. Have you been taking any Zoplicone or any new drugs or supplements lately? I would take a long hold and wait to stabilize. It seems that each week you are getting a different symptom. This is actually a good thing. I've had that before with symptoms changing. I felt like different parts of my brain were getting settled and healed.

 

I hope you feel better soon. Marie.

[Mirtazapain]

Thank you so much for your reply @marie123, it means a lot to me to get supportive feedback here 💜

 

I most definitely feel destabilized after all the hits my nervous system has had. Covid and the flu shot clearly activated my immune system. 

 

I have not changed the way I take zopiclone (2.5 mg 3 x per week), but I did add a new supplement: stinging nettle. This is supposed to be a natural antihistamine. I started it 2 days ago, and that was my worst day of shaking by far. I've since learned that it can be sedating but paradoxically activating. Also, it may induce serotonin productuin. Too much serotonin is terrible for me. The extreme shaking did remind me of my brush with serotonin syndrome. 

 

Anyhow, I've cut our all the new stuff (I also added whey protein to my smoothies for a few days) and who knows if that contributed. 

 

I got some good sleep last night and I feel somewhat better today. Tired and a bit anxious and shaky, but nothing like yesterday. Thank goodness. 

 

I'm definitely in a wave, have been for 5 weeks since I got the vaccine. I'll just continue to hold here until I get back to stable. 

 

Again, many thanks for your reply. I am sorry that you also reacted to the flu vaccine. It's amazing how much tapering off mirtazapine destabilizes our bodies. 

[marie123]

Hello again. I am glad you are feeling better. That's good that you are stopping the new supplements. I can tell you that zoplidem (Ambien) gave me some nasty side effects/withdrawal symptoms. Zop is similar. Please be careful with it. It could throw your withdrawal for a loop just by taking in occasionally. Be well. Marie.

[Mirtazapain]

Thank you so much @marie123. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the zopiclone. So far I have not really had any issues with taking it.

 

My shaking stopped 3 days ago, my anxiety is down, and my mood is up. What a relief. I've been practicing deep breathing for 30 minute 4 times per day, which seems to be helping, as well as time. And acceptance. Which is easier said than done in the midst of a wave. 

 

This has been a long hard wave, but I appear to be trending in the right direction. My brain still feels fried, but no wonder. 

 

It never ceases to amaze me how much tapering affects the body and mind! The body's capacity to heal is no small miracle. 

 

[marie123]

Hello. Keep going mirt buddy. It's hard but worth it. Marie.

[marie123]

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[marie123]

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[Mirtazapain]

4 hours ago, marie123 said:

Hello. Keep going mirt buddy. It's hard but worth it. Marie.

You too, @marie123. It's freaking hard work. But we'll get there.