glina hello . . . introduction (new member) mirtazapine withdrawal

[glina]

hello . . .

 

glad to have found you.

 

i've put my medicine information in my signature.

 

i've been withdrawing from mirtazapine (remeron) VERY SLOWLY since 2013.

 

i count myself very very fortunate that the physician's assistant overseeing this medicine is mostly supportive of me withdrawing (about 90% supportive, 10% skeptical). he has a caring, flexible, consistent disposition and listens, takes my seriously, and seems to mostly have faith in me. 

 

this support from a medical professional is extremely rare;--and the first time i have really experienced such support--i value it completely and it is going a long way toward my reducing and perhaps even withdrawing from mirtazapine altogether.

 

withdrawing has been extremely difficult for me (but, for sure, i don't have to tell anyone else here that) and i need to add peer support to the support from my physician's assistant. (for me, as with so many others, there is no support from family and to ask for it would be disastrous . . . and friends, well i'm afraid even their best efforts would amount to stress (not a criticism of them, just a reality--i've accepted it). 

 

so here i am . . . and glad you'll have me.

 

my approach to withdrawing has been to reduce 7.5mgs from one day's dose only and hold there until withdrawal symptoms settle down and I am ready to reduce again, then begin the next reduction on a day that isn't back-to-back with the last one.

 

for example:     mon           15mgs

                         tues            7.5mgs

                         wed-sun    15mgs

 

then:                 mon          15mgs

                         tues           7.5mgs

                         wed-thur   15mgs

                         fri              7.5mgs

                         sat-sun     15mgs

 

and, so on.

 

as with so many others, i'm experiencing the ugly, the bad, and the good of withdrawal . . . i'd like to put more about that in another post . . . right now i'm pooped for having typed this introduction.

 

again . . . so glad you are here "surviving . . . " . . . thank you so much.

[Hudgens]

Not really sure what your tapering schedule is. But if you're going up and down from one day to the next, you're doing something

potentially very destabilizing to your nervous system. What you should do is make a drop of no more than 10% of your current dose, then wait

until you feel stabilized-(one month, 2,3 however long it takes), before making another drop. You can't avoid some withdrawal no matter how ideal a taper, but this way you can avoid a lot of unnecessary

suffering.     

[ten0275]

glina, hey.

welcome to the forum. very cool of you to put your drug history in your signature straightaway.

you've written a very informative introduction. thank you for that. i too am withdrawing from mirtazapine. i have been on it for slightly longer than you, with a cold turkey and reinstatement thrown in just prior to the time you started (wisely) tapering very slowly. i tapered from 30mg down to my current 1.9mg.

 

i am glad you have a supportive health care professional you feel comfortable with. that can be a huge asset.

 

i have seen the alternating dose method you are using. i can't recall where. i will need to do some research. but i do question whether this is advisable as a mirtazapine dose reduction is typically not felt until one to two weeks after a cut is made.

 

how is it working for you thus far?

it's great to have you here, though i am sorry for the circumstances that brought you.  i will be following your progress with interest.

hang in there.

dave

[Altostrata]

Welcome, glina.

 

For people who are sensitive to dosage changes, as you are, going up and down in dosage may cause problems, particularly at lower dosages.

 

We advise slow and steady rather than slow and erratic. Please read this topic Tips for tapering off Remeron (mirtazapine)

[dalsaan]

Hi glina,

 

First of all, congratulations on having the courage and determination to come off and for getting down from 45 to 15.

 

Clearly, your strategy has done ok for you so far, athough I dont know how ugly things have got at times and whether a more steady plan might have avoided that.

 

I will say that the further down you go the harder it gets and so I wouldn't assume that what has been ok in the past will be ok in the future.   I have had to have longer holds between drops and have had to decrease my drops by minute amounts.

 

Read the link provided by Alto and come back and share your thoughts/questions etc.

 

I'm always delighted to see another mirtazapine hostage kicking it to the curb!

 

Dalsaan

[glina]

hudgen, ten, altostrata, dalsaan,

 

thanks so much for your kindnesses . . . they go a long way.

 

also . . . congratulations on your struggles and successes withdrawing . . . you've earned your stripes, and then some, for sure.

 

peace.

[glina]

some of the reasons why reducing (and perhaps eventually stopping) mirtazapine is right for me:

 

suicidal thoughts are decreasing (perhaps eventually they will completely, or mostly, cease)

range and depth of emotions are increasing (this is nice . . . good . . . hopeful)

"medicine hangover" in the morning, and generally during the day, is decreasing--still fatigued but a bit less so

constant "automatic" sense of always needing to eat is decreasing and some "medicine pounds" have come off without a lot of effort

 

peace as best you may have it.

 

glina

[glina]

currently:              mon     15mgs

 

                             tues      7.5gms

 

                             wed      15mgs

 

                             thur      15 mgs

 

                             fri          7.5mgs     (most recent reduction)

 

                             sat        15mgs

 

                             sun        15mgs

 

have been on this schedule for about 3 weeks. various unpleasant (that's an understatement) withdrawal symptoms--physical head-to-toe; cognitive; emotional--have come, crested, and now seem to be slowly decreasing (so far akin to what i have experienced with previous reductions).

 

i will stay on this schedule until withdrawal symptoms are gone--or at least low enough--and i feel recuperated enough and have energy enough for the next reduction.

 

i know that i am approaching reductions differently than what is generally recommended. extraordinary (very bad) circumstances, not of my making and far beyond my ability to change, make this the least worst approach for me. I have had to accept this and move ahead as best i can.

 

i have three previous complete "mind medicine" withdrawals under my belt. i cannot say i have gotten used to the difficulties of reducing/withdrawal--how does one ever really do that--just that some of the lesson of first withdrawal have helped with the second . . . and so on. 

 

another reason why reducing (and perhaps eventually stopping) mirtazapine in right for me:

 

          a bit more able to tell what are symptoms of the medical conditions mirtazapine is supposed to help and what are mirtazapine

         side effects--this is helping me care for the medical conditions a little better.

 

peace,

 

glina

[glina]

some things that sometimes help me a bit with withdrawal symptoms:

 

     accepting them for what they are . . . trying not to feel upset about feeling upset . . . and reminding myself that they

          may eventually pass

     patience . . . lots and lots and lots of patience

     mild exercise when tolerated

     other distractions when possible

     simple foods/meals

     heating pad on low seating for some of the muscle aches

 

something that might help during the next dose reduction:

 

     making some simple meals and freezing them so will only need to thaw and heat them

    

    

    

 

 

 

[leahy]

15 horrible years on Remeron and I want off this med so badly! I began to reduce remeron from 45 to 30 on February 14 and requested by my Psych/doctor. (I was taking 90 mg at one time - it's all a blur) After my March 13 appointment I was to told to hold at 30. Not knowing about wd I decided to stop completely for 2 days. Then because of sleep issues reinstated the 30. I also had a migraine that wouldn't quit. I felt so ill - nauseous and severe migraine for WEEKS nonstop. After 14 days I sought medical attention from my internist. She prescribed Fiorocet and that I see a nuerologist because she could find nothing wrong with me.

 

All this led me here searching for answers/help/any tip at all. So thank you for being here. I too am trying Glinda's method. I figure I always fell terrible anyway I might as well accomplish something while I am suffering. This month I went back to 30 for a while, then to 15 for 2 days. In the middle of the thied night I had to get up and take the second 15 to get back to sleep. so 15, 15, 30, 22.5, 22.5. I'm hoping this woks. Its the terrible awakenings that are the most difficult. I can't think straight, feel confused, randomly lost my train of thought mid sentence. For now, I live for your postings. You are all I have. Oh my, that sounded depressed. I am not. I'm just feeling sick and want to get well and get my mind back. God bless all of you. ~Leahy

[leahy]

I wrote that incorrectly. Sorry. I went from 60 mg in Feb. To 45 in March. Then to 30 in April. Here I am trying to compromise at 22.5.

 

I don't want to take 18 months or years even to get off this evil drug.

 

Leahy

[Ginger]

Welcome aboard glina. Your list of things you find helpful in withdrawal is excellent.

[Hopefull]

Hi Glina,

I am also coming of Mitrazapine. Welcome and I hope that we can all support each other, while getting of Mitrazapine. It can be tough and testing at times. But there is a happy ending in sight.

[Ginger]

Glina, I quit ct because I didn't know better--We need all the breaks we can get when we get off these meds, ct throws obstacles in a rough road to victory but you are on your way. Your list really is inspiring. It's natural to look for complicated solutions when simple is not only better it is all we can handle when we are messed up in wd. Use your list, add to it when you find something that works.

[mammaP]

Hi Glina, I am just catching up as I haven't been around much recently. I have to ask you to consider holding your 15mg dose for a few weeks to give your brain and nervous system a chance to stabilise, then restart your taper when there are no more signs of withdrawal.

 

We do not recommend this kind of taper here because it is destabilising and you are feeling withdrawal symptoms.  Tapering slowly and consistently means that you can be free with little discomfort. 

 

This topic is 'why taper 10%'  http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/1024-why-taper-by-10-of-my-dosage/

 

Some people need to go very, very slowly with very tiny cuts http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2364-the-slowness-of-slow-tapers/

 

And some prefer the micro taper of 5% cuts more often http://survivingantidepressants.org/index.php?/topic/2878-micro-taper-instead-of-10-or-5-decreases/

[Altostrata]

glina and leahy -- please do NOT follow a pattern of inconsistent dosing to taper. Rather, very gradually reduce your dosage in a smooth pattern.

 

Please read the links we post for you, the methods are explained there.

[leahy]

Thank you, Alto. I intend to do a slow taper as you suggested. I am waiting to re-stabilize on 30mg and taper from there when I feel well.

[glina]

been thinking about this for a while . . .

 

i'm approaching dose reductions in a way that is not generally recommended.

 

very extraordinary (that is very bad) circumstances make it so i have to approach reducing this way. it's not ideal . . . i just have to make the best of it and move forward as best i can.

 

my circumstances aren't really appropriate for the forum . . . what i mean is, i don't want to inadvertently encourage anyone else to try the approach that i'm using.

 

so, with some sadness, i'm going to step back from posting.

 

it's been nice getting to know some folks here a bit. thanks for your kindness and encouragement . . . it goes a long way.

 

here's to all of us feeling better over time.

 

peace as best you may know it,

 

glina

 

 

[leahy]

All the best to you, Glina. I wish you a good and speedy recovery. Thanks for letting me know. :-)